Improvements in Folding Steering Handle Bars, with Locking Device for Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Apr., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 27th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Folding Steering Handle Bars, with Locking
Device for Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, JOSEPH NUGENT LEMPART, of 7, East India Avenue, in the City of London,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to construct steering handle bars for cycles and
other vehicles in such manner as to admit of the easy folding of the same into a
nearly upright position and so as thereby to become automatically fixed in that
position wherein it will lock or can be locked by a special key in the possession of
the rider which key is needed for unlocking the handle bar that can then be turned
into the normal position wherein it is held firmly and can if desired be locked by
means of the key. By my invention a saving in space is effected when the handle
bar is in the folded position and unauthorized tampering with or theft of the
vehicle is prevented, while the removal of the vehicle with the handle bar in the
folded position would indicate that it was being stolen.
The handle bar is by a pin and a tongue and fork joint connected to the upper
part of the steering fork pillar so that it can be folded into a nearly upright position
when a spring bolt or catch has been withdrawn which serves to hold the handle
bar and the pillar rigidly together. The same bolt or catch may serve to secure
the parts together when the handle bar has been swung into the folded position;
but I also provide a device whereby the locked handle bar can only be unlocked
by means of the special key named. It will be understood that as a matter of
practice and convenience the handle bar is usually not locked in the normal
position, but only in the folded position. The bolt or catch, the device for pre-
venting unauthorized raising the handle bar into the normal position; and the
means for withdrawing the bolt may all be arranged in a casing fitted in the fork
end of the pillar.
In one form I make the handle bar with a downwardly projecting tongue which
fits in the upper forked end of the steering fork pillar and is jointed thereto so that
the handle bar can be folded nearly into the longitudinal plane of the steering
wheel. The handle bar is also provided with a bow shaped piece having two
slightly tapering notches. A bolt with slightly tapering lower end is by means
of a spring (which may be in the interior of the bolt) adapted to shoot into one
notch (but not to bottom therein) for holding the handle bar firmly in the hori-
zontal position for use, or to shoot into the other similar notch for holding the
handle bar in the nearly upright position when the cycle is not in use and it is
desired to indicate this or to take up less room laterally. The bolt has a small lateral
hole or recess for the end of one arm of a double armed lever or handle to engage
with so that the bolt may be disengaged from its notch when the handle bar has to
be moved into the folded position or back into the normal position. The bolt can
be locked by means of a spring pressing upon one arm of a bell-crank lever, the
other arm of which engages with a hole or recess in the bolt. The device for pre-
venting unauthorized tampering with the folded handle bar may consist of a safety

page_text: bell crank lever mounted freely on the fulcrum pin of the aforesaid bell crank
lever and having one arm jointed to a small one armed lever which engages with
a hole in the lock casing. A cylindrical rotatable keyhole piece is fitted in
the casing and has an annular groove for the two bell crank levers to play in, also
a hole or notch for a key. This key has a lateral notch which when inserted in
its key notch to turn the cylindrical piece will pass one arm of the safety bell crank
lever without acting on it while raising one arm of the other bellcrank lever so
that the other arm of same becomes disengaged from the bolt and the latter
can be raised by means of the handle lever. But if an ordinary screw driver or
any other tool not having the special lateral notch is inserted it will be stopped
by the safety lever and thus not be able to move the other bell crank lever.
Instead of the two bell crank levers and the cylindrical keyhole piece I may
according to a simpler arrangement dispense with all those parts and provide the
fulcrum pin of the small hand lever with a recess of a peculiar shape for a key of
corresponding form to engage with, and in that case the hand lever is made single
armed and not adapted to be operated by the finger but merely by the key.
Or I make the bolt in the form of a tooth rack and raise it by a pinion having
a keyhole for a key of peculiar form. But with these simpler arrangements the
handle bar would ordinarily have to be unlocked before it could be folded.
Date :
1
C
*1 1007
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
Improvements in Folding Steering Handle Bars, with Locking
Device for Cycles and other Vehicles.
1, JOSEPH NUGENT LEMPART, of 7, East India Avenue, in the City of London,
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:-
The object of my invention is to construct steering handle bars for cycles and
other vehicles in such manner as to admit of the easy folding of the same into a
nearly upright position and so as thereby to become substantially fixed in that
position wherein it will lock automatically and a special key in the possession of
the rider, is needed for unlocking the handle bar which can then be turned into
the normal position wherein it is held firmly. If it be desired to fold the handle
bar but not to lock it in such folded position the handle bar is turned or folded in.
the opposite direction. By my invention a saving in space is effected when the
handle bar is in the folded position whether it is folded to one side, in the locked
position, or folded to the other side, in the unlocked position, but in the former
case the important additional advantage is obtained that unauthorized tampering
with or theft of the vehicle is prevented, while the removal of the vehicle with
the handle bar in such folded locked position would indicate that it was being
stolen. It will be understood that generally speaking the folding into the locked
position will be resorted to when the vehicle is left standing unguarded in the
public street or road, but the folding in the unlocked position will in other cases
be the usual one.
The handle bar is by a pin and a tongue and fork joint connected to the upper
part of the steering fork pillar, so that it can be folded into a nearly upright
position, when a spring bolt or catch has been withdrawn which serves to hold
the handle bar and the pillar rigidly together. The same bolt or catch may serve

