Year: 1897

page_text: I, SAMUEL WITHERS, of Park Works, Roebuck Street, West Bromwich, in the
County of Stafford, Safe Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention to be as follows:
This invention relates to locks for cycles, usually known as steering locks, by
which the steering post is made fast or rigid, when required, with the sleeve or
socket of the head of a bicycle up which it passes and wherein it rotates.
The object of my invention is to semi-automatically lock the steering post and
to release or withdraw the bolt or equivalent by means of a key.
My improved lock comprises a casing carried by the ball head sleeve enclosing
within it lock and sliding bolt mechanism. The lock consists preferably of a
spring-operated sliding frame directed within guides raised by a key and forced
home by a spring or springs preferably located between the frame and a casing.
Hung from a suitable post are two or more spring actuated lock tumblers each
having a gate or gap and a stop or stops adjacent to the gap and into which gap
and against which stop, a post, rib, snug or equivalent carried by the sliding frame
comes. The lower part of the frame, adjacent to a hole wherethrough the trans-
verse head-locking bolt passes, has a shoulder and clearance at the back for inter-
cepting the return of the said bolt, which has a collar upon it, until a key lifts or
traverses the frame. The said head locking bolt consists of a peg, having a leading
outer end and a collar or collet at a short distance from its inner end, and with
the shank passing through an open-topped box or cap made fast with the cover
and with a coiled spring surrounding the stem and coming between an outer head
and the said cover, so that normally the bolt is held in a withdrawn position, clear
of its engagement hole in the steering pillar, by the action of its encircling spring.
Assuming that the inner end of the bolt is engaging in the hole in the steering
pillar and that the handle bars are held in a fixed position, so that the machine
is incapable of being used, and is capable of being supported upon any upright
support, such as a wall, fencing or the like, and that the spring encircling its shank
is in a state of compression, with its collar being engaged by the semi-circular
shoulder or catch end of the sliding frame, then on the turning of the key, the
tumbler or tumblers is or are moved, the gap or gaps become coincident with each
other and are brought opposite to the stump, which then slides into the gaps. The
springs of the frame are thereby put under compression and the shouldered catch
of the frame is taken clear of the collar on the cross bolt, which, being thus freed,
is withdrawn by its spring and the collar rests against the catch end of the sliding
frame and keeps the lock mechanism in a set position.
To lock the cycle, it is only necessary to press the pusher bolt by the thumb or

page_text: finger, when the same is engaged with the sinking or hole in the steering pillar,
which is thereby locked, without the intervention of the key.
Dated this 25th day of May 1897.
SAMUEL WITHERS,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
by tits.
I, SAMUEL WITHERS, of Park Works, Roebuck Street, West Bromwich, in the
County of Stafford, Safe Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly de-
scribed and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to locks for cycles, usually known as steering locks, by
which the steering post is made fast or rigid, when required, with the sleeve or
socket of the head of a bicycle up which it passes and wherein it rotates, although
my improvements are applicable for securing together other parts of cycles.
The object of my invention is to lock the steering post by means of a hand-
operated pusher and to release or withdraw the bolt or equivalent by means of a
key.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents an elevation of a part of the
steering head of a velocipede provided with means for locking the steering column,
constructed according to my invention. This view shows the bolt or pusher of
the lock in its shot position.
Figure 2 is a like view as Figure 1, but showing the bolt withdrawn, leaving
the steering column free to turn.
Figure 3 represents, upon an enlarged scale, a vertical section of the said lock
and steering head of a bicycle, showing the pusher or bolt shot into engagement
with the steering column, in which position it is retained by a spring-operated
slide suapping behind a conical collar on the same, whilst the return movement
of slide is prevented by a series of lock tumblers which are operated upon (when
it is required to release the bolt) by a key.
Figure 4 shows a plan of the said bolt retaining slide the tumblers of the lock
having been removed in order to show this slide more clearly.
Figure 5 is a like section as Figure 3, but showing the parts in the positions
which they assume when the bolt has been withdrawn.
Figure 6 represents a plan of the lock mechanism, with the elements in the
same positions as shown in Figures 1 and 3.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawing.
This form of my improved lock comprises a casing a, carried by the outer
sleeve 6, of a cycle steering head and enclosing within it lock and sliding bolt
mechanism. The lock consists preferably of a sliding frame c, operated or impelled
in one direction by a spring c¹, disposed between it and its guide post c², and
directed within guides, whilst its movement in the other direction and against
the force of the spring is effected by a key d, bearing against a horn or shoulder c,
on the side. Mounted upon the post c², are a series of three spring actuated lock
tumblers f, cach having a gate or gap f, and a stop or stops f, adjacent to the gap
and into which gap and against which stop, a post, rib, snug or like projection c³,
carried by the sliding frame, comes. The lower part of the frame, adjacent to a
hole a', wherethrough the transverse disposed head-locking bolt or pusher g, passes,
has a shoulder c6, and clearance c7, at the back for intercepting or preventing the

