Improvements in Bicycles and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles and similar Vehicles.
I, ROBERT HENRY HENNEMEIER, residing at 274, West 119th Street, New York,
in the City, County and State of New York, United States of America, Salesman,
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: ---
This invention relates to bicycles and similar vehicles, and the object thereof
is to provide a vehicle of this class with an improved frame and improved chain-
less propelling mechanism; a further object being to provide a bicycle or similar
vehicle with a propelling mechanism which is adapted to operate with or without
a chain as may be desired.
The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification of which the
accompanying drawing forms a part, in which;
-
Fig. 1, is a side view of a bicycle provided with my improved propelling
mechanism;
Fig. 2, a section thereof on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3, a rear view of a portion of the rear part of the frame;
Fig. 4, a central vertical section of that part of the frame in which the pedal
shaft is mounted; and,
Fig. 5, a face view of a gear wheel which I employ.
In the drawing forming part of this specification the separate parts of my im-
provement are designated by the same numerals of reference in each of the views,
and in said drawing I have shown a bicycle frame which is substantially of what
is known as the "diamond" form, and which employs the usual hub 7 by which
the pedal shaft is supported.
In my improvement the usual tubular rods 8 and 9 which extend respectively
from the support of the pedal shaft upwardly to the seat support, and upwardly
and forwardly to the tubular head 10 of the frame, are also employed. The lower
horizontal rear fork however, which extends from the support of the pedal shaft
backwardly to the support of the drive wheel, and which consists of the separate
tubular rods 12, is of novel construction, as is also the upper fork which extends
upwardly from the support of the drive wheel to the seat support, and which
consists of the separate tubular rods 14.
The horizontal fork composed of the tubular rods 12 is also connected with the
tubular hub 7 in a novel manner, and for this purpose I connect with the tubular
hub 7 an open, ring shaped or circular attachment 15, clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2
and 4, and this ring shaped attachment 15, projects backwardly from the hub 7,
and connects with a transverse coupling 16, through which is passed a bolt 17,
and one end of this bolt is provided with a sleeve 18, through which one of the
rods 12 of the lower horizontal fork passes, and the other rod 12 of said fork is.
provided with a tubular head 19 through which the opposite end of said bolt
passes, and mounted on said end of said bolt is a set nut 20.
The pedal shaft 21 is provided at one end with the usual sprocket wheel 22,
and the tubular rod 12 of the lower horizontal fork on the side adjacent to said

page_text: sprocket wheel is set at a slight angle, the forward end thereof being inclined
inwardly towards the horizontal centre of the frame of the vehicle and the rear
end of said tubular rod 12 is connected with a corresponding rod 14 of the upper
rear fork by a downwardly curved arm 23 which is connected with said rod 14
by means of a tubular head 24, and which carries at its lower end a corresponding
tubular head 25, through which the rear end of the tubular rod 12 of the lower
horizontal fork passes.
Passing through the rod 12 of the lower horizontal fork on the side of the
vehicle on which the sprocket wheel 22 is mounted is a shaft 26, and this shaft
carries at its forward end a face gear wheel 27 which is operated by the sprocket
wheel 22, and said shaft carries at its. rear end a corresponding face gear 28, which
operates in connection with the sprocket wheel 29 on the hub of the rear or drive
wheel 31.
The object of inclining the tubular rod 12 of the lower horizontal fork in which
the shaft 26 is mounted, inwardly, as shown and described, is to bring the
sprocket wheels 22 and 29 in the same vertical plane, and by means of this con-
struction an ordinary drive chain may be employed on these sprocket wheels in
the usual manner, and this may be done without interfering in any way with
the operation of the chainless gear hereinbefore described, and, said, chainless
gear and the drive chain or chain gear, may be employed together whenever
desired, as indicated in Fig. 1, the chain being shown in dotted lines, or the
chainless gear may be employed separately, and by removing the face gears 27
and 28, the chain gear may be employed independently of the other as will be
readily understood.
In forming the sprocket wheels 22 and 29, I prefer to make the same so as to
operate as what is known as a 100 gear, and this object I accomplish when using
a drive wheel of 28 inches diameter by providing the sprocket wheel 22 with 25.
teeth, and the wheels 29. with 7 teeth, and the face gears. 27 and 28, on the
shaft 26 are each provided, in this case, with 5 teeth, and by providing the face
gear 28 which operates in connection with the rear sprocket wheel 29, with an
additional tooth, the gear may be raised twenty points, and it will therefore be
seen that by providing a plurality of the wheels 28, which may be substituted
one for another whenever desired, the size of the gear may be increased or
decreased as desired, each additional tooth added to the wheel 28 resulting in
raising the
gear twenty points. The face gear shown in Fig. 5, is provided with
6 teeth, and when gears similar to this. are used on the shaft a 100, gear is pro-
duced.
