Transmission for a bicycle

A compound sprocket structure particularly advantageous for use in a bicycle or other vehicle comprising at least two plate segments each of which has a peripheral edge formed to include a set of teeth, one of said plate segments being offset from the other to provide that said plate segments are arranged thereby to lie in adjacent substantially parallel planes, one of said plate segments being rimmed by and lying within the boundary of the other and the outer of said plate segments having an annular shape, and connector means joining said plate segments and forming a continuation of the plate form thereof, said structure having the appearance of a plate having a dished configuration, the central portion and base of said dish being provided by said one plate segment, which has a disc-like shape.

A sprocket structure particularly advantageous for use in a bicycle or other vehicle comprising a plate formed to include therein a plurality of concentric plate portions which are relatively displaced to occupy offset substantially parallel planes, said plate having a dished configuration, the base of said dish being formed by a central portion thereof which has a disc-like shape, said central dished portion being relatively flat and the peripheral edge thereof being formed to include thereon a set of circularly spaced outwardly projected sprocket teeth, the outer peripheral edge of said disc-like portion of said plate embodying therein a series of circularly spaced notches, at the base of at least a portion of which notches said disc-like portion of said plate has joined thereto and extended radially outward therefrom strip-like portions of said plate which are offset and connected at their radial outermost ends in an integrated relation to an outer one of said concentric plate portions to maintain said outer one of said concentric plate portions in a rigidly connected and respectively fixed relation to said disc-like portion of said plate and said disc-like portion of said plate including, in integral connection therewith, means for mounting a guard to said sprocket structure without need for conventional fasteners.

A sprocket structure comprising a single plate formed as a stamping from sheet material wherein a central portion thereof is dished relative to an outer peripheral portion and each said portion is formed to include a set of circularly spaced outwardly projected sprocket teeth and portions of said plate intermediate said central portion and said outer peripheral portion being formed as a web to maintain said central portion and said outer peripheral portion in substantially parallel planes.

A sprocket structure comprising at least two sprockets and a plurality of strip-like connectors interconnecting said sprockets and defining a given interval between them, one of said sprockets being larger in diameter than the other sprocket, said larger diameter sprocket being ring-like shaped and having a larger inner diameter than a diameter at the bottom of the teeth of said smaller diameter sprocket, said smaller diameter sprocket having at the center thereof an axial bore, each of said connectors extending radially of said sprockets and at one end thereof forming a continuing part of one of an inner periphery of said larger diameter sprocket and an outer periphery of said smaller diameter sprocket, each of said connectors at the other end thereof extending over a portion of the other of said larger diameter sprocket and smaller diameter sprocket and being fixed to one side surface thereof by fixing means.

A sprocket structure comprising at least two plate segments, one formed as a sprocket having peripheral teeth and the other formed as a chain guard larger in diameter than said sprocket, and a plurality of strip-like connectors for interconnecting said sprocket and chain guard plate segments and defining a given spaced interval between them, said chain guard having a ring-like shape and an inner diameter larger than a diameter at the bottom of the teeth of said sprocket, each of said connectors extending radially of said sprocket and chain guard and forming an intergral continuing part of said sprocket and chain guard whereby said sprocket and chain guard form a one-piece assembly.

A sprocket structure comprising at least two plate segments, one formed as a sprocket having peripheral teeth and the other formed as a chain guard larger in diameter than said sprocket, and a plurality of strip-like connectors for interconnecting said sprocket and chain guard plate segments and defining a given spaced interval between them, said chain guard having a ring-like shape and an inner diameter larger than a diameter at the bottom of the teeth of said sprocket, each of said connectors extending radially of said sprocket and chain guard and at one end thereof forming an integral continuing part of one of said sprocket and chain guard at the other end thereof being connected to the other of said sprocket and chain guard through fixing means.