Improvements in Variable Speed Gear.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Sept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 23rd June, 1899—Accepted, 5th Aug., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Variable Speed Gear.
I, HEINRICH SCHNEIDER, of 1, Luftbad-gasse, Vienna VI., in the Empire of
Austria, Locksmith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to that class of variable speed gear for bicycles, wherein twó
bevel wheels loosely mounted upon the crank-shaft gear with a third bevel
wheel loosely mounted upon a pivot perpendicular to the crank shaft, one of
the bevel wheels on the crank-shaft carrying the chain wheel and the other
bevel wheel being adapted to be rigidly connected either to the shaft or to the
bottom bracket. When it is connected to the shaft, the chain wheel makes one
revolution for each revolution of the shaft; on the other hand, when the said
bevel wheel is fixed to the bottom bracket, the chain wheel must make two
revolutions for each revolution of the pedal-shaft.
The invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective clutch
enabling the rider to change the connection whilst riding.
According to the invention the hub of the bevel wheel, which is adapted to
be connected with the crank shaft or the bottom bracket, has pivoted to its end
face a two-armed coupling-lever adapted to swing round an axis parallel to
that of the said bevel wheel; the said lever having a coupling tooth protruding
outwardly from its front end and another coupling tooth inwardly protruding
from its rear end, the terms "front end" and rear end being understood
relatively to the hub turning with the shaft.
Notches are made in the hub of the bevel wheel and in the crank-shaft to
correspond with the outwardly projecting coupling-tooth, and notches adapted
to engage with the inwardly projecting coupling-tooth are formed in the bottom
bracket and in the hub of the bevel wheel.
Under ordinary circumstances, the rear end of the coupling lever, carrying
the inwardly projecting coupling tooth, is kept raised by a spring, and the out-
wardly projecting coupling tooth at the front end of the lever is thereby caused
to engage with the corresponding notches in the shaft and hub.
For the purpose of disengaging the front end tooth and throwing the rear
end tooth into engagement, a change lever is provided, this lever being arranged
upon the bottom bracket and having its front end connected by suitable draw
rods, or the like with a hand lever on the back of the frame, near the handle-
bars, while its rear end is adapted to press upon the inwardly projecting coupling
tooth.
As the coupling lever, when the bevel wheel is rigidly connected with the
crank shaft, revolves with this shaft, on changing the change lever will usually
be pressed downwards before the coupling tooth has, got under the said lever.
In order to keep the requisite space free for the inwardly projecting coupling
tooth, a cheek or the like is pivoted to the rear end of the change lever."
spring keeps this check in a downwardly extending position, so that on the rear
end of the change lever being lowered, the said cheek first places itself upon

page_text: the notch of the bottom bracket, and is afterwards swung aside by the coupling
tooth passing below the change lever.
Dated the 26th day of September 1898.
Improvements in Variable Speed Gear.
I, HEINRICH SCHNEIDER, of 1, Luftbad-gasse, Vienna VI., in the Empire of
Austria, Locksmith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to that class of variable speed gear for bicycles, wherein two
bevel wheels, loosely mounted upon the crank-shaft, gear with a third bevel
wheel loosely mounted upon a pivot perpendicular to, and integral with, the
crank shaft, one of the bevel wheels on the crank shaft carrying the chain wheel
upon its nave, which projects outside the bottom bracket, and the other bevel
wheel being adapted to be rigidly connected either to the shaft or to the bottom
bracket.
The invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective clutch
enabling the rider to change the connection whilst riding.
According to the invention, the hub of the bevel wheel, which is adapted to
be connected with the crank shaft or the bottom bracket, has pivoted to its end
face a two-armed coupling-lever adapted to swing round an axis parallel to
that of the said bevel wheel; the said lever having a coupling tooth protruding
outwardly from its front end and another coupling tooth inwardly protruding
from its rear end, the terms front end" and rear end" being understood
relatively to the hub turning with the shaft.
..
Notches are made in the hub of the bevel wheel and in the crank-shaft to
correspond with the outwardly projecting coupling-tooth, and notches adapted
to engage with the inwardly projecting coupling-tooth are formed in the bottom
bracket and in the hub of the bevel wheel.
The outwardly projecting coupling-tooth is caused by a spring, under ordinary
circumstances, to engage with the corresponding notches in the shaft and hub,
and for disengaging the said tooth and throwing the rear end tooth into engage-
ment, a change lever is arranged upon the bottom bracket and suitably connected
by draw rods with a hand lever on the back of the frame.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of that portion of the bicycle frame which carries
the hand lever:
Figure 2 is a top view of the bottom bracket:
Figure 3 is a sectional rear elevation of the said bottom bracket:
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the bottom bracket showing the rear end
coupling-tooth engaged; and
Figure 5 is also a side elevation of the bottom bracket, the end of the crank-
shaft being cut away and the front end coupling-tooth engaged.
It will be seen from Figure 3 that a pivot a made integral with, and per
pendicular to, the crank shaft a, has loosely mounted upon it, by means of bal
bearings, a bevel wheel b. At either side of the said bevel wheel b, and meshing
with the same, bevel wheels c and d are, by means of ball-bearings loosely mounted
Oll the shaft a. The right hand bevel wheel¸c carries upon its nave, which

