Improvements in and connected with Driving Gear for Velocipedes, Motor Cars, and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 1st day of February 1898.
Date of Application 9th Dec 1896
Complete Specification Left 9th June 1897-Accepted 14th Aug., 1897
Complete Specification Left 9th June 1897--Accepted. 14th Aug.. 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Driving Gear for Velocipedes,
Motor Cars, and other Vehicles.
We, JOHN FRANCIS SLEAT and HARRY SKELTON both of 161 Gambia Street,
Blackfriars in the County of Surrey Engineers and CHARLES HORSLEY of 93 and 95
Borough High Street in the County of Surrey Hop Merchant, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to Velocipedes Motor Cars and other Vehicles in which
the motive power is applied to the first motion shaft by means of cranks and the
object of our invention is to equalise the turning moment of the driving wheels
and to eliminate as far as possible the unequal turning moment connected with
the use of cranks or the combination of crank and connecting rod. Now according
to this invention as applied to bicycles we attach to the hub of the driving wheel
a suitable arm. We also secure to the back fork or crank axle or both a suitable
bearing on which the sprocket wheel revolves. This bearing is excentric to the
axle of the driving wheel. Suitable rollers secured to the sprocket wheel engage
with the arm attached to the hub of the driving wheel. The greatest excentricity
of the bearings is preferably Verticle so that when the pedal cranks are on the top
centre the rollers on the sprocket wheel engage with the arm on the hub at the
greatest possible leverage which leverage diminishes as the effective leverage of
the crank increases thereby equalising the turning moment on the driving wheel.
To obtain the best results the machine should be geared so that the driving wheel
makes two or four revolutions to one revolution of the crank shaft. When applied
to the Motor Cars driven by oil engines or any other motor working on the "Otta
Cycle" the best result may be attained by arranging the mechanism so that the
maximum leverage on the arm is attained during the suction and compression
strokes thus equalising the work on the engine and driving wheels. Instead of
the arm and rollers herein before described we may use an arm or crank having
a roller rotating on the pin thereof which pin engages with a slotted arm or disc
rotating on the said bearing. Or the roller and pin may be attached to the
sprocket or other wheel revolving on the said bearing and the slotted arm or disc
may be secured to the hub of the driving wheed Mechanism as hereinbefore
described may be used for transmitting the power applied to the crank or driving
shaft to to the driven shaft shafts Wheel or Wheels of the Motor Cars Velocipedes.
and other Vehicles or Machines in which the power is transmitted by means of
Cog Wheels Chains or Belts and in some cases by linkwork.
T. E. HALFORD,
11 Furnival Street, Holborn, London, Agent for Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in and connected with Driving Gear for Velocipedes,
Motor Cars, and other Vehicles.
We, JOHN FRANCIS SLEAT and HARRY SKELTON both of 16B Gambia Street,
Blackfriars in the County of Surrey Engineers and CHARLES HORSLEY of 93 and 95
Borough High Street in the County of Surrey Hop Merchant, 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 relates to Velocipedes Motor Cars and other Vehicles propelled
by human or other power and in which the, motive power is applied to the first
motion shaft by means of cranks, and the objects of our invention are, first, to
equalise the turning moment of the driving wheels by counteracting between the
crank shaft and the driving wheels the unequal turning moment inseparable from
the use of a single crank and connecting rod, and secondly to enable the motive
power to be exerted to the best advantage during a predetermined portion of the
stroke of the driving crank or cranks.
Now according to this invention as applied to bicycles we attach to the hub of
the driving wheel a suitable arm preferably slotted we also secure to the back fork
'a suitable bearing on which the back sprocket, which is usually attached to the hub
of the driving wheel rotates. This bearing is excentric to the axle of the driving
wheel and the sprocket wheel is furnished with one or more rollers which engage
with the slot in the lever attached to the hub of the driving wheel.
If the driving wheel has to be geared up or geared down more than two to one I
cause the roller attached to the small sprocket to engage with a slot in a third
sprocket wheel rotating on a stud excentric to the centre of the small sprocket a
second chain serving to connect the the third sprocket wheel with the ordinary
sprocket attached to the hub of the driving wheel.
And in order that our said invention may be fully understood we will proceed to
explain the same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Fig. 1. represents a bicycle fitted with our improved driving gear.
Fig. 2. is back view of same gear.
Fig. 3. shows the driving gear to an enlarged scale.
Fig. 4. is end view of small sprocket and lever.
Fig. 5. is section of the multiplying gear used when the driving wheels have to
be geared up or down more than two to one.
Fig. 6. is side view of small sprocket wheel.
Fig. 7. is side view of multiplying wheel.
Fig. 8. is diagram of the multiplying gear showing its application to a
Velocipede.
Fig. 9. is a diagram shewing the application of the gear to motor cars..
The same letters denote the same parts in all the Figs.
We will first describe our invention as applied to Velocipedes.
a is the crank axle 6 is the sprocket wheel attached thereto cc the cranks d the
axle of the driving wheel e. f is the steering wheel 7 an arm or lever attached to
the hub of the driving wheel e. h is an annular bearing attached to the back fork
of the machine on which bearing rotates the sprocket wheel i. This sprocket
wheel is furnished with a pin which engages with the slot k in the lever g.
