Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, CHARLES EDWARD FORD, of 412, Delaware Street, Leavenworth, in the
County of Leavenworth and State of Kansas, United States of America, Photo-
grapher, 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 Improvements in Velocipedes and more particularly
those termed "Safety bicycles." It bas for its object the construction of a
driving mechanism which can be adjusted for high speed, or for slower speed
when travelling over rough roads or up hills.
Primarily it consists in substituting for the ordinary driving gear double gears;
that is, each of the chain wheels is made with two toothed peripheries, the
diameters of which are unequal, so that when high speed is desired, the driving
chain is engaged on the larger toothed wheel on the crank spindle and on the
smaller toothed wheel attached to the driving wheel; or, when slow speeding is
desired, the driving chain is engaged on the smaller wheel on the crank spindle
and on the larger wheel on the driving wheel.
The invention also consists in certain details and adjuncts necessary to the
application of the gearing, and in the combination and arrangement of parts herein-
after described, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings, in which similar letters of reference are employed to designate
corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of driving gear according to this invention for a bicycle,
portions of the framing and pedal cranks being broken away.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the nave of the driving wheel.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the gear for the driving wheel in position to allow
change of the driving chain.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section of half of one of the chain wheels.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the wrench used for changing the chain.
A is part of the framing, A' is the rear fork of the frame between which the
driving wheel B is journalled. CC are two sleeves, each of which is journalled in
one of the lower ends of the fork A' and has projecting from its outer end an
The flange of
annular flange c, the inner face of which bears against the fork.
the sleeve Chas its periphery notched and a spring catch c', secured to the frame b,
is adapted to engage with the notched flange c to hold the sleeve in any position to
which it may be turned.
D is a spiudle which has its ends eccentrically mounted in the sleeves C C', and
which is fixed by a step d screwed on its one end and on the other end a nut d'.
The ends of the spindle as they pass through the sleeves C C' are flattened as
shewn at d and fit projections d in the holes of the sleeves so that the sleeves and
the spindle cannot rotate relatively to each other.
E and E' are washers carried on the spindle within the fork, to keep the wheel B
in its proper position. They are of the same diameter as the sleeves C C and are,
like them, eccentric to the spindle. E is fitted on the flattened portion of the
spindle; and E' is attached to the sleeve C by a stud e, so that it must turn with
the sleeve.
B is the rear or driving wheel, having a nave fjournalled on the spindle D,
provided with ball bearings f¹ adjustable by screw caps ff. One end f' of

page_text: the nave has an annular flange. The parts are so proportioned that the wheel is
carried in the middle of the frame-fork A².
H is a chain wheel having two toothed peripheries h and h¹, the diameter of the
inner is greater than that of the outer. It is fixed on the nave by bolts h³ h³
passing through its web and the annular flange f.
L, I are parts of the framing which carries the spindle of the pedal cranks 1.
This spindle carries a chain wheel P, similar in construction to that carried by the
driving wheel, but of much greater diameter. It has two toothed peripheries
and of unequal diameter. The relative sizes of the toothed peripheries of the
chain wheels are such that the chain M fits either pair.
In the drawings, the chain is shewn on the smaller periphery of the wheel on the
driving wheel and on the larger periphery of the wheel on the pedal spindle, this
being the arrangement for high speed.
When it is desired to change the driving chains to the larger periphery of the
wheel on the driving wheel and to the smaller wheel on the pedal spindle, to suit
rough or uphill work, it can be very quickly done as follows: The spring catch c
is disengaged from the sleeve C and by means of the wrench P the sleeve is turned,
turning with it the spindle D so as to bring the two pairs of chain wheels nearer
together, allowing transfer of the driving chain; the spindle is then turned back to
hold the chain tight in its new position, and the spring catch is re-engaged to prevent
the sleeve C from turning.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a velocipede, a driving mechanism consisting of two chain wheels, mounted
respectively on the crank spindle and on the hub of the driving wheel, each having two
toothed peripheries of unequal diameter, and means for moving these wheels towards
each other to allow transfer of the driving chain from the one set of peripheries to
the other, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. In a velocipede, the combination of the framing, the driving wheel, the sleeves
rotatably mounted in the said frame, the driving wheel spindle eccentrically mounted
in the sleeves, the crank spindle, the chain wheels mounted on the said spindle and
on the nave of the driving wheel respectively, each of these chain wheels having
two toothed peripheries on either of which the driving chain can be engaged,
substantially as described.
3. In a velocipede, the combination of the framing, the driving wheel, sleeves
rotatably mounted in the frame, one of the sleeves having a notched flange, the
driving wheel spindle eccentrically mounted in the sleeves, a catch engaging with
the notched flange to prevent the sleeve from rotating, the crank spindle, the chain
wheels mounted on it and on the nave of the driving wheel respectively, cach of
these wheels having two toothed peripheries of different diameters with either pair
of which the driving chain can be engaged without removing the driving wheel from
its bearings, substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of April 1894
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.