Improvements relating to the Driving Mechanism of Oyoles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 31st Oot., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Driving Mechanism of Oyoles.
I, HERMAN SNOWMAN, of West 61 Street 102, New York, U.S.A., Gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what mannor the same is to
be performed, to be particularly desoribed and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The present invention relates to a device intended for use on oycles generally,
for enabling the cyclist to arrest, at will, the action of the feet and pedals and yet
not interfere with the motion of the cycle, either for the purpose of taking a
momentary rest or of avoiding the necessity, when running down hill only by
momentum of following the mechanical motion of the pedals..
This result is accomplished by mounting one of the two chain-wheels on its axis
by the intervention of a device which couples both parts, when there arises a
tendency of a relative movement in one direction, but which does not preveut their
relative movement in the opposite direction, so as to engage both members when
the normally driving memher operates and acts upon the driven member, and to
disengage them, when by reason of the momentum of the vehicle or for any other
reason, the normally conducted member becomes or tends to become the driving
member, that is to say tends to carry the other member along with it.
When the chain-wheel of the pedal shaft is thus loosoly fitted upon its axis, it
will be apparent that if, while the cycle is in motion, the pedals are momentarily
arrested together with the cranks and crank shaft, the driving wheel of the oycle,
as it continues to rotate, will transmit motion through its chain-wheel and chain, to
the chain-wheel of the pedal shaft, which latter will then run loose on its
stationary axis.
If, on the other hand, it is the chain-wheel of the hind cycle-wheel which is thus
loosely fitted on its axle, it will be readily understood that, on arresting the motion
of the pedals, together with the pedal shaft and chain-wheel fitted thereon, the
latter will cause through the intervention of the cycle-chain the stoppage of the
chain-wheel on the hind cycle-wheel, in. which chain-wheel the axle of the said
oycle-wheel will then run loose.
In the annexed drawings, I have shown different instances of the constructions
devised for carrying the invention into practice.
Fig. 1 is a top view, partly in section, of a sufficient portion of a crank shaft and
chain-wheel on the hind axle of a cycle, for the comprehension of my invention;
this figure shows the device as applied to the chain-wheel on the pedal-shaft.
Fig. 2 is a modification showing the device as applied to the chain-wheel on the
hind wheel of the cycle.
Fig. 3 shows the chain-wheel on the oycle-wheel axle, in elevation.
Fig. 4 is a further modification in which the device is applied to an intermediate
chain-wheel on a countershaft fitted in the cycle frame, between the pedal shaft
and the hind cycle-wheel.
Fig. 5 shows the intermediate chain-wheel in elevation, looking from right to
left in Figure 4 and
Fig. 6, on a smaller scale, is a diagram showing the manner in which the
modification, as detailed in Figures 4 and 5, is mounted on the frame.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, the chain-wheel e is loose on the pedal shaft
and is supported by ball bearings. On its outer face, the said wheel e carries a
projecting abutment c arranged to co-operate with one end of a spring d formed of

page_text: helicoidally wound flat steel, and to be carried along, when the spring is driving,
and slip or glide over the said abutment when the chain-wheel e rotates and the
crank shaft is arrested. The other end of the spring d likewise co-operates with a
similar abutment c, projecting from the inside of a casing forming part of the
crank itself.
It is obvious that if, while the cycle is in motion, the pedals are caused to be
arrested, the hind chain-wheel g will continue to revolve by virtue of the momentum
of the cycle, and that, through the intervention of the chain, the said chain-wheel
will cause the chain-wheel e to rotate, such rotation taking place loose on the axis
of the crank shaft.
9
In the arrangement shown in Figures 2 and 3, it is the hind chain-wheel g¹ which
is loose on its axis.
In that modification, the chain-wheel g' is mounted loose upon a collar go fast
upon the hub of the hind cycle-wheel, and it has formed in one of its faces a
recess into which is located a pawl h held by a spring i in engagement with n
notch formed in the collar 9. A cheok-piece screwed to the collar 9° coutains
the so formed ratohot gearing. It will be readily understood that when, the podals
are stopped, the cycle will continue to travel by virtue of momentum, the sole
difference being in this second instance, that as the axle and collar g° continue to
revolve in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3, (that is to say in the direction of
forward motion of the cycle), they will not carry along with them the hind chain-
wheel 9, and that the latter, together with the chain and the chain-wheel of the
crank shaft, will remain stationary, being held by the axis of the crank pedals.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, I fit upon the cycle frame Fig. 6,
between the pedal shaft and hind wheel axis aud parallel to them an intermediate
axis a carrying two chain pinions a', a', of which a' is actuated by the chain-wheel
of the crank shaft and carries on its inner face a series of rolls b arranged in a
circumference coucentrically with the axis a and against which bears and runs the
second chain pinion a' which is connected by a chain to the hind chain-wheel of
the cycle.
Between the two pinions a' and a' is interposed a gearing similar to the one
described, with reference to Fig. 1 and the parts of which are indicated by the same
letters of reference as the corresponding parts in the said figure.
From the foregoing, the operation of this modification will be readily understood.
On arresting the notion of the pedals, the hind chain-wheel will continue to
revolve together with its chain and the pinion a', whilst the pinion a', the pedal
shaft chain-wheel and the chain connecting these two wheels will be stopped.
It will be seen that, by means of the hereinbefore described gearing, executed
according to one of the three forms illustrated or in a similar manner, the cyclist
is enabled at any time to cease treading his machine, and travel a certain distance
without moving his feet, either for resting or for running down a grade for instance,
and then again start the action of the feet when the reason which caused him to
stop ceases, without in any way interfering with the momentum of the machine and
without any inconvenience to the rider.
If, instead of a chain and chain-wheels, driving motion is imparted, as in some
cycles, to tooth-wheels and pinious gearing directly together, without the intervention
of chains, it is evident that the same result as the one herein before explained cau
be accomplished by the use of identical means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The hereinbefore described device for enabling the cranks of a cycle to be
arrested at will while the cycle is in motion, the said device comprising a chain-
wheel e arranged on its axis so that the relative rotation of both members is only
possible in one direction substantially as described and shown with reference
to Fig. 1.

page_text: 2. The modification described and shown with reference to Figures 2 and 3.
3. The modification described and shown with reference to Figures 4, 5 and 6.
Dated thin Desk dan 1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.