Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Sept., 1894-Accepted. 2nd Nov., 1894
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, PHILIP LOUIS RENOUF, of 26 York Road, Edgbaston, in the City of
Birmingham, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to bejas
follows:-
This invention relates principally to the smaller parts used in the construction
of velocipedes and in the simplification of the same, whilst rendering them easier
of manipulation as detached pieces.
The brake lever fulcrum, instead of working in a fixed and brazed lug is held
by a light metal band encircling the handle bar and terminating in bent or in
recessed ends which contain a pair of rounded blocks. These are pierced to
receive the fulcrum pin or else a hollow nipple in which the pin may rock; the
spring may be formed of wire with one end attached to this clip, the other end
to the lever. The end of the latter is cup shaped but slotted underneath so as
to receive a rocking block into which the plunger is screwed through the slot.
The usual brake spoon is preferably replaced by one or two tubular receptacles
for friction blocks made of rubber, felt, vulcanite, wood or other material and
which are easily replaced when worn. The usual clip on the socket tube is
replaced by an oval band containing a semi-circular locking piece, brought into
operation by a tapered pin. Under this clip may be placed a plate provided
with two or more spring claws acting on the adjusting cone and keeping it in
constant pressure. The crown is preferably tubular, with the two ends embracing
the forks and the centre embracing the steering post; sometimes the bottom is
forced up so as to form a solid abutment to the end of the steering post.
Clipped, or otherwise attached to this crown is a hinged piece with a concave
face padded with indiarubber or other elastic material, so that when this soft
surface is in contact with the socket, the latter is held by friction and prevented
from swaying. The seat pillar clip is formed, preferably out of solid-ended
tube, and split so as to form an internal clip to which the back stays may be
bolted. The hub chain wheel also is detachable even where forming one piece
with the bearing, by being screwed on the hub body with a right handed thread,
and locked in position by a left handed nut inside the bearing recess.
Dated this 1st day of November 1893.
PHILIP LOUIS RENOUF.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, PHILIP LOUIS KENOUF of 26 York Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Engineer
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 principally to the smaller parts used in the construction
of velocipedes, and in the simplication of the same, whilst rendering them easier
of manipulation as detached pieces, as follows:
The lug usually brazed to the handle bar, and acting as a fulcrum for the
brake lever, instead of being. made and machined out of a heavy casting or

page_text: nut.
stamping is replaced by a light metal band nearly encircling the bar: referring
to the drawings, this band is shewn at m Fig. 5, in section on the left, in side
elevation on the right. The ends of m are bent or cupped to semicircular section
and filled with a pair of half round washers n, n, one of which is pierced by a
clearance hole; and the other one tapped. Through these washers passes the
nip screw o, which locks the band in position. Sometimes the brake lever (shewn
in section at h) rocks directly on part of this nip screw or bolt, sometimes the
latter is, as shewn in the drawing hollow and forms a nipple in which the
rocking pinplies, being screwed into the lever hand locked thereto by a
The formation of the end of the lever is shewn in Fig. 4: the extreme
end, his thickened up and recessed from the back, as shewn in the sectional
drawing, to admit the rocking pin 1; this is pierced and tapped at i to receive
. the plunger rod, which has first to be passed through the longitudinal slot K
formed on the lower side of h; thus a very light and neat hinge is formed,
very much stronger than if the rocking pin, instead of being buried in a recess;
quite traversed the lever end, thus greatly weakening it, and gradually opening
it, as the action of the lever is a radial one, and not truly rectilineal. The
continuation of rod is made by the rod or tube f, which supports the actual
brake as shewn in Figs. 11, 7, 8 and 3. The brake itself, instead of being of
the usual spoon shape, forms one or more hollow or tubular receptacles, into
which rounded blocks of rubber, felt, wood or other suitable material can be fixed
so as to be readily detached and replaced when worn. The tube is provided in
Fig. 7 with a deepened, in Fig. 11 with a somewhat flattened or shallower flange,
in Fig. 8 with a pair of tubular receptacles, e, which contain the rounded blocks e¹;
in some cases e is provided with one, two or more holes through which part of
the block or blocks e' may protrude so as to obtain a better grip on e. In Fig. 3
the block e is forced into the end of a brake of the "dip" or hinged type as
shewn in plan, in side and in front elevation, g¹ being the part hinged to the fork
crown of the velocipede and g the part hinged to the plunger f.
The fork crown is preferably provided with a moveable piece, by means of
which it can at times be locked to the socket of the machine, but instead of
providing a rigid lock, which necessitates holes or recesses, and which might at
times lead to fractures or other damage, I use a latch acting by friction only.
This is shewn in Fig. 6, where q is a hinge (either rigidly fixed to, or detachably
clipped to the crown or some part fixed to or mounted on the crown); r is a
hinged piece, the concave end of which is padded with s, a piece of indiarubber
or other yielding and elastic substance; when is thrown over so that the pad s
is tightly compressed between r and the socket t, the latter will not move
without greater pressure being applied than would be exercised, say by the mere
weight of the machine, when the latter is resting against a wall; but when the
piece is thrown out as shewn in the dotted part of the drawing, the socket is
free to admit of easy steering.
The crown is formed by the tube A being split top and bottom, and the two
split ends being bent out to the right and to the left, and then flattened out
into the ears C, C, C¹ C' which are pierced to receive the fork sides B₁ B' in the
same way as the ordinary so called plate or skeleton crown.
Sometimes however I split the ends of the piece of tube which is to form
the crown in a horizontal direction as shewn in Fig. 10; the split ends are
then spread and flattened out as shewn on the left side of the plan and the
front elevation, x, x being the flattened parts; the lower parts are pierced 'to
receive the fork sides B, B' which butt up against the upper parts: these
however I prefer not to pierce, but to use as a cap to cover up the open ends
of B', B; I therefore press the part a so as to form a cap or cover, as shewn
on the right side of the drawing, and the part ¹ so as to lie flat and embrace
the fork, as also shewn on the right hand side; thus a greater brazing surface
is obtained and the top of the forks covered without the addition of separate
pieces. The centre of the crown is cleft open to receive the steering post w,

