Improvements in and relating to Driving-mechanism for Bicycles and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3 st Aug., 1893-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1859
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Driving-mechanism for Bicycles
and the like.
I, CHARLES HERMAN METZ, of Randall Street, in the City of Waltham, in the
County of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manu-
facturer, 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 has reference to improvements in bicycles and vehicles of a
similar nature.
One object of the invention is to increase the strength of the frame.
Another object is to so construct the frame of a shaft driven bicycle that the
shaft may be readily removed and that its bearings may be adjusted from time
to time.
Another object of the invention is to so construct the crank hanger and the
raceways for the ball bearing of the crank that the bearings and the crank shaft
as a whole may be adjusted laterally with respect to the parts of the frame immedi-
ately adjacent thereto.
Another object is to so construct the drive shaft and the mountings for the gear
thereon, that this gear may be more readily adjusted with reference to the gear
on the crank shaft, with which it meshes.
Another object of the invention is to improve the hub of the rear wheel with its
driving gear.
Another object is to improve the construction of the shaft for the rear wheel
and to provide for the increased adjustability for the wheel bearing and for the
shaft with relation to the frame and with the gear on the rear end of the drive
shaft.
The invention consists in a bicycle frame having a crank hanger
sleeve, a pair of braces extending rearwardly from the sleeve arranged in
vertical series and connected at their rear ends with an enlarged frame member
adapted to embrace a gear.
The invention also consists in the crank hanger sleeve, a rearwardly extending
open ended ballway thereon and a rear fork having an adjustable bearing in line
with the first mentioned bearing, of a drive shaft rotatably mounted between
said bearings.
The invention also consists in the combination with the crank shaft and the shaft of
the driven wheel, each having a gear of an exposed drive shaft removable, supported
between said gears which intermesh with the gears of the crank of the rear wheel.
The invention also consists in the shaft and in the adjustment of the forward
gear thereon.
The invention also consists in the peculiar mounting for the drive shaft.
The invention also consists in the hub of the rear wheel and the gear secured
thereto.
This invention also consists in the novel construction of the shaft for the rear
wheel and in the manner in which this shaft is secured to and adjusted on the
frame, and the bearings for the wheel is adjusted.

page_text: The invention also consists in such other novel features of construction and com-
bination of parts as will hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in
the claims.
Figure 1, represents a side elevation of the improved bicycle.
Figure 2, represents an enlarged end view of the drive shaft frame with the
frame for the rear wheel secured to the adjustable bearing.
Figure 3, represents a side view of the same.
Figure 4, represents side and plan views of the shaft for the rear wheel, with
its securing and adjusting ring partly in action.
Figure 5, represents an enlarged side elevation of the drive gear and its frame
separate from the frame.
Figure 6, represents a plan view of the rear fork the drive gear being shown
in section.
Similar numbers of reference designate corresponding parts throughout.
This improvement relates to that class of bicycles known as chainless, from the
fact that power is transmitted from the crank shaft to the driven wheels by means
other than a chain.
In this class of machines, where power is transmitted by means of a gear and
a shaft, the adjustment of each gear and its working relation with the gears with
which it meshes, has been a most serious problem to overcome without over-com-
plicating the mechanism, and within the limits of a bicycle frame. The change
of the pitch of the gear has also heretofore been found to be practically impossible,
within the limits of an ordinary mechanical training. While the adjustment of
the bearings for the drive gear has been practically impossible without dis-
assembling a large portion of the machine.
In the drawings, in Figure 1, the improvements now under consideration are
shown as combined with the frame of an otherwise ordinary bicycle, in which 5
is the steering head, 6 the back-bone, 7 the seat post tube, 8, the inclined brace,
and 9, the brace of the rear fork, of which the arm 10, and the drive shaft frame
form the lower members, see Figure 6.
