Improvements in Rear-driven Safety Bicycles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th June, 1895-Accepted, 6th July, 1895
Improvements in Rear-driven Safety Bicycles.
I, THOMAS KNOWLES, of Norwood Road Southport in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :→
My invention relates to rear-driven safety bicycles and enables me to avoid
some of the loss or waste of power involved in the ordinary methods of transmitting
motion from the crank-shafts of such machines to the driving wheels thereof in
which the increase in the angular velocity of the driving wheels in relation to that
of the pedals is obtained by employing chains or other means for transmitting
motion to impart motion to very small wheels on the hubs or axles of the driving
wheels of such machines in which methods of transmitting motion much power is
lost or wasted in simply exerting pressure upon the bearings in which the axles of
the driving wheels of the safety bicycle are mounted and in straining the chains or
other means employed to transmit motion to such driving wheels.
According to iny invention I cause motion to be transmitted from the crank-shaft
of a safety-bicycle to which my invention is applied to a wheel or other part which
I mount upon the axle of the driving wheel of the safety bicycle or upon a bearing
surrounding such axle and cause the said wheel or part to revolve with an angular
velocity which if not equal to or less than that of the crank-shaft shall not be
much greater than that of the crauk-shaft and by so doing I avoid having to
transmit motion to a very small wheel upon the axle of the driving wheel of the
safety-bicycle and so avoid the loss or waste of power in the straining of the chain
or other means by which motion is transmitted and in the mere production of
pressure upon the bearings in which the axle of the driving wheel is mounted. In
order to obtain the requisite increase in the angular velocity of the driving wheel
in relation to that of the crank-shaft of the safety-bicycle I cause motion to be
transmitted from the wheel or other part above mentioned which I mount upon the
axle of the driving wheel of the safety bicycle or upon or in a bearing surrounding
such axle to the driving wheel by means of any suitable arrangement of gearing
by which the driving wheel of the safety-bicycle may be caused to revolve more
rapidly than the wheel or other part above mentioned.
Dated this Third day of August 1894
HOWARD
CHEETHAM,
Manchester, Agent to the Applicant.
I, THOMAS KNOWLES of Norwood Road, Southport, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to rear driven safety bicycles and consists in improvements
in arrangements of mechanism employed for the purpose of avoiding some of the

page_text: loss or waste of power involved in the ordinary methods of transmitting motion
from the crank-shafts of such machines to the driving wheels thereof in which the
increase of the angular velocity of the driving wheels in relation to that of the
pedals is obtained by employing chains or other means for transmitting motion to
impart motion to very small wheels on the hubs or axles of the driving wheels of
such machines in which methods of transmitting motion much power is lost or
wasted in simply exerting pressure upon the bearings in which the axles of the
safety bicycles are mounted and in straining the chains or other means employed
to transmit motion to such driving wheels.
In the apparatus in which my invention consists I cause motion to be transmitted
from the crank shaft of a safety bicycle to which my invention is applied to a chain
wheel which is mounted upon a tube or part which I mount upon the axle of the
driving wheel of the safety bicycle, and I cause the said wheel and tube or part to
revolve with an angular velocity which if not equal to or less than that of the
crank-shaft shall not be much greater than that of the crank-shaft, and by so
doing avoid having to transmit motion to a very small wheel upon the axle of
the driving wheel of the safety bicycle and so avoid the loss or waste of power in
the straining of the chain or other means by which motion is transmitted and in the
mere production of pressure upon the bearings in which the axle of the driving
wheel is mounted. In order to obtain the requisite increase in the angular velocity
of the driving wheel in relation to that of the crank-shaft of the safety bicycle,
I cause motion to be transmitted from the wheel and tube or part above mentioned
which I mount upon the axle of the driving wheel of the safety bicycle to the
driving wheel by means of gearing consisting in a bevel pinion mounted so as to be
incapable of rotating, bevel pinions mounted so as to be capable of revolving and
capable of being revolved around and gearing into the said pinion which is
incapable of revolving and a bevel pinion capable of revolving and gearing into
and receiving motion from the said pinions which are capable of revolving and
connected to or forming part of the hub of the rear wheel of the safety bicycle.
