Improvements in Mechanical Gearing.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1899-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
Improvements in Mechanical Gearing.
I, WILLARD REED GREEN, of No. 1325, Gilpin Street, in the City of Denver,
County of Arapahoe, and State of Colorado, U.S.A., 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:-
My invention is a new and useful mechanical gearing for receiving, transmit-
ting and converting motion.
My improvement consists primarily of a face wheel or disk having on its work-
ing face a plurality of curved ridges and depressions alternating with each other,
generated about centres eccentric to the axis of revolution of the wheel, and
extending from the periphery inward. These alternating ridges and depressions
form the counterparts of the teeth of an ordinary gear, and are designed to
co-operate with and intermesh with suitably formed teeth of pinions revolubly
supported on shafts placed parallel, or at an angle, with the plane of revolution
of the face wheel, and either in or out of the axial plane of the face wheel shaft.
The formation of the pinion teeth is dependent on the location and angle of the
pinion shaft relatively to the face wheel. In some positions pinions with straight
teeth will run, as shown in the drawings.
An embodiment of my improved face gear wheel, and a preferable form, is
set forth in the drawings forming a part of this specification.
In the drawings, Figure 1, is a front elevation of the gear. Fig. 2, is a
detached view of a skew toothed pinion adapted to run with the face wheel shown
in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, shows a pinion with straight teeth, adapted to run with the
face wheel in certain positions.
In the drawings A, is the face wheel or disk, which as shown is flat, having
on its working face that is between the periphery and the centre, curved
ridges a, and depressions b, alternating with each other and following each other
in succession around the wheel in similar lines of curvature, and extending inward
to any required extent from the periphery, but on curves eccentric to the centre
of the wheel.
B, (Figs. 1 and 2) is a pinion with skew form teeth adapted to engage the face
wheel as shown in Fig. 1, and to be shifted laterally to run at any desired point
from or nearer to the centre of the wheel, as at B'. C (Fig. 1) is a skew pinion
adapted to run at the outer margin or the inner margin, or at intermediate
points of the face wheel by shifting it longitudinally of the axis of its shaft as
at C. D, is a straight toothed pinion adapted to run either in the position D,
or D', or in any intermediate positions.
The face wheel curves of the construction shown in the drawing, Fig. 1, are
struck from centres lying in a circle concentric with the axis of the face wheel,
equi-distantly spaced. It is obvious that other curves may answer the purpose
equally well, and that the face wheel curves or teeth may have any desired pitch
or angle of work, and any number of curves may be employed and of any rela-
tive strength, as the work may require. The sides of the teeth are bevelled so
as to stand at less than a right angle to the plane of the wheel face.

page_text: The shifting of the pinion upon the face wheel may be effected by any of the
means well known to mechanics for moving a wheel on its shaft or for shifting
the position of a shaft, such for instance, as employed in variable speed friction
gears. If the shifting is to be done by moving the pinion in the line of its
axis, it may be effected by means of an ordinary groove on the shaft and a key
and keyway. When the shifting is to take place laterally as to the pinion
shaft said shaft as well as pinion, may be moved by any suitable provision.
One of the objects of my invention in addition to providing-a-variable gear,
is to provide a means for driving a pinion shaft at a considerable angle of diver-
gence from the axis of the face wheel shaft, or at an angle with the plane of
the face wheel, and whether or not they are in the same axial planes. Bevel
gears and spur gears require their co-operating shafts to be in the same axial
planes. In the case of my gear they need not be.
An advantage in gears made in accordance with this invention is that in manu-
facture the disk or face wheel may be very cheaply made, after the pattern_is
first obtained, by drop forging, or by casting in sufficiently perfect molds. In
manufacture the pinions may also be cheaply made in long rods after the true
pitch and curvature has been determined, by machinery analogous to screw-
cutting lathes, from which the pinions may be cut of required lengths.
An advantage in use in a gear constructed in accordance with my invention
is that such a gear can be used under varying conditions of angle and distance
apart of the driving and driven parts, and the same wheel and pinion can be
adjusted to various conditions of use, also such a gear can be used under circum-
stances where ordinary bevelled gears or spur gears or belting, are inapplicable.
In a gear constructed in accordance with my invention, either the face wheel
shaft or the pinion shaft may be the transmitter as may suit the conditions
of use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A gear wheel having on its working face between the centre and periphery
alternate ridges and depressions forming gear teeth on curves extending eccen-
trically from the periphery inward and the sides of which teeth are at less than
a right angle to the plane of the wheel face, substantially as set forth.
2. A gear wheel having on its extended working face between the centre and
periphery alternate ridges and depressions forming gear teeth on curves extend-
ing eccentrically from the periphery inward and the sides of which teeth are at
less than a right angle to the plane of the wheel face and adapted to gear
effectively with pinions of different diameters, and with different numbers of
teeth, substantially as set forth.
3. A gear wheel having on its extended face between the centre and periphery
a series of curved beveled teeth, each extending from the periphery inward and
adapted to effectively engage pinions arranged at different distances from the
centre, and on shafts arranged at different angles and positions, substantially as
set forth.
4. A gear consisting of a wheel having an extended face with beveled curved
teeth between the centre and the periphery in combination with a pinion adapted
to effectively engage and operate with said teeth when adjusted to different posi-
tions between the centre and periphery, substantially as set forth.
Dated the 28th dot of I.1 1000
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London, for the Applicant.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London, for the Applicant.