Improvements in Cycle Chain Wheels, and in their Attachment.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cycle Chain Wheels, and in their Attachment.
We, GEORGE GILBERT and EDWARD MUSHING, Directors of The Centaur
Cycle Company Limited, of West Orchard Works, Coventry, in the County of
Warwick, Cycle Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention has for its object Improvements in Cycle Chain Wheels and in
their Attachment by which we firstly obtain a much easier mode of changing the
sprocket wheel and thereby enable an alteration of the speed to be readily made by
the substitution of wheels of larger or lesser diameter; and secondly, a reduction
of the width of the boss of the wheel is effected with a consequent reduction of the
width of the tread; and thirdly, additional facility is obtained for access to the
bearings for the adjustment of the cones, oiling of the bearings &c., fourthly,
the crank wheel is secured in position without the necessity of the usual keyway
which weakens the spindle in that part where the greatest strain occurs.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practice we have appended hereunto a sheet of drawings upon which we have
fully illustrated the nature of our said improvements.
Figure 1., is a section through the crank and spindle showing the crank wheel in
elevation.
Figure 2., is a section through Figure 1 on the line 1-2.
Figure 3., is a side elevation of the sprocket wheel detached from the spindle.
Figure 4., is a part section of the crank detached from the sprocket or crank
wheel.
In carrying our invention into effect we provide the sprocket or crank wheel A with
the sleeve a which forms part of the said wheel and fits upon the crank spindle B.
The sleeve a¹ is made to receive the crank D which is mounted thereon, and all
three parts, i.e. the crank or sprocket wheel A, the crank D, and spindle B are
secured together by the one wedge, cottar or pin E which passes through the
top of the crank D at d² the sleeve a¹ of the wheel A. and also engages with the
spindle B securely locking the whole of the three members together and as the crank D
is mounted on the sleeve a¹ with its face babutting against the facing a³ on the
wheel A the necessity for a long projecting boss to the wheel A is obviated and
thus the crank D is brought in close proximity to the wheel A the width of tread
is reduced and a neat appearance is obtained. It will readily be seen that by
simply removing the wedge or cottar E the whole of the crank wheel A. and
crank D can be removed in one piece thus giving ready access to the bearings F
so that the usual back adjusting cone H is freely accessible for the adjustment of the
bearings &c. It also allows of the sprocket wheel A being quickly replaced by one
of a smaller or larger diameter. This latter facility is of great importance as it allows
of the same machine being easily geared to various speeds without the objection of
any adjusting mechanism such as is usually attached to machines of variable
speeds. The usual milled-keyway in the spindle B for securing the sprocket
wheel which weakens the spindle at the point of greatest strain, is by our
improvement entirely dispensed with and the spindle has at this point, viz., b³, its
full section of metal.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
improvements and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is :-
The improvements in cycle chain wheels and their attachment of the wheel A
having a long projecting boss or sleeve a¹ upon which the crank D is mounted in
combination with the locking arrangement E which secures the whole of the three
members A, B, and D together, substantially as herein set forth and shown upon
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th day of April 1894
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.