page_text: round which
I and
protrudes laterally from the bottom bracket g, the chain wheel
the driving chain runs to the chain wheel on the hub of the rear wheel.
The nave of the left hand bevel wheel d also projects from the bracket
has secured to it a disc h, into a radial extension or lug h¹ of which the pivot j
The said coupling-lever j has
of the two-armed coupling-lever is screwed.
an outwardly projecting coupling-tooth formed at its front end and an inwardly
projecting coupling tooth at its rear end. The front end tooth extends by
the side of the nave of the pedal crank k, and the rear end tooth extends by
the side of the outer periphery of the bottom bracket g. The notches 2 in the
disc and in the nave of the pedal crank k, correspond to the front coupling
tooth and the notches in the disc h and gl in a flange-like swell g² on the side
of the bottom bracket correspond to the rear end coupling tooth. The
spring secured to the coupling-lever has one branch bearing against the
disc h and the other branch against the rear end of the coupling-lever, as clearly
visible in Figure 5, and consequently tends to keep the front end coupling-
tooth engaged with the corresponding notches of the disc hand k¹ of the
nave of the pedal crank k. Owing to this engagement, the bevel wheel dis
rigidly connected with the crank shaft a and its movements are, by the bevel
wheel b, transmitted to the bevel wheel c carrying the chain wheel f, as if there
were a rigid connection between the wheels b and c. Consequently the chain
wheel f.makes as many revolutions as the shaft a. For the purpose of clamping
the bevel wheel d, by means of the other coupling-tooth, to the bottom
bracket g, a change lever m is pivoted to a radial lug on the bottom bracket.
The rear end of this lever m is provided with a broadened portion or shoe m¹
the outer edge of which projects over the path of the rear end coupling tooth
so that this tooth can be pressed downward by the said shoe m'. For the purpose
of pressing the rear end of the lever m, that is to say the shoe m¹, upon the
coupling-tooth, the front end of the said lever m is by means of the draw-
rod n, the bell crank lever ¹ and the draw-rod ² connected with a hand lever,
The
which is pivoted to the back of the bicycle frame below the handle bars.
hand lever and its guide are secured to a collar clamped to the top tube
of the bicycle frame, and a locking dog is provided for locking the hand lever
in either of its positions.
When the mechanism is moved from the position shewn in Figure 5 to that
shewn in Figure 4 by the hand lever being pushed forward, the shoe m¹ at the
rear end of the lever m is first lowered, after which the coupling-tooth glides
under the shoe m¹ whereby it is caused to enter the notches h³ and g¹ of the disc h
and the bottom bracket y, respectively. As it may happen, when the bicycle is
driven at a high speed that the coupling-tooth may strike the shoe mi suffi-
ciently hard to cause breakage, the said shoe m' has pivoted to it a cheek m³,
which a spring m³ coiled round its pivot tends to keep in the position shewn in
Figure 5. Now, when the front end of the change lever m is raised by the draw-
rod, the cheek m² first enters the notch gl, of the swell of the bottom bracket g
and thereby keeps free a sufficient space for the coupling-tooth to enter below
the shoe m. When the coupling-tooth enters its notch it brings the check m²
into the position shown in Figure 4. The bevel wheel & having been in this
way clamped to the bottom bracket g, the bevel wheel 6 must, when the cranks k, k
are operated, roll round the bevel wheel d, whereby the bevel wheel c is not
only carried along, but also directly driven and consequently caused to make two
revolutions for one revolution of the shaft a.
For changing from the position shewn in Figure 4 to that illustrated in
Figure 5, the hand lever is pulled backwards, whereby the front end of the
change lever m is lowered and the spring permitted to disengage the coupling-
tooth In order that the coupling-tooth is then surely engaged with the
notch of the nave of the pedal crank there is secured to the said nave a
sheet metal rim along which the coupling-tooth slides into the notch..

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I'declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In variable speed gear for bicycles, comprising a bevel wheel (b) loosely
mounted on a pivot (a) integral with and perpendicular to the crank shaft and
loosely mounted to the crank shaft on either side of the other wheel with which
they are meshing two bevel wheels (c-and d) one of which (c) has the chain wheel
secured to its outwardly extended nave, a speed changing clutch characterized by
a two-armed lever () pivoted to the outwardly extended nave of the other bevel
wheel (d) and having its front end provided with an outwardly protruding coupling
'tooth (2) to which correspond notches in the extended nave and in 'the crank
shaft, and its rear end with an inwardly protruding coupling tooth () to which
correspond notches in the extended nave and in the bottom bracket, substan-
tially as herein before described.
2. In a speed changing clutch of the kind described in the first claiming
clause a change-lever (m) arranged upon the bottom bracket and connected by
suitable draw-rods to a hand-lever (³) pivoted to the back of the frame, the
said change lever being adapted to force the rear end of the coupling lever (7)
downwards, which said lever () is pressed in the opposite direction by a spring
"substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In speed changing clutch of the kind described in the first and second
claiming clauses, a cheek (m²) pivoted to the rear end of the change-lever, which
is held in a particular position by a spring, and adapted to maintain, when the
change-lever is lowered a space free for the coupling-tooth to enter, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved variable
speed gear, herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 23rd day of June 1899
:
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.