Improvements relating to the Handle-bars of Bicycles and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Handle-bars of Bicycles and the like.
I, OWEN JONES, of 68 Great Russell Street, in the County of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide for the folding of the handle-bars or
bicycles and the like, so as to reduce their width for the purposes of storage or
transit.
I accomplish this result by making the cross-piece of the handle-bar in two halves
or parts and securing the said halves or parts to the upright or stem of the handle-bar
and to each other so that the parts of the said cross-piece on both sides of the upright
or stem can be easily folded to reduce the width of the machine, or unfolded and
secured in position for steering.
In carrying my said invention into practice, I find it advantageous to proceed as
follows, viz.-I connect each half or part of the cross-piece of the handle-bar to the
upright or stem thereof by a hinge-joint or pivot, and I provide suitable means for
rigidly uniting the said halves or parts of the cross-piece when in position for steering.
In some instances I form partly on one half and partly on the other half of the said
cross-piece a projection or stud which is screw-threaded to receive a nut or is bored
through to receive a bolt for rigidly uniting the two halves of the said cross-piece, or
the two parts of which projection or stud are adapted to be rigidly held together by a
clip or other suitable device.
The two halves of the cross-piece are in some instances attached to the upright or
stem by a common pivot-pin. In other instances they are attached thereto by
separate pivot-pins.
The axis or axes about which the said halves of the cross-piece turn are arranged in
or parallel to the plane determined by the frame of the machine, or transversely to
the said plane as may be desired.
I also, if desired, provide supplementary devices for more effectually ensuring
rigidity of the connection between the said cross-piece and the upright or stem when
adjusted for use.
If the machine is made with a brake operated by a lever pivoted to the handle-bar,
I prefer to connect the said lever to the brake-rod by a suitable joint which will
permit of the required movement of the two halves of the said cross-piece relatively
to the upright or stein of the handle-bar without the necessity for unscrewing any of
the parts. For example I connect the said lever to the brake-rod by means of a forked
end of the lever engaging with the said rod between two shoulders or collars thereon,
so that, in turning about its pivot the half of the handle-bar or cross-piece carrying
the brake-lever, the said forked end of the lever will be moved out of engagement
with the brake-rod, and, in the return movement of the said half of the cross-piece,
the said forked end of the lever will again be caused to engage with the said brake-
rod. Or I make the brake-lever with a slotted segment to engage with a pin or bolt

page_text: in the brake-rod, so that, when the said half of the cross-piece is turned about its
pivot, the said slotted segment will slide upon the said pin or bolt without disengage-
ment of the lever from the rod.
Dated this 31st day of October 1896.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, OWEN JONES, of 68 Great Russell Street, in the County of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide for the folding of the handle-bars of
bicycles and the like, so as to reduce their width for the purposes of storage or
transit.
I accomplish this result by making the cross-piece of the handle-bar in two halves.
or parts and securing the said halves or parts to the upright or stem of the handle-bar
and to each other so that the parts of the said cross-piece or handle-bar on both sides
of the upright or stern can be easily folded to reduce the width of the machine, or
unfolded and secured in position for steering.
In carrying my said invention into practice, I find it advantageous to proceed as
follows, viz.-I connect each half or part of the cross-piece of the handle-bar to the
upright or stem thereof by a hinge-joint or pivot, and I provide suitable means for rigidly
uniting the said halves or parts of the cross-piece when in position for steering. In
some instances I form partly on one half and partly on the other half of the said
cross-piece a projection or stud which is screw-threaded to receive a nut for rigidly
uniting the two halves of the said cross-piece, or the two parts of which projection or
stud are adapted to be rigidly held together by a clip or other suitable device.
The two halves of the cross-piece are in some instances attached to the upright
or stem by a common pivot-pin. In other instances they are attached thereto by
separate pivot-pins.
The axis or axes about which the said halves of the cross-piece turn are arranged in
or parallel to the plane determined by the frame of the machine, or transversely to
the said plane as may be desired.
