Improvements in Locking Adjustable Bearings of Cycles and other Vehicles, also applicable to other Adjustable Bearings.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13th June, 1894-Accepted, 18th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locking Adjustable Bearings of Cycles and other
Vehicles, also applicable to other Adjustable Bearings.
I, GEORGE PILKINGTON MILLS, of Round Hill Cottage, Beeston, in the
County of Nottingham, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in locking adjustable bearings, more
particularly ball bearings, similar to those used in cycles, whereby the moveable
cone or cup is prevented from getting loose or turning round when the bearing is
and whereby the said moveable cone or cup may be set or fixed securely in
position after being adjusted.
in use,
In carrying out my invention, and in applying the same to, say, a safety, or
similar cycle, I form upon the bottom bracket a lug, at that end of the said bracket
which is threaded for the reception of the moveable cone or cup, and I saw through
the said lug, and partially through the said bracket end, in a direction parallel to
the plane of the diameter of the said bracket end, and at a distance from the
end of the bracket equal to about half the width of the cone or cup, so that by
means of a tightening screw in the said lug, when the cone is adjusted in position
in the bracket, the threads upon the cone or cup, and upon the bracket end, may be
pinched or nipped together without being injured.
In tricycle and like laterally adjusted bearings, where there are two cones or
cups, two saw cuts have to be made side by side and forming two locking bits.
By suitable modification, my invention can be applied to ball and laterally
adjusted shaft and axle bearings generally.
Dated this 16th day of September 1893.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
- Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locking Adjustable Bearings of Cycles and other
Vehicles, also applicable to other Adjustable Bearings.
I, GEORGE PILKINGTON MILLS, of Round Hill Cottage, Beeston, in the
County of Nottingham, Civil 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 the locking of adjustable bearings particularly ball
is prevented
bearings such as are used in cycles, whereby the movable cone or cup
from coming loose or turning round while the bearing is in use and may be set or
fixed securely in position after being adjusted.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1 represents what is commonly known as the bottom bracket of a safety
bicycle with the new locking device applied;

page_text: Figure 2 is a section of a portion thereof showing the locking device and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a short bearing suitable for tricycles and
the like.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The bracket A, Figure 1, may be of any suitable or usual construction, but is
screwed inside at one end as at A' Figure 2, and into this screws the adjustable
cup or cone B recessed as at B' to form the ball race or bearing for the ring of
balls C. The crank or other axle D may be of ordinary construction and has a
collar D against which the balls C are pressed when the cup B is screwed into the
bracket or case A. At the other end of the case, not shown in Figure 2, the axle
is of substantially similar construction to that represented in Figure 2 and the
bracket or case A has another cup more or less similar to B, but not requiring to
be adjusted against which a second ring of balls C would be pressed by the second
collar D' at the other end of the axle; by this means it will be seen that screwing
in the one cup B will adjust both bearings. The object of the invention is to lock
the cup B in the position in which it is set or adjusted and this is effected in the
present invention in the following manner. The bracket or bearing case A is
provided with a lug E which after the inside of the case has been screwed at A' is
divided by a saw cut F passing through the lug and also through a portion of the
bearing as clearly shown in Figure 1; the lug is drilled to receive a set screw or
bolt G which passes freely through the outer portion E¹ of the divided lug, but
screws into the back portion E as shown in Figure 2. The saw cut removes a
certain amount of the metal thus leaving a space between the divided lugs E
and E so that when these lugs are drawn together by the turning of the screw G
the threads of the case A' are also drawn together thus tightly gripping the threads
upon the спр B which engage with them thus preventing B from turning until the
screw G is released.
In Figure 3 the principle is exactly the same but the bracket or bearing A being
a short one instead of a long one and being usually employed in conjunction with
other bearings upon the same shaft it is necessary that both bearing cups B should
be adjusted and therefore both of them should be tightened up; this is effected as
will be seen from the drawing in precisely the same manner as before excepting
that the hearing A is formed with one long lug E in which two saw cuts F, one for
each cup, are made, the three divided portions E E' and E2 being fastened together
either by a single bolt G as shown in Figure 3 or independent screws may be
employed so that only one bearing need be slackened at once.
The operation of Figure 3 will be fully understood by the previous description.
It will be observed that the same effect could be obtained by screwing the bolt G
into the lug E' and allowing its end to take a bearing against the face of the lug E
thus separating the lugs and binding the screw threads of the cup B in the same
manuer as before, but in the opposite direction. I however prefer to effect the
locking by drawing the lugs together in the manner previously described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be
understood that I am aware that it has before now been proposed to lock the
bearing cone of an adjustable ball bearing by entirely dividing the wall of the case
and drawing these parts together thus tending to diminish the diameter of the case
and cause it to grip the bearing cone all round, and that I do not claim such a
locking device. What I do claim is :-
:―
1. Locking the adjustable bearing cone of a ball bearing by dividing a portion
of the case into which the bearing screws and drawing these together or forcing
them apart so as to approximately vary the pitch of the threads substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination with the adjustable bearing cone of a ball bearing of a
partially divided case substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.

page_text: 3. The adjustable bearing locking device substantially as described and illustrated
in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The adjustable bearing locking device substantially as described and illustrated
in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Deted this 6th dow of Tune 1901
G. P. MILLS.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.