Improvements in Speed Gears for Velocipedes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Speed Gears for Velocipedes.
I, CHARLES VOGEL, of Fort Lee, in the County of Bergen and State of New
Jersey, United States of America, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide for rotating a bicycle or tricycle wheel
with the regular speed resulting from the action of the treadles or with a slower.
and more powerful movement by peculiar gearing and clutches.
I make use of "sun and planet" wheels for changing the leverage, and a clutch
for disconnecting such speed gearing from the treadles and connecting such treadles.
directly with the chain wheel, so that the treadles are preferably moved in the
same direction, whether one speed or the other is made use of, and such treadles
are positively connected so that they can be used in controlling the movement of
the machine when on a down grade.
The treadle shaft is mounted in a stationary cylindrical bearing, and said shaft
can be revolved by the treadles as usual, and a sprocket wheel is provided with
teeth around the internal edge, and within this is a carrier plate having studs
for the planet wheels. There is a hollow pinion around the crank shaft, and
within this hollow pinion is a sliding clutch, preferably conical on the edge ;
such clutch is actuated by rods passing through the enclosing case and acted upon
by a forked lever and grooved collar, and the clutch moves radially-placed clutch
slides, so that when thrown outwardly, teeth upon the ends of these clutch slides
engage the internal gear and connect such internal gear with the shaft, so that
the internal gear, sprocket wheel and chain to the wheel to be propelled, are all
rotated directly by the crank shaft.
When the clutch is moved in the other direction, so that the conical portion
thereof presses the clutch slides inwardly, the teeth on their outer cuds are dis-
connected from the internal gear, and studs upon such clutch slides engage recesses
in the stationary cylindrical bearing, so as to hold the carrier plate stationary, and
the motion is communicated from the hollow central gear around the crank shaft
through the intermediate pinions or planet wheels to the internal gear of the
chain wheel, the movement being slower and more powerful in consequence of the
hollow gear upon the crank shaft being much smaller than the internal gear of
the chain or sprocket wheel, and by having the intermediate pinions .or planet'
wheels in pairs, the chain wheel is rotated in the same direction, whether moving
at the same speed as the crank shaft or when the speed is reduced by the inter-
mediate gearing.
Dated thin oond J. of A 1002
BREWER & SON,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Speed Gears for Velocipedes.
I, CHARLES VOGEL, of Fort Lee in the County of Bergen .and State of New
Jersey, United States of America, Machinist, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide for rotating a bicycle or tricycle wheel
with the regular speed resulting from the action of the treadles or with a slower
and more powerful movement by peculiar gearing and clutches.
Гл

page_text: I make use of a sun and planet wheels for changing the leverage and a clutch
for disconnecting such speed gearing from the treadles and connecting such treadles
directly with the chain wheel, so that the treadles are preferably moved in the
same direction whether one speed or the other is made use of, and such treadles
are positively connected so that they can be used in controlling the movement of
the machine when on a down grade.
The treadle shaft is mounted in a stationary cylindrical bearing, and said shaft
can be revolved by the treadles as usual, and a sprocket wheel is provided with
teeth around the internal edge, and within this is a carrier plate having studs for
the planet wheels, and there is a hollow pinion around the crank shaft, and within
this hollow pinion is a sliding clutch, preferably conical on the edge, and such
clutch is actuated by rods passing through the enclosing case and acted upon by a
forked lever and grooved collar, and the clutch moves radially placed clutch slides,
so that when thrown outwardly, teeth upon the ends of these clutch slides engage
the internal gear and connect such internal gear with the shaft, so that the internal
gear, sprocket wheel and chain to the wheel to be propelled, are all rotated directly
by the crank shaft.
When the clutch is moved in the other direction so that the conical portion
thereof presses the clutch slides inwardly, the teeth on their outer ends are
disconnected from the internal gear, and studs upon such clutch slides engage
recesses in the stationary cylindrical bearing, so as to hold the carrier plate
stationary, and the motion is communicated from the hollow central gear around
the crank shaft through the intermediate pinions or planet wheels to the internal
gear of the chain wheel, the movement being slower and more powerful in
consequence of the hollow gear upon the crank shaft being much smaller than
the internal gear of the chain or sprocket wheel, and by having the intermediate
pinions or planet wheels in pairs the chain wheel is rotated in the same direction,
whether moving at the same speed as the crank shaft or when the speed is reduced
by the intermediate gearing.
In the drawing,
Fig. 1 is a section longitudinally of the chain wheel shaft at the line x, x,
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is an elevation with the cap removed, and Fig. 3 is a separate diagram
representing the clutches and the head carrying the same.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the clutch slides.
The shaft A receives upon its opposite ends the crank arms B for the treadles or
pedals of any desired character, upon which the feet act as usual, and C is the
stationary cylinder or bearing which is permanently connected with the frame of
the velocipede and through which cylinder the shaft A passes, and there are ball
bearings or other suitable anti-friction appliances to lessen the friction of the shaft A
within the cylinder C.
At one end of the cylinder or bearing C is a cylindrical bearing 2 for the
hub 3 of the carrier plate D which is circular and receives the arbors of the
pinions hereafter mentioned, and in this carrier plate D are clutch slides E having
studs 4 that engage the notches 5 in the cylindrical bearing! 2 when these clutch
slides E are moved inwardly, and there are springs 6 that tend to move such clutch
slides inwardly when not otherwise acted upon, and in such case the studs 4 engaging
the notches 5 permanently connect the carrier plate D to the stationary bearing C,
but when such clutch slides are pressed outwardly the studs 4 are liberated from the
notches 5 and the carrier plate is free to be revolved upon the cylindrical bearing 2
of the stationary cylinder C.
The chain wheel F has an eye 7 surrounding the hub 3 of the carrier plate and
the collar 8 serves to exclude dust from the parts, and this chain wheel F has the
projections 9 for engaging the chain. These parts may be of any desired character,
and around within the rim of the chain wheel there are gear teeth 10 which engage
the pinions G that are upon the studs 11 that project from the carrier plate D, and
there are preferably intermediate pinions H on the studs 12 gearing into the

