Improvements in Adjusting the Driving Chains of Safety Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 30th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 15th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Adjusting the Driving Chains of Safety Bicycles
and other Velocipedes.
I, FREDERICK JOHN OSMOND, of Ravenswood, Chantry Road, Moseley, in
the County of Worcester, Works Manager do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My improvements in adjusting the driving chains of safety bicycles and other
velocipedes consist of the construction and arrangements of parts hereinafter
described for facilitating the change of position of the bearings of the driving
wheel spindle with respect to the bearings of the crank axles of the said bicycles
and other velocipedes and for locking the said driving wheel spindles in the position
to which they may have been brought.
I will describe my invention in connection with a safety bicycle having a
diamond frame.
I make the hollow or tubular branches of the driving wheel fork or chain stay
open at their rear ends and I make in the inner sides of the open rear ends of the
chain stay longitudinal slots. On the ends of the driving wheel spindle I screw
bearing or carrier blocks of a size and shape suitable to take and slide in the
open ends of the chain stay. I provide the outer sides of the ball bearing cones
with screwed collars on which I screw nuts for the purposes hereinafter described.
The adjusting of the driving chain is effected by securing the driving wheel
The
spindle in position in the slots in the chain stay in the following manner.
bearing or carrier blocks on the driving wheel spindle are passed by a sliding
motion into the open ends of the chain stay and adjusted therein so as to put the
desired tension on the driving chain. The said driving wheel spindle is now locked
in its adjusted position by turning the screw nuts on the collars of the adjustable
bearing cones until the said screw nuts bear tightly against the inner or slotted
sides of the chain stay the said ball bearing cones being held, during the rotation
of the screw nuts on their collars, by a spanner taking on to flats on opposite sides
of the said ball bearing cones. The locking of the driving wheel spindle in its
adjusted position in the manner described also effects the locking of the adjustable
bearing cones on the said spindle. The said ball bearing cones may be adjusted
from time to time to compensate for wear without affecting the secure locking
of the driving wheel spindle in the chain stay by holding the screw nuts herein-
before described by means of a spanner and turning the said bearing cones by
means of another spanner in the direction proper to effect the desired adjustment
of the said bearing cones. The open ends of the chain stay may be closed by
means of caps.
I so shape the ends of the lugs which receive the ends of the branches of the
top back stay fork as to embrace the outer sides only of the rear ends of the chain
stay to which they are brazed.
may
effect the sliding motion of the bearing blocks in the open ends of
the chain stay on the unlocking of the driving wheel spindle by providing the
rear ends of the bearing or carrier blocks with screws on which nuts (taking a
bearing against the caps closing the open ends of the chain stay) rotate for
advancing or withdrawing the said bearing or carrier blocks in the said ends of the
chain stay.
Where one of the ball bearing cones on the spindle is fixed, the adjustment of
the said ball bearings being effected from one side only, the fixed bearing cone
may be without a screw collar, the locking screw nut working on the screwed part.

page_text: of the spindle. In this case however the locking of the spindle in the chain stay
is effected by advancing the said spindle in the screwed hole in the bearing or
carrier block.
Although I have described my improvements in connection with ball bearings
having the adjustable part or cone on the driving wheel spindle yet my improve-
ments may be used in combination with ball bearings having adjustments in
the hub.
I prefer to make the slotted ends of the chain stay semi-circular or semi-
elliptical in cross section, the locking screw nuts bearing against the flat inner sides
of the said chain stay but the slotted ends of the chain stay may be circular
elliptical or angular in cross section. Where the inner sides of the chain stay are
curved I interpose washers between the said inner sides and the locking screw
nuts; the outer faces of the said washers having a shape the counterpart of the
inner sides of the chain stay.
The application of my improvements to velocipedes other than safety bicycles
differs in no essential respect from its application to a safety bicycle as hereinbefore
described.
Dated this 5th day of February 1894.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Adjusting the Driving Chains of Safety Bicycles
and other Velocipedes.
