Improvements in Bicycle Bell-clamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application. 4th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycle Bell-clamps.
I, EDWARD DAYTON ROCKWELL, of Bristol, in the County of Hartford and State
of Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 relates to the class of devices used for securing a bell or the like
to the handle-bar of a bicycle or other part of a vehicle, and the object of my
invention is to provide a device of this class whereby an easy and quick attachment
may be made to a handle-bar or the like with the parts of the device assembled;
and a further object is to provide a clamp that shall be automatically adjustable to
handle-bars or the like having a wide range as to sizes; and without the use of
special tools.
To this end my invention consists in the device as a whole, in the combination of
parts and in the details and their combination as hereinafter described and more
particularly pointed out in the claims.
Referring to the drawings:-
Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a bell having my improved clamp.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the base with the gong removed.
Figures 3 and 4 are views in vertical section through the bell with the striking
mechanism removed and showing the clamp closed and open.
Figure 5 is a like view on enlarged scale of the post and in section through the
carrier.
b
In the accompanying drawings the letter a denotes a support as a handle-bar
of a bicycle 6 a base for supporting the bell striking mechanism, c the bell striking
mechanism, d the thumb-fever and e the clamp-plate of a bell especially adapted
for use with my improved clamp.
A post f is loosely mounted in the base, extending therethrough, and bears on
its upper end a gong g and on its lower end a carrier that is screw-threaded for
the reception of the post.
Rigid jaws are pivoted to this carrier and project through the clamp plate,
the jaws being curved to fit a handle-bar or like part. A carrier-socket k is formed
in the clamp-plate e for the reception of the carrier, the walls of this socket forming
a stop or stops for the jaws. In the form showin the jaws are suspended from pins /¹
located on the carrier h in a manner to permit a free swinging movement of the
jaws under certain conditions. The post f has a head f¹ located underneath the
carrier, and a shoulder f adapted to rest on the base b.
In the operation of the device, the post f being turned, as by means of the
These jaws are
gong g, the carrier h is drawn upward carrying with it the jaws i.
pivoted to and have a swinging movement on the carrier and are extremely rigid
and free from flexibility, so that, as the jaws are drawn inward, the backs thereof
coming in contact with the stops e¹, the jaws arc forced toward each other and.
tightly grasp any article placed between them. The stop e¹ may be properly termed
a "gripping stop" for the reason that it not only prevents separation of the jaws

page_text: beyond a certain degree but also causes them to move toward each other in the
longitudinal movement of the jaws to tightly grip any article placed between them.
The peculiar construction of the device enables the jaws to be pivoted on the
carrier at points quite close together thus ensuring a compact device, and the form-
ing of the jaws, when so pivoted, to grasp an article of considerable size causes
that part of the jaws coming in contact with the gripping stop to be arranged at
such angle to the plane (crosswise of the jaw) of longitudinal movement of the
jaws that a great swinging movement of the jaws is obtained in a comparatively
slight longitudinal movement thereof, thus accommodating the device to supports
to which it may be attached having a wide range of sizes.
The device has marked advantages over devices of the prior art in that it is
applicable to a wide range of sizes of supports in a comparatively slight movement
of the carrier. The device is so constructed that the parts are always assembled,
and there is no danger of loss and consequent delay in taking the device apart for
the purpose of placing it in position as is the case in prior devices. The difficulty
of re-assembling the parts present in prior devices is absent from my improved
structure.
The letter indicates a support for the base to prevent bending of the latter in
securing the parts in position and thereby rendering the bell striking mechanism
inoperative.
By the term "
rigid" as used herein it is not intended that the jaws shall be
absolutely free from any swinging action whatever, but simply that they shall be
rigid enough to exert a proper grip on the support for all practical purposes.
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 bracket attachment for bicycles, a base having a stop or stops to
control the movement of swinging jaws, a carrier supported by the base and having
movement in an axial direction thereof, rigid jaws pivoted to the carrier and
adapted to be moved inward by contact with the stop or stops, and means for
moving the carrier in an axial direction.
2. In a bracket attachment for bicycles and the like, in combination, a base
having a stop or stops, a carrier supported by the base, jaws pivoted to the carrier
and having a swinging movement controlled by contact with the stop or stops,
a post secured to the carrier and means for moving the post to cause the movement
of the carrier.
3. In a bell, in combination, a base having a stop or stops, a gong, bell striking
mechanism, a carrier located in the base and having a movement in an axial
direction thereof, rigid jaws pivoted to the carrier and protruding from the base
and having a swinging movement controlled by contact with the stop or stops, and
means for moving the carrier in an axial direction.
4. In a bicycle-bell-clamp, in combination, a base adapted to support bell strik-
ing mechanism and having a stop or stops, a post supported by the base, a gong
secured to the post, a carrier supported by said post and having a movement in an
axial direction of the base, rigid jaws pivoted to the carrier and having a swinging
movement controlled by contact with the stop or stops on the base, and means for
rotating the post to cause movement of the carrier.
5. In a bicycle-bell, in combination, a base adapted to support bell striking
mechanism and having a stop or stops, a post supported by the base and rotatable
therein, a gong secured to one end of the post, a carrier supported by the post
within the base by interengaging screw threads, and rigid jaws pivoted to the
carrier and protruding from the base.
6. In a bicycle bell, in combination, a base having a stop or stops. and adapted
to support bell striking mechanism, a post supported by the base, a gong secured
to one end of the post, a carrier secured against removal to the opposite screw

page_text: threaded end of the post and within the base, and rigid jaws pivoted to the carrier
and protruding from the base.
7. In a bicycle bell in combination, a base adapted to support bell striking
mechanism, a post supported by the base, a gong secured to the post, a clamp-plate
having a stop or stops, a carrier secured to the post by inter-engaging screw
threads and within the clamp plate, and rigid jaws pivoted to the carrier and
protruding from the clamp-plate.
Dated. Hartford, Conn. October 24th 1898
EDWARD DAYTON ROCKWELL.