Improvements in Gear Cases for Velocipedes and other Chain Driven Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Sept., 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gear Cases for Velocipedes and other Chain Driven
Vehicles.
We, FREDERICK JOHN OSMOND, of Perry Hall, Bromsgrove, in the County of
Worcester, Mechanical Engineer and ALFRED HENRY EDSON of No. 112 Byron
Road, Small Heath, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tinsmith, do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of the construction and arrangement hereinafter described
of the parts of gear cases for velocipedes and other chain driven vehicles, whereby
the said cases are made practically dust proof and readily detachable and where
desirable oil containing.
We
In constructing a gear case, say, for a safety bicycle, according to our inven-
tion, we make the gear case practically in two parts, a main or body part open at
its rear end and a small nearly semi-circular rear end part or closing cap, the said
gear case having a figure resembling generally an ordinary gear case.
permanently connect the front or outer side of the main part of the case to the
back or inner side, the outer side of the case being opened and closed at or near
its front end by the removal and replacement of a circular slotted disc which
constitutes no part of our invention. The front or outer side of the case when
the circular disc herein before referred to is in place, is closed excepting for a
short distance along its middle and near its rear end, through which middle
opening the end of the branch of the chain stay fork against which the gear case
fits passes. The inner side of the case has along the greater part of its middle,
a longitudinal slot in which the part of the said branch of the chain stay fork,
not protruding through the front of the case, fits. When the rear end cap of the
case is in position the inner side of the said case has in it an oval opening through
which the end of the hub of the rear wheel passes. This oval opening is con-
tracted, when the adjustment of the chain has been effected, by slides, one of which
works in guides on the inner side of the case and the other in
guides on the inner side of the end cap. The slide working in the guides
on the inner side of the gear case has an inwardly projecting part which fits the
trough in the inner side of the case. The end cap is provided at the part where it
is attached to the main part of the case, with double edges between which double
edges of the cap the edges of the case pass, the end cap being fixed to the main part
of the case preferably by two screws.
The gear case is fixed on the branch of the chain stay fork against which it takes
by clips one of which is hinged to the back of the case and the other, a divided
pring clip, is fixed on the front of the case. The branch of the chain stay fork
8 clipped near its rear end between the last named clip and the part of the inner
lide projecting into the trough in the inner side of the case.
To apply the gear case described to a bicycle the crank, driving chain wheel
nd chain are removed from the bicycle. The rear end cap and slides at the inner
ide of the case being detached, the main or body part of the case is passed by an

page_text: endwise motion on to the branch of the chain stay fork to which it is to be attached.
The inner hinged clip and outer divided spring clip are fastened so as to secure
the body part of the case in position. The front circular slotted disc in the outer
side of the case is removed in the ordinary way and the driving chain wheel and
crank are secured to the crank axle. The driving chain having been passed over
the chain wheels, the front circular slotted disc, of the gear case is replaced and
the rear end cap of the case put on in the manner hereinbefore described; the
gear case being thereby closed practically dust proof.
The application of our invention to cases for enclosing the chain gearing of
velocipedes, other than safety bicycles, and ether chain driven vehicles differs in
no essential respect from its application to the gear case of a safety bicycle as
hereinbefore described.
Dated this Second day of December 1896
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gear Cases for Velocipedes and other Chain Driven
Vehicles.
We, FREDERICK JOHN OSMOND, of Perry Hall, Bromsgrove, in the County of
Worcester, Mechanical Engineer, and ALFRED HENRY EDSON, of No. 112 Byron
Road, Small Heath, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tinsmith, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention consists of the construction and arrangement hereinafter
described of the parts of gear cases for velocipedes and other chain driven vehicles,
whereby the said cases are made practically dust proof and readily detachable
and where desirable oil containing.
In constructing a gear case, say for a safety bicycle, according to our invention,
we make the gear case practically in two parts a main or body part open at its
rear end and a small nearly semi-circular rear end part or closing cap, the said
gear case having a figure resembling generally an ordinary gear case. We perma-
nently connect the front or outer side of the main part of the case to the back or
inner side, the outer side of the case being opened and closed at or near its front
end by the removal and replacement of a circular slotted disc which alone constitutes
no part of our invention. The front or outer side of the case, when the circular
disc hereinbefore referred to is in place, is closed excepting for a short distance
along its middle and near its rear end, through which middle opening the end
of the branch of the chain stay fork against which the gear case fits passes. The
inner side of the case has along the greater part of its middle, a longitudinal
trough in which the part of the said branch of the chain stay fork, not protruding
through the front of the case, fits. When the rear end cap of the case is in
position the inner side of the said case has in it an oval opening through which
the end of the hub of the rear wheel passes. This oval opening is contracted,
when the adjustment of the chain has been effected, by slides, one of which works
in guides on the inner side of the case and the other in guides on the inner side
of the end cap. The slide working in the guides on the inner side of the gear
case has an inwardly projecting part which fits the trough in the inner side of
the case. The end cap is provided at the part where it is attached to the main

