Improvements in or connected with Differential Driving Mechanism for Cycles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Differential Driving Mechanism
for Cycles.
We, WILLIAM LANE, Merchant, ALFRED DONEY, Merchant, ROBERT KELLOW,
Gentleman, and SAMUEL KEAT, l'ostmaster, all of Pen Argyl, in the County of
Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, 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 that class of driving mechanism for cycles involving
differential speed driving devices, and the object of the invention is to provide
an apparatus of the character specified including simple and easily-operable
means for obtaining instant changes in the speed of the cycle or for throwing
the driving mechanism out of action so that the rider can coast.
With these ends in view, the invention consists in the novel combination of
elements and in the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be
hereinafter fully described and claimed.
To enable others to understand the invention, we have illustrated the pre-
ferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of
this specification, and in which―
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle equipped with differential speed
driving mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention, and with
parts broken away to show more clearly said mechanism and certain of the
devices for controlling the operation of the primary driving members.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan view, the section being taken on the line 2-2,
Figure 1, and the clutch which couples the driving members alternately to the
crank axle being represented as occupying its intermediate or ineffective
position.
Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3, Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the clutch, the clutch-shifting device and
the intermediate ring.
Figure 5 is a sectional front elevation of the mechanism employed by the
rider for operating the clutch-shifting device.
Like characters denote like and corresponding parts in each of the several
figures of the drawing.
It is obvious that the differential speed mechanism constituting the subject-
matter of the present invention can be applied to different kinds of foot-propelled
and analogous vehicles, but the same is represented as mounted on a bicycle of
the familiar diamond form, and the front and rear wheels of which are desig-
nated respectively by 2 and 3, and the differential speed mechanism is housed
within a casing 4 secured to the framework of the cycle intermediate the front
and rear wheels.
The casing supports the axles or shafts 5 and 6 and the shaft 5 preferably
sustains the differential speed-driving devices represented as consisting of
sprocket-wheels 7 and 8, the sprocket wheel 7 being materially larger than the
sprocket wheel 8, and it is employed when the high speed is desired.

page_text: These two sprocket wheels are loose upon the front axle 5 and are
adapted to be coupled thereto through the medium of a clutch, whereby
they can be alternately thrown into action for the purpose of rotating the
axle 9 of the rear wheel 3, and consequently said wheel, to drive the cycle,
through the agency of intermediate mechanism. The intermediate axle 6 is
provided with the sprocket-wheels 10 keyed to said axle at opposite sides thereof
and in line, respectively, with the sprocket-wheels 7 and 8 and connected
respectively thereto by means of chains 12 and 13. The sprocket-wheels 10 are
conveniently formed in one piece with the longitudinal axle 6. The inter-
mediate axle carries a sprocket-wheel 15 connected by the sprocket-chain 16 to
the sprocket-wheel 17 on the rear wheel axle 9, and it will be evident that when
the loose sprocket-wheels 7 and 8 are alternately connected to their supporting
axle 5, the latter will be rotated, thereby serving to drive the rear wheel either
fast or slow in accordance with the primary sprocket wheel which is in action.
All of the rotative parts herein before described are mounted upon ball-
bearings which serve their usual function.
A clutch, as 18, is mounted for sliding movement longitudinally of the driving
axle 5 and is rotative with said axle and is adapted to be connected to either
of the primary sprocket wheels or to occupy a position midway between them,
and this axle 5 is polygonal, as at 19, at the place where the clutch is supported
thereon, the faces serving as convenient means to lock the clutch to the axle,
although it is evident that other means can be employed for keying the clutch
to the axle.
The axle is provided at its opposite extremities with cranks 20 of ordinary
construction provided with any desired pattern of pedals by which they can be
actuated.
The clutch is consists of a sliding sleeve having projecting pins 21 upon its
opposite faces adapted to engage in corresponding openings in the adjacent
faces of the primary sprocket-wheels, and the clutch sleeve has two peripheral
annular flanges 22, the space between the same constituting
a groove to receive
the split ring or collar 23. The two sections of the split ring have ears 24
extending outwardly and oppositely therefrom, and the ears on one section fit
against those on the other and are adapted to receive screws or other fastening
devices to hold the parts in assembled relation, and this ring is adapted to be
operated laterally by means of an actuating device supported for reciprocation
transversely of the crank-axle 5. The ears 24 have diagonal registering
openings 25 to receive the correspondingly disposed diagonal pins 26 at the
opposite ends of the segmental bar 27, which partly surrounds the ring 23, and
which is connected at its middle with the stem 28 of different diameters and
which is supported for sliding movement. The larger portion 29 of the stem
slides in the sleeve 30 secured in the lower end of the front tube 31 of the
bicycle, and the smaller portion of the stem projects through the guide ring 32
disposed in said tube intermediate its ends and held in place therein by screws
or similar fastening devices.
In Figure 2, the parts are shown as being in their idle positions, the clutch 18
occupying a place midway between the primary sprocket-wheels 7 and 8, so
that by thrusting down upon the stem 28 the said clutch, through the agency
of the angularly disposed pins 20, acting against the ring 23 fitted in the
groove on the clutch, will act to throw the latter into engagement with the large
sprocket-wheel, and the elevation of said stem will serve to throw the clutch
into engagement with the small gear, whereby fast or slow speeds can be secured.
When the clutch is in its intermediate position, both the sprocket wheels will
be idle so that the rider can coast.
The link 33 is pivoted at one end to the stem 28 and is likewise jointed at
its opposite end to the hand lever 34 fulcrumed upon the steering head tube
and adapted to be operated by a rider to throw the two primary sprocket-wheels
alternately into and out of action, and this hand lever is located within con-

