Improvements in and relating to the Propelling and Retarding Mechanism for Bicycles and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Mar., 1899 -Accepted, 15th Apr., 1899
Improvements in and relating to the Propelling and Retarding
Mechanism for Bicycles and the like.
A communication from abroad by JOSEPH ALBERT LITTLE, of Lawrence, County
of Essex, State of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, Skilled
Mechanic.
I. ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES, of 55 and 56, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the production of propelling mechanism for
bicycles and the like, of such construction that the shaft of the driving wheel
is connected with the pedal shaft so that by means of a clutch and a brake for
the driving wheel the operator may apply the brake by or through retardation
or retrograde movement of the pedal shaft, the clutch at such time disconnecting
the driving wheel from the power transmitting connection between the shaft
of said driving wheel and the pedal shaft.
The pedal or crank shaft has secured to it a sheave around which passes the
power transmitting connection which is preferably made as a flexible endless band
of suitable material, such for instance as woven wire, said power transmitting
connection passing over a second sheave mounted upon the hub of the driving
wheel and adapted to be connected therewith at times by a suitable clutch device.
The arrangement of the clutch mechanism is such, that when the hub of the
driving wheel rotates faster than the adjacent sheave, the clutch will be released,
whereas if the sheave is positively rotated the clutch will operate and rotate the
driving wheel in unison therewith.
The periphery of the sheave adjacent the driving wheel may be concave and
provided with a friction surface to receive the power transmitting connection.
In order to obviate the use of chains, links or toothed gearings as a power
transmitting means between the crank shaft and the driving wheel, I make use
of frictional driving gear embodied in an endless flexible band or belt, and
I provide means for properly gripping such belt or band to the driven sheave.
This grip I attain by mounting a gripping roll or sheave adjacent the driven
sheave in such manner that it serves to maintain the belt or band with a rolling
grip in engagement with the peripheral friction surface of the driven sheave,
that is to say, the sheave adjacent the wheel at a point on the common normal
to the curved surfaces of the sheave and roll.
I may also make use of a gripping roll to hold the belt or band in proper
engagement with the driving sheave.
With such an arrangement the upper portion of the driving belt or band will
be under tension, and the lower portion between the gripping rolls will be slack
and will move in a direction opposite to the upper or tension portion of the
belt or band.
If the rider desires to "coast," i.c. to allow the machine to run but to discontinue
driving it, he maintains the crank or actuating shaft stationary to thereby release

page_text: the clutch by the forward movement of the hub of the vehicle wheel, so that the
wheel will rotate freely entirely independent of the sheave adjacent thereto.
I provide braking for the vehicle by employing a compressible brake member
to cooperate with a portion of the hub of the vehicle wheel, and this compressible
brake member may be a flexible metallic band having secured to its inner side
a wedge shaped strip of leather, raw hide or other suitable material to enter a
peripheral groove of the cooperating brake member, application of the brake
stopping rotation of the vehicle wheel connected with the power transmitting
connection.
The compressible member of the brake is operated by an actuating device which
latter is inoperative when the vehicle is going ahead, but upon reversal of
movement of the power transmitting belt or band, the actuating device will be
operated to tighten or compress the brake member and thereby apply the brake.
A pawl and ratchet device is a very convenient form of mechanism for this
purpose, but any other suitable clutch mechanism may be used so long as one
member of such clutch is connected with and controls the operation of the com-
pressible brake member while the other member of the clutch is governed by
the power transmitting mechanism.
When it is desired to stop or retard the movement of the vehicle the crank
is rotated in the reverse direction by so called back pedalling, such retrogression-
simultaneously rendering inoperative the clutch-like brake actuator, so that the
propelling power is removed from the driving wheel and applied to the brake
to thereby retard the rotation of said wheel, making a very effectual and rapidly
operative brake mechanism.
D1
101
2000
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and relating to the Propelling and Retarding
Mechanism for Bicycles and the like.
:7
A communication from abroad by JOSEPH ALBERT LITTLE, of Lawrence, County
of Essex, State of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, Skilled
Mechanic.
I, ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES, of 55 and 56, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 has for its object the production of propelling mechanism for
bicycles and the like, and the various features of my invention will be fully
illustrated and described in the accompanying drawings and specification and set
forth in the claims.
In the drawings, Figure 1, in side elevation, represents a sufficient portion of
the driving shaft and driving wheel of a bicycle or similar vehicle to be understood
with the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, taken on the
line, Fig. 3, of the clutch and brake mechanism applied to the hub of the
driving wheel. Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line ¹¹, Fig. 4, of
the driving wheel hub and clutch mechanism; and Fig. 4 is a section taken
on the irregular line y-y, Fig. 3, looking toward the leftri.c. from side A2
toward line yy.