page_text: part of the case, with double edges between which double edges of the cap the
edges of the case pass, the end cap being fixed to the main part of the case
preferably by two screws.
The gear case is fixed on the branch of the chain stay fork against which it takes
by clips one on the front or outer side of the case and the other on the rear or
inner side of the case.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents an elevation of the front
or outer side of a gear case containing our improvements and Figure 2 is an
elevation of the back or inner side of the same, portions of the latter being broken
away and represented in section.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the gear case the said section
being taken on the dotted line we, wo Figure 1; and Figures 4, 5 and 6 represent
cross sections of the same taken respectively on the dotted lines x, x; y, y;
and z,z Figure 1.
Figure 7 represents in perspective one of the slides for closing the opening in
the inner side of the case through which the hub of the rear wheel passes.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the Drawing.
(The main or body part of the gear case is made of two flat sides a, b and a
beading or rim c the edges of which are permanently soldered together. The
side a constitutes the front of the case and has a slot or opening d extending
through nearly one half its length through which slot when the gear case is applied
to a bicycle the branch of the chain stay fork to which the gear case is attached,
passes. The back or inner side 6 of the case is made of two symmetrical halves
meeting and being soldered together at or near the front end of the case and in
the middle line 6 of the side 6 of the case, the other portions of the longitudinal
middle edges of the two halves of the inner side b of the case being bent inwards
and soldered to the inner face of the front side a of the case so
that there is thereby formed a trough terminating in the
slot or
opening in the outer side a of the case. The said trough d
and alot d divide the gear case into two flat nearly parallel tubes (see Figures 5
and 6) the said tubes being open at their rear ends and passing into one another
at their front ends. A hole e is made in the inner side of the gear case concentric
with the semi-circular front end for the crank axle to pass through and the front
side of the case has a large circular grooved opening by which the chain wheel
is passed onto the crank axle the said circular grooved opening being closed by a
circular slotted disc g. In order to insert the disc g in the grooved opening
referred to and thereby close the said opening the slide g occupying the slot of
the disc g is removed and one of the ends or edges is passed into the groove of the
circular opening and the disc is turned through a nearly complete rotation, by
which action the slot in the circular disc g is brought into the position shown in
Figure 1 in which position the slide g may be replaced. The rear open ends of
the two tubes of the gear case are closed by an end cap h having double edges h³, h³
which receive the edges or ends as of the flat tubes. The said end cap h is fixed
in position by screws i, i. The rear end of the inner side of the case has a slot
or opening through which the end of the hub of the back wheel passes when the
gear case is applied to a bicycle. This alot or opening is closed by slides k, .
The slide k has a turned-in part (see Figure 7) which crosses the opening d
between the two tubes of the main or body part of the case and thereby closes
the opening between the said two tubes into the rear end of the
Screw clips 1, m are provided at the outer and inner sides of the gear
case respectively to permit of the detachable fixing of the said gear case to the
branch of the chain stay fork.
gear case.
The several holes or openings in the sides of the gear case are preferably provided
with double edges for holding felt or other like webs around the said holes or
openings and thereby more securely closing the holes or openings dust proof.
To apply the gear case described to a bicycle the crank, driving chain wheel

page_text: and chain are removed from the bicycle. The rear end cap h and slides k, k at
the inner side of the case being detached the main or body part of the case is
passed by an endwise motion on to the branch of the chain stay fork to which it
is to be attached. The inner and outer clips l, m are fastened so as to secure the
body part of the case in position. The front circular slotted disc g in the outer
side a of the case is removed by an action the reverse of that herein before
described for inserting the disc g in its grooved circular opening and the driving
chain wheel and crank are secured to the crank axle. The driving chain having
been passed over the chain wheels, the front circular slotted disc g of the gear case
18 replaced and the rear end cap h of the case put on in the manner herein before
described; the gear case being thereby closed practically dust proof.
The application of our invention to cases for enclosing the chain gearing of
velocipedes, other than safety bicycles, and other chain driven vehicles differs in
no essential respect from its application to the gear case of a safety bicycle as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Hlaving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim
as our invention:-
First. The improvements in gear cases for velocipedes and other chain driven
vehicles hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, the
said improvements consisting essentially in dividing the main or body part of
the gear case by a trough in the inner side of the said case and a slot or opening
in the outer side of the case into two longitudinal nearly parallel flat tubular
parts open at their rear ends and passing at their front ends into the larger end
of the case which larger end has a hole in its inner side for the crank axle to pass
through and a large circular opening in its outer side, closed by a removable disc
for permitting of the passage through it of the driving chain wheel the rear open
ends of the two tubular parts being closed by an end cap and slides on the inner
side of the gear case, one of the slides having a turned in part for closing the
gear case dust and dirt proof, the sides and edge of the gear case being built up
or constructed substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Secondly. The combination with a gear case of the kind herein before described
and claimed in the prior claim of a slotted closing disc for the opening in the
outer side of the front end of the case which slotted disc is inserted in a groove
in the opening in the outer side of the case substantially as described and illus-
trated in the accompanying Drawing.
Dated the Twenty-first day of September 1897.
FREDERICK JOHN OSMOND.
ALFRED HENRY EDSON.