An Improved Chain Adjusting Appliance for Bicycles and like Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1900-Accepted, 12th May, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Chain Adjusting Appliance for Bicycles and like
Machines.
I, JOHN STEAD, of 60, Tudor Street, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Iron
Worker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention is for an improvement applicable to chain driven bicycles and is
intended to provide means for tightening the chain when stretched after a
machine has been in use for a longer or shorter period without having recourse
to the necessity of loosening the uuts that secure the driving or back wheel
spindle to the rear ends or forks of the bottom stays, which when said nuts are
loosened frequently affects the adjustment of the bearings of the back wheel
causing them to become either too loose or too tight, and to alter the set of the
wheel.
My invention consists in affixing to the bottom stay that is crossed by the
chain when stretched between the toothed wheel on the bottom bracket and
the toothed wheel on the hub of the driving wheel, at that part of said bottom
stay which is actually crossed by the chain, a vertical bracket that is adjustable
in height with an india rubber or other suitable roller fitted to said bracket in
order that when the chain gets stretched and becomes slack said roller may be
raised, so that the underside of the top length of the chain may run on said' roller,
thereby taking up the slack in the chain.
The aforesaid roller may be fitted to the bracket with ball bearings and said
bracket may be formed so as to clip on to the bottom stay; the adjustment of the
roller may be effected by a rack, a slide, or other equivalent device. The afore-
said adjustable bracket may if preferred be affixed to the bottom stay in a
downward position, so that the roller may be placed in contact with the upper
side of the bottom length of the chain. My invention may in like manner be
applied to tricycles and other chain driven machines by providing
fixing for supporting the hereinbefore described adjustable bracket and roller:
TY
U 100. 1 of T... 1800
a suitable
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
Agents for the Applicant,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.
An Improved Chain Adjusting Appliance for Bicycles and like
Machines.
I, JOHN STEAD, of 60, Tudor Street, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Iron
Worker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
Price S1

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The improvement which forms the subject of this invention is applicable to
chain driven cycles and like machines, and is intended to provide means for
tightening or taking up the slack of the chain when stretched after a machine has
been in use for a longer or shorter period without requiring the wheel centres
to be altered, which frequently affects the adjustment of the bearings causing
them to become either too loose or too tight and to alter the set of the wheels.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 shows a side view of part of a bicycle
with my invention applied; Fig. 2 is an end view, Fig. 2ª a section of a part of
the same, and Fig. 3 a plan of part of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side view of the upper
and lower portions of the device drawn separately, and Fig. 5 shows an alternative
form of the same.
My invention consists in affixing to a machine in any suitable position such
as the bottom stay a of a bicycle at the part that is crossed by the chain b when
stretched between the toothed wheel on the bottom bracket and the toothed
wheel d on the hub of the driving wheel, a vertical bracket e that is adjustable
in height and having an india rubber or other suitable roller g fitted to said
bracket in order that when the chain gets stretched and becomes slack said roller
may be raised so that the underside of the top length of the chain may run on
said roller thereby taking up the slack in the chain; this is effected by forming
the bracket e in two parts as shown in Fig. 4, a slot as being provided in one
of said parts so that when the lower part of one is drawn out or pushed in the
upper part of the other, and fixed by a bolt or an equivalent, the roller g is
caused to put the required tension on the chain b; or the bracket e may be in
one piece and the roller 9 made adjustable as Fig. 5. The roller g may be
formed of a metallic barrel g and covered with india rubber, a spindle & passing
through said barrel which is filled with a lubricant or may be fitted with ball
bearings. The aforesaid adjustable bracket may if preferred be affixed to the
bottom stay in a downward position so that the roller g may be placed in contact
with the upper side of the bottom length of the chain b. My invention. may in
like manner be applied to tricycles and other chain driven machines by providing
a suitable fixing for supporting the hereinbefore described adjustable bracket and'
roller and forming the bottom of said bracket of a suitable shape to fit thereon.
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:
In chain driven cycles and like machines the application thereto of an adjust-
able bracket as.e having a roller as 7 fitted thereto and fixed to the frame in such
a position that the chain may be caused either to rest on or be pressed by said
roller, thereby taking up the slack in said chain for the purpose and in the
manner substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 10th day of Ini 1000
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
Agents for the Applicant,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.