Improvements in Bearings for Velocipedes, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bearings for Velocipedes, and the like.
I, EDWARD ALFRED GREEN Student, of 92, Manchester Street, Battle Creek,
in the County of Calhoun and State of Michigan, United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to an improvement in bicycle bearings and it has for
its object especially to provide a means whereby the dust will be thoroughly
excluded from the bearing and whereby also the use of oil holes will be dispensed
with. Another object of the Invention is to provide a spring-controlled washer
to be used in connection with the ordinary bearing, which washer will effectually
close the space between the cup and cone of the bearing, the washer being so
placed as to admit of a lubricating material being introduced directly into the
space in which the balls of the bearing are placed.
In applying the device to the bearings of a wheel for example, a cup is forced
into the hub until a shoulder formed exteriorly on the cup shall engage with
the outer end of the hub. The usual cone is employed in connection with the cup
and the balls revolve in the ordinary way between the cup and cone. The cone
however is preferably provided with a central boss upon its outer face and a
band surrounds that portion of the periphery of the cone which is exposed when
the cone is in place. The said band is held a predetermined distance from the
periphery of the cone by means of a disc, the disc and band being made in one
piece, and said disc is apertured to receive the boss of the cone and secured at
its periphery to the outer edge of the aforesaid band, the disc being secured to
the cone or made integral therewith, and the band and disc constitute a cup
casing. Between the band of the cup casing and the cone, an annular chamber
is formed open at its inner side or that side which faces the cup of the bearing.
A washer is located within the chamber of the cone and this washer preferably
consists of a metal ring or backing and a facing preferably made of oiled raw-
hide or pig-skin and springs are secured to the back of the said ring, which
springs bear against the inner face of the disc attached to the cone and normally
force the bearing face of the washer against the outer edge of the cup of the
bearing thereby closing the space which would otherwise intervene between the
cone and the outer edge of the cup, and effectually preventing dust or water or
other injurious foreign matter from entering the ball chamber of the bearing.
It is obvious that oil holes are not required for a bearing having the improved
washer applied since an oil can with, for example, a slightly curved spout may
be employed to introduce oil directly into the ball chamber of the bearing, by
pressing the washer outward or away from the outer edge of the cup and intro-
ducing the spout in the space thus obtained. Pins may be secured upon the
outer face of the band in order to receive a spanner for the purpose of tightening
up the bearings. The washer may also be applied to the bearings of the crank

page_text: shaft and also to the spindle of a pedal in which case also the cup is made integral
with the casing that surrounds the spindle.
Dated this 24th day of November 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements, in Bearings for velocipedes and the like.
I, EDWARD ALFRED GREEN Student, of 92, Manchester Street, Battle Creek,
in the County of Calhoun and State of Michigan, United States of America, 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 an improvement in bicycle bearings, and it has for
its object especially to provide a means whereby the dust will be thoroughly
excluded from the bearing and whereby also the use of oil holes will be dispensed
with. Another object of the invention is to provide a spring-controlled washer
to be used in connection with the ordinary bearing, which washer will effectually
close the space between the cup and cone of the bearing, the washer being so
placed as to admit of a lubricating material being introduced directly into the
space in which the balls of the bearing are placed.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a partial side elevation and a partial sectional view of the hub
portion of the forward wheel, the bearing being entirely in section;
Figure 2 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an outer face view of the improved washer;
Figure 4 is an edge view of the said washer;
Figure 5 is a partial side elevation of the hub of the rear wheel, illustrating
the application of the washer to the bearing of the same, the washer and bearing
being in section;
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through the casing and bearing of the pedal
shaft, illustrating the application of the washer to the said bearing; and
Figure 7 is a partial side elevation and partial sectional view of a pedal, illus-
trating the application of the improvement to the same.
The
In carrying out the invention in the application of the device to the bearings
of a wheel for example, a cup A is forced into the hub B until a shoulder 10
formed exteriorly on the cup shall engage with the outer end of the hub as shown
in Figures 1 and 5. The usual cone A¹ is employed in connection with the cup,
and the balls 11 revolve in the ordinary way between the cup and cone.
cone, however, is preferably provided with a central boss 12 upon its outer face,
and a band 14 surrounds that portion of the periphery of the cone which is
exposed when the cone is in place; the said band is held a predetermined
distance from the periphery of the cone by means of a disk 13, the disk and band
being made in one piece, and said disk is apertured to receive the boss of the
cone and secured at its periphery to the outer edge of the aforesaid band, the
disk being secured to the cone or made integral therewith, as shown in Figure 2,
and the band and disk constitute a cup casing.