page_text: whilst the lower portion is preferably left closed so as to form an abutment for
the steering post, the amount of brazing surface being dependent on the manner
in which the latter is finished off.
This steering or socket tube forms as usual the connection with the handlebar
tube, of which part is shewn in Fig. 9; but for the usual heavy clip and nip
screw or bolt, I substitute a band or piece y, containing a small half round
locking piece y; where y is formed out of a piece of tube or sheet, yll is a separate
piece inserted, but where y is a metal stamping or casting (as it would be on the
clip or lock of a bottom bracket bearing), y" is milled out of the solid piece by a
tubular face cutter, so that at the root it is still attached to the main piece y, and
therefore is more like a reed. A hole is drilled and tapped through the semi-
circular slot separating y" from y, and filled up by y' a screw with a tapered
part when therefore this screw is forced down, y" is forced inwards and acts
as a firm lock on anything embraced by y.
I prefer to place between this handlebar lock y or other equivalent, and the
adjusting cone u, a tension spring » formed out of flat springy metal, having
two or three bent feet v1, v2, v3 resting on the top of the cone so that the latter
is kept in constant contact with the balls. On the drawing Fig. 9 this spring v
is shewn utilized as a lamp bracket.
Referring to Fig. 1, shew the joint between the top tube of a velocipede,
leading from the socket to the diagonal or seat pillar tube, with the latter, and
forming a clip to hold the seat pillar itself; but I simplify it by quite eliminating
the usual pair of ears, which, placed behind this joint, are apt to bend in or break
off. I split the front part of the lug which is to receive the front tube of the
velocipede, so that it forms an internal clip, and merely thicken it up by the small
ears a, a¹ to receive the faces of the nip screw or bolt.
Where a detachable back chain wheel is desired, I simplify, and also strengthen
the hub, by making the wheel and bearing cup in one piece as shewn at c, Fig. 2;
this piece is screwed on the end of the hub centre b, and is provided with a coned
recess on its inner part, but not large enough in diameter to reach the surface in
contact with the balls; that part of the hub centre b, which lies inside this recess
is screwed in the opposite direction to that part to which the piece c is screwed: a
small conical locknut, tapped correspondingly and fitting the conical recess, is screw
on this end and acts as a locknut; thus great simplication and neatness as well as
lightness are obtained.
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 :
1. The sheet metal clip m, Fig. 5, provided with the half round depressions,
receiving the brake fulcrum of a velocipede, as described.
2. The brake lever end h', Fig. 4, with a solid front, but a recessed back containing
the rocking pin or hinge of the brake rod, as described.
3. The combination of a brake rod or plunger f with hollowed receptacles e for
the purpose of containing renewable brake parts as shewn in Figs. 7 and 8.
4. The combination of a brake rod f with an end hollowed or flanged out to
receive a detachable or a separate brake piece e as shewn in Fig. 11 and as
described.
5. The combination of a brake plunger with a hinged brake e containing a
detachable brake block, as illustrated in Fig. 3 and as described.
'
6. The hinged locking piece Fig. 6, furnished with rubber or elastic pads
acting as a brake on the socket or steering part of a velocipede, by being thrown in
gear as described, substantially as and for the purpose described.
7. The crown piece A Fig. 6 formed out of tube, the centre being of tubular or
ferrule shape, and the ends or sides receiving the forks being of the "plate,"
"bridge" or skeleton type, as described.

page_text: 8. A crown piece A, Fig. 10 formed out of a tube, the ends being split
horizontally and embracing the fork sides substantially as described.
9. The crown piece A, Fig. 10, formed out of tube, the ends being split bori-
zontally, the top pair of ends forming two caps, and the four ends embracing the
forks of a velocipede, and the centre to be joined to the steering tube, substantially
as described.
10. The locking tongue or reed yll Fig. 9, to be brought into operation by an
expanding screw y', in the manner and for the purposes described.
11. The combination of a sliding adjusting cone or bearing u with the flat spring v
in the manner and for the purpose described.
12. The seat lug joint shewn in Fig. 1, acting as an internally split clip as
illustrated and described.
13. The method of firmly locking the chain wheel c, Fig. 2, by means of a right
handed and a left handed thread, the locknut d being enclosed and fitting into a
conical recess, as described.
Dated this 31st day of August 1894.
PHILIP LOUIS RENOUF.