Year: 1897

page_text: I, WILLIAM EDGELL, of Westfield Villa, Radstock, Somerset, Builder, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists in improved gear for driving cycles.
According to one method comprised in this invention the driving gear is
arranged as follows:
Towards one end of the driving spindle to which the pedal crank levers are
secured is a chain wheel loose on the spindle. Between this chain wheel- and the
pedal crank lever nearest to it is an arm loosely centred on the spindle aforesaid.
Outside the said arm is a collar free to be slid endways on the spindle by means
of a forked lever which engages with the said collar and with a similar sliding
collar situated towards the opposite end of the spindle where also is loosely centred
a second chain wheel and a loose arm between it and the pedal crank lever at
that side. The second chain wheel is of smaller diameter than the first. Chains
are passed round both chain wheels and over chain wheels centred on the spindle
of one of the road wheels.
By moving the forked lever in the proper direction the driving action is trans-
ferred from the larger chain wheel to the smaller chain wheel and vice-versa, and
the driving power may thus be varied, at will.
The inner faces of the loose chain wheels have pins projecting outwards and
arranged in circular series around the wheel. The arms above referred to, as
loosely centred on the spindle, are put into and out of contact with the said pins
by actuating the forked lever, and it is through the said arms that the driving
power is exerted.
Cushion springs are provided to prevent shock in trans-
ferring the driving from one chain wheel to the other.
According to an alternative arrangement, only one end of the spindle to which
the pedal crank levers are attached is furnished with driving mechanism of the
kind above described. In this arrangement the inner face of the loose chain
wheel is furnished with teeth. Centred on an independent spindle are two toothed
wheels of independent diameter, one of which gears with a small toothed wheel
centred on the driving spindle and the other with the toothed wheel formed, as
aforesaid, on the inner face of the loose chain wheel.
The two wheels on the independent spindle are, by means of a hand lever,
put into and out of gear with the toothed wheels on the chain wheel spindle
according to the power required.
By the addition of further toothed wheels, an extended range of power is
obtained.
Dotad this 15th day of July 1897.
NICHOLAS WATTS.
Chartered Patent Agent, Bristol.

page_text: improved Driving Gear for Cycles.
I, WILLIAM EDGELL, of Westfield Villa, Radstock, Somerset, Builder, 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-
This invention relates to improved driving gear for cycles, and consists essen-
tially in the provision of appliances whereby a high gear may be exchanged for
a low one while the rider is on the machine, and thus enable him to climb a hill
without dismounting or undue strain on the feet and legs.
My invention is proposed to be operated according to two slightly differing
methods, one of which is by loosely fitting a chain wheel at each end of the axlo
of the bottom bracket, a high gear at one end and a low gear at the other, with
appliances for alternately rendering them fast or loose on the axle, thus giving
a slow or rapid motion to the driving wheels; the other method consists in using
only one chain wheel at the usual end of the axle with means for making it fast
or loose, and providing supplementary wheels acting on a toothed wheel fixed
on the chain wheel, when the latter has been made loose.
The means provided for operating the appliances attached to or connected with
the chain wheels may be of various kinds, such as a forked lever actuating a
collar on the axle; bell cranked levers from the handle bar to the bottom bracket;
or a lever acting on a quadrant to which toothed wheel gearing is applied, and
connected by a rod to corrugated sleeves around the spindles to which the alter-
nating gear is attached; as the latter appears to be most suitable for the purpose,
the drawings show the appliances actuated accordingly.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 shows an ordinary diamond
frame of a bicycle, with the lever and wheel gear to operate the appliances;
Fig. 2 shows the under side of the bottom bracket, with a chain wheel on each
end of the axle; Fig. 3 is a spliced spindle with arms at the opposite sides of
each end for engaging in pins attached to the faces of the chain wheels; Fig. 4
is the axle, made hollow for the reception of the armed spindle, with a corrugated
sleeve attached to the spindle that it will slide freely to and fro in the axle; the
axle is slotted at each end for the arms to be placed in and out; Fig. 5 is a
plan of the under part of the bracket, with the second method of operating the
gear and Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the back of the machine.
The same letters indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A is a lever attached to a toothed quadrant B, conveniently fixed near the front
of the machine on suitable bearings; the quadrant actuates a bevel wheel b which
is connected by a rod C to other bevel wheels or segments of wheels D and E,
engaging with the corrugated sleeves N and 0, the end of the rod bearing in
a bracket I this. actuating gear is equally adapted to both methods described,
except that for the first method, shown in Fig. 2, only one sleeve is provided and
only one segmental wheel is required.
In Fig. 2 the double headed or armed spindle J is inserted in the hollow axle F
from each end, and then fastened together, as shown, an aperture is made in
the under side of the bottom bracket, through which the sleeve N attached to the
spindle projects, and the segmental wheel D actuated by the rod C, moves the
spindle to and fro in the axle, and causes the arms K to engage with one or
other of the sets of pins L attached to the outer faces of the chain wheels. In
the Provisional Specification, these pins are said to be placed on the inner face
of the wheels, but it is found that this would require an undue elongation of the
axle, they are therefore placed on the outer faces, as shown. The chain

page_text: wheels M, M are fitted loosely on the axle, so that either or both of them can be
loose when the arms K are disengaged from the pins L, and thus either of the
wheels can be brought into action by the wheel D turning the sleeve and spindle
to the left or right; one pair of arms being released and the other instantly
engaging with the wheel on the other end of the axle.
According to the second method, shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the axle F need only
be hollow for about two thirds its length, as the spindle J and arms I act only
on one chain wheel; and Figs. 3 and 4 being modified accordingly, will show
the action of the spindle in the axle. The wheel D throws the arms K into contact
with the pins L on the wheel M as before, immediately the arms are disengaged,
the wheel is made loose: the rotation of the rod C being continued, the other
segmental wheel E operates on the sleeve 0, which is fixed on the spindle P, on
either end of this spindle are small toothed wheels R, one of which engages with
a wheel S fixed on the axle, and as the spindle P is shifted by the wheel E and
sleeve 0, the wheel S rotates one of the wheels R, and the other actuates a larger
wheel fixed on the inner face of the chain wheel, which is thus made fast again,
and travels at a reduced gear with a corresponding increase of power.
The slotted ends of the axles are covered by the sockets of the pedals, the
sockets being enlarged for the purpose, and chases are made in the sockets, to
enable the arms of the spindle to alide therein when not engaged in the pins on
the chain wheel.
With appliances provided as described, by the simple movement of the lever,
the gear is shifted from fast to slow without dismounting, and if travelling down
hill, the rider prefers to have the chain wheel or wheels loose, the pedals may
be used as foot rests, which will be of considerable advantage to ladies, as there
is no risk of the skirts getting entangled with the revolving pedals, as is the
case when the ordinary foot rests are used, and the pedals are uncontrolled by
the feet.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In interchangeable gears for cycles, loosely placing chain wheels of different
diameters at opposite ends of the axles, spindles with arms at each end projecting
through slots in the axles to engage with studs or pins on the faces of the wheels,
said spindles sliding to and fro by means of sleeves connected thereto and mechan-
ism for actuating the same, substantially as described and set forth.
2. In interchangeable gear for cycles, using one chain wheel which is made fast
or loose by mechanism as described, and providing supplementary wheels and.
spindles which are brought into action for a low gear on the chain wheel after
the same has been made. loose by the withdrawal of the spindle therefrom, sub-
stantially as described.
L
141 of Nov 1898