I also, if desired, provide supplementary devices for more effectually ensuring
rigidity of the connection between the said cross-piece and the upright or stem when
adjusted for use.
If the machine is made with a brake operated by a lever pivoted to the handle-bar,
I prefer to connect the said lever to the brake-rod by a suitable joint which will permit
of the required movement of the two halves of the said cross-piece relatively to the
upright
or stem of the handle-bar without the necessity for unscrewing any of the
parts.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and
Figure 2 a vertical section on the line x-x, Figure 1, drawn to an enlarged scale,
showing the handle-bar of a velocipede having my invention applied thereto.

page_text: Figure 4 is a pian, anu
Figure 5 a vertical section on the line x-x', Figure 4, showing another form or
modification of my improved handle-bar.
Figure 6 is an underside view, and
Figure 7 a sectional elevation of the same, illustrating a detail of construction.
Figure 8 is a plan,
Figure 9 a vertical section on the line x2x2, Figure 8, and
Figure 10 a section on the line 3-³, Figure 9, showing a further modification of
my invention.
Figure 11 is a front elevation of a handle-bar showing a still further modification
of my invention.
Figure 12 is a plan of a portion of a handle-bar illustrating a detail of con-
struction.
Figures 13 and 14 are front views of portions of handle-bars showing still further
modifications of my invention.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
a is the downwardly-extending part or stem of the handle-bar; b, b the halves or
parts of the bar or cross-piece; and c, c the handles.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, d is a forked socket mounted on the end of the
stem a, and between the limbs of the said fork are jointed blocks or hinge-pieces e, e¹
bearing the handle-bars b, b and adapted to turn about a pivot-pin or hinge-pin f.
The motion of the bars b is limited, in the downward direction, by coming into
contact with the sides of the socket d, whilst their motion in an upward direction is
limited by a bar d¹ which extends across the limbs of the fork d and engages with
recesses e2 in the ends of the said blocks e, e¹. On the upper side of the blocks e, e¹
are formed projections g, g which together form a taper screw-thread so that they can
be drawn and held together by means of a screw-threaded cap or nut h, a suitable
space being preferably left between the said screw-threaded projections to ensure that
they shall always be firmly held in position by the nut h notwithstanding wear of the
engaging parts. The cap h is preferably secured to the socket d by means of a wire
cord hor in any other suitable manner so as to prevent it from being lost or nislaid.
The pivot-pin connecting the brake-plunger j and the brake-lever j is arranged so
as to be coaxial with the hinge-pin f so that the brake lever j can fold downwards
with the corresponding handle-bar b after removal of the cap h. To bring the handle-
bars b again into position for use it is only necessary to raise them into the position
shown in Figure 1 and replace the cap h.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, the handles b, b are adapted to
turn about a vertical pivot or stud f and have their motion limited in a forward
direction by, means of a projection d2 formed on the socket d. In this case the
projections g, g are made with conical surfaces adapted to engage with a conical
surface h2 forming an extension of the nut h. This nut. h turns on a screw-threaded
bolt k provided with an eye le passed over the stud f, and in order to prevent
detachment and possible loss of the nut h, a nut 2 is secured to the end of the bolt k
which will allow the nut to be unscrewed only to such a distance as to release the
projections g, g from the conical surface h², the whole being enclosed within a metal
cap which is preferably milled, fluted or roughened on its outer surface so as to
enable it to be readily grasped to turn the nut h in either direction as desired. In
this arrangement, the brake-lever j2 is provided with a forked end 3 which, when the
handle-bars b are in the position shown in Figures 4 and 6, engages with the brake-
plunger between two collars j thereon, but when the handle-bars b are folded back-
ward, releases the said brake-plunger. Or I make the brake-lever with a slotted
segment to engage with a pin or bolt in the brake-rod, so that, when the said half of
the cross-piece is turned about its pivot, the said slotted segment will slide upon the
said pin or bolt without disengagement of the lever from the rod.