page_text: to secure the parts together when the handle bar has been swung into the folded
position, but
also provide a device whereby the locked handle bar can only be
unlocked by means of the special key named. It will be understood that as a matter
of practise and convenience the handle bar need not usually be locked in the nor-
mal position if the key is left in. The bolt or catch, the device for preventing
unauthorized raising of the handle bar into the normal position, and the means
for withdrawing the bolt may all be arranged in a casing fitted in the fork end of
the pillar.
The drawing shews a preferred form of construction, in which Fig. 1 is a rear
elevation of a steering fork pillar and handle bar, Fig. 2 a side view partly in
section, Fig. 3 a front elevation, Fig. 4 a similar view shewing the handle bar in
a folded position, Fig. 5 an enlarged vertical section of the bolt and locking
mechanism, Fig. 6 a horizontal section and Fig. 7 a vertical cross section of the
locking device. Fig. 8 is a side view partly in section of a modified form of locking
device.
The handle bar A is made with a downwardly projecting tongue B which fits in
the upper forked end D' of the steering fork pillar D and is jointed thereto by a
pin C so that the handle bar can be folded nearly into the longitudinal plane of
the steering wheel, as shewn in Fig. 4. The handle bar is also provided with a
bow shaped piece G having two slightly tapering notches G₁ and G². A bolt I
with slightly tapering lower end is by means of a spring (which may be like K
arranged in the interior of the bolt) adapted to shoot into the notch G', but not
to bottom therein, for holding the handle bar in the horizontal position for use,
as in Fig. 1, or to shoot into the other similar notch for holding the handle bar in
the nearly upright and locked position, as in Fig. 4 when the cycle is not in use
and it is desired to indicate this; if the handle bar is turned to the opposite side
it is not locked, but in both the folded positions the vehicle takes up less space in
width. The taper of the end of the bolt I and the taper of the notch G should be
carefully made to correspond or the former be a little less than the latter and the
bolt must not bottom in the notch G¹ and if that is done there will be no shaking
of the handle bar A relatively to the pillar D when riding even on a rough road.
The bolt I has a small lateral hole or recess I¹ for the end of one arm of a double
armed lever or handle L to engage with so that the bolt may be disengaged from
the notch G¹ when the handle bar has to be moved into the folded position Fig. 4
or disengaged from the notch G2 when the handle bar has to be moved back into
the normal position. The bolt I can be locked, as shewn, by means of a split
spring S, one portion of same pressing upon one arm of a bell crank lever M the
other arm of which engages with a hole or recess 12 in the bolt I, and the other
portion of said spring S pressing on a safety bell crank lever O; or I may employ
two separate springs.
The device for preventing unauthorized tampering with the folded handle bar
may consist as here shown of a safety bell crank lever O mounted freely on the
fulcrum pin M of the aforesaid bell crank lever M and having one arm jointed
to a small one armed lever l' which engages with a hole in the lock casing Q. A
cylindrical rotatable keyhole piece N is fitted in the casing Q and has an annular
groove N2 for the two bell crank levers M and O to play in, also a hole or notch N¹
for a key R. This key has a lateral notch R' which when the key is inserted in
its key notch N¹ to turn the cylindrical piece N will pass one arm of the safety
bell crank lever O without acting on it, while raising one arm of the bell crank
lever M so that the other arm of same becomes disengaged from the hole I2 of the
bolt, and this latter can now be raised by means of the handle lever L. But if
an ordinary screw driver or any other tool not having the special lateral notch R¹
is inserted, it will lift the safety lever 0 and cause the lever P to project over the
bolt I and thus prevent said bolt I being raised out of the notches G¹ of G².
Instead of the two bell crank levers M and O and the cylindrical keyhole
piece NI may according to the simpler arrangement shown in Fig. 8 dispense with
all those parts and provide the fulcrum pin of the small hand lever L with a recess

page_text: of a peculiar shape, as for instance the one shown at L' for a key of corresponding
form to engage with and in that case the lever L is made single armed as shown
and not adapted to be operated by the finger but merely by the key. Or I make
the bolt I in the form of a tooth rack and raise it by a pinion having a keyhole,
for instance, like L' aforesaid for a key of corresponding form. But with these
simpler arrangements the handle bar A would ordinarily have to be unlocked
before it could be folded.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination of a steering fork pillar with forked upper end, a handle
bar pivotted therein and provided on the underside with a bow piece having notches
formed therein, a bolt mounted in a casing in the said forked end of the pillar and
adapted to engage with the notches, a locking lever mounted in said casing and
adapted to engage with the bolt, and means for withdrawing the locking lever
and the bolt substantially as described and shown and for the purpose that when
the handle bar is in the normal position it should be rigidly so held, when it is
swung to one side it should be automatically locked and can only be unlocked by
a special key in the riders possession, and when it is swung to the other side it
should not be locked..
2. The combination of a steering fork pillar with forked upper end, a handle bar
pivotted therein, and provided on the underside with a bow piece having notches
formed therein, a hollow bolt mounted in a casing in the said forked end of the
pillar, a helical spring in the bolt to throw it in engagement with the notches, a
two armed locking lever one arm of which engages with the bolt, a two armed
safety lever mounted on the fulcrum of the locking lever, a lever fulcrumed on
one arm of the safety lever, a key for operating said levers, and a lever for operating
the bolt substantially as set forth.
3. The construction of steering fork pillar with folding handle bar substantially
as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7.
4. The construction of steering fork pillar with folding handle bar substantially
as described with reference to Fig. 8.
Dated this Twenty-seventh day of January 1808