AN, IMPROVED DRIVING GEAR, FOR VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I HENERY LEWIS of No 13 Edith Villas, Raynham Road, Edmonton, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "AN, IMPROVED DRIVING GEAR, FOR VELOCIPEDES" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:—
The object of my Invention is to convert the reciprocating motion of a pair of
treadle-levers, or their equivalent into continuous rotary motion of the driving
wheel, or wheels, of a velocipede, whereby the greatest speed may be attained with
the least expenditure of power.
My arrangement may be applied to any form of velocipede & may be used for
driving, one, two, or more wheels.
In the accompanying Drawings Sheet No. 1. shows its application to a velocipede
with a single driving wheel; Fig. 1. being a longitudinal section & Fig. 2, a cross
section on line 2. y. Similar parts are marked with corresponding letters in all the
Figures. The driving wheel A of which the hub only is shown is mounted loosely
on a hollow atud axle B fixed to the frame C of the machine. Figs. 3 & 4 are a
side elevation & a cross section, respectively of the stud axle B. Suitable ball
bearings are provided for the wheel to run on. Though the bollow axle B runs in
suitable bearings an axle D, on which is cut a right-handed screw, though it will be
obvious that it may be a left-handed one if found to be more convenient. This
axle D receives an- alternating rotary motion from the treadle levers in any
approved manner ; the arrangement as shown by Fig. 1, I find to be a convenient
one, & consists of fixing a pair of small drums E & E' on the axle D. These
drums are connected to the treadle levers by straps or bands e, & e', the strap or
band e being wound on the drum E in the opposite direction to that in which the
strap or band e¹ is wound on the drum E so that the alternate reciprocating
motion of the treadle levers produces an alternating rotary motion of the axle D.
On the axle D is a travelling nut F cut with a thread to correspond with that on
the axle. This nut F is fitted with guides which take into slots b & b cut
longitudinally in the hollow axle B so that it cannot revolve, therefore when
alternating rotary motion is imparted to the axle D, the nut F, travels backwards
& forwards in the hollow stud axle B. On the exterior of the hollow axle B is a
Bleeve G which is screwed or otherwise fastened to the travelling nut F, so as to
be practically in one piece with it. On this sleeve G is mounted the driving
arrangement whereby the reciprocating motion of the nut F imparts continùouš

page_text: rotary motion to the driving wheel. In the centro of the length of the sleeve G is
a small flange g, on each side of which is a ring of teeth, preferably of a ratchet
shape. On the sleeve G are mounted loosely two collars H & H which I call the
driving collars, one on each side of the flange of teeth g. On one side of each of
these collars &c. on that nearest to the flange of teeth g is cut a ring of teeth, to 5
correspond with those on the flange g. Small collars J. J are fixed to the sleeve G
outside the driving collars H & H to keep them in placo, sufficient clearance being
allowed between the flange of teeth g & the fixed collars J. J. for each of the
driving collars H & H to revolvo freely. Figs. 5 & 6 are a side, & an end
elevation, respectively of the travelling nut and driving collars. Inside the hub of 1
the wheel A is cut a right & left-handed screw a & a', which forms a right & left-
handed nut. On the peripheries of the driving collars H & H₁ are formed parts of
the threads of a right & left-handed screw h & h³ respectively to engage with the
threads cut inside the hub; the thread of tho loose collar H engaging with the right-
handed thread a, & the thread h¹ of the loose collar H' engaging with the left- 1
handed thread a'. It will therefore be seen that the reciprocating motion of the
travelling nut F will impart a continuous rotary motion to the wheel A by means
of. the driving collars H&H' the collar H driving it when the travelling nut F is
moving in one direction, & the collar H³ driving it when the nut F is moving in
the opposite direction, the resistance automatically locking & unlocking the 2
collars with the flange of teeth attached to the travelling nut, each time it changes
its direction.
It will be understood that the screws cut inside the hub of the wheel may be of
any pitch to produce any desired number of revolutions, or parts thereof of the
driving wheel for each reciprocation of the travelling nut; for instance, if the
pitch was such, that the wheel mado one revolution, while the travelling nut
moved from one end of the hub to the other, it follows, that as the reciprocations
of the travelling nut are identical with the reciprocations of the treadle-levers,
the driving wheel would make two revolutions for one reciprocation of the treadle
levers.
Sheet No. 2 of the accompanying Drawings is a modification of the before
described arrangement, shown as applied to the driving wheel of a bicycle. Fig. 1.
is a side elevation, mostly in section, & Fig. 2 a cross section on line v. z. of the
driving gear. The driving wheel A of which the hub only is shown, is mounted
on a stud axle B, carried by & fixed to the ends of the fork of the machine O,
suitable ball bearings being provided for the wheel to revolve on. D is the screw
axle running through tho hollow stud axle B in suitable bearings. F is the
travelling nut guided by the slots b, b, in the stud axle (see Fig. 3 which is a cross
section of the stud axle B) to prevent it revolving. This travelling nut is in
halves for convenience in construction. On the nut F are two studs f. f, provided
with friction rollers. See Figs. 3 & 4 which are a sido, & end, elevation,
respectively of the travelling nut. At each end of the hub of the wheel are fixed
plates G, G, each provided on its inner side with a ring of teeth, preferably of a
ratchet shape. Mounted loosely outside the stud axle, & one. outside the other,
are two sleeves H & H which I call the driving sleeves. On each of these sleeves
at one end; i, e, at opposite ends to one another is a flange provided with a ring
of teeth, corresponding to the teeth on the plates G, G. In each of these driving
sleeves H&H' are cut slots. forming the threads of a screw, those on the sleeve H
being right-handed & those on the sleeve H' being left-handed. The studs f. f. on
the travelling nut F fit into the slots forming the threads of the screws in the
sleeves H&H', each taking a bearing in the threads of both sleeves; therefore,
when reciprocating motion is imparted to the travelling nut F by the alternate
rotary motion of the axle D, the sleeves B & B will rotato backwards & forwards
alternately, that is to say, when the sleeve H is rotating forward, the sleeve H¹ is
rotating backwards, & "vice versa." When the sleeves are rotating forward the
teeth on the flanges of the driving-sleeves engage with those on the plates at the
ends of the hub, & so drive the wheel forward; & reversely, when they rotate.

page_text: backwards they disengage themselves from the teeth on the plates attached to the
hub. As these sleeves are always rotating in opposite directions by reason of the
right & left-handed threads cut in them, they will become drivers alternately, the
sleeve H driving when the nut F is moving in one direction, & the sleeve H¹
driving when it is, moving in the opposite direction, so that the wheel A will
receive a continuous rotary motion in one direction.
As in the arrangement shown on Sheet No. 1 of the accompanying Drawings,
the relation between the travel of the nut F and the revolutions of the driving
wheel A is controlled by the pitch of the screw slots cut in the sleeves H & H¹.
Figs. 6 & 7 are a side, & an end, elevation respectively of the driving sleeve H.
The alternate rotary motion of the axle D may be produced in a similar manner
to that method shown by Fig. 1. Sheet No. 1 of the accompanying Drawings, or by
any other convenient method.
It will be obvious that the details of my Invention may be varied in many
ways, & that my driving gear may be constructed in some other manner, than
in the special ones described in this Specification.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said
Invention & in what manner the saine is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is;-The construction of a driving gear for Velocipedes. in which the
alternating rotary motion of an axle is converted into the continuous rotary
motion of the driving wheel, or wheels, substantially as herein before described &
shown.