An Improved Method of Gearing for Driving Bicycles and Tricycles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 13th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Gearing for Driving Bicycles and
Tricycles.
I WILLIAM HENRY HIRST of No. 29 Buckingham Street, Holderness Road in
Borough of Kingston upon Hull and County of Yorkshire, Engine Fitter and
Practical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as.
follows:-
For front driving the gear will be fitted outside of bicycle fork, the small gear
will be keyed to each end of bicycle axle. The larger gear will be fitted with
ball-bearings and roller cogs or ordinary cogs as may be desired, and will work on
a stud in advance of the one to be driven, so that the small gear, will work inside
the other gear and when in gear both revolve the same way the large gear and
pedal lever being combined will act as cover for the gear, pitch of gear not
limited, as it can be pitched to any speed all made of wrought steel and all working
parts hardened.
Dated this 28th day of March 1892
WILLIAM HENRY HIRST.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Gearing for Driving Bicycles and
Tricycles.
I, WILLIAM HENRY HIRST of No. 29 Buckingham Street, Holderness Road
in the Borough of Kingston upon Hull and County of Yorkshire, Engine Fitter
and Practical Engineer, 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 an improved gear for driving velocipedes and consists
in providing each end of the driving wheel axle with a small toothed pinion
gearing into a large toothed wheel carried by a bracket fixed to each end of the
driving wheel fork. These large toothed gear wheels are connected to and
driven by the pedal cranks on each side of the wheel, and the said wheels are made
of a hollow or trough shape in cross section so as to form a case or cover for the
gearing, the small pinions working inside and eccentrically to the large gear wheels.
the teeth of which are preferably in the form of small rollers.
This arrangement of gear
applicable to front wheel driving but for rear
driving the following arrangement is to be used. The two brackets carrying the
large gear or pedal wheels are fixed to the ends of the rear wheel fork the said
wheels gearing with the axle pinions in a similar manner to the first arrangement,.
but in this case the brackets each carry a stud or projection in the same centre line
with but in rear of the wheel axle. To these studs or projections are pivoted
the rear ends of two levers whose front ends are provided with pedals for operating
the gear.
The large gear wheels are each provided with a stud carrying a roller upon.
which bears the lower edge of the pedal lever, a guide bar being connected
to the said lever for the lower part of the roller to bear upon, the upward
and downward movement of the pedal levers thus causing the large gear wheels.

page_text: Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved gear for front driving and Fig. 2 is
an end view thereof partly in section.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation and Fig. 4 a horizontal section of a modified arrange-
ment for rear driving gear and
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the driving wheel axle.
Like letters of reference represent similar parts in each of the views.
a is the driving wheel axle formed with recessed portions a' for receiving the
antifriction bearing balls a² as shown in Fig. 4. b are the brackets fixed to the
ends of the driving wheel forks F these brackets being provided with a removable
cap or portion hinged at 1, Fig. 1, and secured by a bolt 62 for fixing them in
position on the wheel axle. Each end of the axle has keyed to it or is formed in
one with, a small pinion d, and each of the brackets b carries in rear of the axle a,
a large box-shaped gear wheel e provided with teeth or rollers e¹ gearing with the
pinions d, the wheels e revolving on studs ffixed to the bracket b. g represents
the pedal arm or lever fixed by means of the plate or portion ¹ to the gear wheel e
and helping to form with the said wheel e a cover or case for the gearing.
W represents the spokes of the driving wheel a portion only of which is shown, the
gear being similar on both sides of the wheel.
For rear driving I prefer to adopt the arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4
according to which a bracket his bolted at ' to each end of the rear fork of the
machine. Each of these brackets is provided with a stud or projection /' to which
are pivoted the rear ends of two treadle levers i. The bracket is formed with a
projecting part 2 provided with a stud k acting as a bearing upon which the large
gear wheel e revolves, the latter being formed with a boss serving as a bearing for
carrying the antifriction balls k². The wheel e is kept in position by means of the
nut screwed on the end of the stud k, and the inner edge of the wheel e, enters a
recessed portion h³ of the bracket h so as to prevent dust or dirt from getting to
the gearing.
The wheel e is provided with a stud or projection carrying a flanged roller
upon the top part of which the lower edge of the pedal lever i rests, the lower part
of the roller bearing upon a guide bar fixed to the lever i as shown in Fig. 3;
thus as the pedal levers i are worked up and down by the feet of the rider, they
cause the rollers to travel between their lower edges and the guides ², thereby
revolving the gear wheels e and pinions d in a similar manner to that described with
reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.
It is evident that the gear can be made to any required proportion such as two
to one, three to one, &c. and constructed of wrought or cast steel or other suitable
metal.
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 improved driving gear for cycles consisting of the pinions d and gear
wheels e carried by the brackets b and operated by the pedal cranks g substantially
as described and shown in the annexed drawings.
2. The modification as shown in and described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of
the drawings.
3. The improved driving gear for cycles substantially as shown in and described
with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Dated this 1st der of Decembar 1902
F. G. CASSELL,
Of Cassell & Co.,
22, Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, London, W.,
Agent for the Applicant.