Improvements relating to Speeding Gear for Ordinary and Safety Bicycles and Tricycles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Apr., 1892-Accepted, 18th June, 1×92
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Speeding Gear for Ordinary and Safety
Bicycles and Tricycles.
I WILLIAM PEAKE, of 143 West Street Erith Kent Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to fit a speeding gear inside the spokes of the
wheels of ordinary and safety bicycles, tricycles or any other riding machine with
which to alter the speed while in motion.
In accordance with my invention the gear is formed with three bevel wheels so
arranged, that with the aid of a fork lever and clutch and stops the aforesaid
wheels, can be so worked that the speed of the machine can be altered from fast to
slow or slow to fast. The aforesaid lever will be so arranged that the fork will
span the clutch, while the handle will extend to, underside of steering handle, or
elsewhere convenient for the working of the clutch. The clutch is so arranged
that it will slide on a sleeve made on one of the aforesaid bevel-wheels, and is used
to lock the sleeve wheel to the main driving wheel, (for slow speed,) and to lock
the sleeve wheel to front fork of machine or elsewhere (for fast speed), when the
main driving wheel will be free to revolve on the sleeve. A second bevel wheel
is made on or fastened to inside of the hub, of the main driving-wheel. This hub is
made in two pieces or right and left hub. The second wheel before mentioned is
therefore, on the right hand side of left hub, and the sleeve wheel on the left side
of right hand hub, the sleeve passing through the centre of the hub. A third
bevel wheel is pivoted on a pin which is made on a sleeve or collar. This collar is
fastened to the main spindle between the two first bevel wheels, and forms a
Provisions are made
distance piece, the third wheel gearing into the other two.
on the hubs to receive a casing. This casing will cover the gear, and protect it
from dirt and dust, and will also connect the two hubs. The right hand hub is
provided with two or more stops or lugs on the outside to correspond with recesses
on the clutch. The clutch has recesses on both sides, those on the inside to receive
the lugs on the hub and those on the outside to receive corresponding stops or lugs
which will be arranged on the front fork of machine or elsewhere. The clutch is
also provided with a groove around the circumference, which receives two rollers
which are on the fork lever, before mentioned, this lever is provided with two pins
on which the rollers revolve. Provisions are made on the front fork of the machine
or elsewhere for pivoting the fork lever. There will also be a featherway in the
clutch, and a feather in the sleeve on which it works, to prevent the clutch revolving
on the sleeve. This gear will be also arranged that ball or roller bearings will be
used in all working parts where practicable. As before mentioned one bevel wheel
is fast on the left hand hub of driving wheel while a second is locked to the front
fork by means of the clutch and stops, while a third is pivoted on a pin between
and gearing into the other two. This pin will always revolve with the main
spindle and cranks therefore to turn the cranks while the clutch is in this position
the sleeve wheel would remain stationary while the one on the pin would run
around it, and by so doing would turn one revolution on the pin and would cause
the one fastened to the hub to make two revolutions, this is supposing the three
wheels are all the same diameter. But in cases where I require different speeds I
employ different diameter of wheels and the pin between the wheels will be at an
angle to suit the diameter of such wheels. Now by disengaging the clutch from
the main fork and locking it to the main wheel by using the fork lever, the whole
gear, and the main driving wheel would revolve together, the same speed as cranks.
1
T1902

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Speeding Gear for Ordinary and Safety
Bicycles and Tricycles.
I WILLIAM PEAKE of 143 West Street Erith Kent 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 following
statement:-
In accordance with my invention the gear is formed with three bevel wheels so
arranged that with the aid of a fork lever and clutch and stops the aforesaid wheels
can be so worked that the speed of machine can be altered from fast to slow or
slow to fast. The aforesaid lever will be so arranged that the fork will span the
clutch while the handle will extend to underside of steering handle or elsewhere
convenient for the working of the clutch. The clutch is so arranged that it will
slide on a sleeve made on one of the aforesaid bevel wheels and is used to lock the
sleeve wheel to the main driving wheel for slow speed and to lock the sleeve wheel
to front fork of machine or elsewhere for fast speed when the main driving wheel
will be free to revolve on the sleeve. A second bevel wheel is made on or fastened
to inside of the hub of main driving wheel. This hub is made in two pieces or
right and left hub, the second wheel, before mentioned is therefore on the right
hand side of left hub and the sleeve wheel on the left side of right hand hub, the
sleeve passing through the centre of hub. A third bevel wheel is pivoted on a pin
which is made on a sleeve or collar. This collar is fastened to the main spindle
between the two first mentioned bevel wheels and forms a distance picce, the third
wheel gearing into the other two. Provisions are made on the hubs to receive a
casing. This casing will cover the gear and protect it from dirt and dust and will
also connect the two hubs. The right hand hub is provided with two or more stops
or lugs on the outside to correspond with recesses on the clutch. The clutch has
recesses on both sides on the inside to receive the lugs on the hub and the outside
to receive corresponding stops or lugs which will be arranged on the front fork of
machine or elsewhere. The clutch is also provided with a groove around the
circumference which receives two rollers which are on the fork lever before
mentioned. This lever is provided with two pins on which the rollers revolve.