By providing the ring shaped, attachment 15 which connects the hub 7 of the
pedal shaft with the front end of the lower horizontal. fork, I provide. means for
employing the face gear 27 at the front end of the shaft 20, and adapt my im-
proved gear to bicycle frames of the usual form. The circular attachment. 15.
permits of the operation of the wheel 27 which may project thereinto, or there-
through, and I-thus provide means for using a larger gear at the forward end of
the shaft 26 than would otherwise be possible, and also provide a construction.
which places the sprocket wheels 22 and 29 in the same. vertical plane as the.
frame and permits of the use of an ordinary drive chain thereon.
In order to strengthen the frame and to secure the proper operation of my
improved gear, I provide the tubular coupling 32, which connects. the upper
horizontal rod 33 of the frame with the rod 8 and which is preferably divided:
longitudinally at its rear side as shown in Fig. 3, and the separate parts. thereof
provided with backwardly directed shoulders or projections- 34, through which is
passed a bolt 35, and the rods. 14. of the upper rear fork are provided with. flattened
ends 36 through which said bolt is passed, and said bolt is provided at one endi
with a nut 37. The rods 14 of the. rear fork are also connected. by tubular
sleeves 38 having screw threaded shanks. 40, connected by a turn buckle 41, and:
the lower ends of the rods 14 of the upper rear fork together with the rear, ends
of the rods 12 of the lower horizontal rear fork are connected with circular, plates

page_text: or bearings 42 through which the axle or shaft of the rear drive wheel 31 passes,
and said plates or bearings may also be adjusted on said shaft in the usual or
any preferred manner.
In order to provide for the adjustment of the forward end of the lower hori-
zontal fork laterally and the consequent adjustment of the forward end of the
shaft 26 toward or from the sprocket wheel 22, the bolt or pin 17 on which the
sleeve 18 is formed, is screw 'threaded at both ends, and a set nut 20° is placed
thereon adjacent to said sleeve and by properly manipulating the nuts 20 and 20",
the bolt 17 may be adjusted laterally of the frame and with it the forward end
of the lower horizontal fork and the face gear 27, may thus be held in proper
position relative to the sprocket wheel 22.
The face gears 27 and 28, are of the same form and construction, as relates to
the radial teeth thereof, and the form of said radial teeth is clearly shown in
Fig. 5, which is a face view of the wheel 28, and these wheels are provided with
a plurality of radial recesses 28", on their face side extending inwardly from the
periphery a little over one-half of the length of the radius of the gear, and the
outer corner portions of the radial teeth 28b which are formed by these recesses
are beveled as clearly shown in Fig. 5, and said teeth are wider at their outer
than at their inner ends, and in the operation of the device the teeth of the
corresponding sprocket wheel strike the teeth of the face gear at or near the outer
ends thereof, and the beveled forms of the radial teeth of the face gear enable
the teeth of the sprocket wheel to attain the proper contact therewith, at the
commencement and termination of their engagement, and as said wheels revolve
the sprocket teeth of the sprocket wheel slide over the beveled surfaces of the
radial teeth of the face gear, said sprocket teeth first approaching the centre of
the face gear, and then receding therefrom, and passing over the outer ends of
the radial teeth of said gear, and the novel form of these face gears constitute
one of the chief features of this invention.
By means of the chainless gear herein described, great speed may be secured
without an increase of power applied to the pedal shaft, and by means of my
improved construction I provide for the employment or use of a chainless or
chain gear as may be desired, or for the use of both of said gears together.
My improvement is simple in construction and operation, and well adapted to
accomplish the result for which it is intended, and it will be apparent that
changes in and modifications of the construction herein described, may be made
without departing from the spirit of my invention, or sacrificing its advantages.
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: -
1. A bicycle the frame of which is provided with the usual hub through which
the pedal shaft passes, and the usual lower horizontal fork in which the drive
wheel is mounted, the front end of said fork being connected with the tubular
hub by a circular or ring shaped attachment, and one of the sides of said fork
being provided with a shaft the forward end of which is inclined inwardly toward
said attachment, the end of said shaft being each provided with a face gear, and
sprocket wheels mounted on the pedal shaft and on the hub of the drive wheel,,
and adapted to operate in connection with said face gears, said sprocket wheels
being in a vertical plane parallel with the longitudinal centre of the vehicle, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
2. A bicycle constructed as herein described, and provided with the usual pedal
shaft, and the usual drive wheel, and sprocket wheels mounted thereon in a ver-
tical plane parallel with the longitudinal centre of the vehicle, the lower rear
fork of the frame in which the drive wheel is mounted, being connected with
the tubular hub through which the pedal shaft passes, by a circular or ring
sliaped attachment, and the front end of one side of said fork being tubular in
form and inclined: inwardly toward said attachment, and a shaft mounted in said

page_text: side of said frame and provided at its front and rear ends with face gears which
operate in connection with said sprocket wheels, substantially as shown and
described.