I have herein shown the invention as applied to a bicycle or similar vehicle

page_text: provided with a rear or driving wheel A, rear fork A¹ therefor, driving or crank
shaft B, having usual pedal cranks B', and a support B2, having suitable bearings
(not shown) for said crank shaft. The sheave b is secured to the crank shaft B
to rotate therewith, the periphery of said sheave being preferably concaved to
receive therein the driving belt 6 of suitable cross section, herein shown as a
cylindrical endless band preferably made of wire cable. The belt 61 passes over
a sheave a, herein shown as mounted upon the shoulder a¹ of the hub a of the
driving wheel and radially cut away, as at a² (see Fig. 4) to receive clutch-dogs as the
said dogs being rounded at their outer ends, as at a³, to rest in correspondingly con-
caved bottoms of the cut away portions a², the said dogs bearing upon the shoulder a¹.
Suitable means are provided, herein shown as coiled springs s, seated in recesses a
in the sheave and intersecting the cut away portions a², to normally maintain the
said dogs in the full line or inoperative position shown in Fig. 4, the sheave and
dogs forming one member of a clutch mechanism to operate the driving wheel,
the hub forming the other member of said clutch mechanism, as clearly shown
in Figs. 3 and 4. The inner ends of the dogs as are eccentric to the shoulder a
of the hub and when in their normal inoperative position permit the hub and
wheel to be rotated in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4, independently of the
sheave. If, however, the sheave is positively rotated in such direction, the friction
exerted by the hub upon the dogs à will turn them into, the dotted line position
to firmly engage with the said hub, or, in other words, throwing the clutch
into operative position and positively rotating the driving wheel. The periphery
of the sheave is concaved and is provided with a friction surface or tyre t to
receive therein the driving belt 1, rubber forming a good friction-surface for
the belt to act upon.
The hub is provided with a recess a to receive therein suitable friction balls a¹0,
said balls being retained in position by a cover plate all, secured to the face of
the hub by suitable screws 3, the cover plate being of sufficient diameter to extend
beyond the outer ends of the clutch dogs. a to retain them in place in. the sheave
and also to retain the sheave on the shoulder a' of the hub..
The bushing A2 and the conical bearing nut A3, forming a part of the bearing
for the balls a, are and may be of usual construction, the same forming no part
of this invention.
Owing to the noiselessness of frictional driving gear when compared with chains,
links, or toothed gearing, its use would be greatly extended were it not for
the loss of power heretofore encountered in apparatus so constructed, owing to the
absence of a proper gripping relation between the driving belt or band and
the driven sheave. In this invention means have been devised whereby this
desired gripping relation is established, with a consequent enormous increase
in tractive effect and general efficiency. In Fig. 1 I have shown a brace B³ as
secured to the projecting end of the bushing A2 of the driving wheel and to the
crank shaft support B. said brace being slotted at 2 and 3 to receive the ends
of studs 4 and 5, suitably secured in adjusted position by set nuts 4, a gripping
roll or sheave, as e, being free to, rotate upon the inner end of the stud b, and
having a grooved periphery to be engaged by the lower intermediate portion
of the belt between the sheaves and a, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This roll
is fixed immediately adjacent the sheave, where it serves to maintain the band
with a rolling grip in engagement with the peripheral friction surface of the
sheave a at a point on the common normal to the curved surfaces of the sheave
and roll. On a stud 65, intermediate the sheaves and adjacent the driving sheave b,
is free to rotate a roll or sheave c', also preferably grooved to receive the lower
intermediate portion of the driving belt b and serving to hold the belt around a
large portion of the periphery of the driving sheave and to direct it freely there-
from to the gripping roll and driven sheave. To permit removal of the belt b',
the rolls may be moved away from their respective sheaves by means of the slots.
in the brace 3 and the supporting-studs.
Rotation of the crank-shaft B in the direction of the arrow 10, Fig. 1, will

page_text: cause the upper portion of the belt, which will be under tension, to travel in
the direction of the arrow 9, Fig. 1, the lower slack portion, which passes over the
rolls cc, travelling in the opposite direction and causing them to rotate in the
direction of the arrows thereon, the sheave a being rotated in the direction
opposite to that of the arrow 5, Fig. 1, or in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4,
to throw the clutch into operation, as has been described, thereby rotating the
driving wheel and propelling the machine in a forward direction. In coasting,
if the rider maintains the crank shaft B stationary, the clutch will be released
by the forward movement of the hub a and the driving wheel and its hub will
rotate entirely independent of the sheave a, forming one member of the clutch
mechanism. The wheel-hub is cut away to form a shoulder a¹² between the
sheave and the inner face of the hub, and an annular brake member d rests
in and is secured to said shouldered portion by suitable screws 6, the brake
member being put in place upon the hub and secured thereto before the sheave a
is applied. The periphery of the brake member dis grooved, as shown at d¹,
Fig. 3, and a cooperating compressible brake member, herein shown as a flexible
metallic band, has secured to the inner side thereof a wedge shaped strip of
leather, rawhide, rubber, or other suitable material to enter the groove of the
brake member when the brake is to be applied and stop rotation of the driving
wheel. An eye is formed in one end of the band to receive the stud 64, on
which the roll rotates, the other end of the band being secured by a flexible
connection, as do, to a grooved ring d, loosely supported upon the stud b* at
the inner side of the roll c. In Fig. 2 this ring is partially broken out to show a
series of teeth 8 thereon to be engaged by a pawl, pivotted to the roll e, the
pawl being so arranged that it will not engage the ratchet teeth when the roll is
rotated in the direction of the arrow 20, Fig. 2, by the belt b¹, as it will be when
the vehicle is going ahead, but will simply pass over them. When, however, the
direction of movement of the belt is reversed, as it would be by back pedalling,
the roll will be rotated in a direction opposite to the arrow 20, Fig 2, and the
pawl will engage the ratchet teeth and cause the ring to rotate with it,
whereby the band will be tightened or compressed, forcing the wedge-like
strip firmly into the grooved periphery d' of the brake member d and stopping
the rotation of the driving wheel.