At the junction of the tube 7, and the brace 8, is secured the crank hanger
sleeve 11, to which the arm 10 is connected, the inner surface of this sleeve is
screw threaded as 12, and in these threads are engaged the screw threads of the
bearing sleeve 13, having the key seats 14--14 for the engagement of the key
to turn the sleeve 13 and adjust the same by the screw thread engagement with the
hanger sleeve to move the bearing sleeve, and its contained mechanism longi-
tudinally, with reference to the hanger sleeve. The bearing sleeve 13 has race-
ways 15-15 carrying balls, 16-16 on which are journaled the cones of a crank
shaft of any usual construction that in the drawings having interlocking abutting
sections 17 and 18 which are formed in part with the crank arms 19 and 20, the
section 17 is tubular to receive the bolt 21 which engages with the screw threaded
socket 22, in the section 18, on the shaft sections are cones 23 and 24 and on the
enlarged portion of the section 18 is secured the beveled gear 25. From the
hanger sleeve 11, extends the arms 26 and 27 which first curve outward and then
gradually approach each other until they connect with the vertically enlarged
yoke 28, having the screw threaded hub 29 which corresponds in axial alignment
with the cup 30, on the hanger sleeve 11, containing the ball bearing 31.
In the hub 29 is mounted the screw threaded cone 32 having means whereby
it may be engaged with a wrench or a key and suitably locked nuts.
The drive shaft 33 has a forward end adapted to rotate in the ball bearing 31
of the cup 30, and a rear end furnished with the ball bearing 34
adapted to rotate on the cone 32. At the forward portion of the shaft is
the screw threaded enlargement 35, on which is mounted the adjusting sleeve 36
having an internal thread to engage the thread of the enlargement 35
and an external thread to engage the thread of the sleeve 37 on the
gear 38, said gear being fitted to slide on a feather 33* on the shaft and, by the
rotation of the sleeve 36, is adjusted with relation to its engagement of the gear 25.

page_text: At the rear end, the shaft 33 is provided with the gear 39 secured to the shaft in
any suitable manner for the purpose in view. The peculiar shaft 40 for the hub
of the rear wheel is screw threaded at one end, on this screw thread is adjustably
mounted the cone 41 and this end of the shaft is secured in the slotted portion of
the fork member 10 as is customary and well known. At its opposite end, this
shaft 40 has a clamping frame 42 extending at an angle from the main portion
of the shaft to permit of its fitting over the slceve on the screw cone 32, the frame
is split and has perforated ears 4-48 through which the bolt 44 is engaged to
clamp the frame in place. At its upper portion, the frame has the perforated
member 45 in which the screw bolt 46 works, this bolt having an extension 47
of smaller diameter than the main portion of the bolt and having a thread of finer
pitch which engages in a threaded perforation of the yoke 28, so that on turning
the bolt, the frame 42 will be moved toward or from the yoke 28. At its lowest
portion the frame 42 has the ears 48-48 between which is a screw threaded per-
foration for the screw 49 which bears against the flange 50 of the cone 51 slidingly
fitted on the main portion of the shaft 40, or against a bearing in said flange. The
ears 48-48 are pressed inward to clamp the screw 49 by means of the binder
bolt 52. The hub 53 of the rear wheel has an enlarged flange 54 from the central
portion of which extends the sleeve 55, to which a gear 56 of any usual construc-
tion is secured, this gear engaging with the gear 39 of the drive shaft 33. To
the sleeve 55 is also secured the ball bearing case 57, the balls in which bear on
the cone 51. The ball bearing 58 at the opposite end of the hub engaging the
cone 41.
By means of adjusting the bearing sleeve 13, in the hanger sleeve, the entire
crank and its bearings may be adjusted with reference to its engagement with the
gear 38 of the drive shaft, and, as heretofore stated the latter gear may be adjusted
by means of the sleeve 36 toward and from the gear 25. The screw cone 32
may be readily adjusted to increase or lessen the friction of the drive shaft bear-
ings and, by simply screwing this cone 32 sufficiently outward the shaft 33 may be
removed and if desired the gears may be changed.
The adjustment of the rear wheel on its shaft 40 is accomplished by the bolt 49
to control the engagement of the gears 39 and 56.
The use of the frame by the members 26 and 27 with the yoke 28 greatly
strengthens the bicycle frame and tends to hold this portion of the same in align-
ment for the proper working of the gears.
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 [
claim is:
1. In a bicycle, the crank hanger and the bearings comprising supporting means
and a member adjustable with relation to such means and carrying the crank shaft
and its bearings.
