Improvements in the Pedals of Bioyoles, Tricycles, and other Veloolpedes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th June, 1896-Accepted, 25th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Pedals of Bioyoles, Tricycles, and other
Veloolpedes.
We, WALTER JOHN LLOYD, and WILLIAM PRIEST, of The Quadrant Cycle
Company, of Sheepcote Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Velocipede
Manufacturers, do hereby declaro tho nature of this invention to be as follows :—
Our invention consists in the construction and arrangement hereinafter described
of the parts of the pedals of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes whereby the
following advantagos, among others, over pedals of the ordinary construction are
obtained.
We wish it to be understood that by the word pedal we mean not only the pedal
proper or the part on which the foot bears but also the pedal pin or spindle on
which the pedal proper works.
By our invention the friction of the pedal proper upon the pedal pin or spindle
is diminished, the distance between the two pedals, that is, the tread is reduced and
the weight of the pedals is considerably less than that of pedals of the ordinary
construction.
In constructing a pedal according to our invention we make the pedal pin of
about one half the length of an ordinary pedal pin and instead of making the
pedal proper turn on two bearings on the pedal pin we employ but one bearing the
parts of the bearing being situated at or near the middle of the pedal proper.
The outer end of the pedal pin has a screw thread fornied upon it on which screw
thread the two cones constituting part of the ball bearing are screwed. The
other two surfaces of the ball bearing are made in the inner sido of a ring
surrounding the cones on the pedal pin, which ring is connected to the pedal
proper as hereinafter more particularly described. The pedal proper is prefer-
ably made from one piece of sheet metal bent into the usual or nearly usual
form, the ends being joined together by rivetting or otherwise. Or the pedal
proper may be made of two or more pieces of sheet metal rivetted together or
othorwise joined. The ring described carries two straps or bands of metal fixed
respectively on shoulders on the opposite faces of the said ring, the ends of the
said straps or bands being fixed to the longer sides of the pedal proper by rivetting
or otherwise. The pedal proper is theroby symmetrically supported with respect
to the said 'ring. The balls of the bearing and the race in which the said balls
work we make of larger size than usual; we employ balls preferably of about one
quarter of an inch in diameter.
In the ring described is an opening through which oil is introduced into the
bearing the balls in the lower part of their path travelling through a bath of oil..
The said opening is provided with a movable cover to prevent access of dust.
In attaching the pedal proper to the pedal pin we proceed as follows. The
inner cone is screwed on the outor sorowed end of the pedal pin until it abuts against
the shoulder at which the screwed end of the pedal pin sets in. The screwed end
of the pedal pin held in a vertical position is passed into the ring to a distance
somewhat less than its normal position so that the said pedal pin may be inclined
to the axis of the said ring. By inclining the pedal pin the balls can readily be
introduced between the interior of the said ring and the cone of the pedal pin..
By restoring the pedal pin to its normal position with respect to the ring the second
or outer cone may be screwed on the screwed end of the pîn. By a lock nut screwed';

page_text: on the extreme end of the pedal pin the parts of the bearing are secured in
position.
In addition to the advantages herein before referred to we remark that in
consequence of the shortness of the pedal pin the strain on the junction of the pedal
pin with the crank is reduced.
In consequence of the absence of the ordinary pedal end plates the pedal proper
is brought nearer to the crank than pedals proper of the ordinary construction.
We profer to make all the parts described of steel hardened and tempered as
required.
Dated this Twenty-first day of October 1905.
Improvements in the Pedals of Bioyoles, Tricyoles, and other
Velocipedes.
We WALTER JOHN LLOYD and William Priest, of The Quadrant Cycle
Company, Sheepcote Street, Birminghamn in the County of Warwick, Velocipede
Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
Our invention relates to pedals for bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes in
which a short pedal pin or spindle and a central ball bearing are employed; and
our invention consists of the construction and arrangement hereinafter described of
the parts of the said pedals whereby the manufacture of the pedals is simplified
and their efficiency increased; the bearing is also made oil containing thereby
rendering the frequent lubrication of the said bearing unnecessary.
In constructing a pedal according to our invention we arrange on each side of
the middle of the pedal frame two metallic bands or stays extending from side to
Bide of the said pedal frame, the ends of the anid stays being connected to the sidos,
preferably by rivetting. The middle part of each stay has a circular hole pierced
in it the said middle holes of the stays fitting upon shoulders at opposite faces of a
metallic ring occupying the middle of the pedal frame. The inner side of the said
middle ring is grooved, the groove being shaped and constituting one part of the
ball race.
The other part of the ball race is formed by two loose cones screwed or
otherwise fixed onto the outer screwed ond of the pedal pin the smaller ends of the
said cones being presented to each other.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in plan a rat-trap cycle pedal
constructed according to our invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the
Bȧme taken on the line, Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 represents partly in side elevation and partly in section the position of
the parts with respect to each other during the introduction of the balls into the
bearing;
Figure 4 represents in side elevation the short pedal pin or spindle with the
cones and screw out detached from its outer sorewed end;
Figure 6 representa in end elevation and vertical section the middle ring of
the pedal frame constituting the outer part of the pedal bearing and
Figure 6 represents in elevation and edge view one of the middle metallic stays
by which stays the ring, Figure 5, is fixed to the pedal frame ;
Figure 7 represents in cross section drawn to a larger scale a portion of the
middle ring and cones forming together the ball race of the bearing.
The samo letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.

