Improved Locking Apparatus for Bicycles and Tricycles.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Locking Apparatus for Bicycles and Tricycles.
JOSIAH HENRY SCOTT, Shopman 93 Bradbury Place Dublin Road Belfast
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Hollow barrel leading to treadle spindle hole bored through spindle inside barrel
will be a bolt to drop into hole in spindle to prevent the treadle going round the
bicycle & tricycle is then locked to unlock bicycle & tricycle there will be a hole
worked through barrel called the keyhole the key and bolt will be worked on cog
system above keyhole will be a second hole when bolt is drawn up will be fastened
by a pin the bicycle & tricycle will then be unlocked.
The intention of this invention is to prevent theives of stealing bicycles &
tricycles when left unattend to.
Dated this 1st day of June 1895
Improved Locking Apparatus for Bicycles and Tricycles.
JOSIAH HENRY SCOTT, 93 Bradbury Place, Dublin Road, Belfast, Shopman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention consists as follows:-
to
Hollow barrel leading from seat or handle bar, down through bottom bracket,
in which barrel there will be 3 holes, one for spring pin, one for key hole, & one
for slot, which will be in bolt, mentioned below.
A bolt of any convenient length pointed one end, and above this pointed end will
be a slot about 2 inches long, above that will be about 6 or more cog teeth, & above
teeth, will be a hole for spring pin.
There will also be a hole through bottom bracket (which is at present solid at
the joint of barrel) & crank spindle, to allow bolt to drop through to lock the
spindle.
There is also a key, to go through keyhole with teeth to engage with cog teeth
on bolt.
It will be seen that my invention consists essentially of a bolt capable of sliding
in the down tube of a cycle, in such manner that its lower pointed end can be
allowed to enter a hole bored transversely through the crank or bottom bracket
spindle, thus locking the same and preventing the spindle, and propelling wheel
from being moved. By raising the bolt the pointed end is removed from the
transverse hole in the spindle, and the machine can then be ridden in the ordinary
manner. The bolt being entirely hidden can be operated only by means of a key
which is kept by the owner of the machine.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings ;—
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the "down tube," bottom bracket,
aud spindle, shewing the bolt raised and the spindle free to rotate.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the operating key, which may be carried in the pocket
of the rider.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section shewing the bolt lowered and the spindle
locked.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of a bottom bracket, driving wheel, chain, and part of a
back wheel and tyre, shewing my invention as applied to a rear driving safety
bicycle.
a, a and a² indicate the three tubes which meet, and are rigidly attached to the
bottom bracket; in bearings in which runs the crank spindle d. The tube a¹ passes
to the back wheel bearing, and the tube a² to the steering pillar, while the nearly
vertical "down-tube" a passes up towards the saddle. Inserted inside the lower
part of this "down-tube" is a bolt or locking bar b the diameter of which is such
as to enable it to slide freely up and down in the tube a. The extent of this
sliding movement is determined either by a plug g inserted in a suitable position,
and fastened by a pin h, or by a pin t which passes transversely through a slot u
formed in the bolt; the ends of the pin t are fixed in the tube a, and serve to
prevent the bolt turning round. The lower end of the bolt is fashioned into a
point c of such shape and size as to enable it to enter freely the hole e which is
bored transversely through the crank spindle d. At a convenient point above the
slot u the bolt 6 is cut away, and teeth ŕ are formed upon this part. At the upper
end of the bolt a helical spring f is placed, one end of which presses against the
fixed plug g and its other end against the upper end of the bolt 6 in such manner
as to normally tend to force the bolt b downwards. A keyholes is formed in one
side of the down-tube a through which a key p (as shewn in Fig. 2) can be inserted
so as to cause the teeth q upon it to engage with the teeth r formed on the bolt b, the
end of the key forming a pin p¹ which enters a hole s¹ in the other side of the
tube a; the two holes s and s¹ thus forming a guide in which the key p can be
turned. The bolt is countersunk at two places to form recesses n and n¹ into which
the inner end i of a detent can drop, this detent passing out through a hole in the
down-tube a so that the knob o on its outer end can be grasped by the fingers and
pulled out of either of the recesses n or n¹ against the action of the spiral spring k,
which tends to thrust it inwards. vand vindicate the cranks, a the chain wheel,
y, the chain, and z the tyre of the rear or driving wheel.
The device is used as follows:
Assuming the parts to be in the position shewn in Fig. 1, and the crank spindle d
and connected back wheel free to rotate, then when the rider descends from the
saddle and wishes to lock the machine, all that is necessary is for him to pull the
knob 0, which lifts the point of the detent out of the recess n¹, and allows
the bolt b to be forced downwards by the helical spring f until its point centers
the hole e as soon as the two are in a line with each other. The crank spindle d, the
chain wheel x, the chain y, and the back road wheel are thus securely locked in the
position shewn in Fig. 3.
When the rider wishes to remount he inserts the point of the key p through the
hole s until it enters the smaller hole s', the teeth q then engaging with the teeth r
of the bolt b. Then pulling the knob o until the point i of the detent is lifted out
of the recess n, he turns the key p until its teeth have forced the teeth r and the
bolt 6 far enough upwards (with the point c) from the hole e to allow the point i of
the detent to drop into the recess n', when the bolt is retained in the position shewn
in Fig. 1 and the machine is free to be moved in the ordinary manner.
My device can equally well be attached to a tricycle or other velocipede, slight
modifications in detail only being required.
The key employed may be of any convenient pattern so that each machine
requires a different key to operate its locking device.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An improved locking apparatus for bicycles and tricycles, substantially as
described, and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
2. A locking apparatus for bicycles and tricycles, consisting essentially of a bolt
which can be caused to slide in a tube, so as to assume either of two positions,-in
one of which its point enters a hole bored transversely through the crank spindle,
and locks it; and the other in which the bolt is moved so as to draw the point out
of the hole in the crank spindle, substantially as described and shewn.
3. In a locking apparatus for bicycles and tricycles, the combination of a sliding
bolt having a point which can enter a hole bored transversely through the crank
spindle of the cycle, a-toothed rack formed integrally with it, a key having teeth
formed upon it for the purpose of engaging with the rack teeth, and a spring
controlled detent which retains the bolt in either of two positions, substantially as
described and shewn.
4. In a locking apparatus for bicycles and tricycles, the combination of the
sliding bolt b, the point c, the hole e, in the crank spindle d of the cycle, the slot u
and pin t, the toothed rack r, the toothed key p, the key holes s and s¹, the spring f,
the recesses n, n¹, and the detent i, o, all arranged and operated in the manner
described and shewn.
Dated this 4th day of March 1896.