Provisions are made on the front fork of machine or elsewhere for pivoting the
fork lever there will also be a featherway in the clutch and a feather on the sleeve
on which it works to prevent the clutch revolving on the sleeve. This gear will
be so arranged that ball or roller bearings will be used in all parts where
practicable. As before mentioned one bevel wheel is fast on the left hand hub of
driving wheel while a second is locked to the front fork by means of the clutch
and stops while a third is pivoted on a pin between and gearing into the other two.
This pin will always revolve with the main spindle and cranks therefore to turn
the cranks while the clutch is in this position the sleeve wheel would remain
stationary while the one on the pin would run around it, and by so doing would
turn one revolution on the pin and would cause the one fastened to the hub to make
two revolutions, this is supposing the three wheels to be all the same diameter, but
in cases where I require different speeds I employ different diameter of wheels and
the pin between the wheels will be at an angle to suit the diameter of such wheels.
Now by disengaging the clutch from the main fork and locking it to the main
wheel by means of the fork lever, the whole of the gear and the main driving
wheel would revolve together the same speed as cranks.
In some cases I employ a friction band around the groove on the clutch, which
band will be in halves, cach having a hole in both ends. The holes in the one end
to receive a pin for fastening the said band to the front fork of machine, in place
of the fork lever, and the opposite end to receive a right and left hand screw, for
locking or releasing the band to or from the clutch. A lever will be fitted on the

page_text: end of right and left hand screw with a connecting rod leading to underside of
steering handle. When using this friction band there will be two notches on the
boss of the sleeve wheel, and two catches on the inside of the right hand hub.
These catches will be caused to come in contact with the notches by means of two
light springs fastened on the inside of right hand hub. The lugs on the right hand
hub and also those on the front fork and the recesses on the clutch will be dispensed
with, when the aforesaid friction band is used. The action of the friction clutch
will be as follows:-Supposing the sleeve wheel to be locked by means of the
clutch for fast speed, and the machine is travelling, the sleeve wheel would not
revolve, therefore the hub with the pawls on the inside would revolve on the sleeve
of the said sleeve wheel while running thus, the pawls would be inactive. Now to
alter the gear for slow speed or power, the friction clutch is unlocked, and the
sleeve wheel is released and would conmence to revolve. The pawls would
immediately come in contact with the notches on the boss of the said sleeve wheel,
thus locking the hub to the same, when the whole would revolve the same speed as
cranks. Were it not for the pawls coming in contact with the said notches, the
sleeve wheel would revolve without driving the machine forward. Two right and
left hand screws may be used in the aforesaid friction band, the extra one taking
the place of the aforesaid pin, which fastens the band on the front fork. This
extra screw will have a lever in the same way as the other and the holes in the
friction band will all be screwed to correspond with the right and left hand screw
before mentioned. The third or intermediate wheel can be made with conical or
other shaped rollers in place of ordinary teeth to reduce friction. The bevel
wheel on the hub and the one on the sleeve having teeth of a suitable pitch, and
angle to suit the aforesaid rollers. These rollers will be used principally for racing
machines. Two intermediate wheels may be used instead of one and two pins on
the aforesaid sleeve to which the wheels are pivoted. All the working parts can
be made of hardened steel or other suitable material. In order that my said
invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to
describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1. of the drawings annexed is a general arrangement of the gearing, the
upper half shewing the gear in section and the lower half shewing it as covered in
by the casing.
Figs. 2 to 12 are details.
Fig. 13. is a section through A B of Fig. 14.
Fig. 14. is a view shewing the arrangement of friction clutch.
Fig. 15. is a section through D, e, of Fig. 14.
