Improved Gear Wheel Attachment, and Arrangement of Crank Axle Bearings for Cycles, Motor Cars, and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Nov., 1898-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1898
Improved Gear Wheel Attachment, and Arrangement of Crank Axle
Bearings for Cycles, Motor Cars, and the like.
ROBERT FINDLAY DALZIEL, 4, Causeyside Street, Paisley, N.B., Drysalter, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention consists of improvements in the design of crank bearings and
driving gear as used in cycles, motor cars & the like. In the arrangement in
ordinary use the sprocket wheel is fixed to the crank axle between the crank and
the bearings. The centre pull of the chain on the sprocket wheel communicates
an injurious side strain to the bearing, and in addition, the distance of the over
hung crank from the crank axle bearing causes increased pressure and wear upon
that bearing. My improved arrangement consists in placing the crank close to
the axle bearing and mounting the sprocket wheel upon the outside of the crank
bracket which carries the bearing. The sprocket wheel to run loose upon single
or double ball bearings, and to carry on the side of its boss projecting "lugs
engage the crank and ensure its rotation along with the crank. Similar lugs
may be provided on the side of the sprocket wheel opposite the crank to engage
with an extention of the crank if necessary. Or the crank may be attached to
the sprocket wheel by screws, or other suitable attachment. The bearings of the
crank axle and the sprocket wheel would be adjustable, the locking of the adjust-
able cups to be accomplished by having the outside of them grooved and a small
plate attached by a screw to the edge of the crank bracket to engage with the
grooves, or by any other suitable arrangement..
"
" to
The invention is applicable to cycles, motor cars & the like where chain
gearing is used, also to chainless cycles, motor cars, & the like, and to all cycles
motor cars, & the like where a sprocket wheel, a spur wheel, or any wheel taking
the place of a sprocket wheel or a spur wheel is used.
Doted this the 3rd day of February 1898.
Improved Gear Wheel Attachment, and Arrangement of Crank Axle
Bearings for Cycles, Motor Cars, and the like.
I, ROBERT FINDLAY DALZIEL, of 4, Causeyside Street, Paisley, Drysalter, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to

page_text: :
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in the crank axle bearings and driving
gear of velocipedes, motor-cars, and like vehicles.
In the arrangement in ordinary use the sprocket wheel is fixed to the crank
axle between the crank and the bearing; as a consequence, the centre. pull of the
chain on the sprocket wheel communicates an injurious side strain to the bearing;
and, further, the distance of the over hung crank. from the crank axle bearing
causes increased pressure and wear upon that bearing.
My improved arrangement consists in placing the crank close to the crank
axle bearing and mounting the sprocket wheel in a suitable, bearing at the outside
of the crank axle bracket. The sprocket wheel is arranged to run loose upon
either single or double ball bearings and to carry on the side of its boss projecting
lugs which engage with the crank and insure the rotation of the sprocket wheel
along with the crank. The bearings of the crank axle and of the sprocket
wheel are adjustable, the cups being locked in position, when adjusted, by means
of a small plate which is attached, by means of a screw, to the edge of the crank
bracket and which locks into or engages with grooves made on the cups.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have here-
unto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings illustrative of the invention.
On the drawings,
Fig. 1 shows the bottom bracket. of a bicycle with the sprocket wheel mounted
thereon in accordance with my invention.
Fig. 2 is a part section taken through the bottom bracket and the sprocket
wheel.
Fig. 3 is a view of the bearings showing the method of locking the cups in
position when adjusted.
On the drawings the same reference letters wherever repeated indicate the
same parts.
a is the bottom bracket, b is the crank axle, c is the pedal crank, d is the
sprocket wheel, e are balls, f is a cup secured in the bottom bracket for the
bearing of the crank axle, g, g, are the cups of the sprocket wheel bearing.
As will be seen the sprocket wheel is carried on the outside of the bottom
bracket a running in a double ball bearing the cups g, g¹, of which are fitted on
the outside of the bracket. The cup g bears against an edge h made on the out-
side of the bottom bracket. The sprocket wheel d is made with an inner central
ridge i which forms a double cone bearing upon the balls e. jj, are two lateral
projections made on the boss of the sprocket wheel and these projections form a
recess for the reception of the pedal crank c and the arrangement is such that
when the pedal crank is revolved either backwards or forwards it acts upon the
projections j, j¹, and carries the sprocket wheel d along with it.
If so desired the pedal crank can be extended as indicated in dotted lines
at c Fig. 1 and two extra projections j, j³, be secured to or made one with the
boss of the chain wheel at points diametrically opposite to the projections j, j
for the purpose of strengthening the connection between the crank and the chain
wheel.
If desired the crank can be attached to the sprocket wheel by means of screws
or in any other suitable and well known manner.
The cups and g₁ are locked in position, when adjusted, by means of the bridge
platek whose ends are capable of entering any one of the series of radial
grooves l, m, Fig. 3, made respectively in the cups f and gl. When the cups are
properly adjusted and one of the grooves brought in line with one of the
grooves m then the bridge plate can be caused to enter the grooves that are in
line and be screwed up by means of the screw n, which enters a tapped hole in
the bottom bracket, so as to lock the two cups in position.
The invention is applicable to cycles, motor cars, etc., having chain gearing

page_text: also to chainless cycles, motor cars, etc., where a sprocket wheel, a spur wheel, or
any wheel taking the place of a sprocket wheel or a spur wheel is used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I consider novel and desire to claim is:-
1. Gearing for cycles characterized by a ball bearing secured to the outside of
the crank-axle bracket and upon which the chain wheel revolves with the object
of obviating the injurious side strain at present communicated to crank axle
bearings by the centre pull of the chain on the chain wheel and for lessening the
amount of over-hang of the crank axle, substantially as herein before set forth.
2. In a cycle gear such as claimed in Claim 1, the arrangement of radial
grooves () in the cup (f) of the crank axle bearing and radial grooves (m) in the
cup (g) of the chain wheel bearing so that these cups, when adjusted relatively
with one another, can be locked in position by means of a bridge-plate (k) whose
ends are capable of entering any one of the series of radial grooves (l, m), sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings annexed.
Dated this 1st day of November 1898.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.