The crank c is preferably placed in advance of the lever g as indicated in Figs. 3
and 8 which latter shews the crank c about 120° in advance of the lever g when the
cranks are on the dead centre, the bicycle shewn in the drawings being geared two

page_text: to one i.e., the driving wheel makes two revolutions for one revolution of the crank
shaft. This arrangement allows a greater power to be exerted on the driving
wheel during the downward motion of the cranks than is the case with the
ordinary gear.
If the driving wheel is required to make more than two revolutions for each
revolution of the crank shaft we use an intermediate multiplying gear which
enables us to increase the speed of the driving wheel to any extent and yet always
compel the arm g to make two revolutions to one revolution of the crank shaft by
which means the efficiency of the gear is not impaired.
The multiplying gear as shown by Figs. 5, 6 and 7 consists of a sprocket wheel i
furnished with a pin j on which rotates the roller 7 which roller engages with a slot
in the sprocket wheel m or between two of the arms thereof as shewn at Fig. 7
forming an equivalent for the arm g.
The wheel m may be of any diameter relatively to that of the wheel A on the
hub of the driving wheel so as to enable the machine to be geared up to any desired
degree.
P
The method of mounting the wheels i and m is shewn by the sectional view Fig. 5
in which n is a screw passing through the centre of the wheel m. On the said
screw are mounted the adjusting cone o and the excentric disc or sheave which
latter has formed thereon a second cone q. r is a collar fitting in the hub of the
wheel m and forms one half of the ball race on which the said wheel rotates. u is a
hole in the dise or sheave p to receive a screw u to prevent rotation of the sheave
and to retain the locking device and so prevent rotation of the ring . The
sheave or disc p has a ball rod formed therein to receive the balls t¹ which form a
bearing for the wheel i which wheel has a ball rod formed in the hub thereof. "vis
an adjusting ring which is slotted on the face and screwed into the disc or sheave p
and is prevented from rotating by the locking device v
P
The roller rotates on a ball bearing formed by a ball race in the roller, balls w
and an adjusting cone screwed on to the pin j. y is a lock nut to prevent rotation
of the cone when adjusted.
The screw n passes through holes in the back fork and in a piece of metal or
metal tube z brazed or otherwise secured thereto nuts on the screw n serving to
lock the cone o and the dise p by forcing the piece z in contact therewith in the
usual way.
When the gear is applied to motor cars and other self propelled vehicles if the
motor rotates more slowly than the driving wheels the gear may be used as herein
described the motor shaft taking the place of the pedal crank shaft but if the motor
rotates more rapidly than the driving wheels that is if the driving wheels are
geared down the arrangement of the sprocket wheels is reversed as shewn by the
diagram Fig. 9 in which the wheel is attached to the motor shaft and is geared by
means of a pitch chain or other suitable means to the wheel m which drives the
wheel by means of the slot and pin arrangement previously described.
The wheel i is geared by means of a pitch chain or otherwise to the wheel bon
the driving wheel or axle.
Thus if the motor be an oil engine working on the "Otto" Cycle the power
during the working stroke will be applied to the driving wheels at a better
mechanical advantage than obtains with the ordinary belt or chain generally used.
Or the arm g or its equivalent may be placed at right angles to the crank when
the latter is on the dead centre so as to equalise the turning moment on the
driving wheels.
Suitable compensating gear may be used with our improved driving gear to
facilitate turning corners.
Although we have described our invention as applied to chain driving yet we do
not bind ourselves to use sprocket wheels and pitch chains as we may in some cases
find it convenient to use plain pulleys and Belts or bands or any other kind of
similar gearing such as a rope for instance.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The combination in a driving gear for Velocipedes of a pedal crank shaft a
having a sprocket wheel b attached thereto a sprocket i having a pin j therein a
roller rotating on a pin ja sprocket wheel m rotating or a bearing excentric to
the bearing of the wheel a slot in the wheel m engaging with the roller la
sprocket wheel A attached to the hub of the driving wheel and pitch chains gear-
ing the wheel A to the wheel m and the wheel i to the wheel all substantially
as hereinbefore specified and for the purposes stated.
2. In a driving gear for Motor Cars the combination of a wheel A attached to
the motor shaft a wheel m geared to the wheel A by means of a driving band or
chain a sprocket wheel i rotating on a bearing excentric to the centre of the
wheel m and having a pin carrying a roller which roller engages with a slot
in the wheel m and a driving chain gearing the wheel i to the wheel on the
driving wheel or the driving wheel axle all substantially as hereinbefore specified
and for the purposes stated.
3. The specific combination and arrangement of parts shewn in Figs. 5, 6 and 7
forming an improved driving gear constructed and arranged as hereinbefore
described and operating in the manner specified.
Dated this 9th day of June 1897.
T. E. HALFORD,
11 Furnival Street, London, E.C., Agent for Applicants.