Improvements in Chainless and Variable Speed Driving Gear for Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 19th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by DANIEL EDGARD BOURDIN, of Mirabeau, in the
Department of Vienne, France, Landed Proprietor.]
Improvements in Chainless and Variable Speed Driving Gear for
Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A., F.1. Inst.,
practising as Phillips and Leigh of No 22 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the Adminstrative County of London, Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to improvements in chainless and variable speed
driving gear for cycles and other vehicles and the object of it is the transmission
of the energy of the crank axle to the driving axle through a smoothly acting
wheel gearing, incapable of getting dirty and rusty, and adapted to work at
different speeds or to be thrown out of gear altogether.
The nature of the invention can be best understood from a specification of the
embodiment of it. in the gear of a bicycle.
The teeth of the several gears are of spherical form or nearly so. Consequently
there is only a single contact between the teeth, and any dirt which might have
found its way in, is immediately expelled by the next tooth.
Upon the crank axle, there is a double crown wheel having teeth shaped as
above described. Each of these wheels engages with a toothed wheel by the side
of it on an axis the opposite end of which carries a toothed wheel engaging with
a corresponding toothed wheel carried by the axle of the driving wheel of the
bicycle.
The two crown wheels above mentioned are of different diameters and the
toothed wheels on the axis above mentioned and with which they engage, may be
fast or loose thereupon, as may be desired. The rider has only to work a small
lever to hold either of the said wheels to its axis. The action of the lever causes
a detent or feather to slide along the axis, which engages with the respective wheel.
Between the two wheels, there is a hollow ring and the feather above mentioned
may be set under it. Both the said wheels are then loose upon the axis.
It is thus olear that when the rider, by means of the feather above mentioned,
holds the wheel which engages the large crown wheel, to its axis, the machine
will be geared for top speed, when it is the smaller crown wheel that is held, the
machine will be geared down, and that when both wheels are loose on their uxis,
the cranks are out of gear and may be used as foot rests.
Dated this 19th day of November 1896.

page_text: Improvements in Chainless and Variable Speed Driving Gear for
Oycles and other Vehicles.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, of 22 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
mammor the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention has for its object the application to cycles and other vehicles of
bevel gearing with teeth of spherical shape or nearly so, as well as to the arrange-
ment applied to such vehicles for the purpose of varying the speed.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents by way of example a view in
elevation of the application of my invention to a bicycle.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the gearing.
Fig. 3 an elevation showing the parts employed in effecting a variation of the
speed.
Figs. 4, 5, 6 are details of construction.
The driving pinion fixed on the pedal shaft is furnished with two crowns 2 and 3
forming part with ouo another and bearing teeth 4 and 5 of spherical shape. Theso
teeth engage with corresponding teeth 6 and 7 forming the two pinions 8 and 9.
These pinions may according to circumstances (as will be explained further on)
be loosely fixed to the shaft. 10. It will be understood that the one or the other
being fixed will transmit the pedalling motion through the shaft 10 to the toothed
pinion 11 fixed to the other end of said shaft 10. The teeth of this engage with the
corresponding toothed pinion attached to the shaft of the driving wheel of the
velocipede. It will be understood that according to the use of the toothed
wheel 2 or 3 the speed will be increased or diminished and further that when the
pinions 8 and 9 are no longer engaged with the shaft 10 the pedalling action will
be suspended. These controlling movements are effected by means of the sliding
tube 12, the flange of which enters the slide 13. At the other extremity of the
slide tube is a catch 14 which corresponds with a slot formed in each of the naves
or sleeves of the two pinions 8 and 9. These slots 15 and 16 are shown in dotted
lines on the drawing whilst the catch is in its mean position under the ring 17
which is fixed by means of screws to the socket 18. The last-mentioned which is
soldered on the tube 10 rotates with it. In consequence, the socket 18, ring 17,
shaft 10 and toothed pinion 11 all form part together and as the socket 18 has a
slot 19 within which the catch 14 moves, the sliding tubo 12 turns with the said
parts 11, 10, 18, and 17. But since the catch 14 passes at the same time beyond
the slot 19 and engages either with one of the notches (or indentations) 16 or 16
or beneath the ring 17 it follows that one of the pinions 8 or 9 is ongaged and caused
to rotate or that the catch lodges under the ring 17 without touching it and con-
sequently without actuating either pinion. It has already been explained that the
driving pinion connected with the pedalling arrangement controls by means of
its two toothed crowns 2 and 3 the two pinions 8 and 9 and it is consequently
clear that when the catch 14 is in engagement with the notch or slot 15 the
driving wheel of the machine is actuated by the larger gearing and that on the
contrary the smaller gearing is actuated when the transmission of the motion is
effected by the pinion 9 having the catch 14 in engagement with its notch or slot 16.
Ball bearings 21 and 22 facilitate the rotation of the tube 10 and of the slide
tube 12. A fixed rod 23 passes through the rotating tube 10 and is secured at the
ends by sorows imparting solidity to this part of the frame.
The working of the mechanism is as follows:

page_text: A lever 24 which is fixed on the tube at the top of the frame rotates around a
pin 25 and actuates by gearing, the pulleys 26 and 27. Two small chains are
attached to these pulleys and are extended by cords (or bands) passing over the
pulleys 28 and 29 under the saddle and the pulleys 30 and 31 to the pedalling
arrangement, and are attached to the part 13 (Figs. II and III). The chain
taking hold or hooked on at 33 operates a small gearing, and pushes the part 13
in the opposite direction. This causes catch 14 to enter the notch or slot 15 and
the machine is then at full speed. In liko manuer by reversing this motion, by
pulling lever 24 in an opposite direction the calch 14 enters the notch 16, throwing
pinion 9 into gear and the machine then runs at reduced speed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is:-
1. In chainless gear for cycles and other vehicles the use of gearings with
teeth of spherical or nearly spherical shape.
2. In chainless gear for velocipedes and other vehicles of tho kind a variation
of speed effected by a sliding tube furnished with a sliding catch controlled and
regulated by suitable arrangement in such a manner that the said catch being
pushed forwards or backwards enters one or the other of two notches or slota
formed in each of two toothed pinions one of which engages with a large toothed
crown, the other with a toothed crown of different diameter substantially as and
for the purpose herein set forth and described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 10th day of August 1897
REGINALD W. BARKER.
Monument Chambers, London, E.C., Applicant's Agent.