I am fully aware that arrangements of gearing each consisting in a fixed bevel
pinion, two bevel pinions capable of evolving and gearing into the fixed pinion
and of being revolved around it, and also gearing into a pinion connected to the
hub of the driving wheel of a rear-driven safety bicycle have already been
employed in rear-driven safety bicycles and consequently I would have it understood
that the bevel pinions which I employ form in themselves no part of my invention
and that my invention consists in improvements by means of which gearing of the
said kind is enabled to be employed more efficiently and conveniently than in the
arrangements hitherto employed.
The arrangement of apparatus in which my invention consists is illustrated
in the accompanying drawing which is a section through such arrangement of
apparatus.
In the accompanying drawing (a) is the axle of the driving wheel of the safety
bicycle. The axle (a) is fixed in the rear fork (b) of the safety bicycle by means
of the nuts (a) and (a²) and has mounted upon it near one end the fixed bevel
pinion (c) which is formed with two ball races (c¹) (e²) one (el) to receive the
balls (e) of one of the bearings upon which the hub (f) of the driving wheel is to
revolve, and the other (2) to receive the balls (g) of the bearing at one end of a
tube or part (h) upon which is mounted the chain-wheel (i) which receives motion
by means of a chain from a chain-wheel mounted upon the crank-shaft of the safety
bicycle. The tube or part (4) being provided at one end with a ball race (4) to
receive the balls (g) is provided with a cone or ball race (2) on or in which may
bear the balls (j) of another bearing, which are arranged to run in a race (¹)
formed in a collar (k) screwed upon the axle (a) and secured in position upon the
axle (a) by means of the nut (a2). (2) is a collar screwed upon the collar (k) and
serving to hinder dust or dirt from reaching and oil from escaping from the ball
races (2) (k'). Upon the tube or part (h) are formed bosses which form axles (m)
on each of which may revolve one of two bevel pinions (n) which gear into the

page_text: bevel pinion (c) and are kept in position upon the axles (m) upon which they are
respectively mounted by means of set screws (o), washers (o¹) being placed between
the heads of the set screws (o) and the pinions (n) in conjunction with which they
are respectively employed in order that the revolution of the pinions (n) may not
tend to cause the set screws (o) to rotate. In order to further guard against the
revolution of the pinions (n) tending to turn the set screws (o) so as to unscrew
them, I so form the set screws (o) and the holes in the axles (m) into which they
are respectively screwed that any tendency of the pinions (n) to turn the screws (o)
while such pinions (n) are revolving in the direction in which they are required to
revolve when the safety bicycle is travelling forwards will tend to screw the set
screws (e) further into the axles (m) in which they are respectively inserted.
Upon the tube or part (h) is formed a cone or ball race (3) against or in which
bear the balls (p) of the other bearing upon which the hub (7) of the driving
wheel of the safety bicycle is to revolve. The balls (e) and the balls (p) are
respectively retained in the ball races (c¹) (/³) respectively by means of the
collars ()() which are screwed into the hub (/) and respectively secured
therein by means of lock-nuts (f³) (*). The hub (f) is so formed as to be
capable of enclosing the pinions (e) and (n) (n) and the greater part of the tube or
part (h) and in order that the parts of the gearing and other parts used therewith
may be placed in position the hub (f) is formed in two parts (1") (°), the
part (f) being formed with screw-threads screwed into corresponding screw-
threads formed in the part (*). The part (8) of the hub (f) is formed with
teeth which constitute a bevel pinion (9) to gear into the bevel pinions (n) and
having the same number of teeth as the bevel pinion (c). The part (15) of the
hub is formed with flanges (7) to which the spokes (8) of the driving wheel may
he connected. The bevel pinions (n) have each the same number of teeth.
