Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Bicycles and other Road Vehicles:
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 11th Dec., 1897
Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Bicycles and other Road
Vehicles:
I, FREDERICK GEORGE SIMPSON, of 7 Furnivals Inn, Holborn, in the County of
London, Managing Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention has reference to an improved construction and arrangement of
mechanism for driving bicyles, motor cars and other road vehicles wherein the use of
chain gearing is dispensed with,
According thereto upon a driving shaft are fixed two crown or face wheels with
each of which engages a toothed wheel or pinion of smaller size mounted upon.
a suitable bearing and carrying a crank pin or crank that is jointed by a connecting
rod to a crank on the axle of the wheel to be driven, the two cranks on the latter
axle being arranged at a suitable angle to each other to avoid dead points. The
teeth on the crown wheels can be of various shapes preferably made of hardened
steel separately from the wheel body to which they are suitably secured as by pins or
rivets. The teeth may advantageously consist of hardened steel blocks having
rounded ends and corresponding in shape with the hardened centrally arranged steel
links commonly used in bicycle.chains.
In one arrangement of my driving mechanism as applied to a bicycle, the two
crown wheels are fixed to the opposite end portions of the pedal shaft, their teeth
being preferably in the form of hardened steel blocks of the kind referred to. The
toothed, wheels or pinions in gear therewith, and which may advantageously be made
of a diameter about one third that of the crown wheels are mounted upon.
overhanging pins or bearings carried by the bracket bearing in which the pedal shaft
is mounted, the inner side of each toothed wheel or pinion, being provided with a
crank pin. The two crank pins are arranged 90° apart and are connected by rods or
links to two similarly arranged crank arms fixed to the axle of the wheel to be
driven and located at opposite sides of the said wheel. The pedal cranks are or may
be 180° apart as usual.
In a modified construction, the crown wheels are replaced by internally toothed or
lantern wheels the teeth of which may be of various shapes and be hardened and
made separately from the bodies of the wheels or not, as may be desired. When
made separate from the wheel bodies they may consist of hardened steel blocks of
the kind herein before referred to, or of round steel pins.
The crown or internally toothed or lantern wheels may be provided with plain
outer peripheries or rims to receive brake bands or other suitable braking devices.
Dated this 29th day of December 1896.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Bicycles and other Road
Vehicles.
I, FREDERICK GEORGE SIMPSON, of 7 Furnivals Inn, Holborn, in the County of
London, Managing Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following, statement :-
This invention has reference to an improved construction and arrangement of
mechanism for driving bicycles; motor cars and other road vehicles wherein the use of
chain gearing is dispensed with.
According thereto upon a driving shaft are fixed two crown or face wheels with each
of which engages a toothed wheel or pinion of smaller size mounted upon a suitable
bearing and carrying a crank pin or crank that is jointed by a connecting rod to a
crank on the axle of the wheel to be driven, the two cranks on the latter axle being
arranged at a suitable angle to each other to avoid dead points. The teeth on the
crown wheels can be of various shapes and are preferably made of hardened steel
separately from the wheel body to which they are suitably secured as by pins or
rivets. The teeth may advantageously consist of hardened steel blocks having rounded
ends and corresponding in shape with the hardened centrally arranged steel links
commonly used in bicycle chains.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing part of a bicycle provided with one arrangement
of driving mechanism according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view showing, to a larger scale than Fig. 1, that portion of
the driving mechanisin which is carried by the lower bracket of the bicycle frame.
Fig. 3 is a plan; to a scale corresponding to that of Fig. 2, showing the rear portion
or fork of the bicycle frame, part of the rear driving wheel journalled therein and the
part of the driving mechanisin connected to the hub of the said wheel.
Fig. 4 is a face view of the inner side of one of the crown wheels forming part of
such driving mechanism.
In this arrangement of my driving mechanism 1 and 2 are two crown wheels fixed
to the opposite end portions of the pedal shaft 3, their teeth 4 being preferably in the
form of hardened steel blocks of the kind referred to. 5 and 6 are two toothed wheels
or pinjons (hereinafter called pinions) in gear with the crown wheels. These pinions,
which may advantageously be made of a diameter about one third that of the crown
wheels, are each mounted upon an overhanging pin or bearing 7 carried by an arm 8
fixed to the bracket bearing 9 in which the pedal shaft 3 is mounted, the inner side of
each pinion being provided with a crank pin 10. The two crank pins, 10 are arranged 90°
apart and are connected by two rods or links 11, to two similarly arranged crank pins
12, carried by dises 13; (or arms) fixed to the axle 14 of the wheel 15 to be driven and
located at opposite sides of the said wheel The ends of the pins or bearings 10
remote from the pins may advantageously be supported by two crank arms 16 fixed to
a rock shaft 16 journalled in bearings 17. 18 and 18 are the pedals for operating
the mechanism. They are mounted on bearings 19 carried by extensions 20 of the
crown wheels and are or may be arranged 180° apart as usual."
As will be seen the arrangement is such that upon rotating the crown wheels 1 and
2 by means of the pedals, rotary motion will be transmitted, therefrom in a regular
and balanced manner to the rear driving wheel 15 through the pinions 5 and 6, crank
pins 10, rods or links, 11 crank pins 12 and crank dises 13.
The crown wheels 1 and 2 may be each replaced by an internally toothed wheel
such as shown in face view in Fig. 5, or by a lantern wheel such as shown partly in

page_text: face view and partly in section in Fig. 6. The teeth of these wheels may be of various
shapes and be hardened and made separately from the bodies of the wheels or not, as
may be desired. In Fig. 5 the teeth are shown as made in one with the wheel body
at 4° and separate therefrom at 4b, the teeth in the latter case being shown as consist-
ing of hardened steel blocks, of the kind herein before referred to. In Fig. 6 the teeth
consist of round steel pins 4°.
The crown or internally toothed or lantern wheels 1 and 2 may be provided with
plain outer peripheries or rims, as in the examples shown in Figs. 5 and 6 to receive
brake bands or other suitable braking devices.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. Driving mechanism for bicyles or other road vehicles comprising two crown or
internally toothed or lantern wheels fixed upon a rotary driving shaft, toothed wheels
or pinions of smaller size than and in gear with the crown, internally toothed or
lantern wheels and provided with crank pins, and rods or links connecting the crank
pins of the toothed wheels or pinions with corresponding cranks on the axle of the
wheel to be driven, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
drawings.
2. Driving mechanism for bicycles constructed arranged and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, or
modified according to Fig. 5, or according to Fig. 6 of the drawings annexed.
ca
For the Applicant
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C. Chartered Patent Agent,