Improvements in Linked Driving Chains, suitable for Cycles and other purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13th July, 1894-Accepted, 8th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Linked Driving Chains, suitable for Cycles and
other purposes.
A communication to me from ELLORY A. BALDWIN, of West Upton, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Engineer.
I ARTHUR BERGTHEIL of the Firm of Bergtheil and Young, of 13 Walbrook,
in the City of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to driving chains formed of flexible links for communicating
driving power from one sprocket wheel to another, and is specially applicable to
the driving gear of cycles or to other purposes for the communication of power
from one shaft to another, and is designed to provide a chain connected together
without rivetting and from which one or more links can at any time be easily
detached or replaced and which is also adjustable in various degrees at the pivots
of each adjoining link to take up wear in each link so as to maintain the pitch of
the links constant even in the face of considerable wear.
The chain is composed of an alternate inside broad link and a pair of thin
outside links which leave a space between the ends of two adjoining centre wide
links to take the sprocket of a sprocket wheel.
The said thin outer links are pierced by a longitudinal slot with an enlarged
circular recess at the centre.
The said wide internal links are pierced by two transverse holes to admit of pins
which engage by their heads in the slots of the said outer links and thus engage
the links one to another, whilst leaving perfectly flexible motion in the plane of the
driving and return part of the chain, whilst the accurate fitting of the pins, holes,
and slots of outer link make the chain quite stiff transversely.
The said pins have slotted necks close to either end fitting the width of the slots
in the said outer links and thus form a head at either end of the pin and secures
them in the outer slotted links without rivetting when the pins are in position for
the transmission of tensional driving strain at the ends of the outer slotted links.
The pins also when in this position cannot drop or be removed from the chain.
When it is desired to remove a link or couple or uncouple the chain, one pin is
pressed back towards the centre of the outside slotted link where exists a larger
circular recess that will admit of the pin being pushed out of the combined links
transversely and the chain is thus uncoupled and in the same way any link or links
may be removed from or added to the chain.
The transmission of strain between links is taken by the slotted ends of the
outer links on the recessed slotted necks of the said pins but without rubbing wear
as the pins are made to turn with these said outer links.
This recessed slotted neck is not formed concentric with the pin, but eccentrically.
therewith, so that when the chain is new the strain is taken on the deepest part of
the recessed collar. When wear has taken place by the reversal of the pins, the
part of the recessed collar with least recess may be brought to bear against the
ends of the slotted outer links and the pitch of the links is thus shortened, to
compensate for the wear that has taken place and may be taken up at the end of
each link.
The slots of the outer links may terminate in square ends with corners rounded
off and the recessed slot in the head of the pins may be formed as a square with
the corners rounded and it may be struck out eccentrically to the axis of the pin
so that each face of the square represents a fourth graduated amount of adjustment

page_text: for consecutive shortening of the pitch of the links, and the flat bearings of the
outer links upon the pins prevent the latter from turning accidently when in use.
When the links are slotted with circular ends, the two opposed faces of the pin
recess, may be of the same radius to give a single adjustment by a half turn of the
pin whilst the other sides of the pin recess are flattened to fit the width of the
slots in the outer links, so that pins are prevented from turning by accident when
in use.
As the pins have.not to be rivetted over to couple up the chain, they may be of
steel hardened right out as may be also the links of the chain to resist wear as far
as possible. It is to be noted that as the pins are rigidly held by the outer narrow
links no rubbing wear takes place on these links or on the recessed neck of the
pins where the surface is small, but all rubbing wear by flexure of the chain takes
place between the pins and interior of the holes in the wide inner links where the
surface is very large.
Dated this day 13th of September 1893.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Linked Driving Chains, suitable for Cycles and
other purposes.
A communication from abroad by ELLORY A. BALDWIN, of West Upton,
Massachusetts, United States of America, Engineer.
I, ARTHUR BERGTHEIL, of the Firm of Bergtheil and Young of 13 Walbrook,
in the City of London, 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 driving chains formed of flexible links for communicating
driving power from one sprocket wheel to another, and is specially applicable, to
the driving gear of cycles, or to other purposes, for the communication of power
from one shaft to another; and is designed to provide a chain connected together
without rivetting, and from which one or more links can at any time be easily
detached or replaced, and which is also adjustable in various degrees at the pivots
of each adjoining link, to take up wear in each link, so as to maintain the pitch of
the links constant, even in the face of considerable wear.
And in order that this invention may be better understood, I now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the drawings hereto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a set of central and side links, connected by a pin.
Fig. 2 is a plan thereof.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the side link detached.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the central link detached.
Fig. 5 is an outside elevation of the connecting pin.
Fig. 6 is a transverse section through the eccentric neck of the same.
Fig. 7 is a transverse section through a modified form of eccentric neck of pin.
The chain is composed of an alternate central wide link A, and a pair of thin
outside links B B, which leave a space between the ends of the two adjoining central
wide links A, to take the sprocket of a sprocket wheel.
The said thin outer links B are pierced by a longitudinal slot with enlarged semi-
circular recesses C C at the centre.
The said wide central links A are pierced by two transverse holes, preferably
cylindrical, D, admit of pins E, which fit the said holes D by their body, and
engage by their recessed necks F in the slots of the said outer links B and thus

