Improvements in or relating to Driving Chains for Cycles, or for other purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 20th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 6th Mar., 1897
ROVISIONAL DI MULTICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Driving Chains for Cycles, or for
other purposes.
We JOHN WILLIAM DEANS, Engineer, of Gowthorpe Road, WILLIAM DUNN
FOSTER, Manufacturer, of 7, Westbourne Grove, and ROBERT JOHN FOSTER,
Manager of 1, Westbourne Grove, all in Selby, in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to chains (usually known as driving chains) for transmitting
motion either for cycles or any other machines or purposes where such chain
driving gear is used or applicable-the object of the present invention being to
facilitate the chain running onto or off the radial arms projections or teeth of the
chain wheels or sprocket wheels used in such chain driving gear and consequently
this invention prevents or reduces friction and may be conveniently termed an
anti-friction ball bearing driving chain.
According to this invention a ball or sphere of any suitable material
(advantageously hardened steel balls such as those now largely used for "ball
bearings" for the wheel axles, crank shaft, etc.) is supported or held between the
two sides of each link in such manner that each such ball or sphere is free to
revolve or turn or move in any and every direction that is the ball or sphere is not
pivoted or mounted on any spindle or fixed axis.
We find it advantageous to employ two such loosely arranged balls in each link
in such positions and at such a distance apart from one another as to permit the
radial arm or tooth or projection of the spur wheel or sprocket wheel to enter
between the two said balls or to enter between the ball and other part of the link
when one ball only is used.
The chain may be constructed in any suitable manner and the links of said chain
may be of any suitable pattern size and shape to suit our purpose hinged or jointed
together in any suitable manner with blocks or distance pieces between or the
links on one side may be held or kept the requisite distance apart from-but
connected to the links on the other side by any suitable means or in any desired
manner.
For instance a driving chain may be arranged and constructed according to our
present invention as follows:-
Flat or other suitable strips of metal of suitable length are hinged or jointed
together in pairs by riveted pins passing through same and through a suitable
block or distance piece at each end of each link thus formed such block or distance
piece being if desired of cylindrical or other suitable shape and adapted to act as a
roller or revolve on the pin or axis on which it is mounted or may be fixed or
non-revolvable as desired.
On the inside faces of each said strip or link (near one end and exactly opposite
one another) according to this invention a socket recess cup cavity hole or opening
or other suitable device is provided to form a bearing or means for holding the
ball (loosely) in the desired position in between the two sides of the link and a
second ball is similarly or otherwise suitably held at or near the other end of said
link and so on with each link throughout the chain.
Thus the spoke or radial arm or tooth of the sprocket or chain wheel can freely
enter between these two balls in each link as the latter are free to revolve in any

page_text: and every direction the tooth or radial arm makes a rolling contact with the ball
or balls of the chain and thereby friction is prevented or reduced to a minimum
both as regards the driving wheel and the driven wheel.
The bearings or means for holding the balls in position may if desired be so
arranged as to permit a certain amount of play or movement of the balls along or
in the link cither longitudinally or otherwise.
Each ball in the chain is advantageously held or arranged with respect to the
aforesaid block or distance piece or equivalent in such manner that same can come
in contact and thus the power or driving strain transferred from the teeth of the
driving sprocket wheel to the balls and thereby to the chain (and similarly in
imparting the power again from the chain through the opposite balls to the teeth
of the driven wheel) is conveyed from the ball to the chain (and vice versa) by the
ball pressing directly against the aforesaid block or distance piece and consequently
avoiding undue strain on the bearings or means by which the balls are held in
position.
If desired balls may be loosely arranged in or on the teeth or radial arms of the
sprocket or chain wheel or rollers may be pivoted or journalled or otherwise
suitably mounted or arranged in or on said teeth or radial arms to form rolling
contact surfaces but no claim whatever is made herein to any such rolling contact
surfaces in or on the sprocket wheel.
. Or if desired the radial arms or teeth of the sprocket or chain wheel may be
grooved or otherwise suitably formed or arranged in any desired manner to
co-operate or work in conjunction with a chain having ball bearings therein
according to this invention.
Dated this 14th 1
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or relating to Driving Chains for Cycles, or for
other purposes.
We, JOHN WILLIAM DEANS, Engineer, of Gowthorpe Road, WILLIAM DUNN
FOSTER, Manufacturer, of 7, Westbourne Grove, and ROBERT JOHN FOSTER,
Manager, of 1, Westbourne Grove, all in Selby, in the County of Yorks, 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 chains (usually known as driving chains) for transmitting
motion either for cycles or any other machines or power-transmitting purposes
where such chain-driving gear is used or applicable-the object of the present
invention being to facilitate the chain running onto or off the radial arms projections
or teeth of the chain wheels or sprocket wheels used in such chain-driving gear and
consequently this invention prevents or reduces friction and may be conveniently
termed an anti-friction ball bearing driving chain.
