Year: 1894

page_text: I, EDWARD AUGUSTUS JEFFREYS, of 10 Wetherby Terrace, Earls Court, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object an improved gearing for cycles, especially
applicable to safety bicycles, of such construction that the speed of the driving
wheel or wheels is not limited by that of the pedals.
In carrying my invention into practical effect as applied to a rear driving safety
bicycle, I substitute for the usual pedal cranks, bell crank levers secured at the
apex of their angles to the ends of the usual crank axle but so that they stand at
about right angles to one another.
The free ends of the arms of each of said levers, (which arms are preferably of
greater length than the ordinary pedal cranks) are connected together by a rod or
suitable tie piece, and on the end of one of said arms a suitable pedal is mounted,
whilst one end of a gear chain is connected to the end of the second arm.
These gear chains pass round chain wheels mounted loosely on each end of the
hub of the driving wheel and from thence extend to, and are wound round a drum
mounted loosely on the driving axle or other part of the bicycle in opposite
directions and their ends then secured to said drum.
Suitable clutches are provided between the chain wheels and the hub of the
driving wheels so that the former can only revolve loosely on the latter in one
direction and this 1 prefer to do by placing balls or rollers between said gear
wheels and the hub. These balls or rollers are arranged in inclined slots or
recesses in the interior of the chain wheel bosses or exterior of the hub, so that
when one of the said chain wheels is revolved by the depression of the pedal
connected to the chain operating it, the balls or rollers tend to roll to the
narrowest part of the slots or recesses and become jambed between said chain
wheel and hub of the driving wheel so causing both of these to revolve together.
When however, the motion of said chain wheel is reversed by the upward travel of
the pedal the balls or rollers tend to roll towards the widest part of the slots or
recesses and freeing themselves allow the chain wheel to revolve freely on the
hub of the driving wheel. Any suitable clutch other than that above described
may however be used between the chain wheels and hub of the driving wheels if
found desirable for the same purpose.
Dated this och dan of Mauch 1001
CASTLE SMITH,
Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: 1, EDWARD AUGUSTUS JEFFREYS, of 10 Wetherby Terrace, Earls Court, in
the County of Middlesex, 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 has for its object an improved gearing for cycles especially
applicable for safety bicycles, of such construction that the speed of the driving
wheel or wheels is not limited by that of the pedals.
In order that my invention may be readily understood and carried into practical
effect, I will describe same as applied for example to a rear driving safety bicycle,
by reference to the accompanying drawing whereon is shown at Figures 1 and 2
sectional plan views of driving mechanism, the connecting chains having been
removed, and Figure 3 is an elevation of a,rear driven safety bicycle showing the
invention applied thereto.
According to my invention I substitute for the usual pedal cranks, two bell
crank levers A A', and B B', secured at or about the apex of their angles to the
ends of the axle or shaft C. With reference to Figures 1 and 3 the levers are
secured in such manner that the said shaft C is free to revolve independently of
the motion of the said levers A and B the latter having ball bearings intervening
between their bosses and the shaft C while the shaft C is itself carried in ball
bearings in the sleeve D of the frame E of the machine.
The free ends of the arms A. A' (A A' and B B being preferably of greater
length than the ordinary pedal cranks) are connected together by a rod, wire, or
other suitable tie piece A2, the free ends of the arms B B₁ being similarly
.connected by the tie B, and upon the ends of the arms A and B suitable pedals F F
are mounted whilst the ends of the arms A' B' each have gear chains A³ B³
connected thereto.
These gear chains A³ B³ pass respectively round and gear with chain wheels G G¹
mounted loosely on each end of the hub of the driving wheel G2 and to which hub
the chain wheels become clutched at proper times." For this purpose suitable
clutches are provided between the chain wheels G G¹ and the hub of the driving
wheel G2 as aforesaid so that the former can only revolve loosely on the latter in
one direction; the description of clutch I prefer to employ is of the roller or ball
clutch type. The balls or rollers are arranged as usual in inclined slots or
recesses in the interior of the chain wheel bosses, or exterior of the hub, so that when
one of the said chain wheels G G¹ is revolved by the depression of the pedal connected
to the chain by which it is operated, the balls or rollers tend to roll to the
narrowest part of the slots or recesses and become jambed between said chain wheel
and hub of the driving wheel so causing both of these to revolve together. When
the motion of said chain wheel is reversed by the upward travel of the pedal the
balls or rollers freeing themselves allow the chain wheel to revolve on the hub of
the driving wheel. Any other suitable type of clutch, other than that above
described, may be used between the chain wheels, and hub of the driving wheels if
found desirable for the same, purpose.
In order that one pedal lever A may become raised by the action, and during
the time the opposite pedal lever B is descending, I prolong the gear chains A³ B³
after passing round the chain wheels G G', by lengthening the chains themselves,
or by adding a length of strap, cord, or wire, and the chains thus extended are
wound in opposite directions round drums H H₁ the ends being secured thereto,
the chain A passing to the drum H and the chain B3 to the drum H. These
drums H H¹ are fixed upon the axle C, and the action of drawing off one chain.

page_text: rotates the axle and rewinds the other and raises the pedal lever; it is obvious that
the rewinding wheels H H' may be mounted upon other parts of the bicycle if
desired say for example between the rear stay tubes, or the pedal levers may be
raised independently of the chain action by making the wheels H H' toothed as at
Figure 2 and dividing the shaft C to allow the wheels H H to revolve inde-
pendently, they being connected by an idle wheel H³, at the same time keying the
pedal levers and wheels H, H' onto the divided shaft C; the slack of the chains
may be taken up either by the rewinding wheels as described mounted on some
other part of the bicycle or by springs or the like heretofore commonly employed
with chain and clutch driven cycles.
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. In driving mechanism for cycles- the combination, of the levers A A¹ A²
and B B B2 carried on a shaft C, having pedals F and chain connections A³ B³ to
chain wheels G G₁, the latter provided with clutch connections to the driven wheel
or wheels G² together with the mechanism whereby the pedal levers are alternately
raised and the slack of the chain taken up all substantially as set forth.
2. In driving mechanism for cycles, the drums or wheels H H mounted upon
the driving axle or other part of the bicycle in combination with pedal levers A A'
and B B, and the chains A³ B' extending from the levers, round the chain
wheels G.G', and wound in reverse directions around the said drums HH', the
ends being secured thereto substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In driving mechanism for cycles, the means or apparatus described and shown
for raising one pedal lever by the action and during the time the opposite pedal
lever is descending and for taking up the slack of the chain together with the chain
wheels G G or their equivalents and clutch connections to the driven wheel or
wheels all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this oth day of December 1904.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicant.