Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 26th Sept, 1892-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
1, PHILIP LOUIS RENOUF of Stoke, near Coventry, in the County of Warwick,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates principally to velocipedes in which the front wheel is
propelled by the feet of the rider through the intermediacy of a multiplying gear.
I prefer to fix the seat of the rider to the front forks so that the pedals and seat
are rigidly connected. The machine is steered by a pair of handles attached to
the forks of the rear wheel which are joined to the front ones by means of a
head and neck hinge working in balls and in which the neck contains a hardened
plunger constantly pressed upwards and kept in perpetual contact with the upper
row of balls by means of a spring. The multiplying gear is so arranged that
whilst both cranks are fixed on one spindle, which traverses the driving wheel the
front forks are yet rigidly connected by a tye or bolt. For this purpose the hub, ·
which is hollow, is provided with a toothed wheel on one side only and is furnished
with female, cones in which balls revolve, rolling round the tie holt. This latter
is also hollow and forms the bearing bracket in which the crank shaft is supported
in ball bearings. Sometimes one of the forks carries a double-ended pinion
(preferably mounted on ball bearings), the larger end of which is in gear with the
toothed wheel on the hub and the other end of which is in gear with a large toothed
wheel fixed on the pedal shaft. Sometimes this wheel is toothed internally and
the pinion dispensed with. In this case the pedal shaft bearings are eccentric to
those of the driving hub, the pinion of which is then directly geared up by the*
internally toothed wheel, clearance being provided between these wheels in such
a manner as to allow the tie bolt to be connected with the fork on the gear side
of the machine. As this fork is subjected to considerable lateral and tortional
strains it is made of round tube formed out of strip sheet steel, the width of the
strip being five times the diameter of the tube and the edges of the strip being.
shaped and brought together in such a manner that they form a double diametrical:
web. The gear wheel carried by the pedal axle may be keyed to the same by
passing the crank through the boss of the wheel and part of the spindle, after thei
manner of a transverse key, or by clamping the boss of the crank round the boss
of the chain wheel, and the latter round the spindle, one or more feathers being,
inserted; one end of the crank is bent so as to form the pedal pin. By this means'
the crank and gear wheel can be readily removed for the purpose of dismantling
the bearings or altering the gear. This method may also be applied to the toothed
wheels used in connection with pitch chains.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1891.
"
PHILIP LOUIS KENOUT.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
1. PHILIP LOUIS RENOUF of Stoke, near Coventry, in the County of Warwick,
Engineer, 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 principally to velocipedes in which the front wheel is
propelled by the feet of the rider through the intermediacy of a multiplying gear,
though it may also be applied to velocipedes of a different type.

page_text: •
Hitherto where a driving spindle has revolved inside a driving hub but at a
different rate, no tie has been provided. between the forks or other framework of
the velocipede excepting in a loose way, by means of the bearings themselves; and
in many cases one part of the gearing being locked to one of the forks or stays
or to one bearing only, this fork or stay or bearing has in consequence been
subjected to enormous torsion producing great loss of power and durability; further
separate bearings with separate adjustment had to be provided on each side of
the wheel, the inconvenience of which arrangement is well known to the trade.
Now I provide a rigid tie connecting the extremities of the forks or stays, in 'such-a
manner that this tie, either by itself or in combination with the fork or stay ends
forms a long and effectual bearing in which or on which the crank shaft revolves.
The simplest form is shewn in Fig. 1 where the crank-spindle S revolves in the
tube T to which the forks F, F are fixed, the fork ends encircling it and being
locked to it by transverse collars CC or by some other suitable way. The forks
are thus tied in such a manner that they support each other firmly and cannot
spring or twist. The hub H of the driving wheel carries a gear wheel A, the
crankshaft S carries a gear wheel B (keyed to the shaft directly or indirectly
through the crank E) and the fork F carries a bearing in which the intermediate
pinion Crevolves, transmitting motion from B to A.
As will be readily understood the tie piece or tube T acts as the pin about
which the hub revolves and one end of T is made small enough to allow it to he
passed first through the end of fork F', then through the hub and then through the
end of fork F'.
