Year: 1897

page_text: IIke.
A Communication from JESSE WALTER SUNDERLAND, Mechanic, of 220 West
Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 relates to an improvement in gearing for velocipedes of the
chainless type and has for its object more especially the provision of such a gearing
for tandem bicycles, and similar foot-propelled machines, where the force exerted
by several riders is to be transmitted to the drive-wheel.
The invention is applicable also with great advantage to ordinary single
bicycles which are provided with crank-hangers, it being possible to substitute
the improved gearing herein described for ordinary chain-gearing at a very small
cost.
The invention, broadly stated, involves the use of pinions rigid with the drive-
wheel shaft, planet gears enmesh therewith and preferably rigidly attached to
connecting rods which are given a reciprocatory motion by cranks, and improved
means for maintaining the gears and pinions in proper relationship to each other
during the revolution of the former about the latter, as well as improved
connections between the planet-gears and the cranks.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, a tandem bicycle equipped with this
improved gearing; Figure 2, a broken view, partly in section of the pinions and
attendant parts attached to the rear wheel shaft; Figure 3, a broken sectional
view of a separable journal-box with which the rear-forks are provided; Figure 4,
a broken, partly sectional, plan view of the frame and gearing; Figure 5, a broken
sectional view of the rear crank-hanger, cranks, and connecting-rod journal-boxes
thereon; and Figure 6, a broken view, in side elevation of the connecting-rod
journal-box and the attached connecting-rods.
A is a bicycle frame the rear forks A₁ A2 of which are provided with journal-
boxes B, having preferably a removable section B₁ (see Figure 3). C is the drive-
wheel the hub C of which affords a shaft through the medium of which the wheel
is driven. The hub and shaft C¹ is preferably of the barrel-shape shown and is
provided at both ends with a number of sections of successively reduced diameters

page_text: threaded to receive the wheel-bearing cones rr, housing-bearing cones p, pinions D,
and at the extreme ends, housing-bearing cones n. The cones and p are provided
with wrench-holes, p. The journal-boxes B of the rear forks are provided with
outer race-members m. Mounted upon ball-bearings p¹ n¹ resting on the cones p
and n are links or housings E, each comprising preferably a box E¹ and a lid or
cover E2 provided with lugs (see Figure 1) for securing them together. The box-
portion E is provided with ball-bearing cones j and k, and the lid-portion E³ with
cones and 'f. The cones f and j coact with the cones
ones and p-respectively on
the wheel-shaft, while the cones & and g coact with bearings and g¹ respectively
on a planet gear F confined within the housing and meshing with the pinion D.
Rigidly attached to the gear F by means of a screw e and dowel-pins is a plate
or forging G offset or curved inwardly at its forward end for proper alignment, as
shown. The forward end of the forging is provided with threaded sockets to
receive connecting-rods H secured rigidly in place by jamb-nuts H¹. The con-
necting-rods H are provided at opposite ends with oppositely turned threads and
are rigidly secured at their front ends to journal boxes I mounted upon cranks J
carried by the pedal-arms, or formed integral with said arms by bending them
between their ends to form proper offsets. This connection allows for the adjust-
ment of the tension in the connecting-rods by simply turning them in the proper
direction. The journal-box I is internally threaded to receive ball-bearing cones I'
which coact with inner race-members 13 which are forced on to the cranks J. The
journal-box is split, preferably at its lower side, where it is provided with lugs i
perforated to receive bolts 15. After the cones I have been properly adjusted
with reference to the balls I they are readily and effectually locked in place by
means of the the bolts 15. The pedal-shaft K is provided with any suitable ball-
bearing. To the front half of the journal-box I are secured connecting-rods L
applied at their ends with right and left-handed threads and joined to similar
journal-boxes on the cranks carried by the next preceding pedal-shaft.
As shown in the drawings the cranks J are carried by crank-arms J', and, in
turn, carry the pedal-arms J: These pedal-arms should be. set. at an angle of about
90 degrees to the crank-arms, as shown in Figure 1; and, likewise, the gears, should
be so relationed with respect to the pinions that lines joining the centres of each
set (pinion and gear) shall meet at an angle of about 90 degrees. The purpose of
the former arrangement is to provide that the foot shall pass through the, most
efficient arc of application of power while the planet gear is passing through its
most efficient arc; the purpose of the latter arrangement is, of course, to avoid a
-possibility of a "dead center."
The operation is as follows:-
Power is applied to the pedals and transmitted through the cranks and connect-
ing-rods to the planet gear rigidly attached to the rear connecting-rods.
This causes the housings E to rotate about the drive-wheel shaft and
since the planet-gears, during this movement are maintained in rigid relation to
the connecting-rods, it is plain that the pinions are caused to revolve, and at a
speed depending upon the ratio which the diameters of the gears and pinions bear
to each other:
: .
It will be understood that with the gearing on both sides the wheel the
connecting-rods may be made of small cross-section since, a tensile power mainly
is depended upon in the propulsion. Not only is this accomplished but it will
he understood readily that with the double, gearing the wheel is better balanced and
this is true especially in view of the fact that the gears and pinions are set at an
angle of ninety degrees which causes the torsional effect upon the drive-wheel
'shaft produced by one set of connecting-rods to be neutralized by the force exerted
through the rods upon the opposite side...
It should be stated that the matter of providing offsets in the forgings G is of
prime importance in this construction since. not only does it obviate torsional strains
by preserving the alignment, and providing for, the, movement of the connecting-

