Improvements in or counected with the Driving Mechanism of Cycles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in or counected with the Driving Mechanism of Cycles.
JAMES PRICE, 95, High Street, Maidstone, Watch Maker, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows: —
My invention relates to the driving-mechanism of cycles.
One object of my said invention is to provide for the adjustment of the cups or
cones of the hub-bearings.
Another object of my said invention is to provide a clutch which is adapted to
establish operative connection between the parts both in front-pedalling and back-
pedalling, whilst enabling the driving-wheel to rotate independently while the
pedals are held stationary. I thus provide a free-wheel cycle in which both front-
pedalling and back-pedalling are possible.
The hub is the usual barrel shape with long neck cones extending through caps
fixed to spindle by two milled edges, the cups are long cylindrical shape fitted
friction tight in barrel and grooved to receive indent that is in hub to prevent
cup slipping round with hub; cap screwed on outside of hub to cover oil-retaining
washers and keep cups in position, also to adjust cups to bearings; spindle to be
grooved and tongue piece project into groove from clamp that is to secure fork
to spindle when screwing nuts on spindle.
The chain-wheel is mounted loosely on hub with cam attached to actuate
levers to clutch hub when driving forward or backwards by pressing levers thereby
drawing tight clamp ring in groove in disc of hub, this clutch and clamp to be
used on cycles.
JAMES PRICE,
95, High Street, Maidstone.
Improvements in or connected with the Driving Mechanism of Cycles.
JAMES PRICE, Watch Maker, Jeweller, &c., of 95, High Street, Maidstone, Kent,
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: —
My invention relates to the driving-mechanism of cycles, and has for its object
to provide a clutch which, whilst permitting free or independent motion of the
rear or driving wheel when the pedals are held stationary, will come into action
and establish operative connection with the said driving-wheel both when the
pedals are driven forward and when they are driven backward. The rider is thus
[Price 8d1

page_text: afforded the advantage of being able either to drive the cycle forward by front-
pedalling, or to coast with a free wheel, the wheel continuing to revolve while
the pedals are held stationary, or to arrest or retard the forward motion of the
cycle by back-pedalling.
For this purpose I provide the driving-gear with a clutch constructed and
operating as follows, viz:-The rear toothed wheel or sprocket-wheel of the
driving-gear is mounted loosely on the hub of the rear or driving wheel of the
cycle, and is provided with a cam or with suitable shoulders to actuate pawls
or levers pivotally connected to a clamping band or ring, so as to cause the said
band or ring to clutch the hub both when the said toothed wheel or sprocket-
wheel is driven forward and when it is driven backward.
I find it advantageous to mount two pivoted clamping-levers on the said band
or ring, in such a manner that, when acted upon by the said cam or shoulders
on the toothed wheel or sprocket-wheel, they will be turned through a small angle
about their pivots and will thus be forced against the hub and will cause the said
band or ring to tightly clutch the hub.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical longitudinal central section,
showing one form of my improved clutch.
Figure 2 is a section on the line, Figure 1, showing the parts in the
relative positions which they occupy when the cam or one of the shoulders on
the sprocket-wheel is about to engage with the corresponding clamping-lever, and
Figure 3 is a similar view showing the parts in the relative positions which
they occupy when the levers are kept out of engagement with the said cam or
shoulders as hereinafter described.
•
a is the fixed axle and c is the hub of the rear or driving wheel. d is the
toothed wheel or sprocket-wheel which is mounted on flanges i on the hub c, being
loose or free so that the said hub can revolve independently of it. In the space
between the sprocket-wheel d and the part of the hub surrounded thereby, and
between the flanges i, is arranged a grooved clutch band or ring e. Two pawls
or levers f, f are pivoted in the groove of the said ring e and extend at one
end into slots d', d in the sprocket-wheel d.
When the sprocket-wheel is driven forward, in the direction of the arrow, the
shoulder thereof acts on the lever f and forces the inner end of the same
against the hub, thus causing the band or ring e to tightly clutch the hub on the
opposite side thereof to the lever f, and carry the hub around with the sprocket-
wheel.
When back-pedalling takes place, the shoulder d of the sprocket-wheel engages
with the lever f' and the same action takes place on the clutch hand e as in the
forward pedalling, the clutch band having just as secure a grip of the hub in
either direction.
To prevent the clutch acting and permit the use of a free wheel, a spring
hook is attached to the interior of the sprocket-wheel and is adapted to engage
with a projection or stud h on the band or ring c.
in a hole in the sprocket-wheel and its inner end bears against the said spring
A plunger or pin g¹ is inserted
hook g.
This hook is brought into action by pedalling forward or backward until
the chain is brought over the point of the said plunger or pin and presses the
same inward, causing the spring hook g to engage with the stud h, Figure 3,
so as to hold the clutch band securely to the sprocket-wheel and temporarily
prevent engagement of the shoulders 3, with the levers f, f' and thus permit
the driving wheel to rotate freely while the pedals and sprocket-wheel are held
stationary, the said levers having some slight play in the slots d', d. When the
spring hook g is released by the sprocket-wheel being turned to a position where
the chain no longer presses on the pin g¹, the stud h passes the hook end of the
spring, Figure 2, and the shoulders ₫³, dª can again engage with the said
levers f, f.

page_text: A spring is fixed to the clutch band or ring e and presses on the tail end
of the lever f, this pressure being sufficient to keep the clutch-band steady whilst
the sprocket-wheel is moved backwards or forwards sufficiently to pick up one or
the other of the levers and carry it into action.
Instead of making the sprocket-wheel d with shoulders in slots as shown, I can
if desired, make the same with an internal cam or projection to act upon the levers
to cause the band or ring to clutch the hub. Moreover it is evident that the said
band need not be a complete ring. And the construction of the improved driving-
gear can be otherwise somewhat modified, if desired, without departing from the
nature of my said invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare. that what I
claim is:-
1. A clutch for driving-gear, wherein a band or ring is arranged between two
concentric rotary parts one of which is mounted loosely upon the other and is
provided with a cam or shoulders whereby, when it is rotated in one or the other
direction, it will cause the said band or ring to clutch the other rotary part and
thus operatively connect the two parts, for the purposes above specified.
2. A clutch for driving-gear, comprising a band or ring arranged between the
hub of a driving-wheel and a toothed wheel or sprocket-wheel mounted loosely
upon the said hub, levers pivotally connected to the said band or ring, and a
cam or shoulders on the said toothed wheel or sprocket-wheel adapted, when the
said wheel is rotated in either direction, to turn the corresponding lever about its
pivot and thus cause the said band or ring to clutch the hub, for the purposes
above specified.
3. Driving-gear constructed with a clutch such as is herein before described so
that the driving-wheel is free to rotate while the pedals are stationary, but the
hub of the said wheel will be connected through the said clutch to the rear wheel
of the driving-gear both when the pedals are driven forward and when they are
driven backward, for the purposes above specified.
4. A clutch for driving-gear, comprising a band or ring carrying two pivoted
clamping-levers and arranged between the hub of a driving-wheel and a toothed
wheel or sprocket-wheel mounted loosely thereon, a cam or shoulders on the said
toothed wheel or sprocket-wheel adapted, when the said wheel is rotated in one
or the other direction, to engage with one or the other of the said levers, and
suitable means for temporarily preventing engagement of the said cam or shoul-
ders with the said levers while the said toothed wheel or sprocket-wheel is held
stationary, substantially as herein before described and for the purposes specified.
5. Driving-gear provided with my improved clutch constructed substantially
as described with reference to the accompanying drawing and operating as, and
for the purposes, above specified.