Improvements in Roller Bearings for Velocipedes, Carriages, or like Light Vehicles or Machines.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Roller Bearings for Velocipedes, Carriages, or
like Light Vehicles or Machines.
I, JOHN KEMP STARLEY, of the Meteor Works, Coventry, in the county of
Warwick, Velocipede Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BEARINGS FOR VELOCIPEDES, CARRIAGES, OR LIKE
LIGHT VEHICLES OR MACHINES to be as follows:-
"
In my specification No. 5046 of 1880, I described a roller bearing for bicycles,
tricycles, or like velocipedes in which rollers were placed angularly in spaces formed
by the hub spindle and adjusting nuts, such spaces being of annular and square
ended shape and the rollers being set at opposite angles to each other, each right
handed roller working on a left handed roller, or vice versa.
To take up wear of these rollers and their bearing surfaces several adjustments
were necessary.
Now my present invention is designed to greatly reduce the cost of such
bearings, and consists in an arrangement to reduce the friction in the bearings
of velocipedes or carriages and at the same time to provide a facile means of
adjustment to compensate for wear.
I fit in the annular space of the bearings small discs of steel or like hard metal
with rounded edges and arranged to work on or in curved or rounded grooves or
surfaces, the diameter of the rollers being such with respect to the annular space
between the shaft, spindle, or pivot and the bearing box or case that when dropped
into the box or case they will necessarily take an inclined position. As the discs
become worn their diameter will be reduced and by screwing up the cap or cover
the curved or rounded grooves or surfaces formed on the hub or bearing case or box
and the shaft, spindle, or pivot will be forced against the angular rollers, bringing
them in a more upright position and so adjusting the bearing.
In a back hub bearing the discs are arranged in a single row on each side, and
run in curved inclined grooves formed in the hub and in adjustable curved grooves
in the spindle or shaft, such adjustable grooves or surfaces being set up by lock nut
or otherwise.
By this method of constructing roller bearings I provide a much simpler
adjustment than in my former patent.
The wearing surfaces are increased as the rollers can be made to fit the grooves,
and altering the angle of their plane of rotation does not make any difference to
the working surfaces.

page_text: Improvements in Roller Bearings for Velocipedes, Carriages, or
like Light Vehicles or Machines.
I, JOHN KEMP STARLEY, of the Meteor Works, Coventry, in the county of
Warwick, Velocipede Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BEARINGS FOR VELOCIPEDES, CARRIAGES, OR LIKE
LIGHT WHEELS OR MACHINES," and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In my specification No 5046 of 1880 I described a roller bearing for bicycles,
tricycles, or like velocipedes in which rollers were placed angularly in spaces formed
by the hub, spindle and adjusting nuts such spaces being of annular and square
ended shape and the rollers being set at opposite angles to each other, each right
handed roller working on a left handed roller, or vice versa.
To take up wear of these rollers and their bearing surfaces, several adjustments
were necessary.
Now my present invention is designed to greatly reduce the cost of such
bearings and consists in an arrangement to reduce friction in the bearings of
velocipedes or carriages and the like, and at the same time to provide a facile
means of adjustinent to compensate for wear.
I fit in the annular space of the bearings small discs of steel or like hard metal
with rounded or formned edges arranged to work on or in curved or rounded grooves
or surfaces or surfaces the diameter of the rollers being such with respect to the
annular space between the shaft spindle or pivot and the bearing box or case, that
when dropped into the box or case they will necessarily take an inclined position.
As the discs become worn their diameter will be reduced and by screwing up the
cap or cover, the curved or rounded grooves or surfaces formed on the hub or
bearing case or box and the shaft spindle or pivot will be forced against the
angular rollers, bringing them in a more upright position and so adjusting the
bearing.
In a back hub bearing the discs are arranged in a single row on each side, and
run in curved inclined grooves formed in the hub and in adjustable curved grooves
in the spindle or shaft, such adjustable grooves or surfaces being set up by lock-nut
or otherwise.
By this method of constructing roller bearings I provide a much simpler
adjustment than in my former patent. The wearing surfaces are increased as
the rollers can be made to fit the grooves and altering the angle of their plane of
rotation does not make any appreciable difference to their working surfaces.
The accompanying two sheets of drawings are illustrative of details of my
invention as applied to various parts of velocipedes.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a back wheel or hub bearing.
Fig. 2 a vertical section of a pedal bearing.
Fig. 3 a front elevation of a cage which may be used with my rollers.
Fice & side elevation of same