In applying the arrangement of apparatus illustrated in the accompanying
drawing to the driving wheel of the safety bicycle and putting together the parts.
of such arrangement of apparatus, the spokes (1) of the said wheel are connected
to the flanges (17) of the hub (f) and after the pinion (c) has been secured to the
axle (a) and the tube or part (h) with the pinions (n) (n) mounted upon it has
been placed in position upon the axle (a) and the balls (g) have been placed in
position in the ball races (3) and (4) the axle (a) and the tube or part (h) with
the pinions (e) and (n) (n) are placed in the part (3) of the hub (f) and then the
part (f) of the hub () is screwed into the part (/) and then the balls (e)
and (p) are placed in position and the collars (1) and (2) are adjusted into and
secured in position so as to adjust the bearings of the hub (/) and the bearing
between the tube or part (h) and pinion (e) in the manner requisite and then the
chain wheel (i) being placed and secured in position upon the part or tube (h) by
means of a pin (¹) or in any other suitable manner, the balls (j) are placed in
position and the collar (k) with the collar () screwed thereon is screwed upon the
axle (a) and then the axle (a) being placed in position in the fork (6) and secured
at one end by the nut (a) the collar (k) and nut (a2) are screwed upon the axle (a)
so as to adjust the bearing in which the balls (j) are employed and secure the other
end of the axle (a) in the fork (b). When the part (18) of the hub (f) has been
screwed into the part (") thereof a set screw is screwed into the part (') and
caused to enter a hole formed to receive it in the part (f) so that the part (ƒ³)
may be prevented from being unscrewed from the part (1) while the safety bicycle
is in use and in order to further prevent the part (/) from being unscrewed from
the part (1) while the safety bicycle is in use the screw-threads upon the part (6)
and the corresponding screw-threads in the part (ƒ) are so formed that while the
safety bicycle is being propelled forwards the part (6) would if free to revolve
tend to be screwed further into the part (5).
It is obvious that the division of the hub into two parts (*) (*) and the
connection of such parts (1) (7) together may be accomplished in other modes
than that indicated in the accompanying drawing and that if it should be considered
desirable the bevel pinions (n) may be caused to revolve upon ball bearings.

page_text: When the chain wheel (i) is caused to rotate and revolve the tube or part (h),
the bevel pinions (n) being caused to move around the bevel pinion (c) will cause
the bevel pinien (9) to revolve in the same direction as and with twice the angular
velocity of the chain-wheel (i) so that it is unnecessary for the chain-wheel (i) to
revolve quite so rapidly or any more rapidly than the crank-shaft of the safety
bicycle for the angular velocity of the driving wheel to exceed that of the crank-
shaft to any extent ordinarily necessary so that there is no necessity for the
chain-wheel (i) to be made very small or for the chain imparting motion to such
chain wheel (i) to revolve at an inconveniently high speed.
In comparison with the arrangements of fixed bevel pinion, bevel pinions capable
of revolving and gearing into the said fixed pinion and of being revolved around it
and also gearing into a pinion connected to the hub of the driving wheel of a rear
driven safety bicycle which have hitherto been employed the arrangement of
apparatus in which my invention consists possesses the important advantages that
the gearing being contained and practically enclosed within the hub () the
apparatus is very compact so that it does not require the "tread" or distance
between the pedals of the safety bicycle in which it is to be employed to be unduly
wide and the gearing is very well protected from dust and wear and the leakage of
oil therefrom is obviated to a very great extent.
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
claim is-
In the driving wheel of a rear-driven safety bicycle the combination with the
spindle or axle (a) secured in the back fork of such safety bicycle with the fixed
bevel pinion (e) mounted fast upon it, of the tube or part (h) capable of revolving
upon such spindle or axle (a) and having mounted upon it the chain wheel (i) and
carrying the pinions (n) (n) gearing with the pinion (c) and with the pinion (g), of
the pinion (9) secured to the hub and gearing with the pinions (n) (n) and of the
hub (f) formed to enclose the said pinions (c) (n) (n) and (g) and the greater part
of the said tube or part (h) all constructed arranged employed and operating for
the purposes and substantially in the manner hereinbefore described in reference to
and illustrated in and by the accompanying drawing.
Dated this First day of June 1895.
HOWARD CHEETHAM,
Manchester, Agent to the Applicant.