page_text: Between the band of the cup casing and the cone, an annular chamber Cis
formed, open at its inner side or that side which faces the cup of the bearing.
A washer is located within the chamber C of the cone, and this washer preferably
consists of a metal ring or backing 17, and a facing 18 preferably made of oiled
rawhide or pig-skin and springs 19 are secured to the back of the said ring 17,
as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The springs bear against the inner face of the
disk 13 attached to the cone and normally force the bearing face 18 of the washer
against the outer edge of the cup of the bearing, thereby closing the space which
would otherwise intervene between the cone and the outer edge of the cup, and
effectually preventing dust or water, or other injurious foreign matter, from
entering the ball chamber of the bearing.
It is obvious that oil holes are not required for a bearing having the improved
washer applied, since an oil can with, for example, a slightly curved spout, may
be employed to introduce oil directly into the ball chamber of the bearing, by
pressing the washer outward or away from the outer edge of the cup and intro-
ducing the spout in the space thus obtained. Pins may be secured upon the
outer face of the band 14 in order to receive a spanner for the purpose of tightening
up the bearings.
It is obvious that a washer constructed as above set forth and applied to the
ball bearings in the manner described, will render the said bearings dust and
liquid proof, and as heretofore stated, the oil holes which frequently admit dust
and grit to the bearings, may be entirely dispensed with, and the lubricating
material may be applied directly to the balls.
In Figure 6 I have illustrated the application of the washer to the bearings
applied to a crank shaft E, showing the same as surrounded by its casing 21;
and in Figure 7 the washer is shown as applied to the spindle F of a pedal 22.
In this event also the cup A. is shown as made integral with the casing 23 that
surrounds the spindle, and the bearing shown is that which is next to the arm 24
of the crank shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A bicycle bearing having a chamber formed around the exterior of its cone,
and a spring-controlled washer contained in the said chamber, being held by
the springs against the outer edge of the cup of the bearing, as and for the
purpose set forth.
2. In a bicycle bearing, the combination with the cup and the cone thereof,
the cone being provided at its exposed portion with a peripheral chamber open
at that side which faces the cup, of a washer located within the said chamber
facing the outer edge of the cup, and springs attached to the washer, acting to
force the said washer to a contact with the said cup, thereby closing the space
which would otherwise intervene between the outer edge of the cup and the
opposed surface of the cone of the bearing, as and for the purpose specified.
3. The combination with a cup, and cone of a ball hearing, the cone being
provided with an exterior or peripheral chamber open where the said chamber
faces the cup, of a washer constructed of rawhide located within the said chamber,
being adapted to engage with the outer edge of the cup, a backing for the said
washer, and springs secured to the said backing and having bearing against the
outer wall of the said cone chamber, the springs acting to normally force the
washer to a bearing against the outer edge of the cup, as and for the purpose
set forth.
4. In a bicycle bearing, the combination, with a cup provided with an exterior
shoulder, a cone, and the balls between the cone and the cup, of a band having
an attached disk arranged on the outer side surface of the cone, the band extending
around a portion of the periphery of the cone, forming an annular chamber, and
a spring-controlled washer located within the said chamber, being held by the

page_text: springs against the outer edge of the cup, normally closing the space which
would otherwise intervene between the said outer edge of the cup and the adjoin-
ing surface of the cone, as and for the purpose specified.
5. The improvement in bicycle bearings herein described consisting of the cup,
the cone, a cup casing composed of a band and a disk, the disk being secured to
or integral with and projecting radially beyond the outer end of the cone, and
the band projecting from said disk longitudinally inward over the cone forming
a washer chamber around said cone, the washer fitted in said chamber and bearing
against the outer edge of the cup, and the spring in said casing and arranged
between the disk and the washer and pressing the latter against the outer edge
of the cup, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of August 1897.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.