An Improved Method of and Means for Driving Cycles or the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 9th Feb., 1900-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Means for Driving Cycles or the like.
We, GEORGE HALES, of 16, Lillies Avenue, Grange Street, Engineer, and ARTHUR
EDWARD PAULSEN, of 4, Eldon Grove, Beverley Road, Merchant, both in Hull,
in the County of Yorkshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
to be as follows;-
-
The object of our invention is to provide an improved method of and means
for driving bicycles or the like (but more particularly safety bicycles) by means
of which the chain, and the chain wheel usually fixed on the driving wheel, are
dispensed with, thereby greatly reducing the amount of friction which is caused
by such driving chain, also our improved gear can be entirely encased so as to
be quite dust-proof and to allow of it working in an oil bath.
For the purpose of our invention, instead of the chain and the two chain
wheels generally used, we employ two gear wheels one being mounted on the
pedal crank axle in any suitable manner, and the other or supplementary wheel
mounted by means of a pin or axle in a separate bracket or bearing, and running.
in gear with the wheel on the pedal crank axle, one or other of these wheels may
have internal roller teeth.
We employ a driving shaft or spindle consisting of a rod having flexible ends,
such flexible ends being built up of links consisting preferably of connecting pieces
having lips articulated to four-sided or other suitably shaped blocks, having by
preference four pins, one on each side; the connecting pieces with the blocks
form a flexible shaft or part which can be twisted in various directions. One of
the flexible ends of the shaft is atatached to the pin or axle of the supplementary
gear wheel, and the other flexible end is attached to the axle of the back travel-
ling or driving wheel of the cycle, the two flexible ends being brought around or
curved at the parts where they are attached to the axles of their respective wheels
and so fit to the ends of the said axles, the driving being obtained by the gear
wheel attached to the crank axle turning the supplementary gear wheel which in
turn twists the driving shaft or spindle causing it to revolve in a circular direc-
tion around its own longitudinal axis, so twisting or turning the axle of the
driving wheel and giving motion to the cycle, the two flexible ends of the shaft
allowing the rod to turn without much strain being on it.
The shaft works within a tube which prevents dust from getting to it, such tube
may act as an oil bath for the shaft to turn in, also ball or other suitable bear-
ings may be provided for such shaft to turn on and the whole may be strengthened
by means of supports or the like, and the gear wheels covered with a cap or cover.
Dated this Eighth dose of V 1000
JOHN E. WALSH,
Savile Street, Hull, and Crossley Street, Halifax,
Patent Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: An Improved Method of and Means for Driving Cycles or the like.
We, GEORGE HALES, of 16, Lillies Avenue; Grange Street, Engineer, and ARTHUR
EDWARD PAULSEN, of 4, Eldon Grove, Beverley Road, Merchant, both in Hull,
in the County of Yorkshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of our invention is to provide an improved method of and means
for driving bicycles or the like (but more particularly safety bicycles) by means
of which the chain and the chain wheel usually fixed on the driving wheel are
dispensed with, thereby greatly reducing the amount of friction which is caused
by such driving chain, also our improved gear can be entirely encased so as to
be quite dust proof and to allow of it working in an oil bath.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a side view of a bicycle with our improved gear applied.
Fig. 2 represents a plan view of Fig. 1 with top part of gear tube removed.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of part of a bicycle with gear, the whold drawn to a larger
scale.
Fig. 4 represents separate views of two of the links and one connecting block
which form part of the flexible shaft, drawn to a larger scale.
Fig. 5 represents the same connected.
Fig. 6. represents a link with a bracket containing ball bearings, the bracket
being shown in section, and
Fig. 7 represents a plan view of the back fork and wheel of a bicycle showing
brackets for taking ball bearings, in section.
For the purpose of our invention, instead of the chain and the two chain
wheels generally used, we employ two gear wheels A and B, the
wheel A being mounted on the pedal crank axle C in any suitable
manner and the other or supplementary wheel B mounted by means of a
pin or axle D in a separate bracket or bearing E and running in gear with the
wheel A on the pedal crank axle C; one or other of these wheels may have internal
roller teeth.
We employ a driving shaft or spindle consisting of a rod I having flexible ends,
such flexible ends being built up of links consisting preferably of connecting
pieces G having lips H articulated to four sided or other suitably shaped blocks J
having by preference four pins K, one on each side, the connecting pieces with
the blocks form a flexible shaft or part which can be twisted in various directions
but we do not confine ourselves to these particular links as universal joints of any
suitable construction will.answer the same purpose. One of the flexible ends of
the shaft is attached to the pin or axle D of the supplementary gear wheel B
and the other flexible end is attached to the axle L of the back travelling or
driving wheel. M of the cycle, the two flexible ends being brought around or
curved at the parts where they are attached to the axles of their respective wheels
and so fit to the ends of the said axles, the driving being obtained by the gear
wheel attached to the crank axle turning the supplementary gear wheel, which in
turn twists the driving shaft or spindle causing it to revolve in a circular direc-
tion around its own longitudinal axis such shaft, having its two ends brought
around in the same direction, twisting or turning the axle of the driving wheel
and giving a forward motion to the cycle, by means of the driving wheel, the
two flexible ends of the shaft allowing the rod to turn without much strain being
wit

page_text: The shaft works within a tube N which prevents dust from getting to it, such
tube may act as an oil bath for the shaft to turn in, also ball or other suitable
bearings P fitted within the tube N may be provided for such shaft to turn on,
such ball bearings only being necessary for the flexible ends of the shaft to run in,
and the whole may be strengthened by means of supports or the like and the
gear wheels covered with a cap or cover.
As the flexible shaft is connected to the axle of the back travelling wheel of the
cycle and turns such wheel, it will be understood that in place of such wheel
running loose on the axle (as is necessary with chain driven machines,) the wheel
and the axle must either be in one piece or engage with each other, therefore
instead of placing ball bearings within the wheel hub as heretofore we may pro-
vide each of the prongs of the back fork R with boxes SS preferably having
each a central partition T, these boxes are internally threaded to take two
cones UU each through which the axle L passes, balls W being placed in the
hollowed part of each cone so that they bear on the axle L which turns on them,
there being consequently a great reduction of friction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A driving gear for cycles, consisting of a flexible shaft, or a shaft with flexible
ends, one end being attached to the axle of a gear wheel running in gear with
a driving wheel on the pedal crank axle, and the other end attached to the axle
of the back travelling wheel, the shaft working in a tube or not, and having
ball bearings or not as desired, in the manner and for the purposes, substantially
as shown and described.
2. Constructing the back travelling wheel of a safety bicycle in one piece with
its axle, so as to engage with its axle, to allow of the axle revolving with the
wheel, in the manner and for the purposes, substantially as shown and described.
3. Providing the ends of the back forks of a safety bicycle, with boxes to take
ball or other bearings, in the manner and for the purposes, substantially as shown
and described.
4. The combination of the parts to form a chainless driving gear for cycles,
in the manner and for the purposes, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this Eighth day of February 1900
JOHN E. WALSH,
Savile Street, Hull, and Crossley Street, Halifax,
Patent Agent for the Applicants.