page_text: unite the links one to another, whilst leaving perfectly flexible motion of the central
links A about the body of the pins E, in the plane of the driving and return part
of the chain.
The accurate fitting of the pins, holes, and slots of outer links make the chain
quite stiff transversely.
The said pins E have recessed necks F close to either end fitting the width of the
slots in the said outer links B, and thus leave a head G at either end of the pin,
which secures them in the outer slotted links without rivetting, when the pins are
in a position for the transmission of tensional driving strain, at the ends of the
slotted outer links. The pins also, when in this position, as in Figure 1, cannot
drop or be removed from the chain.
When it is desired to remove a link, or couple or uncouple the chain, one pin is
pressed back towards the centre of the outside slotted link B, where exists the
larger semi-circular recesses CC which will admit of the pin being pushed out of
the combined links transversely, and the chain is thus uncoupled, and, in the same
way, any link or links may be removed from, or added to the chain.
The transmission of strain between links is taken by the slotted ends of the outer
links B on the recessed slotted necks F of the said pins E, without rubbing wear, as
the necks are made flat and fit the square ends of the slotted links B.
This recessed slotted neck F is not formed concentric with the pin, but
eccentrically therewith, so that when the chain is new, the strain is taken on the
deepest part of the recessed neck F. When wear has taken place the pins may be
drawn back to the central recess of the slotted links, and turned through a quarter
turn, so that a part of the recessed collar with less recess may be brought to bear
against the ends of the slotted outer links, and the pitch of the links is thus
shortened, to compensate for the wear that has taken place, and which may be
taken up at the end of each link.
Each face of the square 1, 2, 3, 4 represents a finely graduated amount of
adjustment for consecutive shortening of the pitch of the links, and the flat bearings
of the outer links upon the pins prevent the latter from turning accidentally when
in use.
The links may be alternatively slotted with circular ends, as in Figure 7, and the
two opposed faces of the recessed neck of the pin may be of the same radius, to
give a single adjustment by a half turn of the pin, whilst the other sides of the
recessed neck of the pin are flattened to fit the width of the slots in the outer links,
so that pins are prevented from turning by accident when in use.
As the pins have not to be rivetted over to couple up the chain, they may be of
steel, hardened right out, as may be also the links of the chain to resist wear as far
as possible. It is to be noted that as the pins are rigidly held by the outer narrow
links, no rubbing wear takes place on these links, or on the recessed neck of the
pins where the surface is small, but all rubbing wear by flexure of the chain takes
place between the pins and interior of the holes in the wide central links, where the
surface is very large.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. In a linked driving chain for cycles or other purposes, the combination of a
central wide link having a cylindrical pin hole at each end, two side narrow links
having slots there-through and a central circular recess, with connecting pins,
having cylindrical bodies and recessed necks at each end, eccentrically placed as to
the axis of the pin, and leaving a head at each end of the pin, substantially as
described.
2nd. In a linked driving chain for cycles or other purposes, connecting pins
between links having a recessed neck at each end under a head, the neck being
formed as a square, eccentrically disposed as to the axis of the pin, substantially as
described and illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.

page_text: 3rd. In a linked driving chain for cycles or other purposes, connecting pins
between links, having a recessed neck at each end under a head, the neck being
formed of two sections of equal radius, eccentric to the axis of the pin, connected
by two flat faces on opposite sides of the pin, substantially as described and
illustrated in Figure 7.
Dated this 13th day of July 1894.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.