Improvements in or relating to Two Speed Driving Gear and Free Wheel Mechanism for Bicycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Two Speed Driving Gear and Free
Wheel Mechanism for Bicycles and other Vehicles.
We, THE HUB Two SPEED GEAR COMPANY LIMITED, of Collier Street, Green-
gate, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, and WILLIAM HENRY PALMER, of
Townley Street, Middleton, in the said County, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said invention to be as follows:-
1
This invention relates to improvements in the two speed driving gear for
bicycles described in the Specifications of Patents 6062 and 19859 of 1896 parts
of which may also be applied to free wheel gear.
We now construct the apparatus so that the sliding clutch or sleeve by which
the gear is altered may be drawn back by a chain or flexible band instead of
by a lever or screw as formerly and we also provide that the central pinion
cannot be jambed by the cone or nut on the spindle end.
The spindle is made hollow or tubular preferably from end to end and the
sliding sleeve or clutch engages with a sliding key inserted in a slot cut therein
and attached to a rod or pin to which is connected a chain or flexible band which
passes out through the end of the spindle. The sliding sleeve or clutch is drawn
or moved in one direction by a pulf of the chain or band.
On the exterior of the spindle we place a strong spring which moves it back
in the reverse direction when the chain or flexible band is released.
The spindle is made in two diameters with the central part thicker than the
ends which are screwed, thereby forming shoulders against which the cones can
be screwed. This provents the cone at the gear end of the spindle being tightly
screwed against the central pinion the pinion being of such a length as not lo
project beyond the shoulder."
The end of the screw through which the chain or flexible band passes is fitted
with a nut which projects beyond the screw and is curved rounded or bevelled in
its inner edges to provide a surface over which the chain or flexible band can
ide with but little friction when pulled at an angle at right angles to the axis
of the spindle.
The same arrangement of chain or flexible band and nut and sliding sleeve or
clutch may be employed for a free wheel movement without the epicyclic train
of wheels forming the two speed mechanism.
The chain or flexible band it attached to a connecting chain or preferably to a
flexible wire outside the spindle which it attached to a lever fitted to the top bar
or other convenient part of the frame.
The improvements are the hollow spindle the sliding key therein attached to
the chain or flexible hand passing out through the end of the spindle and the
nut at the end with rounded curved or bevelled edges to allow of the free move-

page_text: ment of the chain or flexible band passing through and the spring for moving
the parts in the reverse direction.
Di 1 day of October 1899
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, l'atent Agents.
Improvements in or relating to Two Speed Driving Gear and Free
Wheel Mechanism for Bicycles and other Vehicles.
We, THE HUB Two SPEED GEAR COMPANY LIMITED, of Collier Street, Green-
gate, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, and WILLIAM HENRY PALMER, of
Townley Street, Middleton, in the said County, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to improvements in the two speed driving gear for
bicycles described in the Specifications of Patents 6062 and 19859 of 1896 parts
of which may also be applied to free wheel gear.
We may now construct the apparatus so that the sliding clutch or sleeve by
which the gear is altered may be drawn back by a chain or flexible band instead
of by a lever or screw as formerly and we also provide that the central pinion
cannot be jambed by the cone or nut on the spindle end.
The improvements will be fully described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1. Side elevation of bicycle showing the invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2. Elevation of hub of driving wheel.
Fig. 3. Longitudinal section of same.
Fig. 4. Side elevation of spindle.
Fig. 5. Transverse section on line y-y Fig. 3.
Fig. 6. Transverse section on line Fig. 3.
Fig. 7. Side elevation of lever and sector 0 in one position
Fig. 8. Plan of Fig. 7.
Fig. 9. Side elevation of same in another position.
Fig. 10. Side elevation of same in a third position.
The gearing is constructed as described in the Specifications of the previous
Patents Nos. 6062 and 19859 of 1896 with a sprocket driving wheel A with
internal teeth the intermediary driving pinions B and the central rotating
pinion D also the hub C with internal teeth and the sliding sleeve K with
teeth to engage with the central pinion D and teeth to engage with the
internal teeth 19 on the hub.
The sleeve K slides to and fro on the central spindle E over the teeth e the
internal teeth engaging therewith.
The sleeve K is forced or moved in one direction and held in its normal posi-
tion by the spring M. A second or inner sleeve K is placed inside the sleeve K
with a buffer spring m to make an elastic attachment between the operating
rod L and the movable sleeve K.
The central spindle E is made hollow or tubular preferably from end to end
and is internally provided with an operating rod L sliding therein and fitted
with a cross head 7. The cross har 7 projects through slits in the spindle E
and the ends engage the inner sleeve K¹.

page_text: The operating rod L has at one end attached to it a chain N which extends
out through the end of the hollow spindle E. By this chain the rod L is drawn
back against the pressure of the spring M placed on the exterior of the spindle E.
Instead of a chain a flexible wire rope or band may be employed but a chain is
preferred to make the attachment within the interior of the spindle with a
flexible wire rope N' extending from the chain to the operating lever Oas
shown in Fig. 1. The spindle E is made in two diameters (see Fig. 1) the
central part thicker than the ends forming shoulders against which the
cones P can abut. The ends are screwed externally and the cones P are screwed
internally to correspond; the cones when in position can be screwed against the
shoulders & thereby preventing the cone P at the gear end of the hub being
tightly screwed against the central pinion D this pinion being of such a length
as not to project beyond the shoulder.
Upon the screwed end of the spindle E through which the chain or flexible
band N passes is fitted a nut R with a bell or trumpet shaped mouth, curved,
rounded or otherwise hevelled which projects over the screwed end of the spindle.
This construction of nut provides a bearing surface over which the chain or flexible
band N can slide or move with but little friction when pulled at an angle at
right angles to the axis of the spindle.
On the other end of the spindle E a nut R in the form of a cap is fitted.
A precisely similar arrangement of chain or flexible band and nut and sliding
sleeve or clutch may be employed for a free wheel movement in which an inner
sleeve or clutch slides to throw the driving wheel in and out of gear with the
hub without the epicvelic train of wheels forming the two speed mechanism.
The flexible chain N is connected to the flexible wire rope N' and the rope №1
is attached to an operating lever fitted to top bar or other convenient part
of the cycle frame. The lever 0 is provided with a sector O' and catch o by
which it is held in the desired position (see Figs. 7, to 10).
G, H&H are the balls for the ball bearings.
'Y
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In two speed gear and free wheel mechanism for cycles of the type described
constructed with a hollow spindle and operating rod sliding therein a spring to
move it in one direction, a flexible chain or band attached to the rod and pass-
ing out at the end of the spindle to move it in the opposite direction and a nut
on the end with rounded curved or bevelled edges to permit of the free move-
ment of the chain or flexible band substantially as described.
2. A two speed gear for cycles constructed and arranged substantially as
described and shown.