Improvements in or relating to Safety Bicycles and similar Constructions of Velocipedes.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Safety Bicycles and similar
Constructions of Velocipedes.
I, THOMAS MORTON SCHOFIELD, of 113, Sussex Road, Southport, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to place the driving mechanism of a bicycle in
the plane of the machine, or as near to the plane as possible, and so obtain what
may be called central driving or approximate central driving and obviate the
axial and other strains which are caused by the pull of the chain or other gear
acting at a leverage on the crank axle.
In accordance with my invention, I bifurcate or fork the bottom bracket, and
within such bracket I mount a toothed wheel or plate, having one or more sets
of teeth upon its side (or sides), and in size similar to or slightly larger than
the ordinary chain wheel.
Within the hub of the machine wheel, which I form hollow, I arrange another
but smaller toothed wheel or plate, with one or more sets of teeth or pegs upon
its side (or sides), and also lying directly parallel with the plane of the wheel
or machine, and in line with the wheel aforesaid upon the crank axle.
Alongside the machine and extending from crank axle to wheel hub I arrange
a light shaft or axis and at or near each end I mount a small pinion, one designed
to engage with and be driven by the teeth of the wheel upon the crank axle,
and the other designed to engage with and drive the teeth on the wheel inside
the hub, and thus impart movement to the machine. The said gearing is, by
preference, enclosed in a suitable oil trough or casing for constant lubrication.
By allowing the pinion and shaft to have an endwise adjustment, or by provid-
ing the driving pinions with a feather" and the shaft with a "key-way' or
vice-versa, which will permit them to engage with the different sets of teeth,-
the speed of the machine may be varied.
"
"
To reduce the width of the hub, and in order to maintain the rigidity of the
wheel I may form the wheel with a supplementary hub (or rim) held con-cen-
trically around the hub proper by steel spokes or arms radially, tangentially and
diagonally disposed.
To this supplementary hub the ordinary spokes are attached which in turn
are secured to the ordinary rim.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Safety Bicycles and similar
Constructions of Velocipedes.
I. THOMAS MORTON SCHOFIELD, of 113, Sussex Road, Southport, 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 fol-
lowing statement: -
"
The object of my invention is to place the driving mechanism of a bicycle in
the plane of the machine, or as near to the plane as possible, and so obtain what
may be called "central driving," or approximate central driving," and obviate
the axial and other strains which are caused by the pull of the chain or other
gear acting at an uneven leverage on the crank axle.
In accordance with one form of my invention I bifurcate or fork the bottom
bracket, and within such bracket I mount a toothed wheel or plate, having one
or more sets of teeth upon its side (or sides), and in size similar to, or slightly
larger than, the ordinary chain wheel. Within the hub of the machine wheel,
which I form hollow, I arrange another, but smaller toothed wheel or plate,
with one or more sets of teeth or pegs upon its side (or sides), and also lying
directly parallel with the plane of the wheel or machine, and in line with the
wheel aforesaid upon the crank axle. Alongside the machine, I arrange a light
shaft or axis, and at, or near, each end I mount a small pinion, one designed
to engage with and be driven by the teeth of the wheel upon the crank axle,
and the other designed to engage with and drive the teeth of the wheel inside
the hub, and thus impart movement to the machine.
The said gearing is, by preference, enclosed in a suitable oil trough or casing
for constant lubrication.
By allowing the pinion to engage with different sets of teeth, the speed of
the machine may be varied.
And in order that my said invention may be more readily understood and
carried into practical effect I have hereunto annexed a sheet of drawings and
will now proceed to describe the same with the various figures and letters of
reference marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan of my improved arrangement of
driving gearing, about half size. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 represent a detail separately,
on a larger scale.
Upon the crank axle (A) and midway between its two ends I mount the disc
or plate (B), and make the bottom-bracket of the frame of fork-like structure.
Alongside said disc I arrange the small roller pinion (C) meshing with pegs
or teeth (D) on the face of disc (B) and mounted upon the shaft (E) sup-
ported in ball-bearings at each end, and in ball bearings in the cross-bar (F).
The opposite end of said shaft carries a small roller pinion (G) gearing with a
set of pegs or teeth (I) on the face of a disc (J) centrally disposed within the
hub (K) of the rear wheel of the machine.
66
With the wheel (B) centrally fixed on shaft (A) and the wheel (J) in line there-
with, I obtain (actually or approximately) the desired central driving," and I
thereby enable the machine to be more effectively driven, without the strains
heretofore caused by reason of the driving wheel being at, or near, the end of
the crank axle.
To allow for a change of speed I provide two or more sets (rings) of teeth or
pegs (I), (I) on disc (J), and I arrange for the pinion (G) to engage with one
or other of such sets of teeth, either by a lateral movement of such pinion, or

page_text: its shaft, or by moving one or other of the sets of teeth opposite the pinion (G),
t.e., moving the axle (L) further in, or out of, the frame end (M). In adopt-
ing this latter adjustment and to prevent the teeth (I), or (I*) coming out of
gear with pinion (G) I provide notches or recesses (N) in the said frame end,
and upon the washer of the tightening nut (0) I provide a thickening (P),
which takes into the slot, and when the nut is screwed up prevents the axle
rising out of its recess or notch.
To allow for narrowing of the wheel hub (K) I may adopt the construction
of wheel shewn in my former Patent No. 18534 A.D. 1897 and to strengthen
the disc (J) (or disc (B)) I may provide webs or ribs (Q).
The pinions (C) and (G) each comprise a set of discs on a central boss with
cross-pins between surrounded by loose sleeves or rollers to allow for the free
meshing with pegs (I), and to reduce friction. The pegs (I) and (D) are slightly
conical to readily engage with the pinions. The disc (J) surrounds and forms
part of a boss (heretofore the hub proper), and is cast or connected with the
hollow hub (K), which is provided with flanges (K¹) to which the spokes are
connected. The shaft (E), and gearing, may be encased to exclude dust, or for
lubricating, or dress guard purposes.
Having thus 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: In safety bicycles and the like, the use and combination of a disc (B)
placed centrally, or thereabouts, on the crank axle, and disc (J) placed centrally,
or thereabouts, within the structure of the driven wheel (upon the hub proper,
or within a supplementary hub), and each disc gearing by fixed pegs or teeth
with roller pinions upon a side shaft, as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and shewn on the accompanying drawings.
2: In a cycle wheel the disc (J) with two, or more sets (rings) of teeth or
pegs, in combination with a roller pinion, mounted and operating as set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of July 1898.
THOMAS MORTON SCHOFIELD.
By J. G. Wilson & Co.,
Agents.