3. A bicycle constructed as herein described, and provided with the usual
pedal shaft and the usual drive wheel, sprocket wheels mounted on the pedal shaft
and on the hub of the drive wheel, said sprocket wheels being in a vertical plane
parallel with the longitudinal centre of the frame of the vehicle, and a shaft
mounted between said sprocket wheels, the front end of which is inclined inwardly
toward the longitudinal centre of the vehicle, and face gears connected with the
front and rear ends of said shaft, and operating in connection with said sprocket
wheels, substantially as shown and described.
4. A bicycle constructed as herein described, the sides of the upper rear fark
being connected by a twin buckle attachment, substantially as shown and described.
5. A bicycle frame provided with the usual lower horizontal fork in which
the drive wheel is mounted, the forward end of said fork being laterally adjust-
able, substantially as shown and described.
6. A bicycle frame provided with the usual lower horizontal fork, and the
usual tubular hub in which the pedal shaft is mounted, the forward end of said
fork and the said tubular hub being connected by a longitudinal, open, circular,
. or ring shaped attachment, substantially as shown and described.
7. A bicycle frame provided with the usual lower horizontal fork, and the
usual tubular hub in which the pedal shaft is mounted, the forward end of said
fork and the said tubular hub being connected by a longitudinal, open, circular,
or ring shaped attachment, and the forward end of said fork being laterally
adjustable with reference to said attachment, substantially as shown and described.
8. A bicycle frame provided with the usual lower horizontal fork, and the
usual tubular hub in which the pedal shaft is mounted, the forward end of said
fork and the said tubular hub being connected by a longitudinal, open, circular,
or ring shaped attachment, and the forward end of said fork being laterally
adjustable with reference to said attachment, one side of said fork being provided
with a longitudinal shaft having face gears at each end, and corresponding
sprocket wheels mounted on the hub of the drive wheel and on the pedal shaft,
substantially as shown and described.
9. A bicycle frame provided with the usual lower horizontal fork, and the
usual tubular hub in which the pedal shaft is mounted, the forward end of said
fork and the said tubular hub being connected by a longitudinal, open, circular,
or ring shaped attachment, and the forward end of said fork being laterally
adjustable with reference to said attachment, one side of said fork being provided
with a longitudinal shaft having face gears at each end, and corresponding
sprocket wheels mounted on the hub of the drive wheel and on the pedal shaft,
said sprocket wheels being in a vertical plane parallel with the longitudinal
centre of the vehicle, substantially as shown and described.
10. A bicycle frame provided with a tubular hub 7 through which the pedal
shaft passes, and the usual lower horizontal rear fork in which the drive wheel
is mounted, said fork being composed of separate sides connected at their forward
ends by a bolt, and said hub and fork being connected with a tubular coupling 16,
through which said bolt passes, substantially as shown and described.
11. A bicycle frame provided with a tubular hub 7 through which the pedal
shaft passes, and the usual lower horizontal rear fork in which the drive wheel
is mounted, said fork being composed of separate sides connected at their for-
ward ends by a bolt, and said hub and fork being connected by an open or ring
shaped attachment 15, provided with a tubular coupling 16, through which said
bolt passes, and in which said bolt is adjustable, substantially as shown and
described.
12. A driving mechanism for bicycles and similar vehicles, comprising the
usual sprocket wheels mounted on the hub of the drive wheel and on the pedal
shaft, a shaft extending between said sprocket wheels and provided at each end

page_text: with face gears, said face gears being provided with radial teeth which are wider
at their outer than at their inner ends, substantially as shown and described.
13. A driving mechanism for bicycles and similar vehicles, comprising the
usual sprocket wheels mounted on the hub of the drive wheel and on the pedal
shaft a shaft extending between said sprocket wheels and provided at each end
with face gears, said face gears being provided with radial teeth which are wider
at their outer than at their inner ends, and the outer edges and corners of which
are beveled, substantially as shown and described.
14. A driving mechanism for bicycles and similar vehicles, comprising the
usual drive wheel and pedal shaft, each of which is provided with a sprocket
wheel, a shaft supported between said sprocket wheels and provided at each end
with a face gear, said face gears being provided with radial teeth on one side
which are wider at their outer than at their inner ends, and the edges and outer
corners of which are beveled, substantially as shown and described.
15. In a driving mechanism for bicycles and similar vehicles, an improved
face gear provided with radial teeth on one side which are wider at their outer
than at their inner ends, substantially as shown and described.
16. In a driving mechanism for bicycles and similar vehicles, an improved
face gear provided with radial teeth on one side which are wider at their outer
than at their inner ends, and the edges and outer corners of which are beveled,
substantially as shown and described.
17. A bicycle provided with the usual sprocket wheels on the pedal shaft and
the drive wheel, said sprocket wheels being mounted in longitudinal alignment
with the frame of the vehicle, and a shaft supported between said sprocket wheels
and provided at each end with a face gear in connection with which said sprocket
wheels operate, whereby a chainless gear is formed and whereby a drive chain
may be employed in connection with said chainless gear, substantially as shown
and described.
Dated this 20th day of October 1908