Improvements in Ball-bearings for Cycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1896°
Complete Specification Left, 13th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 16th Oct., 1897
Improvements in Ball-bearings for Cycles.
I, JAMES WILLIAM SMALLMAN, of Camp Hill Grange, near Nuneaton, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:
My invention relates to ball-bearings having a fixed cup and an adjustable cup.
The adjustable cup has a right-hand thread and is locked by an annulus having a
flange with a left-hand thread that screws on the end of the hub or bracket. Or the
adjustable cup may have a left-hand thread and the flange on the annulus a right-
hand thread. There may be a space left between that part of the adjustable cup
near the cone on the spindle and the annulus; said space rendering it extremely
difficult for dust to enter the bearing, because it must pass the annulus before it can
begin to pass the adjustable cup to get into the bearing. The holes for the pin-
spanner may be bored right through the annulus, and there may be a series of holes
so that the pin-spanner can be caused to engage with any two holes that happen to
be most convenient.
Dated the 12th day of November 1896
JAMES W. SMALLMAN:
improvements in Ball-bearings for Cycles.
1, JAMES WILLIAM SMALLMAN, of Camp Hill Grange, near Nuneaton, in the
County of Warwick, 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 :-
My invention relates to ball-bearings having a fixed cup and an adjustable cup.
The adjustable cup has a right-hand thread and is locked by an annulus having a
flange with a left-hand thread that screws on the end of the hub or bracket. Or the
adjustable cup may have a left-hand thread and the flange on the annulus a right-
hand thread. There may be a space left between that part of the adjustable cup
near the cone on the spindle and 'the annulus; said 'space rendering it extremely
difficult for dust to enter the bearing, because it must pass the annulus before it can
begin to pass the adjustable cup to get into the bearing. The holes for the -pin-
spanner may be bored right through the annulus, and there may be a series of holes
so that the pin-spanner may be caused to engage with any two holes that happen to
be most convenient.
The accompanying drawings show how I prefer to carry out my invention:
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a driving.wheel hub; fitted with an adjustable
cun locked by an annulus.

page_text: is an end elevation.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the adjustable cup.
Fig. 4 represents a variation in the shape of the adjustable cup and a corresponding
variation in the shape of the locking annulus.
Fig. 5 illustrates how the locking annulus may be utilized for keeping dust out of
the bearing.
Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the adjustable cup shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 7-is an end elevation of the corresponding annulus.
Fig. 8 represents another variation in the shape of the adjustable cup and a
corresponding variation in the shape of the locking annulus.
Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the annulus and cup illustrated in Fig. 8.
FL
A is an adjustable cup having a right-hand thread. A is a fixed cup also having
a right-hand thread. B is an annulus having flange b with an internal left-hand
thread. C is the hub. c is the end of the hub containing the adjustable cup.
D and D¹ are cones on the spindle E. The part a of the cup is conical; the engaging
part of the annulus being shaped to correspond. a' are flats on the cup. 62 is a
hexagon on the annulus. In Fig. 4, instead of the conical part a of the cup, there
is a rim a², and the engaging part b' is shaped accordingly. In Fig. 5, F is a space
between that part of the cup A near the cone D and the annulus B left to render the
bearing more dust-proof. The rim a on the cup A has notches a'. b' are holes
bored right through the annulus B. In Figs. 8 and 9, there is a series of holes b³.
To adjust the bearing, only one spanner is employed. One end of the spanner fits
tlie flats a and the other end the hexagon 62. The annulus B is unscrewed until the
cup A is free. The cup A is then screwed up to the requisite extent. The annulus B
is thereupon screwed tightly home against the cup, which it locks securely in
position. The adjustment of the cup is not interfered with by the tightening of the
annulus, because the friction of the part. 61 against the part a owing to the opposite
threads causes the two parts to bed firmly together. To adjust the bearing shown in
Figs. 5 to 7, the annulus is slightly unscrewed by a pin-spanner engaging with the
holes b³. On bringing the holes 63 opposite the notches a, the pin-spanner is caused
to engage with said notches for the purpose of tightening the cup; said cup and the
annulus rotating together. The pin-spanner is then withdrawn from the notches a
and the annulus screwed back and tightened. With the bearing represented in
Figs. 8 and 9, a spanner is intended to be used having pins at one end for turning
the annulus and jaws at the other end for turning the cup.
When the adjustable cup A (being in that end of the hub which is on the left-hand
side of the machine) has a right-hand thread and the flange of the annulus a left-
hand thread, the friction of the balls will tend to keep said cup tight against the
annulus; and, when the fixed cup A¹ has a right-hand thread, the friction of the
balls will tend to keep that cup screwed tightly home. In the bottom bracket (not
illustrated in the drawings), for the parts to have a tendency to keep tight, the
adjustable cup must have a left-hand thread, the flange on the annulus a right-hand
thread, and the fixed cup a left-hand thread.
An important feature of my invention is, that the friction of the balls can be
utilized for keeping the adjustable cup tightly locked.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A ball-bearing constructed or operating substantially as described.
2. In a ball-bearing, the employment of an adjustable cup locked by an annulus
having a flange that screws on the end of the hub or bracket, substantially as
described.
3. The combination, with a hub or bracket and an adjustable cup screwed in the
hub or bracket, of a locking annulus having a flange that screws on said hub or
bracket, substantially as set forth.
4. In a ball-bearing having an adjustable cup locked by an annulus, leaving a

page_text: space between the cup and the annulus in order to render it difficult for dust to enter
the bearing, substantially as described.
5. Ball-bearings substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
JAMES W. SMALLMAN