Year: 1897

page_text: 1, ALFRED WHITEHOUSE, Manager of the St. Georges Engineering Company Limited
of Pope Street, in the City of Birmingham, Cycle Manufacturers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to steering or head locks for cycles, and has for its object,
a simple and efficient means for preventing the rotation of the steering pillar or
post within the ball head sleeve at times when a cycle is left unattended, or left
leaning against some vertical support, such as a wall, fence or the like, and for a
further object, to prevent the too-free rotation of the steering post or pillar within
the said sleeve by creating a slight frictional contact between certain opposed parts.
In carrying out my invention, I take an ordinary ball head, comprising the usual
socket or sleeve, terminated at its upper and lower ends by junction lugs, and with
the steering post, which has the fork crown at its lower end and receives the handle
bar stem at its upper end, passing axially up the said sleeve and with its extending
and outside screwed upper end receiving the head clip and its lock nut. The lower
edge of the said clip is expanded or widened out in a cap or cup,with an annular flange
at its edge, inwards of which is a half ball race opposed to a corresponding half-ball
race formed in the upper edge of an extension of the top junction lug, which said
extension is outside screwed and receives a traversing or rising and falling inside-
screwed lock nut, ring or equivalent, which, when rotated or propelled by its preferably
milled periphery or edge, either brings its face or topside into intimate contact with
the opposed face or flange of the head-clip cup or cap and so stiffens or locks the
steering pillar and when repelled by rotation in the reverse direction, the same is
removed from out of frictional contact with the head clip flange and the steering post
is free to revolve.
'
Instead of the lock nut impinging directly upon the flange of the head clip, a
rising and falling tooth-faced washer may be interposed between them, the said flange
being toothed to correspond, so that on the propulsion of the lock nut upwards, the
washer or interposed ring is carried or caused to slide up in front of it until its teeth
engage or contact with the toothed or plain surface of the head clip flange, thus
locking the steering.
1000

page_text: Improvements in Steering or Head Looks for Cycles.
I, ALFRED WHITEHOUSE, Manager of the St. Georges Engineering Company Limited,
of Pope Street, in the City of Birmingham, Cycle Manufacturers, 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 :-
This invention relates to steering or head locks for cycles, and has for its object, a
simple and efficient means for preventing the rotation of the steering pillar or post
within the ball head sleeve at times when a cycle is left unattended, or left leaning
against some support, such as a wall, fence or the like, and for a further object, to
prevent the too-free rotation of the steering post or pillar within the said sleeve by
creating a slight frictional contact between certain opposed parts.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents the front part of a safety bicycle,
the head of which is fitted or provided with a steering lock constructed and arranged
according to my invention.
Figure 2 is an elevation, upon an enlarged scale, of the said head lock and the
contiguous parts of a bicycle.
Figure 3 is a complete longitudinal vertical section of Figure 2, showing the lock
applied, or with the parts in the positions they assume when the steering is stiffened.
Figure 4 is a like complete sectional view as Figure 8, but the lock taken off, or
the steering left free.
Figure 5 represents different views of the detail parts of the ball head and the
steering lock device, separately.
Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the lock.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
In carrying out my invention, I take an ordinary ball head a, comprising the usual
Bocket or sleeve a¹, terminated at its upper and lower ends by junction lugs a³, a³,
and with the steering post b, which has the fork crown b, at its lower end and
receives the handle bar stein c, at its upper end, passing axially up the said sleeve
and with its extending and outside screwed upper end b, receiving the head clip d
and its lock nut (l¹. The lower edge of the said clip is expanded or widened out into
a cap or cup d², with an annular flange at its edge, inwards of which is a half ball
race d', opposed to a corresponding half-ball race a, formed in the upper edge of an
extension of the top junction lug a, which said extension is outside screwed
at aⓇ and receives a traversing or rising and falling inside-screwed lock nut, ring or
equivalent e, which, when rotated or propelled by its preferably milled periphery or
edge e', locks the steering, as hereinafter described.
Threaded over the screwed part a', of the lug a', and with its underside resting
upon the top of the lock-nut, a washer f, constrained to move in a vertical path
only when raised or allowed to fall by raising or lowering of the locking ring, by an
ear, engaging in a vertical gap a cut in the screwed part of the lug, and also
baving a stud, adapted to be engaged with a sinking d³, in the flange d³, of the
head clip (between which flange and the top face of the lock nut the said washer is
interposed on the fully screwing up of the lock nut for the purpose of locking,
braking or stiffening the steering.
Thus, when the locking ring is propelled or rotated up the screwed end of the lug,
it carries the locking washer up with it and brings the same into frictional contact
with the opposed face of the flange of the ball head clip and the stud f, on the one
engages the sinking d', in the other and so locks the steering, whilst when the
said nut is repelled by rotation in the reverse direction, the said parts are taken out

page_text: of engagement and frictional contact with one another and the steering post is free
to revolve.
Instead of employing the interposed washer, I may dispense with the same and
arrange that the face of the locking ring shall contact with or impinge directly upon
the flange of the head clip, or instead of the face or impingement of the washer
being plain, as shown in the drawing, it may be toothed or roughened and contact
with either a plain or correspondingly serrated surface of the flange in order to give
a better grip.
As a modification, the ball head may have its bottom edge extended downwards
and outside screwed to receive a locking ring, (either with or without an intervening
washer) which may be made to contact with an opposed flange, shoulder or other
impingement carried by a suitable part of the top lug of the ball head sleeve.
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. Locking, stiffening or braking the movement of the steering pillar within
the outer sleeve of a cycle ball head, by a travelling screw nut or ring, working or
rising and falling upon a screwed part at the upper end of the said sleeve and opposed
to a contact or impingement carried by the said steering pillar, with or without an
interposed washer located between the said lock nut and its opposed contact.
Secondly. The arrangement and combination of the parts of cycle steering or ball-
head locks, substantially as described and set forth in the several figures of the drawing
Thirdly. The modification of steering lock in which the lock nut is carried by the.
steering pillar or its fitting, and the contact for the said nut is provided on the outer
sleeve, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 20th day
of August fo
ALFRED WHITEHOUSE,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.