I FREDERICK JOHN OSMOND of Ravenswood, Chantry Road, Moseley in the
County of Worcester, Works Manager do hereby declare the nature of my
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My improvements in adjusting the driving chains of safety bicycles and other
velocipedes consist of the construction and arrangements of parts hereinafter
described for facilitating the change of position of the bearings of the driving
wheel spindle with respect to the bearings of the crank axles of the said bicycles
and other velocipedes and for locking the said driving wheel spindles in the position
to which they may have been brought.
I will describe my invention in connection with a safety bicycle having a
diamond frame.
I make the hollow or tubular branches of the driving wheel fork or chain stay
open at their rear ends and I make in the inner sides of the open rear ends of the
chain stay longitudinal slots. On the ends of the driving wheel spindle 1 screw
bearing or carrier blocks of a size and shape suitable to take and slide in the open
ends of the chain stay. I provide the outer sides of the ball bearing cones with
screwed collars on which I screw nuts for the purposes hereinafter described.
The adjusting of the driving chain is effected by securing the driving wheel
spindle in position in the slots in the chain stay in the following manner. The
bearing or carrier blocks on the driving wheel spindle are passed by a sliding
motion into the open ends of the chain stay and adjusted therein so as to put the
desired tension on the driving chain. The said driving wheel spindle is now locked
in its adjusted position by turning the screw nuts on the collars of the adjustable
bearing cones until the said screw nuts bear tightly against the inner or slotted
sides of the chain stay the said ball bearing cones being held, during the rotation
of the screw nuts on their collars, by a spanner taking onto flats on opposite sides
of the said ball bearing cones. The locking of the driving wheel spindle in its
adjusted position in the manner described also effects the locking of the adjustable
bearing cones on the said spindle. The said ball bearing cones may be adjusted

page_text: from time to time to compensate for wear without affecting the secure locking
of the driving wheel spindle in the chain stay by holding the screw nuts herein-
before described by means of a spanner and turning the said bearing cones by
means of another spanner in the direction proper to effect the desired adjustment
of the said bearing cones. The open ends of the chain stay may be closed by
means of caps.
I so shape the ends of the lugs which receive the ends of the branches of the
top back stay fork as to embrace the outer sides only of the rear ends of the chain
stay to which they are brazed.
I may effect the sliding motion of the bearing blocks in the open ends of
the chain stay on the unlocking of the driving wheel spindle by providing the
rear ends of the bearing or carrier blocks with screws on which nuts (taking a
bearing against the caps closing the open ends of the chain stay) rotate for
advancing or withdrawing the said bearing or carrier blocks in the said ends of the
chain stay.
When one of the ball bearing cones on the spindle is fixed, the adjustment of
the said ball bearings being effected from one side only, the fixed bearing cone
may be without a screw collar the locking screw nut working on the screwed part
of the spindle. In this case however the locking of the spindle in the chain stay
is effected by advancing the said spindle in the screwed hole in the bearing or
carrier block.
Although I have described my improvements in connection with ball bearings
having the adjustable part or cone on the driving wheel spindle yet my improve-
ments may be used in combination with ball bearings having adjustments in
the hub.
