IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINES." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hillman, John Kemp Starley, and George Singer,
all of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Machinists, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hillman, John Kemp
Starley, and George Singer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 25th March 1880.
WILLIAM HILLMAN, JOHN KEMP STARLEY, and GEORGE SINGER, all of Coventry,
in the County of Warwick, Machinists. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES, PARTS
OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINES."
This Invention relates partly to an improved manner of securing a crank or lever
upon the shaft or spindle or other part to which it is to bo connected. This part of
our Invention is chiefly designed for application to the cranks of bicycles and other
velocipedes, but may be applied to cranks and the like for other machinery.
We form in the boss of the crank or lever a slot which extends partially through
the said boss in the direction of the axis of the shaft or spindle, and which also
extends from the said boss in the direction of the length of the said crank or lever,
and from the front to the back of the latter. Into this slot we fit a taper piece,
which we term a key or feather, and which is capable of adjustment within the said
slot, and projects radially into a groove in the shaft or spindle. The said key or
feather is inserted into the slot from the front or face of the lever, and has on its
back or rear side a stud or shank which projects through the said lever, the said
shank being screw-threaded and provided with a nut on its projecting end.
In attaching the crank or lever to the shaft or spindle upon which it is to be
secured, according to our Invention, we place the same in the proper position on the
said shaft or spindle. The said key or feather is then inserted in the aforesaid slot,
the nut is then tightened or screwed up, thereby drawing the key farther into the
slot and groove, and making the said key tight therein. The crank or lever will
thus be held in its place with greater security than it is practicable to obtain with
the ordinary means, while at the same time it is capable of very ready detachment
or removal from its shaft or spindle by unscrewing the said nut.

page_text: Another part of our Invention relates to handles for bicycles, and consists in the
peculiar and novel construction of the handle-bars, whereby the same are made
adjustable in length and otherwise to vary the position of the handles. To effect
the endwise adjustment of these handles we form the parts of the handle-bar
adjacent to the centre or boss hollow or tubular, and we make the ends separately,
and fit them into these tubular portions, with a capability of sliding end wise therein
when not clamped or fastened; therefore the said ends may be drawn out or pushed
into the said tubular portions or sockets of the handle-bar to lengthen or shorten
the same to adapt them to the requirements of the riders. For clamping or locking
the said sliding ends when adjusted to any position in their sockets we may slit or
divide the latter for a portion of their length, and form them with lugs or jaws,
through which we pass a screw, and by tightening this screw the ends of the
handle-bar will be firmly and immovably secured in the said sockets; or we may
use screws passed through the said sockets or other suitable means for binding or
securing the ends therein.
We also make the handles adjustable nearer to or farther from the axis or centre
of the handle-bar as follows, that is to say:-The outer extremities of the said
handle-bar are cranked or bent downward at a right angle to the axis of the said
bar to form arms thereou; or these arms are fixed in any suitable manner on the
ends of the said handle-bar. The said arms have forined in them longitudinal slots
for the reception of the handles; the ends of the latter are scrow-threaded and
extend through the said slots, and are provided at the back of the arms with nuts,
whereby they are made fast therein. These slots permit the adjustment of the
said handles, so that they may be low enough to be convenient to any rider without
bringing the handle-bar low enough. to obstruct or be in the way of his legs. The
same results may be effected by forming the ends of the handle-bar with eyes or
bosses, and constructing the handles with cranked ends, which are fitted to slide
through the said bosses, and are of sufficient length to allow the desired adjustment
of the handles, and they may be turned laterally to any desired angle in the said
eyes. For securing the handles in the eyes when adjusted into any desired position
the said eyes inay be provided with pinching screws; or they may be split and
formed with lugs, through which a screw is passed, or we may employ any other
suitable means for this purpose.
This last described part of our Invention may be applied to handle-bars with
adjustable ends fitted to slido in sockets, as above described, or to ordinary handle-
bars for bicycles.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Hillman, John Kemp Starley, and George Singer in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 25th September 1880.
WILLIAM HILLMAN, JOHN KEMP STARLEY, and GEORGE SINGER, all of Coventry,
in the County of Warwick, Machinists. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES, PARTS
OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINES."
This Invention relates partly to an improved manner of securing a crank or lever
upon the shaft, spindle, or other piece to which it is to be attached. This part of
our Invention is chiefly designed for application to the cranks of bicycles and
other velocipedes, but may be applied to cranks and the like for other machinery.
This part of our said Invention is illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the
Drawings.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and
Figure 2 is a section on the line x, x, Figure 1, shewing the shaft of a bicycle
with a crank secured thereon by our improved device.
Figure 3 is a front view of the crank detached from its shaft.
a is the shaft, b is the hub, c is the crank.