According to this invention a ball or sphere of any suitable material (advan-
tageously hardened steel balls such as those now largely used for "ball bearings"
for the wheel axles or crank shaft of cycles, etc.) is supported or held between the
two sides of each link in such manner that each such ball or sphere is free to
revolve or turn or move in any and every direction that is the ball or sphere is
not pivotted or mounted on any spindle or fixed axis.

page_text: We find it advantageous to employ two such loosely arranged balls in each link
in such positions and at such a distance apart from one another as to permit the
radial arm or tooth or projection of the spur wheel or sprocket wheel to enter
between the two said balls or to enter between the ball and other part of the link
when one ball only is used.
The chain may be constructed in any suitable manner and the links of said
chain may be of any suitable pattern size and shape to suit our purpose hinged or
jointed together in any suitable manner with blocks or distance pieces between or
the links on one side may be held or kept the requisite distance apart from-but
connected to the links on the other side by any suitable means or in any desired
manner.
For instance a driving chain may be arranged and constructed according to our
present invention as follows:-
Flat or other suitable strips of metal of suitable length are hinged or jointed
together in pairs by pins passed through same and through a suitable block or distance
piece and rivetted at each end of each link thus formed such block or distance piece
being if desired of cylindrical or other suitable shape and adapted to act as a
roller or revolve on the pin or axis on which it is mounted or may be fixed or
non-revolvable as desired."
On the inside faces of each said strip or link (near one end and exactly
opposite one another) according to this invention a socket recess cup cavity hole
or opening or other suitable device is provided to form a bearing or means for
holding the ball (loosely) in the desired position in between the two sides of the
link but so that said ball can revolve in any and every direction and a second
ball is similarly or otherwise suitably held at or near the other end of said link
so that same can also revolve in any and every direction and so on with each link
throughout the chain,
Thus the spoke or radial arm or tooth of the sprocket or chain wheel can freely
enter between these two balls in each link and as the said balls are free to revolve
in any and every direction the said tooth or radial arm makes a rolling contact
with the ball or balls of the chain and thereby friction is prevented or reduced
to a minimum.
The bearings or means for holding the balls in position may if desired be so
arranged as to permit a certain amount of play or movement of the balls along
or in the link either longitudinally or otherwise.
Each ball in the chain is advantageously held or arranged with respect to the
aforesaid block or distance piece or equivalent in such manner that same (i.e. the
ball and the block) can come in contact and thus the power or driving strain
transferred from the teeth of the driving sprocket wheel to the balls and thereby
to the chain (and similarly in imparting the power again from the chain through
the opposite balls to the teeth of the driven wheel) is conveyed from the ball to
the chain by the ball pressing directly against the aforesaid block or distance
piece (and vice versa) and consequently avoiding undue strain on the bearings or
means by which the balls are held in position.
If desired balls may be loosely arranged in or on the teeth or radial arms of the
sprocket or chain wheel or rollers may be pivotted or journalled or otherwise
suitably mounted or arranged in or on said teeth or radial arms to form rolling
contact surfaces but no claim whatever is made herein to any such rolling contact
surfaces in or on the sprocket wheel.
Or if desired the radial arms or teeth of the sprocket or chain wheel may be
grooved or otherwise suitably formed or arranged in any desired manner to
co-operate or work in conjunction with a chain having ball-bearings therein
according to this invention.
Obvious modifications of this invention would consist in applying non-pivotted
rolling contact-surfaces of other than exactly spherical shape for instance a some-
what egg-shaped or convex or a straight-sided roller may be used with rounded
ends which latter would be held loosely in bearings (forming a counterpart to such

page_text: roller ends) arranged in said links so that these rollers or rolling contacts would
be thus loosely mounted (without pivotting same) in said links and free to revolve
therein or loose (ie. non-pivotted) rollers might be arranged and mounted in any
other suitable manner in said links for instance instead of rounded ends the said
ends may be formed as a truncated roll which is held in position by turned-over
flanges or insets in the link.
Such modified constructions however would not permit the contact surfaces to
revolve or turn in every direction as with the loosely mounted sphere first
described.
These non-pivotted rollers would of course be so arranged and mounted with
respect to the fixed blocks or rollers at the end of each link as to be able to
touch same as with the balls.
We will now proceed to describe our present invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a side view partly in section,
Fig. 2 a cross section on line 1-1 Fig. 1, and
Fig. 3 a plan of one form of driving chain viz.: with jointed links and balls
therein according to our present invention.
Fig. 4 is a side view, Fig. 5 a cross section on line 2-2 Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 a
plan of an ordinary chain (with rather longer links than usual) having our
improvements applied thereto.
