Patent ID: 8449045

Claim:
A self aligning driven bicycle axle apparatus, comprising: a lever and shaft sub-assembly, said lever and shaft sub-assembly further comprised of; a lever connected to a cam, said cam capable of providing lateral motion; a shaft connected to said cam on a first end and having a male thread on the opposite end; a first shouldered barrel sub-assembly, said first shouldered barrel sub-assembly further comprised of; a shouldered barrel, said shouldered barrel having an inner bore capable of passing said shaft; a bearing fixably attached to a first shoulder on the outer surface of said of said shouldered barrel; a spring fitting about a second shoulder on said outer surface of said shouldered barrel, and; a pin passing through said shouldered barrel and said shaft so as to capture said spring; a male spline sub-assembly, said male spline sub-assembly further comprised of; a spline body; a bearing fixably located about the outer surface of said spline body, and; a set of male spline teeth such that the inner circumference of said spline body slides over said first shouldered barrel sub-assembly, and; a freewheel sub-assembly, said freewheel sub-assembly further comprised of; a freewheel body, said freewheel body having an inner circumference capable of passing a second shouldered barrel; a pair of bearings fixably attached to the inner surface of said freewheel body; a set of female spline teeth sized to mate with said male spline teeth, said female spline teeth fixably attached to the inner surface of said freewheel body; a second shouldered barrel; a pair of star washers, and a nut such that when said lever and shaft sub-assembly, said first shouldered barrel sub-assembly, said male spline sub-assembly and said freewheel sub-assembly are concentrically located within the inner circumference of a bicycle hub a lateral compression force is exerted which creates a solid axle.