Improved Driving Gear for Cycles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 6th Aug., 1895-Accepted. 14th Sept.. 1895
Improved Driving Gear for Cycles.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HARRIS, of Summerdale, Ipplepen, Devonshire, Mechanic,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists in improved driving gear for cycles.
According to this invention a bracket carrying a pinion and a small chain wheel
is secured on the pedal-crank spindle. As the latter rotates, the pinion, which is
loose on a stud and gears with a spur-wheel fixed to the machine frame, rotates also
and with it the small chain wheel aforesaid. A chain couples the latter to a similar
wheel carried upon a sleeve through which the pedal-crank spindle loosely passes
and towards the outer end of which is fixed the driving chain wheel the chain of
which is extended in the usual way over a corresponding wheel secured upon the
hub of one of the road wheels. By virtue of this special and simple arrangement
of driving gear the two chain wheels last mentioned are capable of being of equal
Friction is reduced and
diameter and both are preferably comparatively small.
more even running of the driving chain is obtained combined with a high rate of
speed.
The rate of speed is capable of alteration at such times as may be desired by
the adoption of a second spur-wheel and pinion concentric with those above
mentioned, but of different diameter and so arranged that by actuating a sliding
key, or by any other equivalent device, the rider is enabled, without leaving the
saddle, to transfer, at will, the driving action of the pedal-crank spindle from either
pair to the other and thus to reduce or increase the rate of speed according to
the pair put in operation; the spur-wheel of the other pair meanwhile running
loose.
Dated this 10th day of November 1894.
NICHOLAS WATTS,
Bristol, Chartered Patent Agent.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HARRIS, of Summerdale, Ipplepen, Devon, Mechanic,
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 :-
In the improved
This invention consists in improved driving gear for cycles.
gear which coustitutes this invention a pinion and a pitch chain wheel, made either
separately or in one piece, are free to rotate about a spindle firmly screwed into or
otherwise fixed in one of the pedal cranks. The said pinion gears with a spur-
A chain couples the
wheel screwed or otherwise fixed upon the crank bracket.
pitch chain wheel aforesaid to a similar chain wheel screwed on or otherwise fixed
to a sleeve loosely encircling the crank driving spindle.
To the other end of the sleeve is fixed a chain wheel from which a driving chain
extends, in the usual way, to and over a corresponding wheel secured upon the hub
of one of the road wheels.

page_text: Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings,
Fig. 1 thereon represents in section one arrangement of cycle driving gear made
in accordance with this invention.
Fig. 2 is a side view.
In this arrangement a pinion a and a pitch chain wheel b, made either separately
or in one piece, are free to rotate about a spindle c firmly screwed into or otherwise
fixed in the pedal crank d. The pinion a gears with a spur-wheel e screwed or
otherwise fixed upon the crank bracket which is, as usual, made stationary by a
clamping device, or by being brazed to the frame, or otherwise held.
A chain g
(indicated in the drawing by dotted lines) couples the chain wheel to a similar
chain wheel screwed on or otherwise fixed to the sleeve i.
The pedal crank spindle j to which the pedal cranks d and d' are keyed is loosely
passed through the sleeve i.
To the other end of the sleeve i is fixed a chain wheel from which a driving
chain (indicated in dotted lines at Fig. 2) extends in the usual way to and over
a corresponding wheel secured upon the hub of one of the road wheels.
In the rotation of the pedal crank spindle the pinion a runs round the spur-
wheel e which, with the crank bracket f, is stationary and is of larger diameter than
the pinion a.
The chain wheel is rotated by the wheel 6 through the medium of
the chain g. Rotation of the wheel causes rotation of the chain wheel k by
which, through the medium of the chain k, the driving power is transmitted to a
chain wheel secured upon the hub of one of the road wheels.
chain wheel may be of equal diameter with the wheel k.
comparatively small.
The latter
Both are preferably
The gearing up of the pinion a is increased through being carried round with
the crank d.
In this cycle-driving gear, friction is reduced, the driving chain k¹ runs more
evenly and a high rate of speed is obtainable.
According to an alternative arrangement of the gear the sleeve i is shortened so
as to bring the wheel into a position between the wheels e and h; the sleeve i
becoming merged in the hubs of the wheels h and k.
In the Provisional Specification left with my application for Letters Patent to
this invention is described an arrangement of mechanism for varying the speed by
transferring the driving action from one set of toothed gearing to another, but I do
not comprise such arrangement as part of this invention.
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. Improved driving gear for cycles; said gear consisting of a pinion such as a,
loosely centred on a spindle such as c fixed in one of the pedal cranks, arranged to
gear with and run round a fixed spur-wheel such as e of larger diameter; a chain
wheel such as b, loosely centred on the said spindle c, coupled by a chain to a chain
wheel such as secured on a sleeve such as i encircling the crank driving spindle;
and a chain driving wheel such as k fixed also on the sleeve and coupled by a
chain to a similar wheel fixed on the hub or spindle of one of the road wheels; the
various parts being constructed, arranged and made to operate, substantially as
hereinabove described with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings.
2. An alternative arrangement under which the sleeve i is shortened and the
driving chain wheel k placed between the chain wheel g and the spur-wheel e.
Dated this 2nd day of A vonat 1905
NICHOLAS WATTS,
Bristol, Chartered Patent Agent.