Improvements in Interchangeable Gear for Velocipedes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 9th May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Interchangeable Gear for Velocipedes.
I, JOSEPH TIXHON-LAGUESSE of Flèron Belgium, Builder, 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 present invention relates to improved mechanism applicable to the driving
chain wheel of a velocipede and which has for its object to enable the gear to be
easily increased or decreased by operating a suitably arranged rod or lever, for the
purpose of enabling a velocipede to be readily propelled over rough or hilly ground
or to enable a high rate of speed to be maintained when the roads and other
conditions are favourable.
In order that this invention may be more fully understood I will now proceed to
describe same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a
side elevation of my improved gearing mechanism with the ring which covers saine
removed and Fig. 2 is a section on line ar, Fig. 1.
In my improved arrangement the rim of the wheel carrying the teeth which
engage with the chain is removable from the rest of wheel as hereinafter described.
Upon the axis a of the pedals is mounted a toothed wheel b while the boss of the
wheel carries the rings c, d (Fig. 2) which support the crown or rim f fixed by the
said ring d, the rings c and d being kept in their places by smaller rings g, g'.
The ring e supports several pairs of cogged wheels or rollers h, h which gear or
mesh with one another which also gear with the toothed wheel b and the toothed
inner periphery of the wheel rim f
The ring c also supports a catch i the lower edge of which is formed with a rack
or toothed and held or retained in position by a spring m, the said catch being
provided with a projecting arm n passing through an opening o formed in the ring c.
This projecting arm or catch is controlled by a suitable lever capable of being
unloosened and fixed on the machine, it is used at the same time to fix the ring o
when the catch is unloosened.
The operation of my improved gearing is as follows:-
In the normal position of the catch it engages or meshes with the toothed
wheel b, in such a manner that the ring c is connected with the said wheel b. In
this case the toothed wheels or rollers h, h, cannot move and as they are connected
with the wheel b and the rim f, the result is that all the different parts of which.
the transmission or chain wheel is composed, are fixed tightly together and only
rotates once for every revolution of the pedal.
If it is required to reduce the gear that is to reduce the rate of rotation of the
transmission wheel in proportion to the number of revolutions of the pedals, it is
only necessary to raise the catch i which may be effected by means of any suitable
lever and retain it in its raised position.
In this case the ring e not being connected with the toothed wheel 6 and being
kept stationary by the operating lever, the wheel b, as it revolves, puts into motion
the small wheels or rollers h, h, which latter in their turn transmit the motion to.
the toothed inner periphery of the rim f, which then turns in the same direction
as the wheel 6 but at a slower rate proportionately to the relative sizes of the
wheel b and said toothed inner periphery of rim f.
It will thus be seen that in this way the catch i can be raised or lowered while
riding by means of a suitably arranged operating rod or lever.
The mechanism of the catch i or the means employed for fixing together the

page_text: wheel b and ring c may be varied, the method shown in the accompanying drawings
being merely given by way of illustration.
The mechanism above described instead of being mounted upon the pedal axis
could be mounted upon the axle of the back wheel of the machine, in which case
the increased or high gear would be brought into use when the catch i was raised
while the lower gearing would be obtained when the catch was lowered or engaging
with the wheel b for the purpose of locking all the working parts together.
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. The improved interchangeable gear for velocipedes consisting of the toothed
wheel b mounted upon the pedal axis, toothed wheels or rollers h, h' disposed upon
an independent ring placed between the wheel b and the rim f in such a manner
that they engage with the wheel b and the toothed inner periphery of the rim f
the whole arranged in combination with a suitable catch or fixing device such as i
by means of which they may be all locked together when required, substantially as
herein described and shown and for the purposes specified.
2. The improvements in interchangeable gear for velocipedes substantially as
herein described and shown in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 12th day of March 1896.
F. G. CASSELL
(Of Cassell & Co.),
22, Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, London, W.,
Agent for the Applicant.