An Improved Means of Adjusting the Tension of Chains of Safety Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 17th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Means of Adjusting the Tension of Chains of Safety
Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, ARTHUR ISAAC BERNARD MAXFIELD, of 70, Great Colmore Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the herein described means for adjusting the distance
between the back wheel axle, and the driving crank axle of a safety cycle so
as to adjust the tension of the driving chain. My invention is similarly applicable
to other chain driven vehicles. In carrying out my invention I employ a slotted
lever of metal, the fulcrum of which is the axle itself. The short end of lever
being fixed to a stud or mearly slipped on to the usual screw used to connect the
back stays to the back fork end the lever is carried downwards, a slott being cut
in the portion covering the parallel slott in back fork end this slot is made
sufficiently long to allow the axle to move from one end to the other, in the fork
end. The bottom lip of fork end is indented with serations, cut in a radius
from the before mentioned stud or screw, corresponding serations in the bottom
portion of lever.
These serations engage with one another when the nut on axle
is tightened up and thus prevents the axle from moving after the proper tension
of chain has been obtained.
Dated 16th day of January 1899.
An Improved Means of Adjusting the Tension of Chains of Safety
Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, ARTHUR ISAAC BERNARD MANFIELD, of 70, Great Colmore Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion 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 the provision of simple, effective, and convenient
means for readily adjusting the tension of cycle or other vehicle driving chains.
In order that my invention may be the more readily understood, I append
hereunto a sheet of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter referred to.
Figure 1 is an elevation showing the outer side and Figure 2 an elevation
showing the inner side of a portion of a cycle frame rear end fitted with my
improved chain adjustment.

page_text: Figure 3 is an end elevation showing the adjustment, the tube end cap being
removed in this figure.
Figure 4 is an end elevation and Figure 5 a side elevation showing the tube
end cap alone.
The same reference letters in the different views indicate the same parts.
Upon each of the specially formed slotted rear ends or forks as A in which the
axle B is mounted, I pivot a slotted lever C, the axle end being caused to pass
through the central portion of the lever as illustrated. On releasing the clamping
nuts such as D on each end of the axle B the said axle can be adjusted to any
required position within the limits of the slot a by a movement of the lever C
about its pivot.
To secure the axle in position after adjustment, indents are formed in a radial
line along the lower inner portion of the fork end A, as illustrated at Figure 2.
for engagement by a corresponding snug or projection forced out from the metal
plate constituting the lever C. The said engagement of the parts is preserved by
the tightening of the clamping nut D.
To permit of convenient access to the clamping nut D a slot as a¹ is formed along
the lower portion of the outer side of the fork end A. The open extremity of A
is closed by a cap such as E.
It will be understood that a fork as A with axle adjustment lever C is pro-
vided on each side of the cycle frame rear end. The lower ends of the mud-guard
stays, as F, are also secured to the forks, in the manner shown.
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―
The arrangement and combination of parts whereby the rear or other axle as A
of a cycle or other vehicle can be readily adjusted in position and effectually
secured after adjustment, substantially as and for the purpose described and as
illustrated
Dated this 16th day of November 1899.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and, 25, Cross Street, Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.