Improvements in the Manufacture of Adjustable Plates and Pins for Adjusting the Tension of the Chains of Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1894-Accepted, 28th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Adjustable Plates and Pins
for Adjusting the Tension of the Chains of Bicycles and other
Velocipedes.
1 JOHN EDWARD MEREDITH of 77 Alexandra Road Edgbaston in the City of
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to what are known as metallic adjusting plates and
pins for connecting to bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes for adjusting one of
the wheel axles to increase or diminish the tension on the chain and the object of
my invention is the production of the said metallic adjusting plates and pins so as
to obtain great strength with great lightness and simplicity of construction.
I will describe my invention as applying to a cycle adjusting plate and pin.
As my method of forming or making the plate I take a piece of thin sheet steel
metal brass copper iron or any other metallic substance from which I then have a
blank cut out to somewhat of an oblong rectangular shape but bulged out in the
middle and of the size required. I then have formed on the sides or edges a rim or
ridge which is raised or bent to shape required by means of stamp press or machine
or any other suitable means or method to give strength and reduce weight. I then
have hole pierced for the adjusting pin to pass through.
To make the adjusting pin I take a piece of sheet steel metal brass copper iron
or any other metallic substance. I then have a blank cut out to such shape and
size required that is of an almost circular form at one end connected by a narrow
neck to a wide part for forming the pin or shank and then raise and bend the shank
part into a tubular shape after which the blank is milled or turned on flat part.
Then shank part is turned and screw threaded to receive ordinary nut and the
plate for means of adjusting the tension of driving chains of bicycles tricycles &
other velocipedes. I then have the hole pierced in flat part to pass hub spindle
through which is secured by means of a nut or nuts being screwed on to spindle
as usual.
Dated this 20th day of September 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Adjustable Plates and Pins
for Adjusting the Tension of the Chains of Bicycles and other
Velocipedes.
I, JOHN EDWARD MEREDITH, of 77, Alexandra Road, Edgbaston, in the
City of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention has reference to what are known as metallic adjusting plates and
pins for connecting to bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes for adjusting one of
the wheel axles so as to increase or diminish the tension of the chain, and the object
of my invention is the production of the said metallic adjusting plates and pins so
as to obtain great strength with great lightness and simplicity of construction.

page_text: I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which Fig. 1 represents an adjusting pin and plate made according to this invention
in use on the frame of a bicycle or other velocipede; Fig. 2 shews the said plate
separately and Fig. 3 shews the sheet metal blank from which the plate is formed;
Fig. 4 shews a slightly modified form of the said plate and Fig. 5 shews the blank
from which the plate Fig. 4 is formed; Fig. 6 represents in side and end elevation one
of the said adjusting pins made in accordance with this invention and Fig. 7 is a plan
of the same; Fig. 8 shews the sheet steel blank from which the adjusting
pin Figs. 1, 6 and 7 is formed; Fig. 9 shews the said blank with the shank part
partly raised into the required tubular form and Fig. 10 shews the blank with its
shank part finished ready for screwing; Figs. 11 and 12 each shew a modified form
of the blank for forming the adjusting pin Figs. 1, 6 and 7.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
A is the adjusting plate and B is the adjusting pin which latter, as seen by Fig. 1,
is as is well known threaded through the adjusting plate A and provided with an
ordinary nut C on its projecting end outside the plate A which latter bears against
the ends of the forked parts of the cycle frame D, the eye end of the
adjusting pin being threaded on to the end of the wheel axle (not shewn upon the
drawing) which passes through the hole e in the eye end 6 so that by turning
the nuts C of each of the two adjusting pins B the position of the axle is adjusted
in the slot d of the frame and the tension of the driving chain increased or
diminished as may be required.
According to my method of making the adjusting plate A I take a piece of
thin sheet steel or brass copper iron or any other metallic substance and from
this cut out a blank having about the form represented by Fig. 3 that is to say
the said blank is somewhat of an oblong rectangular shape but bulged out at the
middle and is of the size of the finished plate A Fig. 2 when opened out into a
flat state. I then by means of tools worked in a stamp or press or like machine
raise up the sides or edges of the blank thus forming a rim or ridge a' all round
the same as shewn in Fig. 2 and I then pierce the central hole a³ for the adjusting
pin B to pass through. By making the plate A from sheet metal with the rim or
ridge a round the same I obtain considerable strength with little weight and the
hollow form of the plate enables it to fit properly upon the ends of the fork d' d³
of the frame as shewn in Fig. 1.
Instead of making the adjusting plate A with a rim or ridge a' entirely
surrounding the same as above described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3, I may
leave the ends of the plate open as shewn in Fig. 4, that is to say, the rim or
ridge a' does not extend around the ends of the adjusting plate and in this case the
sheet metal blank from which the adjusting plate Fig. 4 is formed will have the
shape represented by Fig. 5.
To make the adjusting pin B I take a piece of sheet steel or other suitable
metal such as brass copper iron or any other ductile metallic substance and I cut
out a blank of about the shape and size represented by Fig. 8 that is of an almost
circular form at one end b connected by a narrow neck to a wide part ³ for
forming the pin or shank. This wide part has or may have alternate
projections and spaces 65 along each side so that when the part of the blank is
raised and closed into the required tubular form of the shank or pin shewn
by Fig. 10 the side projections on one side will fit into the spaces between the
projections on the other side and thus make the adjusting pin B stronger than if
the edges of the part were made plain. It is to be understood however that the
edges of this part of the blank may if preferred be made plain as shewn in Fig. 11
or they may be made serrated as shewn in Fig. 12 or of other form. I then by
means of tools worked in a stamp or press or like machine or by other means raise
and bend the shank part 3 into the tubular shape shewn by Fig. 10.
This is by
preference done in two operations. The first operation consists in raising the
part of the blank into the trough shape shewn by Fig. 9 and then by means of

page_text: another pair of closing tools the sides of this trough shape are closed down
together so as to have the tubular form shewn in Fig. 10. It will be seen by Fig. 7
that the shank part B is by the closing tools forced on one side of the plate part b¹
when viewed in plan so that when the adjusting pin and plate are in use as shewn
in Fig. 1 the shauk part B will come into the middle of the slot whilst the
flat part remains outside the same as is required.
The blank is now milled or turned on the flat part and the shank part B is
turned and screw threaded to receive the nut C and plate A. The hole e is then
pierced in the flat part to pass the hub spindle through, which latter, when the
adjusting plate and pin are in use, is as usual secured by means of a nut or nuts
being screwed on to the hub spindle.
It will be seen that by making the adjusting plate A and pin B from sheet metal
as above described they are rendered very light and strong and can be produced at
a low price.
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 adjustable plates and pins for adjusting the tension of the
chains of bicycles and other velocipedes, made from sheet metal in the manner
substantially as hereiubefore described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
2. Making the plates for adjusting pins, for adjusting the tension of the chains
of bicycles and other velocipedes, from sheet metal with turned up strengthening
edges a' all round the same, substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.
3. Making the plates for adjustable pins, for adjusting the tension of the chains
of bicycles and other velocipedes, from sheet metal with turned up strengthening
edges a' partly surrounding the same so as to leave the ends open, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.
4. Making an adjustable pin, for adjusting the tension of the chains of bicycles
and other velocipedes, from a sheet metal blank which forms the eye end of the
pin and is also raised and closed and forms the tubular shank of the same,
substantially as herein before described with reference to Figs. 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 27th day of June 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.