Sometimes it is more convenient to build up the tie out of two or more pieces
after the fashion shewn separately in Fig. 3 where a tube T acts a distance
piece between two plates P, P the whole being bolted together by a bolt or
screw T.
The application of this method is shewn in Fig. 2 where the inner faces of the
fork ends or plates P, PI are coned to form bearings for the hub H, but are
recessed (these recesses being eccentric to the afore mentioned cones) to form
bearings for the crankshaft S.
This shaft S carries (either directly or by means of the pedal crank) the
internally toothed wheel B which gears into the hub wheel A, dispensing with an
intermediate wheel. The tube T acts as a rigid distance piece between the
parts P, P¹ which are firmly connected or tied by the bolt or screw T.
The gap provided between the hub wheel A and shaft wheel B on that side
where these wheels do not touch allows the fork F to reach the plate P and thus
be connected with fork F¹.
"
.
"
Fig. 4 shews the steering apparatus of the velocipede, H being the head clamping.
the telescopic handlebar tube I at one end and supported by the forks at the lower
end; one of these F is shewn in section; on account of the torsional strain it is
preferably round; but it is made to resist the forward strains by an internal
webbing extending right across it; the tube being formed out of sheet metal with
the edges turned in and brazed together; as these webs reach across the inside
of the tube they assist the manufacture by keeping up the shape during the
drawing and the brazing operations. The neck N, is pierced vertically, the bolt B
acting as an adjusting piece by being kept in position by the spring S pressing
from the nut 0.
In Fig. 5 the neck N is shewn containing a hardened plunger B which is pressed
upwards by the spring S into the hardened nut O; the bearing surfaces in each
case are provided with antifriction balls.
The driving gear wheel on the crankshaft may be keyed or screwed to the same
in any of the usual ways but I prefer where possible to render it easily detachable
by providing it with a central boss, nave or hub, large and strong enough to be
pierced and admit of a large cottar hole being used; instead of the usual cottar I
use a long rod, strong enough to take the place of the crank, and sometimes even
bend the end of this rod to form both crank and pedal pin at once. Figs. 6 & 7

page_text: shew wheel B in elevation and in section respectively, is the crank with one.
end bent out at a right angle so as to carry a pedal; the other end, is slightly
tapered and when inserted through the hole in the boss of B is drawn up by nut
thus locking the wheel and itself to the crankshaft. This method of fastening is
equally applicable to wheels used in connection with driving chains.
Having now declared the nature of my said invention and having particularly
described and ascertained the manner in which the same is to be performed, I
declare that what I claim is :--
1. A velocipede provided with a multiplying or speed-gear in which the hub of
the driving wheel revolves around and the crankshaft revolves inside a piece or
pieces rigidly connecting the two sides of the framework.
2. In velocipedes in which the same fork or stay ends support both the hub of
the driving wheel and the crank axle, providing a rigid tie or connection between
these forks or stay ends.
3. A multiplying gear revolving around a tube or equivalent piece or pieces
which form the bearings for the crankshaft and which connect the two sides of the
framework.
4. A self adjusting neck for velocipedes in which a bolt B Fig. 4 traverses the
whole of the neck N and is kept in constant position by a spring S.
5. A self adjusting neck for velocipedes containing a spring S—Fig. 5 pressing
upwards against a hardened plunger B in the manner described.
6. In velocipedes the tube F Fig. 4 with internal diametrical webbing as
described and for the purpose described and for similar purposes.
7. The combination of the gear wheel B Figs. 6 & 7 with the crank C in the
manner and for the purpose described.
8. The crank and pedal pin C Fig. 7 of the shape and for the
described.
pose
9. The combination of the multiplying gear with the tie piece T as des bed
and illustrated in Fig. 1.
10. The combination of the multiplying gear consisting of an internally toothed
wheel and a pinion together with the tieing mechanism or an equivalent of the
same substantially as shewn and illustrated in Fig. 2.
Dated this 24th day of September 1892.
TATTO DEVOUR
ONTH SIACT III