Fig. 7 is a side view (partly in section) Fig. 8 a cross section on line 3-3
Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 an underside plan (i.e. looking in the direction of the arrow)
of another construction of chain and links known as a "lever-chain" having our
present improvements applied thereto.
Fig. 10 shows a chain with one ball only in each link.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.
Referring to Figs. 1 to 3:-
Each link is formed of two parts A B rivetted or otherwise suitably jointed
together at A' and each such link A B connected up to the next link by means of
a rivet or pin such as B¹ and a distance block or roller C in the usual or any
suitable manner.
DD are the balls which in this arrangement are mounted in the links by
forming a hole E right through each side plate of each link and countersinking
each such hole E on the inside face of each link so as to thus form a concavity
corresponding to the contour of the balls D each of which latter is thus held
securely between the two opposite holes E in each pair of side plates A A or B B
(forming the link A B as aforesaid, but in such manner that the balls D are free
to revolve in any and every direction-see Fig. 2-the sides of the links being held
apart by the blocks or distance pieces C aforesaid.
In order to prevent these balls D from being forced out of their sockets or
bearings in the links and also in order to avoid undue strain or wear upon vaid
bearings or sockets in said links we arrange and mount these balls D in such
position in the link that each ball is proximate to and touches or almost touches
the fixed block or distance piece C and is so close to same that when driving
strain (or any other strain or pressure) is put upon said ball in the direction of the
length of the chain said ball D will be forced against (ie. into actual contact
with) its proximate block or roller C (which latter may be adapted to revolve)
which latter consequently receives the strain and imparts same to the chain (and
vice versa) and thereby prevents or reduces the strain or wear upon the bearings of
said balls.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 4 to 6-cach link A is formed of single
plates jointed together at B with blocks or distance pieces C as before described
or in any other suitable manner each such plate or part of the link A having two
sockets or recesses F formed therein in any suitable manner (for instance by
embossing stamping etc.) so that the ball D is held securely in these bearings or

page_text: sockets in the links close to the distance block C and at the same time is free to
revolve in every direction as before described.
Thus the spoke or radial arm or tooth of the sprocket or chain wheel can freely
enter between these two balls in each link as the latter are free to revolve in any
and every direction the tooth or radial arm makes a rolling contact with the
ball or balls D of the chain and thereby friction is prevented or reduced to a
minimum.
Referring now to Figs. 7 to 9:-
The links A are formed of peculiar shape (for which no claim separately is
made herein) with the distance pieces or block C mounted on the axes B' therein
as shown.
The balls D are mounted and held in a position perpendicular to said distance
blocks C (instead of in a horizontal line therewith as in the other figures of the
drawings) and proximate thereto so as to just touch.
The socket or bearings for said balls in a chain of the character illustrated in
Figs. 7 to 9 may be of any suitable description-in the arrangement illustrated
said bearings being formed by means of cups or sockets G each of which latter is
concave on its inner face and having a stud or rivet head H of sufficient length to
pass through the links and be rivetted on the exterior thereof whereby each such
bearing for balls D is fixed and retained in position as shown in the drawings.
In Fig. 10 a single link chain is shown somewhat similar to the chain shown
in Figs. 4 and 5 with the difference that in the case illustrated in Fig. 10 only one
ball D is arranged in each link mounted so as to revolve freely in any direction-
as described with reference to Figs. 4 and 6. In this case the spokes teeth radial
arms or projections of the sprocket or toothed wheels will enter in the space
between the ball D and the more distant block or distance piece C which latter in
such case may advantageously be a roller.
In the cases illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 (and Figs. 11 to 16) such spokes radial
arms or teeth on the sprocket wheels or toothed wheels (around which said chain
runs) would enter in the space between the two balls D in each link and thus this
said ball bearing chain will readily run on and equally readily run off said spokes
or sprocket teeth and will also readily run on and off the teeth in the arrangement
illlustrated in Figs. 7 to 10.
In Figs. 11 to 16 another construction is shown viz.: means to prevent the balls
from being forced out of the links especially where the links are jointed or hinged
and such means consist essentially in bracing the links laterally; also if desired
same may be formed with a step or lug projecting inwardly from each link of the
chain to bear on the periphery of the sprocket wheel and prevent the balls coming
in contact with said periphery.
Fig. 11 is a side elevation,"
Fig. 12 is a plan, and
Fig. 13 a cross sectional view (on line 13-13 Fig. 11) of a chain showing such
modification.
Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are corresponding views to Figs. 11 to 13 only showing
another modification in the construction.
Referring to Figs. 11 to 13 :-
The sides of each link are formed of two parts A B jointed together at A¹ (as in
Figs. 1 to 3) and said sides connected at each end by pin such as B' and distance
block or roller C as before (couvex or barrel-shaped rollers C being shown) the
balls D also being mounted as before described.
