Improvements in Velocipede Ball Pedals.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1896-Accepted, 12th Dec., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipede Ball Pedals.
I, GEORGE BARKER, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, of
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Consulting Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention as communicated to me from abroad
by William Winfred Windle, of Millbury, Worcester County, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Bicycle Maker, and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient form of ball-
bearing pedal, in which two sets of bearing-balls are arranged so that they can be
simultaneously adjusted or tightened.
If desired, ball-retaining devices or washers may be employed for holding one
set of bearing-balls in place in the bearing-piece, and the other set of bearing-balls
in place upon the shaft or axle when the bearing is taken apart.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the ball-bearing portion of a velocipede pedal.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred form of bicycle-pedal with my
improvements applied thereto.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of, bicycle-pedal, and
Fig. 4 is an end view illustrating one form of U shaped foot-plate which may
be used.
A ball-bearing portion of a velocipede pedal constructed according to this
invention comprises a shaft or axle having ball-ways or cones, a hub or bearing-
piece, a ball-casing rigid with said hub, a ball-casing adjustably threaded into said
hub, and two sets of bearing-balls, the parts being so arranged that both bearings
can be simultaneously tightened by screwing in the adjustable ball-casing.
Two ball-retainers or washers are also preferably employed, one of the washers
being arranged to hold a set of bearing-balls in place in the hub, and the other
washer being employed to hold the adjustable ball-casing and the second set of
bearing-balls in place on the axle when the bearing is taken apart.
Referring to the drawings and in detail, A desiguates the hub.
As illustrated, the hub A is formed by boring out a solid piece or forging, and
is preferably provided with tubular supporting arms 10 which carry a U shaped
foot-piece or pedal-plate 11.
The shaft or axle 15 is provided at its end with an integral ball-cone or bearing 16
for co-operating with the bearing-balls 18, and with a groove or way 17 for
engaging the second set of bearing-balls 21.
Near its inner end, the axle 15 is provided with a collar or wrench-shoulder 24,
for retaining the adjustable ball-case in place.
Forced down into the hub A and fitting tightly therein is a ball-casing 14.
The bearing-balls 18 are preferably secured in the ball-casing 14 by means of a
ball-retainer or washer 19, which fits tightly into the hub A.
Threaded into the opposite end of the hub A is an adjustable ball-casing 20,
which is arranged to engage with a second set of bearing-balls 21.
It will be seen that this construction provides an extremely simple, efficient and
inexpensive form of ball-bearing pedal, in which both sets of bearing-balls may be
tightened or adjusted by means of a single adjustable part, and a construction in
D
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page_text: which the bearing-balls will be held in place so that they will not fall out or be
lost when the bearing is taken apart.
In assembling a ball-bearing constructed according to this invention, the bearing-
balls 18 are dropped into the rigid ball-casing 14, and are then secured in place by
means of the ball-retainer or washer 19.
The adjustable ball-casing 20 is slipped on to the axle 15, the bearing-balls 21
are placed in the groove 17 in the axle, and these parts are then retained in position
by means of the ball-retainer or washer 22, which fits tightly upon the axle.
The bearing may then be put together or assembled by threading the adjustable
ball-casing into the end of the hub A.
The pedal-plate 11 is provided at its outer ends with stops, which are preferably
arranged substantially as illustrated in Fig. 4.
A fastening or locking screw 26 may be threaded into one of the supporting
arms 10, to hold the ball-casing 20 in its adjusted position.
The inner end of the axle 15 is preferably threaded as at 23, so that the same
can be screwed or threaded into the crank-arm of a bicycle.
In some cases, instead of providing the hub A with integral supporting arms,
flat or sheet-metal supporting arms may be employed and brazed or otherwise
secured to the hub.
As shown in Fig. 3, the flat supporting arms or plates 27 are provided with
spurs or projections which are arranged substantially in the plane of the working
face of the pedal, and are adapted to engage with the sole of the shoe of the rider,
and, as thus constructed, the supporting plates provide additional means for
preventing the foot of the rider from slipping.
In order to present a wider tread or working face, the pedal may be provided
with supplemental foot-pieces or plates, and, as shown in Fig. 3, the supplemental
foot-pieces 12 are mounted on the supporting arms 27 at each side of the hub A,
and are arranged substantially parallel with the sides of the U shaped foot-
plate 11.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
1. A bicycle-pedal having ball-bearings arranged substantially as described.
2. In a velocipede ball pedal the combination of a shaft or axle having ball-ways
or cones, a bub or bearing-piece, a ball-casing rigid with said hub, a ball-casing
adjustably threaded into said hub, and two sets of bearing-balls, the parts being
arranged so that both bearings can be tightened by screwing in the adjustable
ball-casing, substantially as described.
3. In a velocipede ball pedal the combination of a hub or bearing-piece, a shaft
or axle jourualled therein, two sets of bearing-balls, and means for retaining one
set of bearing-balls in place in the hub, and for retaining the other set of bearing-
balls in place on the axle when the bearing is taken apart, substantially as
described.
4. The improvements in foot-pieces for bicycle-pedals, substantially as described.
GEORGE BARKER.