Improvements in Lamps applicable for Bicycles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 25th Jan., 1806
Improvements in Lamps applicable for Bicycles.
A communication by JOSEPH HUFTY LEHMAN, of the City and County of
Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Electrician.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick and 31 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
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 :-
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.
The object of this invention is to improve the construction of bicycle lamps in
certain particulars as hereinafter described and pointed out.
The main improvement relates to means for connecting the lamp to the bracket,
or arm, which secures the lamp to the bicycle, whereby a yielding, oscillating
movement, in the arc of a circle, is permitted to the lamp by the jolting of the
bicycle in passing over obstructions, in a manner to obviate the extinguishing of
the light, which frequently happens with the double-spring suspended lamps
heretofore in use, which, under similar circumstances, vibrate vertically
thereabouts."
ог
This feature of the invention consists in pivoting or hinging one end of the
supporting bracket to the lamp (the other end being secured, or adapted to be
secured to the bicycle) and maintaining the latter, so pivoted; in about a normally
vertical position by means of a spring connecting the lamp and bracket, or
interposed between the same.
The invention consists finally in certain minor combinations and constructions,
which will be hereinafter duly described and pointed out.
Referring to the accompanying drawings :-
:-
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a bicycle lamp, in which the invention is
embodied,
Figure 2 a plan view, the top being removed,
Figure 3 an elevation of the oil receptacle and adjuncts, detached, a slightly
different form of the cone C being shown in this figure.
Figure 4 a longitudinal section, enlarged, of the junction of the lens, with the
holder or cone, showing the devices for retaining the lens detachably in place;
Figure a detail of the device for securing the detachable top to the lamp
cylinder.
In these, A is the usual lamp cylinder; B, the detachable oil vessel; C, the
burner. D is a bifurcated bracket, the outer end of which is adapted to be clamped
to a standard e, Figures 1 and 2, of the bicycle or other brake-rod, by means of
clamp-screws or bolts d', or otherwise. The other end of the bracket, which, as a
matter of convenience, may be angular or bent downwardly, as seen in Figure 1, is
pivoted on a pin a' to the side of the cylinder A, or rather, in the present instance,
to a lug a², which is itself fastened to, or projects from the cylinder. S is a spiral
spring, one extremity of which is attached to the cylinder, and the other to the
bracket, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. When the lamp is in place on the bicycle,
it will be substantially in the position of Figure 1, that is, vertical.
however, the bicycle wheels pass over an obstruction and thus cause a jolting or
When,
I Prins Q71

page_text: :
jarring of the lamp, and consequently the flame thereof, the lamp will swing in the
arc of a circle, of which the pivot pin a¹. is the centre, in contradistinction to the
sharp nearly vertical vibrations in the constructions heretofore known to
the inventor; and he has found by numerous trials under varied conditions, that
the light will not be extinguished by the described oscillating motion, as is the case
with the prior constructions, above referred to.
It is not necessary to limit this invention to the arrangement of bracket and
spring shown in the drawings, as it would seem obvious that various other arrange-
ments, forms and applications of spring may be employed without departing from
the essential principle or mode of operation of this important feature of the
invention. It is preferred, however, to pivot the bracket.to the cylinder as shown
in the drawings, that is, at a point below the plane of the burner..
J
F is the holder for the lens, L, and is of the usual tapering or conical form. On
the inner side of the periphery of this holder or cone-frustum is made a continuous
groove, f, back of which is an offset f³, Figures 1 and 4,, which forms a stop for the
Tens. In this groove, when the lens is in place, my correspondent springs a split
ring, R, which it is obvious, serves to retain the 'lens in place, yet allowing it to be
readily detached for cleaning or other purposes, by simply removing the ring by
contracting its diameter, which is done by springing the free ends together.
In order to protect the inside face of the lens from smoke from the lamp, a disc G
of translucent glass or the like is secured in any suitable manner to the inner end
of the holder F. are a series of small orifices in the side of the latter, each
series communicating with the space between the glass disc and the lens whereby
the outside air may pass into the cylinder A.
The reflectors of bicycle lamps in general use are liable to be injured or dulled
from the considerable heat of the lamp. In order to obviate this, a protecting
disc, I, of glass or the like transparent material is secured in front of the reflector H,
whereby also an air space y is left between the disc and the reflector.
In this way the surface of the latter is protected and its brightness preserved.
The means usually adopted for securing the said glass disc to the reflector plate
is by a series of lugs z, in the latter, which are bent over the edge of the disc.
Jis a circular plate, adapted to enter the bottom of cylinder A, and to fit
snugly therein, and to which it is detachably secured by means of a suitable spring
catch a².
This plate is provided with posts j³, whereby it is sustained by, and secured to
the top of the oil-receptacle. It has, also, usually a downwardly projecting
circumferential flange, the lower edge of which is some distance above the oil
receptacle, as shown, so as to allow free passage of air between the two. This
plate is usually made with its flange of an integral piece struck up from sheet
metal.
The oil-receptacle has the usual central draught tube k. t is the wick tube,
which is surrounded by the plate J, through which said tube passes and extends
above it. The wick to is adjusted by the ordinary toothed wheel, operated by a
The burner or hood, C is secured to the top of the plate J to one side of
nut n.
the centre thereof.
In the centre of the plate is a small orifice o, whose purpose is to allow the
passage of a quantity of air from the draught tube and the open space between the
plate and the top of the oil receptacle, into the cylinder adjacent to the wick.
Another minor improvement, consists in providing near the top of the lamp
cylinder, a tit or off-set, q, Figures 1, 2 and 5, in connection with a circumferential
groove q, near the lower end of the detachable portion u. This may be quickly
done by bringing the part u over the top of the cylinder, at an angle, so as to allow
the tit q, to enter the groove at any point, the former being also held by the usual
spring-catch ", which is opposite to the said tit or off-set.
In previous constructions known there was used a pin projecting from the side
of the cylinder, near the top, and an aperture in the side of the detachable part v.
This however necessitated the bringing of the latter around to a particular point

page_text: before it could be secured to the cylinder. In this improved construction this is
obviously unnecessary.
This improvement may be also applied with the detachable oil vessel B.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described means for attaching a lamp to a bicycle, which consists
in the combination with the lamp of the fixed bracket having ane end pivoted to
the lamp, and a supporting spring, whereby the lamp may oscillate in the arc of
a circle whose centre is the axis of the connection between said bracket and
lamp.
2. The combination with a bicycle lamp, and with the bicycle frame, of a
forwardly projecting bracket whose rear portion is fixed, or designed to be fixed
rigidly to said frame, and whose forward end portion is pivoted directly to the
lamp, or to rigid projections thereof, below the plane of the burner, together with
a spring having one end thereof secured to the bracket and the other end to the
lamp above the pivoted connection with the bracket, said lamp being arranged to
oscillate in the are of a circle whose centre is the axis of said pivotal connection,
substantially as specified.
3. The combination with a bicycle frame having a rigid, forwardly projecting
bracket fixed thereto, of a lamp pivoted directly to the said bracket and a spring
attached to the lamp and to the bracket, said lamp being thereby capable of
oscillating in an arc of a circle whose centre is the axis of its pivotal connection
with the said bracket, substantially as specified.
4. In a bicycle lamp, the combination of the cylinder provided with an off-set on
one side, a suitable catch opposite thereto, and the detachable portion having a
circumferential groove adapted to receive said off-set on the cylinder, as and for
the purpose set forth.
Dated this 9th day of December 1895
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.