Improvements in or relating to the Driving Appliances of Cycles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1897-Accepted, 23rd Oct., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Driving Appliances of Cycles.
I, WILLIAM SPEIRS SIMPSON, of 49 Battersea Park Road, London, Civil
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 has for object, to improve the driving of Cycles by chain geared
into by a series of star or other wheels which not only travel round the crank
axle but are rotated by pinions in gear with a wheel fixed on or to the frame.
The star wheels and pinions are caused to travel by the cranks motion through
a frame or disc by which their axles are carried, said frame or disc or both frame
and disc being on either side of the gear wheels and furnished with rollers to
prevent sag of the chain while moving between guard rims which are carried
by the rollers.
The gear before mentioned acts in the reverse order to ordinary crank and
chain driving of Cycles i.e. instead of the chain sprocket wheel being fixed on
the crank axle, the chain star wheels are carried round by a disc and frame and
they receive their rotatory motion for operating the chain from a wheel fixed
on or to the frame of the machine.
My invention will be fully understood by reference to the annexed drawings,
Figure 1 of which is an inside elevation and Figure 2 a sectional plan of same.
A, socket or barrel of crank bracket to which the central toothed wheel B is
affixed stationary by its screw C. D, D, are pinions carried by a frame Ecapable
of rotation around the wheels axle F by the attachment of said frame E to the
crank G when moved by the foot. The pinions D, D, are in a piece with or
have star plates H, H, for engagement with the links of the drive chain I, said
star or chain wheels being in lieu of the ordinary sprocket wheel and act in
successive order while being rotated and simultaneously travelling round the
fixed wheel B for pulling the chain, said pulling action being conveyed to the
hub J of the rear drive wheel in the usual manner.
The crank G is fixed by its shoulder K to the frame E which may be of
skeleton form, as at Figure 1, or it may consist of a disc E such as is seen at
Figure 2 by which rollers or bearers L, L, are carried preferably between two
guard rims M, M, upon the fillets N, N, of which the chain links have a bearing.
These guard rims M, M, travel round with the crank and by the bolts or axis l'
of the pinions D, D, a freedom of rotation is given by the ball bearings.
The fixed wheel 13 is provided with a shoulder Q for ball bearings, so that
the axle with the cranks G has free rotation within the bracket socket A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1 claim is :-
1. Chain Driving by crank action, a frame in which a series of pinions are
not only carried round but simultaneously rotated upon their own axis by gear
contact with a fixed wheel, as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 2. The herein described driving chain gear of Cycles consisting of star or like
wheels having rotation by pinions which gear into a fixed wheel of the main
frame, said star wheels and pinions having a travelling motion around the axle
simultaneously with their own rotation.
3. The particular arrangement of gear in or connected with rear driving chain
gear of a Cycle and receiving motion by cranks arranged at the usual position
intermediate of or between the wheels of a machine as shown, each star wheel
engaging the chain in succession while being rotated and carried round at an
increased speed, as set forth.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent. 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said W. S. Simpson.