page_text: return movement of, the said bolt, which has a conical collar g', upon it until by
turning the key, the sliding frame has been taken clear of the collar on the bolt.
The said head-locking bolt consists of a peg, having a head g², on its outer end
and a collar or collet g¹, as aforesaid, at a short distance from its inner end, and
with the shank passing through a socket or boss a², carried on the cover of the
casing and with a coiled spring h, surrounding the stem and coming between the
outer head g², and the said cover, so that normally the bolt is held in a withdrawn
position, clear of its engagement hole in the steering pillar.
Assuming that the inner end of the bolt is engaging in the hole a, of the steering
column or pillar i, and that the handle bars are held in a fixed position, so that
the machine is incapable of being used, and is capable of being supported upon any
upright support, such as a wall, fencing or the like, and that the spring h, en-
circling its shank is in a state of compression, with its collar being engaged by the
semi-circular shoulder or catch end of the sliding frame, as represented in Fig-
ures 3, 4 and 6, then on the turning of the key, the tumblers are moved, their
gaps become coincident with each other and are brought opposite to the stump
or projection of the slide which is then moved with the said slide and taken into
the gaps. The spring of the bolt-retaining frame is thereby put under compres-
sion and the shouldered catch of the frame is taken clear of the collar on the cross
bolt, which, being thus freed is withdrawn or shot back out of engagement with
the steering column by the expanding reaction of its spring and the collar rests
against the catch end of the sliding frame and keeps the lock mechanism in the
position represented in Figure 5.
To again lock the cycle, it is only necessary to press the pusher bolt inwards by
the thumb or finger, when the same is engaged with the sinking or hole in the
steering pillar, which is thereby locked, without the intervention of the key, whilst
the bolt is retained in its locking position by the slide being again taken, by its
spring, into engagement with the collar.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
:
First In locks for cycles, the employment of a pusher or bolt, adapted to be
engaged with the element to be locked by pressing the same inwards by hand
and to be held in its locking position by a spring-operated frame or slide and to
be released for disengagement when the said sliding frame is withdrawn by a key.
Secondly: In locks for cycles, the employment of a pusher or bolt, adapted to
be taken into its locking position by hand and there retained by a spring-operated
slide engaging over a conical shoulder or collar on the said bolt, and of being with-
drawn by a spring encircling or acting upon the same when the said slide is taken
out of engagement therewith by a key, substantially as described and set forth.
Thirdly: In locks for cycles, the combination with a pusher or bolt, adapted
to be taken into its locking position by hand and there retained by a spring-
operated slide engaging over a conical shoulder or collar upon it, and of being
withdrawn by a spring encircling or acting upon it when the said slide is taken
out of engagement therewith on being traversed back by a key, of a series of lock
tumblers, having suitable gates and stops, and being acted upon by the atoresaid
key so as to bring the gates in them opposite to a projection or stump on the
slide, substantially as and for the purpose described and set forth.
Dated this Oth da
2000
SAMUEL WITHERS.
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.