Improvements in Casings for Velocipede Driving Gear."
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1897
$6
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Casings for Velocipede Driving Gear."
I, CHARLES BROOKS HOLMES, of Hampshire Arms Building, in the City of
Minneapolis, County of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, one of the states of the
United States of America, Lawyer, 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 casings for enclosing the sprocket and chain driving gear
of velocipedes, as I shall describe with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which like letters denote like parts, in the several figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, shewing part of a safety bicycle, with a casing
according to this invention applied on the sprocket wheels and chain.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line x2 x² of Figure 1.
Figure 3 shews in perspective the parts of casing apart from the machine, and
opened up.
Figure 4 is a vertical section through the casing on the line x x of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section of the casing on the line xx of Figure 1.
Figure is a side elevation, shewing separately the sections of one of the slot-
closing devices.
a is the rear wheel of the bicycle a¹ its nave on the rear spindle a² provided with
the small sprocket wheel a³; a* as a indicate, respectively, the rear forks, the lower
stays and the crank shaft bearing; a7 indicates the pedal crank shaft provided with
the sprocket wheel a and pedals a°; and a10 indicates the chain connecting the
sprocket wheels a³ and a³; all of which parts may be of ordinary construction.
As shewn in Figure 1, when the improved casing is applied in working position,
both of the sprocket wheels and also chain are completely encased, so that no dust or
dirt can find its way into the interior of the casing. This consists of two hoods each
having end parts .b b'. They are substantially U-shaped in cross section and, when
placed in working position, the parts b form disc-like sides which cover the sprocket
wheel a; and likewise the parts b¹ similarly cover the sprocket wheel a³. The
parts 6 have central semicircular half seats 62, which when brought together form
passages for the pedal crank shaft a". The inside half seats 62 have inwardly extend-
ing half collars 68 which embrace the end of the crank shaft bearing a³, and are
firmly held by a divided clamp c, the flanges of which are drawn together by bolts c¹
or otherwise. The parts 6' are made with elongated half seats b₁ which, when the
parts 6 are put together form passages for the rear spindle a², and permit its longi-
tudinal adjustment to take up the slack of the chain a¹0. In each half casing the end
parts bbi are rigidly connected by channel shaped middle parts 65 which cover the
inside face and parts of the sides of the chain. The outer margins of the parts b b¹
and 65 are shouldered or crimped, as indicated at 66.
The cover for parts 6 61, 65 and the chain consists of channel pieces g which are
bent, at their ends, to conform to the outer marginal shoulders 66, and are held
together at the rear by a hinge g¹, and at their front ends by lugs g² secured together
by a thumb-screw g³. Thus the two parts of the cover g are firmly secured
together, and clamped on the shoulders 60 of the parts b b¹, 65.
In order to keep the slots b always closed, notwithstanding the adjustment of the

page_text: rear wheel, overlapping plates k, having slots k¹ are adapted to slide in suitable guide-
ways formed between keeper lugs 2, secured on the inside of the parts 61. The
overlapping plates k are placed with their slots k¹ a straddle of the spindle a², in
reverse directions, so as to closely fit the one, the spindle a², the other, the nave of
the wheel a³. The overlapped plates k move with the wheel and spindle in their
adjustments keeping the slots 64 closed so that dust can not enter through them.
In order further to secure the rear end of the casing to the frame, it is preferred to
employ a small link p, which is pivoted to the outer side of one of the parts b¹, as
shewn at p¹, and is secured to the outer side of the other part b¹ by a screw p². This
link p tightly clamps the rear parts 61 61 to the rear fork prong of the frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A casing for velocipede driving gear consisting of two parts which cover the sides
of the sprocket wheels and the inner faces and part of the sides of the chain, and of
two other parts hinged and clamped together which cover the edges of the sprocket
wheels and the outer faces of the chain substantially as described with reference to
the drawings.