An Improved Driving Gear for Cycles or other Vehicles or Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1894-
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Oct., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
い
An Improved Driving Gear for Cycles or other Vehicles or
Machines.
ARTHUR GEORGE ROWLEY Clerk Sheldon Road Chippenham, Wilts, do
hereby declare-the nature of this invention to be-as follows:-
The treadle or motive shaft of the machine to be made hollow or partially so in
order to contain a shifting rod moving longitudinally inside. The shifting rod will
have pivoted on it spring keys. The hollow shaft will possess key ways through
which the keys on the sliding rod will protrude when they are placed opposite
the key ways by the movement of the sliding rod. The shaft will have rotating
on it two cog or chain wheels of different sizes (or more according to the number
of gears required) which will contain slots in their centres (or inner circumferences)
corresponding with the slots or key ways in the shaft. The keys on the sliding
rod will catch in the key ways in the wheels and each wheel will be thrown into
gear or out of gear by the movement of the sliding rod. There will be a ring or
collar round the shaft to which the sliding rod will be attached and which will
move longitudinally on the shaft (the shaft being slotted to admit of this
mevement). Pressure on either side of the collar will move it to & fro. The
sliding rod being attached to the collar will be actuated by it and the movement
of the latter will therefore be the means of throwing either of the wheels into
gear or out of gear as required. The pressure on the collar will be by a lever
attached to the machine.
The following are the chief novel features of the invention viz. :-
1. Hollow shaft slotted to receive spring keys.
2. Cog or chain wheels not fixed permanently to the shaft containing slots
corresponding with those in shaft and rotating both on and with the shaft.
3. Sliding rod fitted with spring keys sliding longitudinally inside the shaft and
movable externally by pressure against collar or disc.
Material: Iron, steel or any other suitable metal or material.
1004
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Driving Gear for Cycles or other Vehicles or
Machines.
I, ARTHUR GEORGE ROWLEY, Sheldon Road, Chippenham Wilts, 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 driving gear for cycles, vehicles or machines and
consists in providing a ready means of altering the relative speeds of the driving
wheel and the pedals, and the same is carried out as follows, reference being had
to the annexed drawings in which,
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section of my invention. Figure 2, side elevation of
same.
a & bare two chain wheels of desired size one being smaller than the

page_text: other. c is the shaft driven by the cranks and in which the rod d slides and is
provided at each end with one or more keys e controlled by springs k preferably
two at each end. These keys e are pivotally attached to the ends of the rod d
which slides in the shaft c and rotates with same owing to the pin f which passes
through the pivot hole of the keys e & travels in the slot g. This pin fengages in
the collar h, so that by moving the collar h the rod d is caused to slide in the
hollow shaft c which is driven by the cranks or pedals of the machine. The chain
wheels a & b run free upon the shaft c, which has slots cut in same at i so as to
allow the keys e to protrude into slots; which are cut in the bearing holes or axes
of the chain wheels a & b so that when the keys e are in the position shown in the
chain wheel the same will be driven & the chain wheel a will run free on the
shaft c owing to the keys e being withdrawn from the slots in the wheel a.
Owing to the chain wheels a & b being of different sizes it will be seen that the
driving wheel which is driven by same will rotate at a slower or faster speed
according to the sizes of the chain wheels a &b which drive the driving wheel
through the medium of chains, which drive chain wheels attached to the axis of
the driving wheel. The collar / may be connected by any suitable and well known
means, such as a "strap"; to a convenient lever for operating same, which may
be done either by the foot or hand as is found most convenient.
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. In driving gear for cycles or other vehicles or machines, a hollow driving
shaft in which a rod or the like carrying springs keys slides, said spring keys
engaging, through slots in the hollow shaft, with slots in the bearing or axes of
chain wheels of different diameter, said chain wheels having bearings on the hollow
shaft aforesaid & driving the machine, cycle, or other vehicle through the medium
of chains, the sliding rod carrying the keys being operated by a collar sliding on
the hollow shaft aforesaid, said collar being connected to any suitable operating
mechanism such as levers, the movement of said sliding rod causing the spring
keys at one end of the sliding rod to engage in the slots in one chain wheel, the
spring keys at the other end of said sliding rod being withdrawn from the slots in
the other chain wheel & vice versa according to the direction in which the sliding
rod is moved. Substantially as described herein.
Dated this 3rd day of October 1894.
E. EATON,
Agent for Applicant.