An Improved Method of Securing the Steering Wheel of Safety Bicycles and other Front-steering Velocipedes
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd June, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Mar., 1898-Accepted, 14th May, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
An Improved Method of Securing the Steering Wheel of Safety
Bicycles and other Front-steering Velocipedes,
I, JOHN GRAY, of Hampden Cottage, Washwood Heath Road, Saltley, Birming-
ham, in the County of Warwick, Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
My invention consists of an improved method of securing the steering wheels
of safety bicycles and other like front-steering vehicles, when not in motion, in
any convenient position so as to facilitate the supporting of the same against any
suitable object.
In applying my invention to safety bicycles the method adopted is as follows:-
A light wire, spring steel, or other metal, band or ring having its ends bent
outward from the centre of the same, at such an angle that they meet at a point
and are joined together, thus forming a V or cone which is drawn into a coned
hole or recess in the face of a nut, by advancing the same nut along a screw
attached to, or forming part of the ends of the band, thus tightening the same
simultaneously from both ends and decreasing the diameter of the ring. The
said ring springs back to its normal size when the said nut is slackened. It is
so arranged that it encircles and is capable of being gripped upon (and loosed
therefrom in the manner just described) either a collar forming part of or secured
to either the top or bottom lug of the steering head, or to a similar collar on the
usual clip at the top of the steering column or on the forkcrown at the bottom of
the same The said collar may have if necessary a suitably shaped groove around
it into which the aforementioned gripping band positions itself, thus preventing
it from getting out of place."
When the band is gripped upon either of the collars attached to the steering
colunin as mentioned above, I arrange a projection formed with or attached to
either the top or bottom lug of the steering head through which there is a hole so
It will now
positioned that it encircles the shank of the beforementioned nut.
be readily understood that, when the gripping band is tightened firmly around
the grooved collar, the steering column and therefore the steering wheel is pre-
vented front moving, inasmuch as the encircling band being securely clipped to
the revolving part or steering column, is engaged by its nut to the attachment
on or part of the fixed portion or head of the bicycle; and when the nut is
slackened or turned in the opposite direction, the gripping band is released and
the grooved collar is free to turn in the same. When the gripping band encircles
either of the aforementioned collars on the steering head the projection as described
above is secured to or made in part with the clip or the fork crown on the steering
column.
In lieu of the nut engaging in a hole as described, the gripping band may be
provided with a projecting loop which may surround a suitable peg secured to or
forming part of either the steering head or the steering column (when the encirc-
ling band is clipped on the movable or fixed part of the bicycle respectively) or

page_text: some other similar equivalent means of attachment substantially as described, may
be employed to prevent the encircling bands rotation in sympathy with, or as a
part of, the piece to which it is clipped.
*
An Improved Method of Securing the Steering Wheel of Safety
Bicycles and other Front-steering Velocipedes.
I, JOIN GRAY, of Hampden Cottage, Washwood Heath Road, Saltley, Birming-
ham, in the County of Warwick, Draughtsman, 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:-
My invention consists of an improved method of securing the steering wheel
of safety bicycles and other like front-steering vehicles when not in motion in
any convenient position so as to facilitate the supporting of the same against any
suitable object.
:―
In applying my invention to safety bicycles the method adopted is as follows:-
In my explanation I will refer to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows the ball head and front fork which carries the steering wheel of
a safety bicycle with my invention attached.
Figs. 2, 4, 7, 8 & 9 show the upper portion of the same on an enlarged scale
and illustrate different methods of applying my invention.
Figs. 3, 5, 10, 11 & 12 are plans of Figs. 2, 4, 7, 8 & 9 respectively.
Figs. 6, 13, 14 & 15 show various forms of the locking or gripping ring employed
in my invention.
Figs. 16 & 17 are end elevations of portions of Figs. 14 & 15 respectively.
Fig. 6 also shows a section of the nut and coned washer detached from the ring.
Fig. 18 shows one form of nut I may employ to actuate the locking ring.
Fig. 19 illustrates another method of providing a screw on the locking ring for
the nut to work upon, other than that shown in Figs. 6, 13, 14 & 15.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
A light wire, spring steel, or other metal, band or ring A Figs. 6, 13, 14 & 15
having its ends bent outward from the centre of the same at such an angle that
they meet at a point and are joined together, thus forming a V or cone A¹ which
is drawn into a coned hole or recess in the face of a nut B (or into a coned hole
in a washer C Fig. which is placed between the nut and the ring) by advancing
the same nut B along a screw D attached to or forming part of the ends of the
band A, thus tightening the same simultaneously from both ends and decreasing
the diameter of the ring. The said ring springs back to its normal size when the
nut is slackened. I so arrange the above described locking ring that it is capable
of being gripped upon (and loosed therefrom in the manner just described) either
a collar el or f¹ Fig. 1 forming part of or secured to either the top lug E or the
bottom lug F of the steering head, or to a similar collar g¹ on the usual clip G
at the top of the steering column, or on the fork-crown H at the bottom of the
The said collar may have a suitably shaped groove around it into which
the afore-mentioned gripping band positions itself thus preventing it from getting
out of place.
same.
When the band is gripped upon either of the collars attached to the steering

