Patent ID: 8167768

Claim:
In a pedal powered tricycle including a frame, a driving wheel with a central hub with a hub closing plate, a pedal drive shaft on the axis of said wheel and mounted in bearings for concentric rotation with said hub, an improved multiple speed transmission located within a gear case within said hub and comprising: an integral extension on one end of said gear case fixed against rotation by said frame; a gear case closing plate fixed on the other end of said gear case; multiple counter shafts mounted parallel to and equally spaced around said drive shaft; one end of each of said counter shafts mounted on a ball bearing in said gear case and the other end mounted on a ball bearing in said gear case closing plate; multiple gears fixed on each of said counter shafts between said ball bearings; multiple drive gears rotating freely on said drive shaft with each of said drive gears in constant mesh with one of said multiple gears fixed on each of said multiple counter shafts; a means for selectively locking any one of said freely rotating drive gears to said drive shaft; a driven gear carrier mounted on a ball bearing on said drive shaft; multiple driven gears rotating freely on said driven gear carrier with each in constant mesh with one of said gears fixed on each of said multiple counter shafts; a means for selectively locking any one of said driven gears to said driven gear carrier; and a free-wheel ratchet means for driving said hub from said driven gear carrier; wherein said means for selectively locking any one of said freely rotating drive gears to said drive shaft includes internal teeth in the bore of said drive gears; a pair of orthogonally oriented longitudinal slots through said drive shaft; an axial hole through the center of said drive shaft; a pair of steel bars located in said orthogonally oriented slots with a tooth form on the ends of said bars for engaging said internal teeth in the bore of said drive gears; a notch in the center of each of said pair of steel bars; a small diameter hole through the center of said notch in one of said pair of steel bars and a threaded hole in the center of said notch in the other of said pair of steel bars; a drive gear selector rod located in said axial hole and clamping said pair of steel bars together; and a means for adjusting the axial position of said drive gear selector rod.