In Figures 8, 9 and 10 I have shown another form or modification of my, invention

page_text: on which the blocks e, e¹ are mounted on separate studs f2, and one of the
projections g is extended so as to form a complete cylinder and is screw-threaded to
receive the nut h. This nut is formed with a conical surface h² to engage similar
surfaces on the projections g, g' and is provided with a central internal stem m adapted
to pass through a hole g in the cylindrical extension of the projection gl and having
a nut m¹ fixed to its end so that it will allow the nut to be unscrewed sufficiently to
release the projection g, but will not permit the detachment of the nut h from the
extension gn is a spring pawl pivoted at n' in the nut & and adapted to engage
with a ratchet-surface n at the end of the cylindrical extension g' so as to prevent the
nut h from working or jarring loose when the velocipede is in use, but which can be
readily released to unscrew the said nut by pressing inwards the tail-piece n³.
Figure 11 shows another form or modification of my invention, in which the blocks e,e
are adapted to turn about separate approximately horizontal hinge-pins f3 and are
secured together by a nut A similar to that described with reference to Figures 4 and 5
with the exception that the screw-threaded pin k is secured directly to the socket d.
In Figure 12 I have shown a modification of my invention in which I provide for
adjusting the distance between the projections g, g when held together by the nut A.
For this purpose a screw-threaded bolt p, having an enlarged end p, is fitted to turn
in one of the projections g' and is provided with a slot p2 whereby it can be screwed
in one or the other direction. In this manner, when the conical surfaces on the
outside of the projections g, g¹ wear, the said projections can be separated, thus
enabling the nut A to again tightly lock them in position.
In Figure 13 I have shown the said projections secured together by means of a
clip q which is hinged or pivoted at q¹ to one of the projections g2 and is provided with
a set-screw operated by a stationary nut q' at its other end; this set-screw is made
with a pointed end adapted to engage with a recess g formed in the other projection g
so as to hold the parts firmly together and obviate any risk of displacement by jolting
or the like.
It is obvious that the construction of my improved folding or collapsible handle-
bars can be somewhat further modified without departing from the nature of my said
invention, for example, the projections g, g can be forined in the same line as the
halves b, b of the handle-bar so as to be brought into line with or abut against each
other when the handle-bar is ready for use, the said projections being then united by
means of a nut provided with right or left-handed screws or by a coupling as shown
in Figure 14.
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 :-
First. A handle-bar in which the cross-piece is made in two halves jointed to the
upright or stem and provided with projections adapted to he held together by a cap or
nut, substantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore described.
Second. A handle-bar such as is herein before described, in which the halves of the
stud or projection are provided with conical surfaces for engaging a conical surface in
the interior of the nut or cap.
Third. The modification of my invention in which the screw-threaded nut or cap
is provided with means for preventing it from being entirely unscrewed from the
screw-thread on which it turns, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination, with a folding handle-bar the halves or which are adapted
to be secured together by means of a screw-threaded nut or cap, of an auxiliary
retaining device such as a pawl on one of the relatively movable parts for engaging
with a ratchet-surface on another of the said parts, substantially as, and for the
purposes, hereinbefore described.
Fifth. A folding handle-bar such as is hereinbefore described, in which the halves of
the stud or projection are held together by means of a clip pivoted to one of the said
halves and engaging with the other by means of a set-screw, substantially as
described.

page_text: Sixth. The combination, with a handle-bar folding in an approximately horizontal
plane, of a brake-lever provided with a forked end and engaging with the brake-
plunger between collars or the like thereon, substantially as, and for the purposes
specified.
Seventh. The improved handle-bar constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, or to Figures 4 and 5, or to Figures 8, 9 and 10, or
to Figure 11, or to Figure 12, or to Figure 14 for the purposes specified.
Dated the 21st
A 2007
0
OWEN JONES.
D. Young & Co.,
11 and 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.