Figs. 16 to 18 are details."
a is the left hand hub with the bevel b attached as shewn in Fig. 8.
c is the
intermediate wheel as shewn in Fig. 9. d² is the sleeve with pin attached, on
which the intermediate wheel c is pivoted. d is a collar used to prevent the
intermediate wheel c from coming off the pin d. d³ is a key used to fasten the
sleeve d² to the crank shaft as shewn in Fig. 7. E is the bevel wheel with
the sleeve E attached, and the feather S as shewn in Fig. 3. f, is the casing
which covers the gear, and has two internal flanges V. This casing is fastened to
the bevel wheel b at ' on the hub a, and to hub H on the ring H₁ which is made
on the hub H as shewn in Fig. 1. the casing being held to the said hubs by means of
the screws G. I represents the stops or lugs on the hub H. J, is the clutch with
the flanges O and P flange O having the recesses I' and the flange P having the
recesses U and featherway S¹ as shewn in Fig. 4. K, is the fork lever with
pins W2 which receives the rollers W. L and L' are short arms between which
the fork lever K is pivoted by means of the pin Q. M' is the lower part of the
front fork of the machine with the lugs R as shewn in Fig. 2.
T and T¹ are
collars on the crank shaft, each side of the sleeve da coming against it at T2 and T³
as shewn in Fig. 7. X represents the crank shaft and Y and Y¹ the cranks as
shewn in Fig. 1. Z represents the rollers in the boss of intermediate wheel as
shewn in Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a view of the same rollers, M is the lower part of the

page_text: front fork on the left hand side of front wheel. The action of the gear will be
as follows. Supposing the sleeve wheel E to be locked to the right hand hub H by
means of the clutch J, the lugs I on the hub, being in the recesses I' the clutch
with sleeve wheel and the hub would all revolve together the same speed as cranks
for slow speed or power. Now to alter the gear for fast speed the clutch is
released from the hub H & is locked to the front fork M' by means of the lugs R
coming into the recesses U on the clutch. This will lock the sleeve wheel to the
front fork and consequently prevent the sleeve wheel from revolving. Now to
turn the crank shaft while the sleeve wheel is locked thus, the intermediate wheel
would be caused to run around it and at the same time would cause the bevel
wheel to turn equal to one revolution & the number of teeth in the sleeve wheel.
For example, the sleeve wheel E has 21 teeth as shewn in Fig. 3. while the bevel
wheel has 24 teeth as shewn in Fig. 8, therefore the bevel wheel b would turn
1 revolution or 45 teeth while the cranks would turn one revolution thus gearing
a 40 inch wheel up to a 75 inch. When the clutch is locked to the fork as before
described, the flanges O & P with recesses will be in the position as shewn in dotted
lines at O' & P Fig. 1. and the fork lever with rollers W would move to W¹ as
shewn in dotted lines on Fig. 1. The clutch J without recesses 1' & U is shewn
in Fig. 11. The groove J¹ around the circumference will receive the friction
band K' as shewn in Fig. 14. & Fig. 15. Fig. 18. the catches or pawls H³ which
are fastened to inside of hub H by means of screws H. These catches or pawls
prevent the sleeve wheel from running round without the hub, as shewn in Fig. 13.
by coming in contact with the notches E³, on the boss of the sleeve wheel E.
When the friction band K' is locked to the clutch J the sleeve wheel is held for
fast speed when the lever K³ and connecting rod K will be in the position shewn
in dotted lines Fig. 14 and when released for slow speed or power the lever and
rod K and K will be in the lower position as shewn in full lines. The right and
left hand screw K2 Fig. 16. is used for locking the said friction band as shewn in
position in Fig. 15. If one screw is not sufficient I may use two, the extra one will
be in place of the pin Q in Fig. 15. when the holes would be screwed the same
as K Fig. 12. The catches are held down by means of two springs H² Fig. 17
shewn in position in Fig. 13. When the gear is used for speeding up a machine
only no clutch will be required the sleeve wheel being held permanently to the
front fork of machine or elsewhere which would depend upon the kind of machine
upon which the gear is fitted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. Constructing a speeding gear, for ordinary and safety bicycles, and tricycles
with three bevel wheels having ordinary shaped teeth, or conical or other shaped
rollers, in the place of ordinary shaped teeth on the intermediate wheel, the said
gear being between the hubs as shewn in Fig. 1.
2. Constructing a speeding gear for the said machines with a friction clutch for
altering the speed.
3. The combination of gearing shewn in the drawings hereto annexed.
4. Speeding gear to have two intermediate wheels instead of one, when required.
5. To dispense with the clutch gear, the pawls or catches H³, the springs H2, and
the notches in the sleeve wheel E³, when the gear is used for speeding up a machine
only.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1892
WILLIAM PEAKE.