The side plates A (or B) of each link are braced together by having outwardly
extending lugs or projections I thereon and a cross pin such as J rivetted firmly to
each opposite pair of these lugs or projections I and thereby each side plate A is
rigidly connected (or "braced" as we term it) to the corresponding opposite
side plate A (or the opposite side plates B may be thus braced together if desired)
and consequently the side plates of each link are prevented from being forced apart
i.e. forecd open.

page_text: Xian inwanlly extending Ing or projection on said side plates A & B to bear
against the periphery of the spracket wheel around which this chain runs to prevent
said periphery touching the balls D or forcing same out of the chain or have any
tendency so te de.
Referring now to Figs. 14 to 16 the opposite side plates A in each link are made
all in one with the bridge piece or connection K'integral therewith thus giving
great rigidity laterally to the links at the joints A' as well as affording facility of
manufacture and reducing the number of parts in the chain-the other parts of the
chain being the same as before described."
Fig. 17 shows a link plate or blank for forming links of rather greater length
than usual in cycle driving chains and Fig. 18 shows side view of part of a chain
made up of such non-jointed link plates each opposite pair being connected or
braced at the middle portion thereof by the cross-tie or pin J see Fig. 19 which is
cross section on line a-a (Fig. 18) Fig. 20 being plan of Fig. 18.
C is fixed block or roller and D' the loosely mounted ball held in the concavities
embossed or otherwise formed to receive same in said links.
Figs. 21 to 23 show another arrangement-the opposite side plates or pair of
link plates and cross-tie or brace K connecting same being all made (stamped) out
of one piece of metal as shown in Fig. 21 and same is then bent into shape shown
in cross section in Fig. 22 and side elevation in Fig. 23-the balls D being mounted
or held therein as before explained.
Fig. 24 is a plan of a chain according to the present invention with concave
roller or block C therein.
Fig. 25 shows a different form of concave roller or block C detached from the
chain.
Fig. 26 is side view of a link and Fig. 27 cross section on line b-b (Fig. 26)
showing another construction in which no concavity is formed in or on the side of
the link the ball being held in top and bottom by the turned-over flange or
angle-piece A and in one longitudinal direction by the roller or block C and in the
other longitudinal direction by an inset of the link at A or it may be by a stud
or swelling formed or arranged at such point for this purpose-the ball D being free
to revolve in any direction in its box or case thus formed.
Fig. 28 shows a similar box or casing made for the ball D-only both sides of
the link and the top are made of and bent out of a single sheet or strip of
suitable material (e.g. sheet metal) the edges A" of which are turned inwards to
hold the ball therein while longitudinal movement of the latter is limited as before.
described with reference to Figs. 26 and 27.
Fig. 29 shows cup bearings G (which may be either formed or mounted-
for instance separately mounted as shown in Figs. 8 & 9-on the inside face of
the links) for the balls D.
Figs. 30 and 31 show non-pivotted rolling contact surfaces of other than exactly
spherical form Fig. 30 showing an approximately egg-shaped roller which is
loosely mounted in the link by means of the rounded ends D thereof hedding
in the corresponding concavities in the links to form step bearings for said
roller ends.
Fig. 31 is a truncated or flush-ended cylinder or roller D which is non-pivotted
but is held in the link and is free to revolve within the box or case formed to
receive same by turning in the flanges A etc. after the manner described with
reference to Fig. 27.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The application of balls in a driving chain arranged and combined substan-
tially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described.
2. The combination with a driving chain for cycles or for other purposes of balls
so arranged and mounted in the links of said chain as to be adapted to revolve in

page_text: any and every direction and cross bracings such as J or K to such links substan-
tially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
3. In driving chains for cycles or for other purposes having fixed blocks rollers
or distance pieces such as C mounted therein the combination with the links of said
chain of two balls mounted in each of said links close to and capable of touching
said distance blocks or rollers but in suchwise that said balls are free to revolve in
any and every direction in said links substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before set forth.
4. In driving chains for cycles or for other purposes having fixed blocks rollers
or distance pieces such as Ċ mounted therein the combination with the links of
said chain of a ball or balls mounted in each of said links close to and capable of
touching said distance blocks or rollers and means to hold said balls in said links
in such a manner that said balls are free to revolve in any and every direction
in said links substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before set
forth.
5. The combination with the links of a driving chain for cycles or for other
purposes having blocks rollers or distance pieces such as C at the junction of each
pair of links of balls such as D mounted in the links adjacent to each side of said
blocks or rollers and capable of touching the latter and bearings or means provided
in or on said links or said links so formed as to be-adapted to retain said balls
in position while allowing said balls to be turned in any and every direction
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and as illustrated in
the drawings hereunto annexed.
6. The improved driving chain for cycles or for other purposes substantially as
and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated in the drawings
hereunto annexed.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.