page_text: column as mentioned above, I arrange a projection formed with or attached to
either the top lug E or the bottom lug F of the steering head, through which there
is a hole or slot so positioned that it encircles the shank of the before-mentioned
nut B. Figs. 2 & 3 show the gripping ring A encircling the collar g¹ of the
clip G, and it will be seen that the projection above mentioned consists of a metal
plate 1 secured to the top lug E by screws J or other suitable means.
It will now be readily understood that when the gripping band A is tightened
firmly around the grooved collar g¹ the steering column to which the clip G is
secured, and therefore the steering wheel is prevented from moving inasmuch as
the encircling band A being securely clipped to the revolving part or steering
column is engaged by its nut B to the attachment 1 on the relatively fixed por-
tion or head of the bicycle: and when the nut B is slackened, or turned in the
opposite direction, the gripping band A is released and the grooved collar g¹ is
free to turn in the same.
Fig. 4 & 5 show the arrangement when the gripping band A surrounds a
grooved collar e' on the top lug of the ball head. It will be seen that the pro-
jection I which engages with the locking nut B is formed in part with the clip G
having a slot or fork which engages with and partly encircles the shank of the
nut B. The forked projection I as herein described also prevents the nut B from
being unscrewed from the ring A and becoming lost. Referring to Fig. 6 (which
shows on an enlarged scale the form of gripping ring; coned washer and nut
employed in the methods described above) the nut B has a collar 6 round the
shank so that should it be unscrewed too far this would engage with the forked
projection I which just fits round the shank and so prevent it from being com-
pletely screwed off. Instead of having a projection to engage with the locking nut
I may provide a loop a³ Fig. 13 which who placed in position as in Figs. 7 & 10
engages with a peg e² fixed to the top lug E, (or when the ring encircles the
collar el around the lug E a peg fixed to the clip G-Note! this alternate method
is not shown by the drawings). The same result may be obtained by arranging
ends of the wire after forming the locking ring A into a projection a Figs. 14,
15, 16 & 17, the said projection being either bent upward or downward as the case
may necessitate, so that it may when fitted as shown in Figs. 8, 9, 11 & 12 engage
with a hole e or G2 in the lug E or clip G and be secured by rivetting over the end
or in any other suitable manner.
The screwed portion of the locking ring A for the nut B to work upon is pro-
vided preferably by brazing or otherwise securing to an extension a² of the V por-
tion a a screwed ferrule D as represented in Figs. 10, 13 14 & 15 but I may form
the screw directly upon the extension of the V as in Fig. 19 by removing half of
each wire at the points of contact and securing them together and screwing the
round end d thus formed.
The locking nut may be of any convenient form.
B Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 represent the fly nut type and
B Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 15 & 18 the disc type having a milled edge Ba
more particularly shown in Fig. 18.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as
my intention of "An improved method of securing the steering wheel of safety
bicycles and other front steering velocipedes": -
The combination with the steering column and relatively fixed steering head
of a safety bicycle or other front steering velocipede, of a gripping band which
encircles and is capable of being gripped upon and loosed therefrom (by virtue
of an adjustable coned nut B or combination nut and washer B & C acting upon
the V shaped or coned portion of the gripping ring with its screwed extension)
a collar forming part of or attached to either the said steering column or the said
relatively fixed steering head, the gripping band being provided with means of
engaging with or being engaged by some attachment secured to, or portion of the

page_text: opposite piece to that which it encircles (i.e., either the steering column or the
steering head) applied in any of the several ways or like methods substantially
as herein before described and shown by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day March 1898.