page_text: pinions G, and the pinions H gear into the wheel I that is permanently attached to
the shaft A.
On the outer ends of the clutch slides E are teeth 13 that engage the teeth
of the internal gear 10 when such clutch slides are projected, or when the clutch
slides are retracted the teeth 13 are free from the internal gear 10.
Around the shaft. A and within the gear I is the conical clutch K that is
connected by the rods 14 that pass through the hub of the gear I and attached to
the grooved collar L, so that the conical clutch K can be moved along upon the
shaft A by this grooved collar L, and there is a forked lever M or other suitable
device under the control of the rider by which the grooved collar L can be moved in
one direction or the other or with it the conical clutch K.
The conical clutch K acts upon the claws 15 at the inner end of the clutch
slides E, and when the conical clutch K is pressed between the claws 15 the
clutch slides E are thrown outwardly and the teeth 13 of such clutch, slides.
engage the teeth 10 of the internal gear, and there is a cylindrical portion upon
the conical clutch adjacent to the conical portion thereof, which coming between.
the claws 15 of the slides E hold them reliably in their projected condition; and'
it is now to be understood that when these clutch slides are projected and their
teeth engage the teeth of the internal gear 10, the studs 4 are outside of the
notches in the hub or cylindrical bearing 2, as shown in Fig. 1, and hence the
carrier plate D is free to revolve around such cylindrical bearing 2, and
as the shaft A is revolved by the cranks, the gears all remain in a fixed
position, because the carrier plate D is permanently connected with the chain
wheel through the teeth of the clutch slides and the chain wheel is revolved at
the same speed as the cranks, and it may be revolved in either one direction or
the other.
When the forked lever M is moved in the other direction and the clutch slides E
and their studs 4 engage the notches 5 in the cylindrical bearing 2, as shown in
Fig. 3, the carrier plate D remains stationary in consequence of being firmly con-
nected to the cylinder C, and the internal gear and chain wheel are disconnected
from the clutch slides E in consequence of the said clutch slides being drawn
inwardly and the teeth 13 being disconnected from the gear 10. In this position
the shaft A and gear I are rotated and motion is communicated through the
pinions G and H to the internal gear 10 and chain wheel, and in consequence of the
gear I being smaller than the internal gear teeth 10, the chain wheel is revolved
slower than the crank shaft and with a proportionate increase of power, and the
chain wheel is entirely under the control of the cranks and pedals and may be
rotated in either direction.
It will be apparent that in consequence of using the pinions G H in pairs the
cranks are rotated in the same direction when going forward by a positive connection
to the chain wheel or when intermediately geared for the slower speed and greater
power, but if only one set of pinions G is made use of, the teeth of which engage
the teeth 10 of the internal gear and also the teeth of the gear I, then the direction
of the crank will be reversed when the gears are in use from the direction of the
crank when connected directly to the chain.
The cap plate O serves to hold the intermediate gears in position, and by
providing an annular offset 16 against which the tubular hubs of the gears G bear,
the friction of the parts is lessened and the carrier plate and chain wheel are kept
concentric.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what mauner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
claim is :
First. The combination with the stationary cylindrical bearing C, the crank arms
and shaft A of the chain wheel and its internal gear, the carrier plate within the
chain wheel, a gear upon the crank shaft and intermediate gears between the said
gear and the internal gear, the studs of which intermediate gears are upon the
"

page_text: carrier plate, radial clutch slides and teeth thereon for connecting the carrier plate
with the internal gear and chain wheel, and lugs for engaging the cylindrical
bearing, and means for moving the clutch slides inwardly or outwardly, substan-
tially as set forth.
Second. The carrier plate D and the radial clutch slides therein provided with
teeth 13 and studs 4, in combination with the chain wheel and internal gear,
the stationary cylindrical bearing 2 with the notches 5, the conical clutch K,
grooved collar and connecting rods, and mechanism for actuating the same, the gear
wheel I upon the crank shaft and the intermediate gears upon the carrier plate,
substantially as set forth.
Third. The carrier plate D and the radial clutch slides therein provided
with teeth 13 and studs 4, in combination with the chain wheel and internal
gear, the stationary cylindrical bearing 2 with the notches 5, the conical
clutch K, grooved collar and connecting rods, and mechanism for actuating the
same, the gear wheel I upon the crank shaft and the intermediate gears in pairs
upon the carrier plate, whereby the crank shaft is rotated in the same direction
for propelling the velocipede whether the speed gears are in use or not, substan-
tially as set forth.
Dated this 16th day of November 1893.
BREWER & SON,
Agents.