An Improved Lock for Bicycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1896-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1897
An Improved Lock for Bicycles.
I, EVELYN MORETON WHEATLEY of The Royal Albert Yacht Club Southsea
near Portsmouth iu the County of Hants, Gentleman, 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:-
Bicycles being very liable to be stolen by unscrupulous persons, owing to the
ease with which it can be done, and to the necessity of these machines being
frequently left unattended outside the houses at which riders may stop to make
calls, the improved lock has been devised to mitigate to some extent this evil.
Figure 1 is a side view of the improved lock for bicycles shown in section, with
its box-staple in elevation.
Figure 2 is an end view of the lock partly in section.
Figure 3 is a plan of the lock.
Figure 4 is a side view of the key of the lock.
(a) is the box-staple which is clamped to the upper part of the rod to which is
attached the cross-bar and handles.
(b) is the lock casing.
(c) is the lock bolt, the lower part of which is formed with teeth (d) which teeth
are constructed so that no matter in what direction the bolt may turn the teeth
will not get out of gear with the spur wheel (e) which has teeth on its periphery
which are suitably formed to engage with the teeth of the bolt (c). The wheel (e)
has formed upon it two arbors (f) and (9), the latter being larger in diameter
than the former, it is hollow, and is provided with a projecting piece (k). The
arbors (f) (g) fit into bosses (i) formed upon the casing.
One side of the casing is detachable and is secured in its place by screws which
are screwed into bosses (j) on the body of the case (k) is a spring which is fastened
to the casing by a screw and nut (4) and bears at its free end against the teeth of
the wheel (e) for the purpose of holding it in position; (m) (m) are clips used for
the purpose of securing the lock to the machine; and (n) (n) are ribs on the lock
provided for the purpose of preventing the clips (m) from slipping off the lock
when it is secured to bicycles by these clips.
The key shown in Figure is of the box-spanner type and is made to fit the
recess in the arbor (g) and the projecting piece (h), which may be square or of
other suitable sbape in section, to enable the wheel (e) to be turned by the key by
means of it.
The box-staple (a) and lock are to be constructed of metal. The box-staple is
attached to the upright rod of a bicycle to which the cross-bar for the handles is
secured, and the lock is fastened to the socket in which the afore mentioned rod
turns. The box-staple and lock may be either secured by bands or clips (m) as
shown, or they may be brazed on to the machine, or they may be otherwise held in
position.
The angle of the casing containing the spur-wheel may be varied to suit the
frames of the machines to which the locks are attached.
The dotted lines show parts of a bicycle, but which parts do not form a portion
of this invention.
By using the locking device herein before described, all power of steering a
bicycle to which this invention is applied, can be prevented, to do this the box-staple

page_text: is positioned over the lock, and the bolt of the lock raised by means of the key
until it enters the box-staple; the handle bar then becomes fixed and the machine
can no longer be used; while at the same time it can, if required, be pushed in a
forward or backward direction, and no injury is caused to the machine in any way
by the locking; but the owner of a machine can if he wish have the box-staple
secured in such a position that when it is arranged for locking, the front wheel of
the machine will have to be at an angle with the frame instead of being in a line with
it, by doing which the machine will be capable of being moved only in a circular
direction, and consequently be very troublesome for a thief to steal.
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 1
claim is ;
The locking device substantially as shown by the drawings and herein before
-described.
Dated this 1st day of December 1896
E. H. G. BREWSTER,
Agent for Applicant.