Improvements in or connected with the Driving Gear of Velocipedes and other similar Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Driving Gear of Velocipedes
and other similar Machines.
I, ROBERT JAMES WILKINSON, of the Union Club, 73, Mosley Street, Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the cluich mechanism of the driving gear used in
velocipedes and other similar machines for the purpose of permitting the pedals
to remain stationary while the travelling wheels are rotating, and more par-
ticularly, to such mechanism as permits power and motion to be transmitted in
either direction, the chief object of this invention being to simplify the manu-
facture and construction of the clutch mechanism.
I construct my improved clutch upon the principle of the silent feed and pre-
ferably use straight rollers or balls as means to obtain the necessary friction
between the driving and driven parts.
In accordance with this invention, I use only two rollers in the clutch and
these normally lie upon opposite sides of the axis thereof. Preferably, the
driven wheel of the gear has a plain contact surface for the rollers to roll upon.
This may be either cylindrical or in the form of a disc. The crank or crank-
axle carries a boss in which there are formed two inclined pockets at opposite
sides of the axis of the boss which face the plain contact surface of the driven
wheel so that a suitable roller placed in each pocket will be free to rotate at the
deep part thereof but will become wedged towards the shallow part thereof.
In cases where the deep part of the pocket comes at the end thereof, the pockets
are arranged circumferentially in opposite directions so that when the two deep
ends come vertically opposite one another the two shallow ends likewise do so.
In other cases the deep part of the pocket will be in the centre of its length
from which part the opening formed by the pocket and the contact surface afore-
Baid will gradually contract.
The deepest part of the pocket is preferably prominently depressed sufficiently
to retain therein the top roller when the pockets lie vertically one above the
centre of the axis of the crank and the other below.
With the rollers and pockets lying in a vertical or approximately vertical
position with respect to the axis of the cranks, the latter are fixed to lie hori-
zontally.
The pockets may be formed in the driven part of the clutch and the crank
or driving boss may have the plain contact surface.
Dated this 21st day of September 1899.
R. J. URQUHART, C.E.,
Chartered Patent Agent, Manchester & Liverpool.

page_text: Improvements in or connected with the Driving Gear of Velocipedes
and other similar Machines.
I, ROBERT JAMES WILKINSON, of the Union Club, 73, Mosley Street, Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to that kind of clutch mechanism of the driving gear
used in velocipedes and other similar machines which permits the pedals to be
held stationary while the travelling wheels are rotating, and also to be used
for transmitting power and motion in either direction so that the rider can drive
the machine forward, let it run full, while holding the pedals stationery, and
to back pedal. The invention consists in improvements in the arrangement or
construction of such clutch mechanism the chief object of this invention being
to simplify the manufacture and construction of the same.
I construct my improved clutch upon the principle of the silent feed and pre-
ferably use straight rollers as means to obtain the necessary connection between
the driving and driven parts.
In accordance with this invention I preferably use only two rollers in the
clutch placed on opposite sides of the axis thereof. Preferably, the driven
wheel of the gear has a plain contact surface for the rollers to roll upon. This
may be either cylindrical or in the form of a disc. The crank or crank-axle
carries a boss in which there are formed two inclined pockets at opposite sides
of the axis of the boss which face the plain contact surface of the driven wheel
so that a suitable roller placed in each pocket will be free to rotate at the deep
part thereof but will become wedged towards the shallow part thereof.
The pockets are arranged circumferentially in opposite directions so that
when the two deep ends come vertically opposite one another the two shallow
ends likewise do so.
On the drawing appended hereunto the improved clutch mechanism is shewn
in three modified forms.
Figure 1 shows a side view and Figure 2 an end view of the crank and chain
wheel with one arrangement of the clutch. Figure 3 a horizontal and Figure 4
a vertical section of the same. Figure 5 shows a section of the clutch with
a modified position of the pockets.
Figures 6 and 7 show a modified arrangement of the clutch.
Referring first to Figures 1 to 4. The crank a is fixed upon the crank axle b
in any usual way and is formed with a disc c. To the disc c, the disc or cylin-
drical driver d of the clutch is connected so as to rotate with it; preferably it
is solid with the crank and disc, but it may be fixed to the disc with screws
or rivets. The driver d is formed with two pockets or recesses e and f which
are arranged on opposite sides of the centre and have their shallower ends
turned towards each other. The surfaces of the pockets form inclines to the
circumference of the driver. Into the pockets rollers g and are placed.
The chain wheel is mounted loose upon the shaft and has a cylindrical lateral
rim formed or fixed upon it which surrounds the cylindrical part of the driver.
It may be lined with a steel bush.
In the arrangement of clutch represented by Figures 1 to 4 the pockets are
arranged so that after the crank a is in its forward position one of the pockets
is at the top and the other at the bottom. They are of such depth at their