I prefer to make the slotted ends of the chain stay semi-circular or semi-
elliptical in cross section, the locking screw nuts bearing against the flat inner sides
of the said chain stay but the slotted ends of the chain stay may be circular,
elliptical or angular in cross section. Where the inner sides of the chain stay are
curved I interpose washers between the said inner sides and the locking screw
nuts, the outer faces of the said washers having a shape the counterpart of the
inner sides of the chain stay.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figures 1 to 11, both inclusive, represent chain adjusting mechanism for a
safety bicycle constructed according to my invention, Figure 1 representing in
side elevation the said mechanism in conjunction with part of the bicycle; Figure 2
the same partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section and Figure 3 the
same partly in back elevation and partly in vertical section; Figures 4 to 9, both
inclusive, represent views of several of the parts detached and Figures 10 and 11
represent respectively in side elevation and vertical section, the adjusting mechanism
applied to a velocipede having a different shaped frame.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
A is the spindle of the rear or driving wheel of the safety bicycle, on which
spindle the hub B carrying the chain wheel turns. The adjustment of the tension
of the driving chain is effected by moving the said spindle A nearer to or further
from the crank axle of the bicycle, the said crank axle carrying the driving chain wheel
as is well understood. In order to effect the said adjustment of the rear driving
wheel spindle A nearer to or further from the crank axle of the bicycle, I make
the arms or branches c, e of the chain stay of the driving wheel fork open at their ends,
the open ends of the said chain stay c, c being preferably Hattened on their inner
sides and made semi-circular or semi-elliptical in cross section as will be best
understood by referring to the portion of the chain stay represented detached in
Figure 4. The inner or flattened sides of the arms of the chain stay c, c have
longitudmal slots c², c² made in them, through which the ends of the spindle A pass
and in which the said spindle is capable of a sliding motion to and from the crauk

page_text: axle. The screwed ends of the spindle A are provided with carrier blocks a, a (one
of which is shown detached in side and back elevation in Figure 5) which fit and
work in the semi-circular ends of the chain stay c, c. The said carrier blocks a, a
have screw pius a², a2 on their rear ends which screw pins project through holes in
the chain stay closing caps c³, c³ (one of which is shown detached in side and
front elevation in Figure 6). The backward and forward motion of the carrier
blocks a, a in the chain stay c, c is effected by screw nuts e (see Figures 1 and 2)
which take a bearing against the closing caps c³, c³.
When the driving wheel spindle A has been adjusted so as to put the desired
tension on the driving chain, the said spindie A is locked in its adjusted position
by the following construction and arrangement of parts. One end of the
adjustable bearing cone is provided with a collar or shank 2 (see the views of the
detached cone Figure 7) and a screw nut (represented detached in Figure 8) for
taking upon the screwed shank 2. The adjustable cone is provided with
flats fat opposite sides and the screw nut y is provided with similar flats g², g².
By holding the cone by means of a spanner embracing the flats f³. f3 and turning
the screw nut g upen the screw 2 of the cone by means of another spanner
embracing the flats 92, 92, the said screw nut 9 may be advanced against the
flattened side of the chain stay c, thereby locking the spindle A at one side in the
position to which it has been adjusted by the binding of the said chain stay between
the nut 9 and carrier block a as will be understood by an examination of the left
hand sectional part of Figure 3. The other side of the spindle A is locked to the
other arm of the chain stay by advancing the cone on the screwed end of the
spindle against the flattened side of the stay as described with respect to the left
hand side.
In order to effect the adjustment of the bearing cones, the nut g is held and the
cone turned in the direction proper to advance it into the cup of the bearing.
In the arrangement represented in Figures 1, 2 and 3 the adjustment of the
bearings of the driving wheel spindle is effected from the left hand side only, the other
side being provided with a non-adjustable bearing cone (represented detached in
Figure 9) the said cone h only being moved for the purpose of locking the spindle
in position at that side in the chain stay c as before described.
When the adjustment of the bearings is to be effected partly at one side and
partly at the other side, both sides of the spindle are provided with adjustable
bearing cones of the kind represented in Figure 7 and with locking screw nuts of
the kind represented in Figure 8. When the cones on the spindle A are fixed,
the adjustment of the bearings being effected through the bearing cups in the
ends of the hub, the parts are modified in the manner represented in Figures 12
and 13.
In this case the screw nut 9 is screwed upon the end of the spindle A and the
said spindle has a collar, with flats, for locking the opposite end of the spindle
to the chain stay by the turning of the said spindle, the turning of the spindle
giving to it a cross motion which effects the forcing of the collar on it against
the flattened part of the chain stay thereby binding the spindle to the said. chain
stay. The other end of the spindle is locked to the chain stay by the screw nut g
in the manner already described.
Instead of a screw pin a² on the rear end of the carrier blocks a hereinbefore
described and represented in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5, the said carrier blocks a may
have screwed holes passing through them, screw pins m, the heads m² of which
bear against the closing caps, working in the said screwed holes and effecting
the motion in one or other direction of the carrier blocks a, a.
