Improvements in or relating to Driving Apparatus of Cycles and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1897-Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Driving Apparatus of Cycles and
similar Vehicles.
I, JEAN PAUL BONICARD of 1 Rue du General Blaise, Paris, in the Republic of
France, 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 improvements relate to improvements in driving apparatus for cycles and similar
vehicles whereby the use of a chain or band is dispensed with and the detachment and
replacing of the parts is facilitated.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing show an elevation and plan (partly in
section) of the form of my invention.
When the driving mechanism acts on a crank-pedal or arm a the latter causes a
lever 6 to participate in its movement which lever at its centre is articulated to a
longer lever c, the other end of said lever b being also articulated to a long connecting
rod d which connects the driving mechanism with a toothed wheel h gearing on the
driving wheel of the vehicle. The oscillation of the long lever c takes place in a ball
bearing e fixed to the branches of the frame of the machine. In this manner during
a complete revolution of the crank a, the ends of the long lever c describe arcs of a
circle. At the other end of the long lever I have arranged a small intermediate
The connecting rod d
leverf which connects the connecting rod d with this lever c.
at its end d¹ makes a circular movement due to its attachment to the lever band the
pedal crank a. As may be seen in Fig. 1 the pin d² of the connecting rod d is fixed
to a toothed wheel g which has teeth gf on its inner surface. This toothed wheel g by
its rotation drives a small pinion h keyed on to the hub h¹ of the driving wheel of the
machine. This large toothed wheel g is provided on its periphery with a series of
balls forming a ball bearing.
Fig. 2 shows in plan the manner of attachment of the chief part i, for supporting
the crown of balls, which is suitably held by means of two horizontal tubes i, is, of
The crank shaft ³ rotates on two series of
the part as indicated in Fig. 1.
balls k, k, the bearings of which facilitate quick taking to pieces. Moreover the
crank shaft is enclosed in an inner sleeve k to which it is secured when the pedal
crank a' is tightly screwed up on the axle k³, in order to enable it to be removed
without taking the bearings, formed between the sleeve and the hub, to pieces. In
order to make the whole of the parts described rigid and ensure their smooth and
easy movement, I have represented in the drawing all the connecting rods and levers
of an I section and the heads provided with series of balls, at the same time every
part being arranged so as to make it easily detachable.
In order to increase the rigidity of the framing at the place when the chainless
driving gear is placed I have connected the bottom bracket and the fixed spindle h³ of
the driving wheel by means of two horizontal tubes li¹.
The relative speed of the crank shaft and the driving wheel will depend upon the
relative size of the toothed wheel g and toothed pinion h.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. In a chainless driving gear for cycles and similar vehicles the arrangement of a

page_text: lever connected at one end to the driving crank 6 and articulated centrally and at its
outer end respectively to a lever pivotted on the framing of the machine, and a
connecting rod, these two parts also being connected by a small connecting rod in
order to cause by the rotation of the crank, rotation of a large toothed wheel attached
to the end of the connecting rod and a toothed pinion g gearing with it, which pinion
is fixed to the hub of the vehicle thereby causing the driving wheel to rotate
substantially as described.
2. In driving apparatus for cycles and similar vehicles a toothed wheel 9 provided
on its periphery with a series of balls; and retained in position by a part i fixed by
means of tubes i¹, 22, on the frame of the machine substantially as described.
3. In driving apparatus for cycles and similar vehicles a sleeve k enclosing the
crank shaft and provided with ball bearing surfaces k³, k², to be removed without
necessitating the taking to pieces of the bearings, substantially as described.
י רד
1807
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.