2. In a bicycle, the combination with a crank hanger of means adapted to
carrying the crank and its bearings adjustable on the hanger independently of
such bearings.
3. In a bicycle, the combination with the hanger sleeve, of a sleeve adjustable
therein and having a plurality of ball ways.
4. In a bicycle, the combination with the hanger sleeve of two frame members
extending rearwardly therefrom, one above the other, and an enlarged yoke
connecting said members at their rear ends.
5. In a bicycle, a pair of frame members, arranged one above the other, an
exposed drive shaft located between said members and means connected with the
frame for rotatably supporting the drive shaft.
6. In a bicycle, a drive shaft having end bearings, and gears on said shaft located
at points intermediate of said bearings.
7. In a bicycle, a drive shaft removably supported by two bearings.

page_text: 8. In a bicycle, a forward fixed bearing and a rearward adjustable bearing, in
combination with a drive shaft adapted to be rotatably supported by said bearings.
9. In a bicycle, the combination with the crank hanger, a rearwardly extending
bearing supported thereby and an adjustable bearing mounted in the frame
adjacent to the rear end, thereof of a drive shaft, journaled in said bearings.
10. In a bicycle, a rearwardly extending drive shaft furnished with a fixed gear
and an adjustable gear.
11. In a bicycle, the combination with a rearwardly extending bearing adjacent
to the crank hanger, a frame member having a screw threaded collar adjacent to
the support for the driven wheel and a screw bearing in said collar, of a drive shaft,
rotatably mounted in the bearings.
12. In a bicycle, the combination with a frame comprising upper and lower
members and a yoke connecting the members at their rear ends and furnished with
a screw threaded collar, a forward bearing between said members, and a screw
cone in said collar, of a drive shaft journaled in said bearings.
13. In a bicycle, the combination with the drive shaft furnished with an
enlarged screw threaded portion of a sleeve having an external and internal thread,
mounted on said enlarged portion, and a gear having a sliding fit on said shaft
and furnished with an internally threaded collar in engagement with the sleeve.
14. In a bicycle, a shaft for the rear wheel provided with a sliding cone and
furnished with a screw adapted to bear on the cone.
15. In a bicycle, the combination with a suitable frame of the shaft for the rear
wheel screw threaded at one end and having a clamping frame at the other end,
a cone adapted to screw on to the threaded end of the shaft, a cone sliding on the
opposite end of the shaft, means mounted in the clamping frame for the adjust-
ment of the sliding cone and a connection between said frame and the general
frame of the bicycle, whereby the clamping frame may be adjusted thereon.
16. In a bicycle, a wheel hub having a cup shaft flange and a sleeve disposed
within said flange, a gear secured to said sleeve and a ball way also secured to
the sleeve.
17. The combination with the hanger sleeve 11, of the frame comprising the
members 26 and 27 and the yoke 28.
18. The combination with the hanger sleeve 11, the bearing cup 30 with its
bearings secured thereto, the collar 29 at the rear end of the frame and the screw
cone 32 adjustable in said collar, of a drive shaft mounted between said cone
and bearings.
19. The combination with the hanger sleeve 11, of the bearing sleeve 13, adjust-
ably mounted therein and carrying the crank shaft and its bearings.
20. The combination with the crank hanger, the cup 30 thereon, the bearing 31
the members 26 and 27 extending from the hanger, the yoke 28 connecting said
members and having the threaded collar 29, the cone 32 in the collar, and a drive
shaft journaled between the cone and the bearing 31 and having gears of a crank
shaft journaled in said hanger and having a gear engaging one of the gears on
the drive shaft and a wheel rotatably in the bicycle frame and having a gear
engaging with another gear on the drive shaft as described.
21. The combination with the yoke 28, having the collar 29, and the screw
cone 32 mounted in the collar, of the shaft 40 having the frame 42 clamping to
said cone by the bolt 44 passing through the ears 43, the said frame having the
members 45 in which the bolt 46 works and the ears 48, the screw 49 working
in said ears, and the sliding cone 51 on said shaft against which the screw 49
bears, as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 18th day of August 1898.
CHARLES HERMAN METZ.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agenta for the Applicant.