Any suitable clutch mechanism may be used in place of the pawl and ratchet
herein shown, so long as the roll forms or controls one member of a normally
inoperative clutch, the other member of said elu'ch being connected to and con-
trolling the operation of the compressible brake member when the clutch is
thrown into, operation.
From the foregoing description and drawings it will be evident that so long
as the vehicle is positively propelled in a forward direction the clutch mechanism
between the driving belt and driving wheel will be operative to rotate the latter,
and at the same time the clutch like actuator for the brake will be normally
inoperative and maintained so by the engagement of a portion of the belt. When,
therefore, it is desired to stop or retard the movement of the vehicle, the crank
shaft is rotated in the reverse direction by so-called "back pedalling," such retro-
gression simultaneously rendering inoperative the clutch like brake actuator, so
that the propelling power is removed from the driving wheel and applied to the
brake to retard the rotation of said wheel, making a very effectual and rapidly
operative brake mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a bicycle or the like, a crank shaft, a driving wheel, a sheave on each,
a belt connecting said sheaves, a clutch intermediate said driving wheel and its
sheave whereby rotation of the belt in one direction positively rotates the driving
wheel, free rotation of the belt in the reverse direction being permitted, a guide

page_text: roll for and to be rotated by the belt, a brake on the drive wheel, and connections
between said roll and brake, whereby rotation of the belt in the reverse direction
and consequent rotation of the roll sets the brake, substantially as described.
2. In a bicycle or the like, a driving wheel, normally operative clutch
mechanism to rotate it in one direction, a crank shaft, a driving-belt between
said shaft and clutch mechanism, combined with a band brake for the driving
wheel, and an actuator therefor, mounted independently of the driving wheel and
crank shaft, connections between said actuator and said belt, to positively operate
the former by said belt and controlled by the direction of movement thereof,
retrograde movement of the belt simultaneously releasing the propelling clutch
mechanism and throwing into continuous operation the actuator of the band
brake, substantially as described.
3. In a bicycle or the like, a driving wheel and a driving shaft, a sheave on
each, a slack belt connecting said sheaves, and a guide roll adjacent to and to
hold the belt against each sheave, with the slack of the belt between the rolls,
combined with a peripherally-grooved friction surface rotatable with the driving
wheel, a V-shaped flexible band cooperating therewith, and connections between
said band and one of the guide rolls, to tighten the V-shaped band, when the
direction of rotation of the roll is reversed, substantially as described.
4. In a bicycle or the like, a driving wheel, a brake member secured thereto,
a clutch sheave loosely mounted upon the wheel hub, dogs carried by said sheaves
to engage the hub and rotate the wheel in one direction, a crank shaft, a sheave
fast thereon, and a slack driving belt connecting said sheaves, combined with a
compressible brake member, a guide roll adjacent to and to hold the belt against
the clutch sheave and forming one member of a normally inoperative clutch,
and a second member of said clutch connected to the compressible brake member,
retrograde movement of the driving belt reversing the direction of rotation of said
guide roll and simultaneously releasing the clutch sheave on the driving-wheel and
actuating the normally inoperative clutch to set the brake, and maintain it set,
substantially as described.
5. In a bicycle or the like, a driving wheel, normally operative clutch
mechanism to rotate it in one direction, a crank shaft, and connections between
said shaft and clutch mechanism, combined with a brake for the driving-wheel,
and an actuator therefor comprising a normally inoperative clutch controlled by
the direction of rotation of the crank shaft, retrograde movement of the crank
shaft simultaneously releasing the propelling clutch mechanism and throwing into
operation the brake-actuator clutch, substantially as described.
6. In a coasting and braking device for cycles, the combination with a driving
belt, a clutch, and a brake, of means engaging the driving belt and connected with
the brake, for operating the same when the driving movement of the belt is
reversed.
7. In a cycle, a driving wheel and its shaft, an independent pedal-shaft, and
a connection between said pedal-shaft and the driving wheel, including a clutch
and a power transmitting member, combined with a brake, and means controlled
by the pedal shaft to operate the brake.
8. In a cycle, a driving wheel and its shaft, an independent pedal shaft, and
a connection between said pedal shaft and the driving-wheel, including a clutch
and an endless flexible power-transmitting member, combined with a brake, and
means controlled by the pedal shaft to operate the brake.
תנים
101 JM 1800
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.