Year: 1896

page_text: I LEONARD MILNE of 68 Victoria Street in the County of London Civil
Fine do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in gear chains and is especially adapted
for the gear chains of cycles of various kinds.
The object of my invention is to substitute a rolling movement for the rubbing
movement which usually takes place between the component parts of a gear chain
and between the gear chain and gear wheels, when the chain in its course is bent
round the periphery of the gear wheels.
To effect this purpose I may employ a chain composed of links and pins. At
one end of each link is a circular hole into which a pin is fitted. At the other end
of the lick is a slot through which passes the pin fitted into the circular hole at the
end of next link, and so on throughout the whole length of the chain. The side of
the slot which forms the working surface to engage the pin of the next link is
preferably shaped to the arc of a circle, the centre of which is at or near the near
side of the circular hole in the other end of this link.
In use the bending of the chain is effected, without rubbing, by the rolling of the
pins on the working surfaces of the slots. The rolling of the pin may be made to
assist the engagement or disengagement of the chain with the gear wheels.
This object may be obtained either by suitably shaping the teeth of the driving
and driven wheels, or by shaping that portion of the pin which works against the
gear wheel teeth in such a manner that the rolling of the pin tends to tighten the
chain when engaging with the driving wheel and to slack the chain when disengaging
from the driven wheel.
I de not confine myself to the use of links and pins but the connection between
the links may be effected by other means, as for example by bending up the ends of
the links themselves.
Dated this 20th den of Lune 1906
LEONARD MILNE.
I LEONARD MILNE of No. 68 Victoria Street in the County of London Civil
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 relates to improvements in gear chains and is especially adapted
for the gear chains of cycles of various kinds.
The object of my invention is to substitute a true rolling movement for the rubbing
movement which usually takes place between the component parts of a gear chain
Price 8d1

page_text: and between the gear chain and the teeth of the gear wheels, when the chain in its-
course is bent round the periphery of the gear wheels.
To effect this purpose I may employ a chain compose:l of links and pins. At:
one end of each link is a hole into which a pin is fixed. At the other end of the
link is a slot through which passes the pin fixed to the end of the next link and so
on throughout the whole length of the chain. The side of the slot which forms the
working surface to engage with the pin of the next link may be shaped to the
are of a circle the centre of which is at or near the pin of the next link.
In the use of the chain the bending round the gear wheels is effected, without
rubbing between the several links, by the rolling of the pins on the working
surfaces of the slots.
The rotation of the pins caused by the bending of the chain at that part where
it engages with the gear wheels may be made to assist this engagement and in a
similar manner the disengagement may be assisted.
One form in which my improved chain may be constructed is shown in the
accompanying drawing.
Fig. 1 is a section and Fig. 2 a plan of one link of the chain and parts of the two
adjoining links.
In this drawing the chain is supposed to be moving from right to left. (a) is a
pin fixed to the links (6) (6) and passing freely through slots in the links (e) (c).
Considering the action at the engaging tooth of the driving wheel, and assuming
the gear wheel to be below the chain in Fig. 1, the engaging tooth will in its turn
bear against the pin (a) at or about the line (d). At this moment the left hand
extremity of the link & will be depressed causing rotation of the pin (a). This
rotation will be effected without rubbing because the pin (a) will roll upon the
surface (e) of the link (e).
Further considering the action taking place between the engaging tooth and piu
as shown in Fig. 3 which represents in section several of the links of the chain
engaging with the teeth of the driving wheel.
The engaging tooth g. Fig. 3 is now coming in contact with the pin & at the
point and the centre lines of the links j & k are in the same straight fine.
the driving wheel revolves the links j & k will in turn come into the positions now
occupied by the links I &j respectively; when the centre lines of the links are
inclined to each other. This angular movement will produce rotation of the pin h
and as this pin rotates it will roll upon the engaging surface of the tooth g,
causing it to engage more deeply and when the tooth g is in the position now
occupied by the tooth m, the pin h will be brought home against the periphery of
the driving wheel, as shown by the present position of the pin n. It is also evident
that, if in a modification of the chain as shown in Fig. I Fig. 11 and Fig. I the
surface (d) Fig. I & Fig. II against which the engaging tooth bears, and the
surfaces (e) (e), against which the working surfaces of the link (e) bear, are not
concentric, the rotation of the pin (a) and the consequent rolling on the surfaces (d)
and (e), may be made to lengthen the distance between the surface (d) and the
pin (f) of the next link in advance.
Thus the pin (f) will be freed from contact with a tooth of the gear wheel and
will in its turn freely disengage.
I do not confine myself to the use of links and pins but the connection of the
several links may be effected by other means, as, for example, by bending up the
ends of the links themselves.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
(1.) A gear chain constructed of links in which the working contact surfaces are
so arranged that, as the chain bends, they will roll, the one upon the other,
substantially as described.
(2.) A gear chain constructed of links in which the rolling of the working

page_text: contact surfaces in adjoining links is combined with the rolling of the contact
surfaces between the links & the teeth of the gear wheel, substantially as
described.
(3.) A link for a gear chain in which the working surface for engagement.
with an adjoining link is excentric with the surface for engagement with the teeth
of the wheel, substantially as & for the purpose described.
(4.) The combination in the links of a gear chain of the excentric working
surfaces described above and an arrangement for causing the rolling of the working
surfaces substantially as described.
Dated this Thirteenth day of March 1807
LEONARD MILNE.