We form in the boss c² of the said crank or lever a slot d, which extends through
or partially through the said boss in the direction of the axis of the shaft a, and
which also extends from the said boss in the direction of the length of the said
crank or lover, and from the front to the back of the latter, tho said slot being
taper at its ond d'. Into this slot wo fit a piece of steel or other metal, which
we term a key or feather; this key is also made taper at its end which fits the
end of the slot, and is capable of adjustment within the said slot and projects
radially into a groove f in the shaft a. The said key or feather e is inserted into
the slot & from the front or face of the crank or lever, and has on its back or inner
side a stud or shank c'. This stud which projects through the said lever is screw-
threaded, and provided with a nut c² on its projecting end. If desired the arrange-
ment of the said key may be reversed, that is to say, the key may be arranged with
the screw and nut outside, in which case the slot in the crank will be tapered in
the opposite direction to that shown.
In attaching the crank or lever c to the shaft or spindle upon which it is to be
secured according to our Invention, we place the same in the proper position on
the said shaft or spindle, and insert the said key or feather in the aforesaid slot d;
the nut e is then tightened or screwed up, thereby drawing the key further into
the slot & and groove f, and by the action of its taper end making the said key
tight therein. The crank or lever c will thus be tightly fixed and held in its place
with greater security than it is practicable to obtain with the ordinary means,
while at the same time it is capable of very ready detachment or removal from its
shaft or spindle by unscrewing the said nut and withdrawing the key e.
In Figure 4 we have shewn a device for facilitating the removal of the said crank
from its shaft.
Another part of our Invention relates to handles for bicycles and other
velocipedes, and consists in the peculiar and novel construction of such handles,
whereby the same are made adjustable or variable in length, and otherwise.
This part of our Invention is illustrated in Figures 5, 0, 7, 8.
Figure 5 is a plan of our improved handle.
Figure 6 is a rear view of the same.
Figure 7 is a front view of a portion of a handle, and
Figure 8 is a section on the line y, y, illustrating a modification of this part of
our Invention.
To provide for the endwise or lengthwise adjustment of the handle, shewn in
Figures 5 and 6, we form the parts as follows, that is to say :-The part g² of the
handle-bar g adjacent to the centre or boss is made hollow or tubular, and we make
the ends separately, and fit them into these tubular portions g² with a capability of

page_text: sliding end wise therein when not clainped or fastened. Therefore the said ends
may be drawn out of or pushed into the said tubular portions or sockets of the
handle-bar to lengthen or shorten the handle to adapt it to the requirements of the
riders. We have shewn at one end of Figure 6 in full and dotted lines some of
the positions into which these parts may be adjusted. For clamping or locking tho
said sliding ends ³ when adjusted to any position in their sockets we may slit or
divide the latter for a portion of their length, as shewn at g, and forin them with
lugs or jaws g, through which we pass a screw h, and by tightening this screw the
ends of the handle will be firmly and immovably secured in the said sockets;
or we may use screws passed through the said sockets, so that their points impinge
upon the ends g³, or other suitable means for binding or securing these ends in their
sockets.
-We also make the handles adjustable vertically and angularly in relation to the
handle bar. In the apparatus shewn in Figures 5 and 6 we provide means for this
purpose as follows, that is to say-The extremities of the end-pieces g³ are
provided with clamping eyes for the reception of the rods or stems 97 of the
handles proper, that is to say, the parts grasped by the hand, and by slackening the
nuts of these clamping cyes the said handles will be released, and may be
adjusted vertically or angularly into various positions; some of these different
positions are shewn in full and dotted lines in Figures 5 and 6. It is obvious that
instead of the above we may employ any other suitable devices for clamping the
said rods or stems.
Or we may modify this part of our Invention, as shewn in Figures 7 and 8, by
forming a handle-bar with its ends cranked or bent down at or nearly at a right
angle to the axis of the said bar to forin, arins j thereon; or these arms are fixed
in any suitable manner on the ends of the said handle-bar. The said arms have.
formed in them longitudinal slots j' for the reception of the handles proper; tho
ends of the latter are screw-threaded and extend through the said slots, and are
provided at the back of the arms with nuts, whereby they are made fast therein.
These improved arrangements of the handles, as shewn in Figures 5 and 6, or in
Figures 7 and and 8 of the Drawings, permit the adjustment of the said handles, so
that they may be low enough to bo convenient to any rider without bringing the
handle-bar low enough to obstruct or be in the way of his legs.
The part of our Invention relating to the vertical adjustability of the handles in
the handle-bar may be applied to handle-bars with adjustable ends fitted to slide in
sockets, as above described, or to ordinary handle-bars for bicycles.
Having thus fully described our said Invention, and shewn how the saine may
be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, wo wish it understood
that we claim,-
First. The improvements relating to the manner of securing cranks or levers
upon shafts, spindles, or other pieces, substantially as and for the purposes above
set forth.
Second. The improvements relating to adjustable handles for velocipedes,
substantially as and for the purposes above specified.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Hillman, John Kemp Starley, and
George Singer, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twentieth day
of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
ialty
WILLIAM HILLMAN.
(L.S.)
JOHN KEMP STARLEY. (L.S.)
GEORGE SINGER.
(L.S.)