page_text: Fig. 5 enlarged vertical section of part of a hub shewing a modification of my
invention.
A, A¹ are the forks supporting the spindle B which screws into one fork A and
passing through the other is secured by nut or otherwise.
C is the hub of the wheel formed with curved or rounded surfaces D, D, E, E as
shewn. The spindle B is screwed at F. F to fit screwed collars G, G in which
rounded or curved surfaces H, H are formed. These collars G G may be set up by
inserting a pin in holes I, I, I, I, provided in the same, or in other suitable manner.
as will be well understood.
Lock nuts J, J secure same in position. The angular rollers K, K, K, K are
formed with rounded or curved surfaces and are placed so that in a section taken
through the bearing, each opposite pair of rollers converges in respect of the axes
of the same as shown. If it is desired that the rollers should not touch each other,
each roller is inserted in a hole in a cage formed of hardened steel or like suitable
metal as shewn in Figs. 3 and 4 and I do not claim the use of a cage to contain or
separate rollers or balls generally, as such is well known. In regard to the pedal
bearing shewn in Fig. 2, A2, A3 are the pedal plates, D1, D2 the rounded surfaces
thereon. B¹ the pin. G¹ one screwed collar fast to the pin B¹. J' the nut
locking G². J the nut securing the pedal to the crank. H, H' the rounded
surfaces formed on collars G¹, G² K¹, K, K¹, K¹ the rollers.
An obvious modification of my invention will be seen in Fig. 5, which consists
in making the rollers of a V section to run on the rounded surfaces formed to suit.
C is the hub. B² the spindle. D³, D' the rounded surfaces formed as shewn in
the drawing so as to fit each bevil of the V roller. F the screwed part of
spindle B2. Ja lock nut. G³ the collar with corresponding surfaces H³, H³,
K2, K2 the said rollers.
On screwing up the collars on any of these figures the distance between the
curved surfaces on the spindle and those on the hub bearing box or case is reduced
and so the rollers are tilted or moved so as to take a less inclined position and so
adjust themselves to or compensate for, the wear or slackness of the bearing.
Fig. 6, Sheet 2 is a vertical section of a bicycle fork bearing. In this L is the
case formed with rounded surfaces M, M, M, M therein N, N₁ are two collars the
one formed with a screwed portion O for the other portion N to screw on.
N¹ is
keyed, shrunk or otherwise fastened to the spindle P carrying the hubs. The
rounded surfaces Q, Q, Q, Q are formed on these collars N, N¹ or they can be formed
to fit rollers as in Fig. 5. R, R, R are the rollers in two rows.
The adjustment is by screwing up collar N. I might adapt. a single row of my
rollers for this form of bearing in place of a double if desired.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section of a bearing for a sociable or other tricycle in which
I have shown two rows of rollers running in the same angular plane. S is one
collar fixed to the through axle T of the balance gear. U, U, U, U being the
rounded surfaces thereon.
V is the other collar or case screwing into the covering or supporting tube W,
and stepped as shown to get the rotters into position. X, X, X, X, surfaces on this
collar. Y, Y, Y, Y the rollers. Z lock nut.
Setting up the collar V alters the inclination of the rollers Y.
More than two rows of rollers may be used if desired for a heavier bearing of
this description.
The alternative form of rollers and surfaces might also be used for this bearing.
I have not shewn other drawings illustrating the application of any invention to
other varieties of carriages or mechanism other than velocipedes, but such appli-
cation will be at once perceived on reference to the aforesaid drawings which
elucidate the principle of my invention.
The difference between these bearings and those of my former specification will
be readily perceived by comparison of the two and it will be seen that this form of
bearing is much more simple and efficient.

page_text: my Baid
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The improved bearings for velocipedes, carriages and other like vehicles or
machines having curved or rounded surfaces on or carried by the rotating spindles
and similar surfaces on the hub or bearing box or case, angular rollers fitting such
curved or rounded surfaces, the said rollers being set in a row as shewn and illus-
trated so as to rotate in such track or path provided by said surfaces, and means
for setting up the said surfaces to alter the inclination of the said rollers and so
adjust the bearing substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
E. GARDNER COLTON,
Agent for the Applicant.