page_text: venient reach of the rider and is provided with means for holding it in a fixed
position, thereby to maintain either one of the sprocket wheels just mentioned
in working relation. A bracket 35 is secured to the tube 31 and has perfora-
tions or openings to receive the detent or pawl 36 supported for reciprocation
by the superposed parallel guides 37 on the hand lever, and this dog is held
in one of the three openings by means of the spring 38, encircling its stem
and fitting against a shoulder thereon and also against the upper guide 37.
The link 39 is pivoted respectively to the stem of the detent 36 and to the
small elbow-lever 40 pivoted at its angle near the upper end of the hand lever.
The elbow-lever, when manipulated, serves to elevate the detent or pawl out of
the opening in which it is held, thereby to permit the shifting of the hand
lever 34 so as to throw either of the wheels 7 or 8 into action through the
medium of the slidable clutch 18 and other described connections. The coiled
spring 38 serves to maintain the detent or pawl in the opening in the bracket 35
in which it is seated.
Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details of construction,
within the scope of the appended claims, may be resorted to without departing
from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
-
1. In a driving mechanism of the class specified, the combination with an
axle, of differential driving members carried thereby, a clutch slidable between
said members, and a clutch-operating device having a diagonal pin, substan-
tially as described.
2. In a driving mechanism of the class specified, the combination with an
axle, of differential driving members carried by said driving axle, a second
axle provided with members operatively connected with and actuated by said
driving members, a clutch slidable between the said differential driving members,
a ring carried by the clutch, and a clutch-operating device having a diagonal
pin located to engage said ring, substantially as described.
3. In a driving mechanism of the class specified, the combination with an
axle, of two sprocket wheels carried thereby, a second shaft provided with
sprocket wheels connected by sprocket chains with said first-mentioned sprocket
wheels, a clutch slidable on said first-mentioned axle between the sprocket
wheels thereon, a ring carried by said clutch and provided with oppositely-
disposed ears having diagonal openings, and a clutch-operating device provided
with diagonal pins projecting through said openings, substantially as described.
4. In a driving mechanism of the class specified, the combination with an
axle, of differential driving members carried thereby, a wheel operatively con-
nected with said axle, a clutch slidable between said differential driving members,
a ring on the clutch provided with ears having diagonal openings, a clutch-
shifting device furnished with diagonally-disposed pins projecting into said
openings, driving means for said clutch-shifting device, a hand lever, and a
link pivoted respectively to the hand lever, and to said clutch-shifting device,
substantially as described.
5. In a driving mechanism of the class specified, the combination with an
axle, of differential driving members carried thereby, a wheel operatively con-
nected with said axle, a clutch slidable between said differential driving members,
a ring on the clutch provided with ears having diagonal openings, a clutch-
shifting device furnished with diagonally-disposed pins projecting into said
openings, driving means for said clutch-shifting device, a hand lever, a link
pivoted respectively to the hand lever and to said clutch-shifting device, a
toothed sector, and a pawl on said hand lever adapted to co-operate with said
toothed sector, substantially as described.
6. In a driving mechanism of the class specified, the combination with an

page_text: axle, of differential driving members carried thereby, a wheel operatively con-
nected with said axle, a clutch slidable between said differential driving members,
a ring on the clutch provided with ears having diagonal openings, a clutch-
shifting 'device furnished with diagonally-disposed pins projecting into said
openings, driving means for said cluich-shifting device, a hand lever, a link
pivoted respectively to the hand lever and to said clutch-shifting device, a device
having openings on said hand lever, a pawl, guides on the hand lever for said
pawl, a spring acting respectively against one of the guides and against said pawl,
and a second lever mounted upon the hand lever and operatively connected" to
said pawl, substantially as described.
7. In a driving mechanism of the class specified, the combination with an
axle, of differential driving members carried thereby, a clutch slidable between
said driving members, a ring carried by the clutch, and a clutch-shifting device
provided with diagonal pins adapted to engage said ring and supported for
reciprocation transversely of said axle, substantially as described.
8. In a driving mechanism of the class specified, the combination with an
axle having a polygonal portion, of differential driving members carried by
said axle, a clutch slidable on said polygonal portion and between said driving
members, a ring carried by the clutch and provided with oppositely disposed
ears having diagonal openings, and a clutch shifting device supported for
reciprocation transversely of said axle and having a segmental portion provided
with pins fitted in said openings and disposed at the same angle, substantially
as described.
Dated this 17th day of April 1899.
For the Applicants,
J. G. LORRAIN, M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech.E.,
Norfolk House, Norfolk Street, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.