Improvements in or in connection with Cycles.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in connection with Cycles.
I, THOMAS COOKE, of Buckingham Works, York, in the County of York, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has mainly for its object to facilitate the removal of the cycle
driving wheel for any purpose whatever, but particularly for repairing punctures
without undoing the chain or disturbing the bearings. It is well known that most
cycle riders usually mend their tyres without removing the wheel owing to the
difficulty and loss of time entailed in separating the wheel from the frame, but
it is an awkward business at best.
Now by my invention it is only necessary to unslacken the nuts at each end of
the axle and the wheel comes off without undoing the chain or disturbing the
bearings.
In carrying my invention into effect, I mount the ends of the axle of the rear
wheel in slots arranged vertically, so that if the nuts at the ends of the axle be
screwed off or considerably slackened, the wheel with its axle drops vertically down
clear of the slots, without having to undo the chain or disturb the bearings,
instead of being pulled out at the back as is the case in all machines at the present
time. These slots in which the ends of the axle are mounted are formed in plates
or brackets separate from the bottom fork, but secured to the rear end thereof by
screws or bolts. To provide for the tightening or slackening of the chain I form
slots in the ends of the fork arms in such a manner that by slackening the screws
or bolts, the brackets with their axle can be brought nearer to or further from the
crank axle of the machine, and then locked again in the required position. I may
also provide the ends of the fork with feed screws, coupled at one end to the
brackets and fitted with locking nuts, so that by slackening the lock nuts and then
rotating the feed screw, the brackets carrying the axle are slid in one direction or
the other and the chain thus adjusted to a nicety. The screw is then locked again
by means of the lock nut.
I propose to provide an arrangement whereby the axle will not accidentally fall
down out of the slots unless the nuts are unscrewed from the ends, with a view
to avoiding any danger of the axle coming out of the slots should the nuts get
slightly loose through vibration. This is effected by forming at each of the axles
between the shoulders and the screwed ends, a neck of larger diameter than the
screwed parts, but smaller than the shoulders, and in the rear face of each of the
nuts which screw on to the screwed ends of the axle I provide a recess, the diameter
of which is larger than the diameter of the screw. The slots in the brackets are
just wide enough to receive the screwed ends of the axle but no other part. On
the inside faces of the brackets concentric with the bottom of the slots, I bore a
circular shaped recess of larger diameter than the width of the slot, and these are
adapted to receive the necks on the ends of the axle. On the other face of the
bracket concentric with the recess I provide a segmental circular projection pro-
jecting from the face of the bracket, and adapted to fit into the recess in the nut.

page_text: Both the recesses and the projections in the brackets form more than a semi-
circle. The ends of the axle are passed into the slots, and their necks received by
the recesses in the brackets. The nuts are also screwed on the ends of the axle
and their recesses are engaged by the projections. In this condition the necks on
the axle engaging in the recesses in the brackets, and the projections on the
brackets engaging in the recesses in the nuts prevent the axle being removed from
off the slots unless the nuts are first unscrewed from the axle.
To take the wheel off it is only necessary to screw off the nuts from each end of
the axle and the wheel drops down. There is no undoing the chain or disturbing
the bearings, so that when it is put back all is in as perfect adjustment as before,
because the chain adjustment has not been interfered with in the operation of
removing the wheel.
I have described the above way of carrying my invention into .effect, but it is
obvious that once given the general idea alterations may be made without depart-
ing from the nature of the invention. Thus for example instead of providing the
brackets aforesaid, the back diagonal fork connecting the saddle pillar with the
rear end of the bottom fork may be lengthened and provided at the ends with
vertical slots to receive the ends of the axle. Just short of these slots, it is secured
by bolts to the slots in the ends of the bottom fork, so that by tightening or
loosening these bolts, the distance of the wheel axle from the crank axle can be
adjusted to tighten or loosen the chain. A suitable screw adjustment may also be
provided to enable the adjustment to be effected to a nicety.
Dated this 19th day of November 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
F
I, THOMAS COOKE, of Buckingham Works, York, in the County of York, 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:-
This invention has mainly for its object to facilitate the removal of the cycle
driving wheel for any purpose whatever, but particularly for repairing punctures
without undoing the chain or disturbing the bearings. It is well known that most
cycle riders usually mend their tyres without removing the wheel, owing to the
difficulty and loss of time entailed in separating the wheel from the frame, but it is
an awkward business at best.
Now by my invention it is only necessary to unslacken the nuts at each end of
the axle and the wheel comes off without undoing the chain or disturbing the
bearings.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a front view showing my invention applied to a bicycle;
. Figure 2 an end view thereof,
Figure 3, detail views showing one end of the axle A, nut I, and part of
bracket J.
Referring to the figures, A is the axle of the rear wheel, B flange of the nave
to which spokes are attached, C the fork arm, D and E the diagonal and bottom
forks, F the chain wheel and G the rear wheel nave on which the chain wheel is

