MENTS IN CHANGE GEAR APPLICABLE FOR VELOCIPEDES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1885

page_text: We ROBERT ALLEN and WILLIAM JAMES WAKEFIELD of West Challow, Wantage,
Berks, Machinists do hereby declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN
CHANGE
GEAR APPLICABLE FOR VELOCIPEDES
AND FOR
OTHER
PURPOSES " and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
f
The object of this invention is to provide a speed or power gear for velocipedes
(although it may be otherwise applied) which may be readily altered from one
speed to another. We will describe it as applied to velocipedes.
The essential feature of the invention is a gear cone gearing with one wheel on
the driving shaft and one on the driven shaft. Side movement upon their axles
may be imparted to both these wheels when the maximum of difference in speed
or power is attained; or only one of these wheels may traverse on its axle the
other gearing always with the same ring of teeth on the cone-in the former case
the whole three gears must be disengaged before changing and the cone itself must
be moved, while in the latter case only one wheel need be moved-This latter is
the simplest but the range of difference attainable is not so great as in the former
case.
.
•
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation and Figure 2 a side
elevation of the simpler form and Figures 3 and 4 corresponding views of the more
complex form-Figure 5 is a detail of a portion of `Figure 3.
Like letters of reference represent like parts all through.
Commencing with Figure 1, A is the gear cone (which may have any required
number of rings or sets of teeth; in the drawing five rings are shown) B the
driving wheel which gears with it and is free to traverse upon the driving axle C;
D is the driven wheel fixed upon the axle E of the carrying wheels of the machine
if E extends across, or connected with one or both of the carrying wheels in any
suitable manner-D always gears with that ring of teeth upon A to which it is
adjusted and the motion imparted from A to D can be varied in the following
manner.
:
The sleeve R to which is attached the stud R¹ which carries the cone A can be
moved up or down upon the framing F and fixed by the set screw R³ or equivalent

page_text: means; the rod C has five holes C³ at its upper end properly spaced to suit the
five different sizes of the rings of teeth upon cone A-In the drawings wheel D is
shown in gear with the central ring of A supposing it was desired to gear it with
the smallest ring of A, wheel D would be moved to the left along its shaft E until
it was in line with the smallest ring and would then be fixed in that position by
any suitable means-The set screw R2 would be slackened and sleeve R moved up
the framing F until the smallest ring of cone A geared properly with wheel D; the
rods C would be moved up and the pins C passed through the lowest of the
holes C this would have the effect of shortening the rods C³ and raising
the shaft C and wheel B which would thus again be in gear with that ring of A
to which it was adjusted by the lever G as will presently be explained.
If. wheel D was to gear with the largest ring of A the process would be reversed
and the cone A lowered instead of raised and rods C₁ lengthened instead of
shortened.
•
The axle C is carried in bearings C¹ arranged to move upon the frame F by
means of the rods C operated by arms C³ of the rocking shaft C which is operated
by the hand lever G-this lever G takes into steps H₁ of the locking plate H and
may be locked in any one of them by the stud or projection H³ of the spring
locking bolt H³ which enters the hole H provided for that purpose-If the pro-
jection H be placed in one of the top holes H the axle C is lowered so that
wheel B is out of gear with A as when going down hill for instance.
The steps H are so spaced as to bring the wheel B opposite the respective rings
of teeth on cone A when handle G is placed in them-the depths or position of the
bottoms of the steps Hare graduated so as to cause the teeth of wheel B to gear
properly with the teeth of the respective rings of teeth on cone A when lever G is
placed in the steps.
It will be seen by reference to Figure 2 that the hand lever G is jointed, to one
of the arms C³ so that it may be moved horizontally-This enables it to traverse
the plate H and also operate the cranked rod I the upper end of which passes
through a slot in lever G. The lower end of I is connected in any suitable manner
as by the link I¹ and shackle I2 with wheel B so that when crank I is turned
by the action of the lever G it causes wheel B to move along its shaft C upon the
feather C³.
The action is as follows:-
In the Figures the driving wheel B is in gear with the largest set of teeth on A
therefore the gear is arranged for power and not for speed-To alter it the locking
bolt Hs is withdrawn and lever G raised clear of the step H'; this depresses arm C³
working from the centre C, pushes down rods C and thus lowers the bearings C¹
and shaft C and wheel B is thus disengaged from cone A.
As already stated the mechanism can be locked in this position by putting stud H³
into the hole Ho.
The lever G is now moved towards the left in the Drawing turning crank rod C'
and so moving wheel B also towards the left-when it has reached the proper
position to engage with that ring of teeth on A which may be required the lever G
is placed in the corresponding step H¹ and locked there by the locking bolt H³ as
already explained. As lever G is moved down into the step H¹ it raises the
arms C³, rods C, shaft C and wheel B which is thus brought up into gear again
with cone A,
In Figures 3 and 4 both wheels B and D are moveable lengthwise upon their
shafts the feathers C and E¹ causing them to revolve with their shafts-This
movement is effected by the curved lever J pivotted upon the long slide J¹ which
carries the short slide K which moves upon it and from which projects the stud K'
upon which cone A revolves. The link K is jointed to K at one end and to one
arm of a cranked lever L at the other end-L is pivotted at L' to slide J¹ or to an
extension thereof and to its second arm is jointed the link J' which connects it with
lever J. It therefore follows that if the slide K be moved in the direction of the
arrow the link K' operates the crank L and the link J' imparts to lever Ja similar