page_text: a, a³, a³ is the short pedal pin or spindle; a being the body of the spindlo, a' the
inner screwed end by which the said pedal spindle is fixed to the crank and a' the
outer screwed end on which outer end the two cones b, c are screwed, the outer
cone & being fixed or looked after the adjustment of the bearing by the screw nut d
or otherwise locked. A washer may be interposed between the outer cone c and
the screw nut d. The frame e of the pedal has near its middle the metallia stays
or bands, which stays carry the middle ring f constituting the outer part of
the bearing, circular holes e, e' in the stays e taking upon shoulders, of the
ring The ring fhas an internal V shaped groove which constitutes with the
conical faces of the cones b, c the race for the balls g of the bearing.
is the hole in the ring through which lubricating oil is introduced into
the bearing, the said oil collecting at the bottom of the said ring and forming a
bath through which the balls of the bearing work on the motion of the pedal frame
on its spindle. We prefer to employ balls in tho bearing of about three sixteenths.
of an inch in diameter but we do not limit ourselves to any particular sizo
of balls.
A is an ordinary open jointed spring sleeve fitting the ring and covering dust
proof the lubricating hole ft of the bearing.
6
We prefer to make the frame of the pedal of one piece of stamped and pierced
sheet metal bent into the figure represented in the plan Figure 1 the ends being,
rivetted at, but we do not limit ourselves to a frame of this construction.
The parts of the pedal are put together in the following manner. The inner
cone b is screwed or otherwise fixed on the outer screwed end a³ of the pedal pin a
until it abula against the shoulder at which tho screwed end a of the pedal pin a
sets in. The screwed end of the pedal pin a, held in a vertical position, is passed
into the ring to a distance somewhat less than its normal position so that the
said pedal pin may be inclined to the axis of the said ring as represented in
Figure 3. By inclining the pedal pin a the balls can readily be introduced
between the interior of the said ring and the cone b on the pedal pin. By restoring
tho pedal pin a to its normal position with respect to the ring the second or outer
cone o may be screwed on the screwed end of the pin. By screwing the look
nut d on the extreme end of the pedal pin a the parts of the bearing are secured
in position.
Although we have described and reprosented our invention only in connection
with rat trap pedals yet we wish it to be understood that it is equally applicable
to pedals having rubber treads, and further, although we prefer to use pedal
frames of the construction described and represented yet we do not limit ourselves
thereto as the said pedal frames may be otherwise constructed.
We are aware that a single central bearing pedal has been used prior to our
invention and we lay uo claim to a single central bearing pedal, excepting in the
respects hereinafter pointed out and claimed the essential feature of our invention
residing in the ball race. We believe that no practical construction or arrangement
of a central bearing pedal in which the pedal frame is supported by a single series of
balls has been devised prior to our invention. It will be seen by an examination
of our drawing that we provide a ball race of a diamond shape in cross section by
the use of which cach ball touches the race at four points only (see arrows
Figure 7) hence friction in the bearing is reduced to a mininium, and the balls are
perfectly free to rotate in the race. As the balls touch the opposite sides of the
grooves forming the race, lines of support (sce the dotted lines in Figure 7) are
obtained and there thus results with the single series of balls the same advantages
as attend the use of two series of balls. It will be seen that our arrangement of
the parts of the ball race permits of a perfect adjustment from time to time to
compensate for wear, the two collars or cones b, c being brought closer together
when adjustment is required, thereby forcing the balls outwards into the V shaped
groove in the ring f; the use of separate or detachable hardened and tempered
steel cones also permits of the employment of unhardened or tough steel spindles

page_text: which are less liable to break than hardened steel spindles under the treatment to
which pedals of velocipedes are subjected in use.
Our method of constructing the grooved ring f and attaching it to the pedal by
the separate or detached stays or bands e, e possess special advantages, namely, only
the said ring requires to bo hardened and tempered; the elasticity and strength
of the slays e², e³ is consequently not interfered with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as our invention of "Improvements in the pedals of bicycles, tricycles and other
velocipedes
"
First-In velocipede pedals having short pedal pins and central ball bearings
the combination with two loose or adjustable and truly conical collars or cones on
the short pedal pin, of a ring carried by the pedal frame, the said ring having a
V shaped internal groove, which V shaped groove ronstitutes with the truly
conical surfaces of the adjustable cones, a diamond shaped race for the balls of a
single bearing pedal substantially as heroin before described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Secondly: In velocipede pedals having short pedal pins and central ball
bearings, the combination with the pedal frame of two crossing or bracing stays
or arms for supporting, at their middle, the ring having the V shaped internal
groove which ring constitutes the outer part of the central bearing of the pedal
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
T
1000