Steering Handle with Locking Device for Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Steering Handle with Locking Device for Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, JOSEPII 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:--
According to my invention I so construct cycle steering handles and parts con-
nected therewith that the handle is made to swivel or fold up in about upright
position and securely locked by an easy manipulation the result being firstly that
the fact of the handle being locked is apparent at a glance (so that its removal
by any one but the rider would indicate that it was being stolen) and secondly
that the bicycle to which it is applied then takes up less room laterally than now
with the usual rigid steering handle; at the same time the handle is so fitted
to the pillar as to maintain its horizontal position securely when in use.
I attach the handle to the upper end or head of the steering fork pillar by a
swivel joint so that the handle can be turned down into a more or less vertical
position and I form or provide on the handle and in a place near the upper end
of the pillar a Yale lock and bolt or catch or other locking appliance which can be
secured by a key.
The aforesaid joint may be made as follows:-
The underside of the handle is provided with a downwardly projecting tongue
which by a pin is jointed to the forked upper end of the pillar. The latter is
here made to taper downwards from a slightly larger upper diameter. Upon the
pillar I provide a conical sleeve formed with a helical slot the upper end of which
goes over into a horizontal slot. On the pillar I provide a peg that is guided in
the said slot. Or vice versa the slot may be in the pillar and the peg in the sleeve.
The sleeve is pushed up to keep the joint rigid, by a turning movement in one
direction, and pushed down to allow the joint to be "broken" and the handle to
be folded by a turning movement in the opposite direction. Or it may be by a
partly turning and partly sliding movement according to the size and configuration
of the helical groove. The invention is also applicable to other vehicles than
bicycles.
10.1
Lamm 1000

page_text: the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
According to my invention I so construct the steering handles and parts con-
nected therewith of cycles and other vehicles that the handle is made to swivel or
fold up in about an upright position and to be capable of being securely locked by
an easy manipulation, the result being firstly that the fact of the handle being
locked is apparent at a glance (so that its removal by any one but the proper rider
or owner would indicate that it was being stolen) and secondly that when for
instance applied to a bicycle the latter then takes up less room latérally than is
now usual with the ordinary fixed steering handle; at the same time the handle
is so fitted to the pillar as to rigidly maintain its horizontal position when in use.
I attach the handle to the upper end or head of the steering pillar by a swivel
joint or hinge so that the handle can be turned down into a more or less vertical
position and I form or provide the handle and in a place near the upper end
of the pillar, a "Yale" lock and bolt or catch or other locking appliance which
can be secured by a special key.
Figure 1 is a side view and Figure 2 an end view of a bicycle handle provided
with one form of joint constructed according to my invention.
Figure 3 is a part sectional elevation and Figure 4 plan section of the locking
device to an enlarged scale.
The underside of the handle bar A in the example shown is provided with a
pillar extension A having a downwardly projecting tongue B which by a pin C is
jointed to the forked upper end D1 of the pillar D. The pillar D and pillar exten-
sion A are here made to taper downwards from a slightly larger upper diameter.
Upon the pillar I provide a conical sleeve E formed with a helical slot or recess E
and on the, extension A above the pillar 1) I mount a peg F which is guided in
the said recess or slot, or, on the contrary the recess or slot may be in the pillar or
in the pillar extension and the peg may be fixed in the sleeve. The sleeve E is
pushed up to keep the joint rigid by a turning movement in one direction, and
pushed down to allow the joint to be broken, and the handle bar to be folded in
the dotted position. Figure 2, by a turning movement in the opposite direction.
Or it may be by a partly turning and partly sliding movement according to the
size and configuration of the helical slot or groove. When in a folded position
the button G is pressed into the large part H of a slot in the sleeve and the latter
turned slightly so that the shank of the button enters the narrow part, H¹ of the
slot whereby the shank G¹ comes against the slanting bottom of the rack I and
raises the rack out of the way so that the said shank G¹ passes it, whereupon the
rack is depressed again by the pressure of the spring K. To raise the rack I a
key of the form of the hole L' in the pinion L is inserted; or the key and keyhole
may be of any other special form. The sleeve E is provided with a square for a
wrench or spanner or with a milled edge or edges or as shown with handles E for
facilitating its manipulation without the aid of a special tool.
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. In a cycle or other vehicle the combination of a steering pillar, a steering
handle bar hinged or jointed to the upper end of said steering pillar and adapted
to be folded into or nearly into a plane parallel to the plane of the steering wheel,
means for holding and locking the handle bar rigid with the pillar in the normal
position, means for holding and automatically locking the handle bar to the pillar
in the folded position and means for enabling the rider or authorized person to
unlock said handle bar substantially as set forth.
2. In a cycle or other vehicle the combination of a steering pillar D, a folding
steering handle bar A mounted on said pillar, a sleeve E adapted to slide on said
pillar and to hold the handle bar rigid in its normal position and in its folded

page_text: position and a locking device adapted to lock the handle bar substantially as
described and shown.
3. The construction of handle. bar with locking device shown on the drawing.
Dated this 27th day of July 1897.
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.