page_text: movement in the direction of the arrow shown upon J'-Lever J turns upon its
pivot so that while wheel D is moved in the direction indicated wheel B is moved
a similar distance in the opposite direction-A fourfold result is thus obtained:
1st by the movement of slide K cone A is moved in the direction indicated so as to
cause the pitch lines of wheel D and of the larger ring of teeth upon A to coincide;
2nd the same movement has a like effect with regard to wheel B and the smaller
ring of teeth upon A; 3rd wheel D is moved in the direction indicated so as to
assume its proper position in the plane of the larger ring of teeth upon A, and
4th a like movement is imparted to wheel B with reference to the small ring of
teeth upon A.
Imparting to K motion in the opposite direction will produce an opposite effect.
It is therefore only necessary to impart to the slide K the right amount of
travel and in the right direction to change the gearing from speed to power or
vice versa.
It is however necessary to place the cone and wheels out of gear previous to
making a change of speed; this is accomplished by carrying the shaft C upon an
extra slide M and previous to a change of speed moving both slides K and M away
from wheel D and also away from each other--This movement is fully set forth in
our Specification N° 8027 of 1884 and need not be more particularly described
here.
The required movement is imparted to slide J by the hand lever N and link N'
which is jointed to slide K; N is secured by a spring bolt N' and segment plate O
notched at the required positions.
It will be understood that shaft E does not travel upon the frame F-the curved
lever J is connected with wheels D and B by any suitable means which will give
sufficient play as when the slide J is moved the lever J moves with it and the
shackle or equivalent which connects it to the wheels must be able to accommodate
itself to this movement.
By the alternative arrangement shown in Figure 5 and in dotted lines in Figure 3
the links K and J and crank L may be dispensed with and the slotted link P used
instead. P is connected to or forms part of lever J and the stud or roller Q is
attached to slide K and moves with it-As the slot is not straight but bent at the
centre and the movement of Q is in a straight line a motion is imparted to lever J
similar to that imparted by the links and crank.
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 change gear such as described the combination with a toothed cone
wheel A and driven wheel D, whose relative positions do not change with the
movement of the hand lever G, of a driving wheel B adapted to be moved out of
gear with A traversed along its axle and reengaged with A substantially in the
manner specified.
2. In a change gear such as described and as a means of imparting the requisite
axial traverse to the moveable wheel B the combination with the hand lever G of
crank rod I one end whereof takes into a slot in said lever G and the other end is
connected with said moveable wheel B substantially as specified.
3. In a change gear such as described the hand lever G constructed and operating
substantially as specified for the purpose of performing the following functions;
disengaging wheel B from cone A; sliding wheel B along its shaft C; re-engaging
wheel B with cone A.
4. In a change gear such as described the combination with band lever G of
locking plate H having graduated steps H¹ for the double purpose of fixing by the
position of said steps the radial traverse of said lever so as to bring wheel B
opposite the respective rings of teeth on cone. A and by the depth of said steps the
amount of depression of said lever G necessary to properly engage the teeth of
wheel B with the teeth of the respective rings.of A. substantially as specified,

page_text: 5. In a change gear such as described the combination with lever G of locking
plate H having holes H, He adapted to receive the projections H³, H³ of the
locking bolt H for the purpose specified.
6. In a change gear such as described the combination with the arm C³ of
lever G pivotted to said arm and adapted to operate it substantially as specified.
7. In a change gear such as specified and shewn in Figures 3 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings the combination with the slide J and the operating
mechanism consisting of slide K link K2 crank lever L and link J of the lever J
pivotted upon slide J for the purpose of transferring to wheel B and in an
opposite direction the traversing movement imparted to wheel D substantially as
specified.
8. In a change gear such as specified and shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings the combination with slides J¹ and K of lever J with which
is connected the slotted link P said link being operated by the stud or roller Q
substantially as specified.