Although I prefer to make the ends of the chain stay c semi-circular or semi-
elliptical in cross section yet the said chain stay may be circular throughout its
ength as represented in Figure 1.. In this case the carrier blocks u, a and
closing caps c³, c³ have a corresponding shape in cross section as is represented
respectively in Figures 16 and 17.
Or the chain stay may be elliptical in cross section as represented in Figure 18;

page_text: or square in cross section as represented in Figure 19.
When the inner faces of
the arms of the chain stay are curved, a washer k, Figures 15 and 18, flat on its
inner face and curved on its outer face to fit the chain stay is preferably interposed
between the said chain stay and the locking screw nut.
When the chain stay has a circular figure in cross section the adjusting screw
pin may be carried by the circular closing cap cas represented in Figures 20
and 21. The screw pin c in this case works in a screwed cross hole in the
spindle A to effect the backward and forward motion of the carrier block a and
spindle A.
In connecting the arms or branches of the top stay d (Figures 1, 2 and 3) of the
driving wheel fork to the ends of the chain stay I prefer to employ lugs d² the
ends of which are shaped so as to embrace the outer sides only of the chain stay..
But I may employ a loose lug d³ embracing the inner side as well as the outer side
as represented in Figures 10 and 11, the spindle A passing through a hole in the
inner side of the lug ³. On the adjustment of the spindle the loose lug d³ moves
with it.
When I make the ends of the chain stay c with a flattened inner side I make and
attach the foot steps to the ends of the chain stay in the following manner.
I cut
out from sheet metal a blank of the kind represented in Figure 22 and double or
fold the said blank at its middle as will be best understood by reference to the
elevation Figure 23 and plan Figure 24 of the finished foot step, the sides of the
said foot step thus made being rivetted together at n. I pass the recessed part of
the broad end of the foot step onto the chain stay and fix it in place by means of a
tapering screw pin p and screw nut p³ the side of the screw pin bearing against the
chain stay being flat.
The application of my improvements to velocipedes other than safety bicycles
differs in no essential respect from its application to a safety bicycle as herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as
my invention of "Improvements in adjusting the driving chains of safety bicycles
and other velocipedes " ;-
First. The improvements in driving chain adjusting mechanism of velocipedes
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, that is to
say, making the ends of the arms or branches of the chain stay, hollow or tubular
and longitudinally slotted on their inner sides and arranging on the ends of the
driving wheel spindle carrier blocks for taking into and working in the said hollow
or tubular ends of the chain stay, the said carrier blocks being moved in the hollow
or tubular chain stays in the ways hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Secondly. The modification of the adjusting mechanism herein before described
and illustrated in Figures 20 and 21 in which adjusting screw pins are carried by
the closing caps of the chain stay arms and pass through screwed holes in the
spindle of the driving wheel substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly. The construction and combination or arrangement of parts for locking
the spindle of the driving wheel in its adjusted position to the arms of the chain
stay hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 11 both inclusive of the
accompanying drawings the said construction and combination or arrangement of
parts consisting in making the adjustable bearing cone or cones with a screwed
collar or shank on its outer end or on their outer ends and providing the said
screwed shank or shanks with a screw nut or nuts, the said adjustable cones and
their nuts having flats at opposite sides, whereby one may be turned independently
of the other substantially as described.
Fourthly. The modification of the locking mechanism hereinbefore described
and illustrated in Figures 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings where fixed
cones on the spindle are employed, the said modification consisting in the use of

page_text: locking screw nuts on the screwed end of the spindle the said spindle having a
collar with flats at opposite sides for holding the spindle on the turning of the
screw nut and the reverse substantially as described.
Fifthly. The combination with the chain adjusting gear for velocipedes herein-
before described and claimed when used with semi-circular or semi-elliptical chain
stay arms of foot steps of the kind hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 22, 23 and 24 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Twenty-fifth day of October 1894.
FREDERICK JOHN OSMOND.