Improvements in Ball Bearing Adjustments.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 6th June, 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
και or
1000
Complete Specification Left, 6th June, 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Bearing Adjustments.
I, HERBERT HUBAND THOMPSON, Sunnyside, Wheelwright Road, Erdington,
near Birmingham, in the County of Warwickshire, Manager, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates chiefly to the kind of ball bearings known as disc or cup
adjusting. The object of my invention is to attain a quick and easy adjustment of
the bearings, whilst avoiding the necessity of loosening or in any way altering
the adjustment of the forks or stays or other attachments in or by which the
bearings are held. This object I accomplish as follows:-
When the case is that of a cycle hub:-1 make a tube provided with a spoke
flange near each end in the usual way: this tube with its flanges is hereinafter
called the shell of the hub.
The part of the hub body or shell external to each flange is provided with a
male thread, and three or more slots are cut through the substance of the shell
at this part in the direction of its length and at equal distances from one another—
the open parts of the slots being at the extreme ends of the shell.
The discs or cups are made to fit inside the ends of the shell so as to slide
in and out. Each disc or cup is provided with projections upon its periphery
which correspond to and fit in the slots cut in that end of the shell to which it
belongs, and the aforesaid slots are long enough to allow the projectious to slide
inwards or outwards sufficiently for the purpose of adjustment.
It will be seen that these projections prevent the rotation of the disc or cup by
their engagement in their appropriate slots. The projections protrude through
the slots sufficiently to be acted upon by a nut or nuts which may
be screwed upon the male thread aforesaid, and the disc or cup 18
brought into and retained in position by means of such protruding
parts together with the nuts which act upon them. If the inner
nut is loosened, the disc or cup can be pressed inwards by the outer nut acting
upon the outer sides of the protruding parts of the aforesaid projections or if
the outer nut be first loosened, the inner uut acting upon the inner sides of the
protruding parts of the projections can press the disc or cup outwards. When
both of the nuts are screwed tightly home against these protruding parts the disc
or cup is held quite firmly in position.
The coned parts of the bearings are tightly screwed or otherwise fixed upon the
spindle or axle of the hub, and each cone is continued till it protrudes through
its dise or cup, or a separate screwed nut or sleeve is screwed upon the axle till
it abuts against the cone and thus forms an extension of it. This protruding
continuation or extension of the cone forms an abutment against which the fork
or stay or other attachment is held in position by the nut provided to screw on
the end of the spindle or axle.
The usual clearance is left between the disc or cup and the cone or the exten-
sion thereof.

page_text: The space caused by the protrusion of the cone or its extension leaves sufficient
end-play for the disc or cup to be adjusted without affecting the forks or stays
or other attachments.
The nuts may be of any suitable shape and may be recessed if thought desirable
and the space between them may be partially or wholly filled up with a washer
or ring of felt or other suitable material to keep out dust and dirt. The outer
nut may be made in the form of a cap for neatness of appearance and to keep out
dust and dirt.
A modification of the principle upon which the hub is constructed may be
suitable for a bottom bracket or crank axle bearing-and the principle may be
capable of further application to bearings for motor cars and other vehicles--
or to any machine in which such a disc adjusting bearing as that herein described
may be used.
Also this disc or cup adjusting bearing may be used to either or both ends
of the hub or other suitable fitting to which it may be adapted.
Although it is preferable to have the discs external to the cones, this principle
of adjustment will also be found adaptable to internal discs in combination with
external cones.
Dad 41 1041 dov of Mah 1808
Improvements in Ball Bearing Adjustments.
I, HERBERT HUBAND THOMPSON, of Sunnyside, Wheelwright Road, Erdington,
in the County of Warwick, Manager, 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 the improvements hereinafter described in ball bearing
adjustments particularly those used for bicycles and has for its object to provide
means whereby such bearings may be easily and expeditiously adjusted without in
any way altering the adjustment of the forks or other attachments.
The nature of my invention will be more clearly understood from the accom-
panying drawings the same letters of reference indicating similar parts throughout.
Figure 1, is a side elevation of my improved bearing applied to a bicycle rear
hub.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same hub.
Figures 3 and 4 are end views of the hub.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are detailed parts of my improved bearing adjustment.
Figure 10 is a side elevation partly in section of my improved bearing adjust-
ment applied to the bottom bracket of a cycle.
The barrel or shell of the rear hub A (shown at Figure 5.) is provided with
slots or cutaway parts B preferably four, though I may use more or less. The
end D of the barrel A I cut with a left hand male screw, thread and the part F
with a
right hand screw, and the part E with a left hand thread. The ball race
or cups G shown separately in section at Figure 6 and in side elevation and plan
at Figure 7 are provided with projections H arranged to fit or slide into and
project through the slots B at the ends 1) or the slots B¹ at the end E and F
the position of these parts is shown clearly at Figures 3 and 4. The nut or screw
collar I (Figure 8) is made to screw on the part 1) of the barrel A, the ball race G
being in its place as shown at Figure 2, the projections H take into the enlarged K
of the nut I the nut or screw collar J (Figure 9) is screwed up in its place and

page_text: locks the projection H in the enlarged part K of the collar I thus completing the
adjustment at that end of the hub."
The opposite or fixed end is fitted in a similar manner the ball race G¹ fits
into the slots B₁ the ends of the projections H are screwed in a manner so that
when the chain wheel L is screwed against the shoulder on the right hand screw F
it also screws onto the ends of the projections H thus securing them in their
place the lock nut M being screwed up on the left hand screw E thus completing
this end of the bearing. The spindle N and the cones O being in their place,
and the balls P being held in position by the ball race G, it will be apparent that
the adjustment of the bearing may be readily effected by means of the ball
race G and the nuts I and locked therein by the nut J.
In the arrangement shown at Figure 10 a similar adjustment is applied to the
bottom bracket bearing and is effected in the same manner as that in connection
with the hub herein before described in the opposite end if desired the ball
race R is held in position by the screw nut S.
My improved adjustment may by slight modification be applied to axle bearings
of motor cars and other vehicles or any other machines to which it may be adapted
without departing from the nature thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The ball bearing adjustment consisting of a barrel or shell provided with
screwed ends and the slots B and B' and the ball race furnished with projections H
or their equivalent arranged to take into the said slots and adjusted therein
by means of the screw nuts I, and J substantially as described and for the purpose
set forth.
2. In a ball bearing adjustment a ball race or ball cup provided with projections
arranged to slide in slots formed in the ends of a bicycle or other hub or similar
bearing and adjusted and held in position therein by two screw nuts on either
sides of the said projection substantially as set forth.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the adjustment of
the ball-bearing for bicycle hubs or other similar axle bearings as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1898.
WILLIAM HENRY BARACLOUGH,
36, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agent for the Applicant.