page_text: rods with relation to the housings, but also brings the connecting-rods closer to
the frame at the cranks, thus getting them out of the way of the feet and clothing.
of the rider without unduly lengthening the lateral distance between pedals.
Various changes in the construction may be made without departing from the
spirit of the invention as defined by the claims and it is to be understood that the
invention is not to be limited to the particular details of construction given above,
except as shall appear from the appended claims.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In a velocipede of the class described, the combination with the frame, drive-
wheel, a pinion rigid with the drive-wheel shaft, an externally toothed gear-wheel
meshing with the pinion, a housing inclosing said pinion and gear and maintaining
their connection, a crank-shaft journaled in the frame, a crank thereon, and a
connecting-rod journaled at one end upon said crank and rigidly attached at its
opposite end to said gear-wheel at its outer side, said connecting-rod being provided
with an offset to permit movement with relation to said housing and to preserve
the alignment, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a velocipede of the class described, the combination with the frame, and
drive-wheel provided with a rigid shaft journaled in the frame, said shaft having
the successively reduced threaded sections, of a crank-shaft provided with a crank
journaled in the frame, a connecting-rod journaled on said crank, a housing-bearing
cone screwed onto said drive-wheel shaft, a pinion D screwed onto the shaft
adjacent to said cone, a second housing-bearing cone n upon the extreme end of
the shaft adjacent to the pinion, a housing provided with race-members to coact
with said housing-bearing cones, a gear wheel inclosed in the housing meshing
with the pinion and provided with anti-friction bearings, and connecting-means
between the planet-gear and the rear-end of said connecting-rod for maintaining
said parts in rigid relation to each other, all arranged substantially as described
and operating in the manner specified.
3. In a velocipede of the class described, the combination with the frame and
drive-wheel provided with a rigid shaft journaled in the frame, of a pinion rigid
with the shaft, a gear-wheel meshing therewith, a housing for. maintaining said
gears in proper relation, a crank-shaft provided with a crank journaled in the
frame, a journal-box on the crank, a plate or forging & rigidly attached to said
gear-wheel at the outer side thereof and provided with an offset to permit move-
ment with relation to said housing and to preserve the alignment, and a connecting-
rod H provided with right and left-handed threads joining the front end of said
forging rigidly and adjustably to the box journaled upon said crank, substantially
as set forth.
P
4. In a velocipede of the class described, the combination with the frame, of a
drive-wheel having a shaft provided at its ends with successively reduced threaded
sections inner housing-bearing cones p, pinions D, and outer housing-bearing
cones n successively screwed onto said sections, planet gears F meshing with said
pinions, housings inclosing the gears and pinions and maintaining them in proper
relationship and each provided with race-members to co-act with the members
and n, forgings G provided with offsets to preserve the alignment, bolt and pin
connection between the planet gears and forgings for maintaining them, in rigid
connection, crank journaled in the frame, journal-boxes thereon, adjustable con-
necting-rods joining journal-boxes, and adjustable connecting-rods joining the
rear journal-boxes and the front ends of said forgings, substantially as set forth.
5. In a velocipede, the combination with the frame, drive-wheel, crank-shaft
journaled in the frame, crank upon said shaft, and connecting-rod operatively
joined to the drive-wheel, of an internally threaded journal-box upon the crank
split at one side of the crank and provided with perforated lugs, a race-member

page_text: upon the crank, externally threaded cones I¹ to coact therewith and a
bolt through said lugs for locking said cones after their adjustment is perfected,
substantially as described.
'BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.