Improvements in Bicycles and similar or other Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 6th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles and similar or other Vehicles.
I, THOMAS SPENCER JAMES 172 Camden Grove Peckham S.E. Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
--
On the axle on which the hub of the driving wheel of the machine revolves, is
fastened one or more fly wheels, which are made to revolve at greater speed than
the driving wheel itself; motion being transmitted from the pedal shaft to the axle
& fly wheel or wheels; & from thence to the hub of the driving wheel. Chains,
gear wheels, or any suitable mechanism may be used to transmit motion from one
part to another; I sometimes build my driving wheel up of two distinct wheels, or
more properly speaking half wheels; fastened together to form one complete wheel,
having two short hubs on one axle; by this means I can place my fly wheel
completely inside the driving wheel; the rim or tyre part of these half wheels are
well adapted to hold or clench tyres of any kind.
Dated this 21st day of November 1893.
Improvements in Bicycles and similar or other Vehicles.
I, THOMAS SPENCER JAMES 172 Camden Grove Peckham S.E. Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manuer the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
That my invention may be better understood, I will refer to my accompanying
drawings; yet I use the details as there set forth simply to shew one way of
carrying my invention into effect; as it is obvious that the details may be varied
to suit various circumstances & requirements. It is to be noted that the revolving
parts shewn, do all without exception run in the same direction that the bicycle or
other vehicle is travelling; & thereby great ease of motion is ensured. In my
drawings is represented a sectional view of the driving wheel of a bicycle, see
Fig. 1; motion is imparted to the sprocket or chain wheel A, in my drawings by
chain, but any other suitable means may be employed, but it is necessary for the
purposes of my invention, that this chain wheel or its equivalent is fastened to &
drives the hollow axle or barrel B at a greater rate of speed than the driving
wheel or wheels of the bicycle or other vehicle travels; this chain wheel A or other
gear, then, is fastened to the hollow axle or barrel B, which carries & has fast
to it the fly wheel C & the pinion D, forming as it were one piece; & this barrel
runs on & has bearings on the bolt D' which holds the fork ends together, & the
barrel B not only carries the fly wheel C & pinion D, but also supports & has
fashioned upon it suitable bearings for the hub or hubs of the driving wheel of
the bicycle; the hubs are marked E, E, E, E, & one of such hubs has fastened to
it an internal toothed gear wheel F, which may or may not be utilised for attaching
one set of spokes as shewn; the pinion D & the internal toothed wheel F are
concentric to each other, & an intermediary internal & external toothed gear
wheel G is placed in such a position as to form a connexion between the pinion D &
the wheel F, so that motion being imparted to the chain wheel A & from thence
through the barrel B to the fly wheel C, the momentum of the fly wheel C, is

page_text: carried & imparted to the pinion D, & then through the intermediate gear G, to
the wheel F & from thence to the driving wheel of the bicycle. This action or
mechanical motion is effected, not in or through level or increasing gear; but
through what I term reducing gear; that the momentum of the fly wheel is not
lost, but utilised. As will be seen from my drawings the rim of my driving wheel
is of peculiar construction, & is formed in the manner shewn in section, so that my
complete wheel is built up of two separate & distinct half wheels, & which may be
of any convenient section, my rims, which I term half rims, are bolted or otherwise
fastened together, through the medium of a flange to each half rim; & running
round the entire half rim; the flange is marked I in the drawings, & formed in
each flange, as shewn, is an excrescence or ridge marked J; & which is formed &
intended to receive the edges of the cover usually used for covering & protecting
the pneumatic tube, & such cover in my rim, is held in place by the clamping or
bolting together of my half rims, & inflation or deflation of the pneumatic tube
does not weaken the hold or bight of a cover fastened in this manner; yet, any
other & convenient section of rim & method of fastening such covers, may be
employed as required & desired. In Fig. 2 is shewn a method of fastening my two
half rims together, to form one complete rim; the flange of one half rim, has short,
headed, studs attached to it, as indicated in Fig. 2 at M; & which pass through the
circular openings of the keyhole shaped slots K, which are formed in the other or
second half rim; one slot to each stud in the other & first mentioned half rim.
Upon these half rims being placed in position that is each stud in its corresponding
keyhole shaped slot, & a slight turn of one of my half rims being made, the narrow
end of the slots will come against the studs & under the heads of such studs, &
also one or more bolt holes, will come opposite each other in both half rims; this
forms the complete rim & can be held firm & fast by placing one or more bolts in
the above mentioned holes & screwing them up tightly; it may be desired to attach
my speeded up fly wheel, to the well known type of wheel now in use, & not use
my half rims and hubs at all; in such case, I remove my fly wheel from its central
position on the barrel B, & place it outside the spokes of the driving wheel; but it
is fastened to the barrel B & driven exactly similar to my previous description, so
that the chain wheel A, & the barrel B, the fly wheel C, & the pinion D,.shall run
round as it were as one piece, & performing the same functions as in my previous
description; this side arrangement of fly wheel, is indicated in Fig. 3.
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. The speeded or geared up fly wheel & barrel substantially as described.
2. The combination of the fly wheel & barrel, with the reducing gear, substan-
tially as described & as & for the purpose set forth.
3. The short or half hubs & half rims, forming one complete hub & one
complete rim, as & for the purpose set forth substantially as described.
4. The application to bicycles & other vehicles, of an intermediate & speeded up
fly wheel, & a reducing gear, between the motive or driving power & the driving
wheel of the bicycle or other vehicle, substantially as described.
5. The combination of the whole, either as described or in conjunction with other
driving gear for the purpose of utilising the momentum of a speeded or geared up
fly wheel to facilitate the driving of bicycles or other vehicles.
Dated this 20th day of August 1894.
THOS. S. JAMES.