page_text: deeper parts, that when the rollers rest in them, they do not touch the rim l.
In consequence the top roller h rests in its pocket when at the top and the
wheel can freely revolve forward in the direction of the arrow, the other
roller being carried by the rotation of the rim towards the deep end of the
pocket and held there.
When the crank is turned forward while the wheel is at rest, or at a quicker
speed than that of the wheel while it is running, the roller will become
wedged between the inclined surface of the pocket f and the rim and drive
the wheel forward. On the other hand when the crank is turned backward for
about half a turn, the roller will be at the bottom and become wedged and
the wheel when running forward will turn the crank against the pressure on the
pedal, so that the rider can back pedal as with a fast crank. The same lock-
ing of the driver d to the rim I will take place, if the crank is turned forward
at a slower speed than that of the wheel as soon as the roller h has passed
over the top this way of engaging the back pedalling being preferable in
practice as the engagement takes place without appreciable shock. If the crank
is arrested in the position shewn when driving forward, the clutch will be
released.
The arrangement shewn by Figure 5 differs from that described with refer-
ence to Figures 1 to 4 only in the position of the pockets, these being brought
closer together at their shallower ends and placed in such positions that both
roilers can rest in the deeper part of the pocket out of contact with the rim
when held in the position shewn. The action is the same as herein before
described with reference to Figure 1 to 4.
Figures 6 and 7 represent a modification of the arrangement, the disc c of
the crank being formed with or having fixed to it a lateral rim m on the in-
side of which there are inclined pockets n and containing rollers P and 9,
while the chain wheel is formed with a boss r projecting into the rim m. When
the rim m is held in the position shewn, both rollers rest in the deep parts of
the pockets and the wheel can revolve freely. On turning the crank forward in
the direction of the arrow, the roller q will become wedged between the wheel
boss and the inclined bottom of the pocket o and drive the wheel forward,
while by turning the crank in the opposite direction or in the same direction at
a slower speed than that the wheel is running at the roller p will become wedged
and the rider be able to hold back the wheel while running forward, in the
same way as with the ordinary fast wheel.
The arrangement of the clutch may be varied from those described, the essen-
tial feature of the invention being the arrangement in the same dise or rim
that contains the pocket or pockets for driving forward of a pocket inclined in
the opposite direction and so placed that when the cranks are held stationery
in a certain position for the wheel to run free the roller in said pocket lies
inoperative in the deepest part thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
-
1. In a roller clutch for driving velocipedes and similar machines the arrange-
ment of a disc or rim fixed to the crank of two roller pockets inclining in
opposite directions and so formed that when the dises or rim is held stationery
in a certain position by means of the crank the ball in the backward driving
pocket is kept by its weight in the deep part of the pocket out of contact with
the rim or boss on the chain wheel while the latter rotates forward, substan-
tially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. The construction or arrangement of a roller clutch for driving veloci-
pedes and like machines consisting of a disc connected to the crank and formed
with two roller pockets on opposite sides of the centre inclining in opposite direc-
tions and a rim on the chain wheel or its equivalent surrounding said disc,

page_text: substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the
drawings.
3. The construction or arrangement of a roller clutch for driving velocipedes,
and like machines consisting of a rim fixed to the crank and formed with two
roller pockets on opposite sides of the centre inclining in opposite directions
and a boss on the chain wheel enclosed by the said rim substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings.
4. In a self releasing roller clutch for the crank shaft of velocipedes and like
machines the arrangement in the roller disc or rim of a pocket inclining in
the opposite direction to the forward driving roller pockets and so placed that
when the pedals are held stationary for the wheel to run free, the roller in said
pocket resis by its gravity in the deep part of the same out of contact with the
friction surface of the chain wheel substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this Eighteenth day of June 1900.
R. J. URQUHART, C.E.,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool.
Chartered Patent Agent, Consulting Engineer.