page_text: mounted and secured. I mount the ends of the axle A of the rear wheel in slots H
arranged vertically, so that if the nuts I at the ends of the axle A be screwed off
or considerably slackened, the wheel with its axle drops vertically down clear of
the slots H, without having to undo the chain or disturb the bearings, instead of
being pulled out at the back as is the case in all machines at the present time.
These slots H in which the ends of the axle A are mounted are formed in plates or
brackets J separate from the fork arm C, but secured to the rear end thereof by
screws or bolts K. To provide for the tightening or slackening of the chain, I
form slots L in the ends of the fork arms C in such a manner that by slackening
the screws or bolts K the brackets J with their axle A can be brought nearer to or
further from the crank axle of the machine, and then locked again in the required
position. I may also provide the ends of the fork E with feed screws M, coupled
at one end to the brackets J and fitted with locking nuts N, so that by slackening
the lock nuts N and then rotating the feed screw M, the brackets J carrying the
axle are slid in one direction or the other and the chain thus adjusted to a nicety.
The screw is then locked again by means of the lock nut N.
propose to provide an arrangement whereby the axle will not accidentally fall
down out of the slots H, unless the nuts I are unscrewed from the ends, with a view
to avoiding any danger of the axle coming out of the slots should the nuts get
slightly loose through vibration. This is effected by forming on each of the axles
a neck J of larger diameter than the screwed parts a, and in the rear face of each
of the nuts I which screw on to the screwed ends a of the axle I provide a recess i,
The slots H in the
the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of the screw.
brackets J are just wide enough to receive the screwed ends a of the axle but no
other part. On the inside faces of the brackets concentric with the bottom of
the slots, I bore a circular shaped recess K of larger diameter than the width of the
slot H, and these are adapted to receive the necks J¹ on the ends of the axle. On the
other face of the bracket concentric with the recess K, I provide a segmental circular
projection P projecting from the face of the bracket J, and adapted to fit into the
recess in the nut. Both the recesses K¹ and the projections P in the brackets
form more than a semi-circle. The ends of the axle are passed into the slots H,
and their necks received by the recesses K¹ in the brackets. The nuts I are also
screwed on the ends of the axle and their recesses are engaged by the projec-
tions P. In this condition the necks J¹ on the axle engaging in the recesses K¹
in the brackets, and the projections P on the brackets engaging in the recesses i
in the nuts prevent the axle being removed from out of the slots H, unless the
nuts I are first unscrewed and removed from the axle.
To take the wheel off, it is only necessary to screw off the nuts I from each end
of the axle and the wheel drops down. There is no undoing the chain or disturb-
ing the bearings, so that when it is put back all is in as perfect adjustment as
before, because the chain adjustment has not been interfered with in the operation
of removing the wheel.
I have described the above way of carrying my invention into effect, but it is
obvious that once given the general idea, alterations may be made without depart-
ing from the nature of the invention. Thus, for example, instead of providing
the brackets J aforesaid, the back diagonal fork I connecting the saddle pillar
with the rear end of the bottom fork I may be lengthened and provided at the
ends with vertical slots to receive the ends of the axle. Just short of these slots,
it is secured by bolts to the slots in the ends of the bottom fork, so that by tighten-
ing or loosening these bolts, the distance of the wheel axle from the crank axle
can be adjusted to tighten or loosen the chain. A suitable screw adjustment may
also be provided to enable the adjustment to be effected to a nicety.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
5 claim is:-
1. In cycles, the arrangement for facilitating the removal of the rear wheel,

page_text: which consists in forming in the rear end of the back fork, or in brackets adjust-
ably secured thereto by screws or bolts, vertical slots in which the wheel axle is
mounted and secured by nuts, whereby if the nuts be screwed off or considerably
slackened, the wheel with its axle will drop vertically down clear of the slots,
without the operator having to undo the chain or disturb the bearings, sub-
stantially as described.
2. For the purpose of facilitating the removal of the wheel of a cycle, mounting
the ends of the axle in slots arranged vertically in the rear end of the back fork,
or in brackets adjustably secured thereto by screws or bolts, whereby if the nuts at
the ends of the axle be unscrewed, the wheel with its axle can be removed without
having to undo the chain or disturb the bearings, instead of pulling it out of the
back as heretofore, and in providing in addition to the vertical slots, horizontal
ones so arranged that the distance of the wheel axle from the crank axle can be
adjusted to tighten or loosen the chain substantially as described.
3. The arrangement for preventing the axle dropping out of the vertical slots
in which it mounted unless the nuts be first entirely unscrewed or removed,
substantially as described, whereby any danger of the axle coming out of the slots,
should the nuts get slightly loose through vibration is avoided.
4. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts forming my
arrangement for facilitating the removal of the rear wheel of a cycle for any pur-
pose whatever, but particularly for repairing punctures in the tyre, substantially as
set forth.
Dated this 8th day of March 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.