Handle Bar Post.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Handle Bar Post.
We, MICHAEL BARTHOLOMEW RYAN, of 105 South Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut,
United States of America, Inventor, and PATRICK OWEN DWYER of 1 Ives Street,
Danbury, Connecticut, United States of America, Merchant, 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 :-
Our invention has for its object to provide a handle bar post for bicycles which
shall be especially adapted for use in connection with wooden handle bars and
shall be so constructed as to permit the handle bar to be readily inserted and
removed and also to permit it to be readily adjusted and instantly and securely
locked at any required angle in the vertical plane, that is to say, it will permit
the handle bar to be raised or lowered as may be required.
With these ends in view we have devised the novel handle bar post of which the
following description in connection with the accompanying drawing is a specification,
numbers being used to designate the several parts.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my novel handle bar post with a handle bar clamped
therein.
Fig. 2 an end view of the handle bar post the handle bar being in section.
Fig. 3 an end view of the handle bar post the handle bar being removed, and the
locking piece being at the lowered position.
Fig. 4 a section on the line - in Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 a section on the line y-y in Fig. 3, the locking piece being removed.
Fig. 6 a plan view of the locking piece, and
Fig. 7 is a section of the locking piece on the line z-z in Fig. 6.
1 denotes the handle bar post at the upper end of which is a head 2 which is
provided with an oval longitudinal opening 3, the greater diameter of said oval
being in the vertical plane, the special purpose in making the opening oval being
to permit variously curved handle bars to be inserted without difficulty. On the
inner side of the opening at the top is a rib 4 the purpose of which will presently
he apparent. Two or more ribs may be used if preferred although as a matter of
fact we do not consider any rib essential. 5 denotes a slot in the upper end of
the handle bar post which lies parallel with opening 3 and extends into said opening.
6 denotes a screw thread at the upper end of the handle bar post and below the
head which is engaged by a nut 7. A denotes the locking piece which lies in
slot 5 and the ends of which rest upon the nut. 8 denotes a longitudinal rib on
the upper side of the locking piece which may or may not be formed thereon.
We have shown the ends of the locking piece as provided with wings 9 which
are curved approximately in arcs of a circle, that is to say, the curvature of the
wings does not correspond with the oval curvature of opening 3 in the head.
B denotes a handle bar which may of course be made either of metal or wood
although our novel handle bar post will be found especially adapted for use in
connection with wooden handle bars. These wings in use form a bearing for the
sides of the handle bar as clearly shown in Fig. 2 and also hold the handle
bar firmly against any tilting movement as will be apparent from Fig. 1. It will be
seen from Fig. 2 that the top of opening 3 and the wings form approximately a circle
and form a bearing entirely around the handle bar, ribs 4 and 8 being forced into the
handle bar more or less, depending upon how tightly the nut is screwed up. The
handle bar is thus locked firmly not only against rotary movement but also by means

page_text: of the wings which support the handle bar on opposite sides of its mid-length against
any tilting movement. 10 denotes recesses at the opposite ends of the head which
receive the wings. In practice we make the wings to fit closely against the vertical
walls 11 of recesses 10 as will be clearly understood from Figs. 1 and 4 the purpose
of which is to hold the locking piece against any movement except an upward and
downward movement in the slot.
The operation will be readily understood from the drawing and description already
given. Suppose that it is desired to insert or remove a handle bar. The nut is
turned down as in Figs. 3 and 4 which permits the locking piece to drop down into
the slot and below oval opening 3, the oval shape of this opening permitting a curved
handle bar to be readily inserted therein. Having placed the handle bar with its mid-
length at the center of the head and having placed it at the required adjustment in
the vertical plane it is locked there by tightening up the nut as in Figs. 1 and 2, the
nut raising the locking piece and clamping the handle bar between the wings and the
top of the opening, ribs 4 and 8 being forced into the wood sufficiently to lock
the handle bar rigidly in place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :
1. A handle bar post provided with a head having an oval opening and below said
opening a slot, a locking piece in said slot and a nut engaging the post below the head
and adapted to raise the locking piece so that a handle bar may be clamped between
the locking piece and the top of the opening.
2. A handle bar post provided with a head having an oval opening provided
with a rib on its inner face and below said opening a slot, a locking piece lying
in said slot and also provided with a rib and a nut engaging the post below the
head and adapted to raise the locking piece so that the ribs will engage a handle
bar and the latter will be locked rigidly in place.
3. A handle bar post provided with a head having an oval opening and below
said opening a slot, a locking piece lying in said slot and provided with wings
curved approximately in an arc of a circle, and a nut engaging the post below
the head and adapted to raise the locking piece so that when the nut is tightened
up the top of the opening and wings approximate a circle and form bearings entirely
around the handle bar.
4. A handle bar post provided with a head having an oval opening and at the ends
of said opening with recesses 10, a slot below said opening, a locking piece in said
slot having curved wings adapted to lie in the recesses and a nut engaging the post
below the head and adapted to raise the locking piece so that a handle bar may be
clamped between the locking piece and the top of the opening and will be held
against tilting by the wings.
5. A handle bar post provided with a head having an oval opening and at the ends
of said opening with recesses 10 having walls 11, a slot below said opening, a
locking piece in said slot having curved wings which lie in said recesses and
engage the walls whereby the locking piece is held against other than vertical
movement and a nut engaging the post below the head and upon which the locking
piece rests as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1896.
MICHAEL BARTHOLOMEW RYAN.
PATRICK OWEN DWYER.