Bicycle Gear Mechanism
OwnerRichard J. Kilshawinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bicycle gear assembly comprises first and second sets of cog wheels, each having at least three cog wheels of various sizes including a largest cog wheel and a smallest cog wheel. These two sets are oriented so that the largest cog wheel of the first set is aligned with the smallest cog wheel of the second set and vice versa, the first and the second sets of cog wheels define at least a first, second and third pair of substantially aligned cog wheels. Additionally, a chain is mounted about a first pair of the aligned cog wheels and a gear shift assembly is adapted to move the chain from the first pair of substantially aligned cogwheels to the second pair of substantially aligned cogwheels and from the second pair of substantially aligned cogwheels to the third pair of substantially aligned cogwheels.
Claims28
A gear assembly comprising:
- (a) a first cogwheel defining a first rotational axis;
- (b) a second cogwheel defining a second rotational axis, parallel to and displaced from said first rotational axis,
- (c) a chain mounted about said first and second cog wheel;
- (d) third and fourth cog wheels that are co-axial to said second cog wheel, thereby forming a cog wheel set;
- (e) a rear wheel defining a third rotational axis, displaced from said first and said second rotational axis;
- (f) a gear change assembly, including a loaded chain pushing element;
- (g) wherein movement of said gear change assembly results in a transition of said chain amongst said cog wheels of said cogwheel set.
A gear assembly comprising:
- (a) a first co-axial cogwheel set defining a first rotational axis, and including a first-set first cogwheel and a first-set second cogwheel of different sizes;
- (b) a second co-axial cogwheel set defining a second rotational axis, parallel to and displaced from said first rotational axis, and including a second-set first cogwheel and a second-set second cogwheel of different sizes;
- (c) a rear wheel defining a third rotational axis, displaced from said first and said second rotational axis;
- (d) a chain mounted on said first-set first cogwheel and said second-set first cogwheel thereby defining a first operational chain alignment plane, operationally normal to said rotational axis;
- (e) a multi-step gear changing assembly adapted to move said chain from said first-set first cogwheel to said first-set second cogwheel, thereby defining a first step gear change and a second operational chain alignment plane, and from said second-set first cogwheel to said second-set second cogwheel, thereby defining a second step gear change and a third operational chain alignment plane;
- and
- (f) wherein said gear assembly provides first, second and third operational gearing ratios at each said operational chain alignment plane.
The assembly of 15, wherein said first operational chain alignment plane is aligned with said second operational chain alignment plane.
The assembly of 20, wherein said one way clutch allows said first cogwheel set to rotate, while said pedals do not rotate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.