Improvements relating to Velocipedes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 17th June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE AMES AND FROST COMPANY, of No. 304,
Wabash Avenue, in the City of Chicago, County of Cook and State of
Illinois, United States of America, Manufacturers.]
Improvements relating to Velocipedes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent Agents,.
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 particularly to means for securing and adjusting the stem
of the handle-bar of a bicycle and to means for adjusting the bearing at the head of
the bicycle.
The object of the invention is to produce a more simple and economical and.
a stronger construction than has heretofore been produced.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a vertical, sectional view of a portion of a bicycle to which my
invention is applied.
Figure 2 is a section in the line a b of Figure 1 looking downward.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the clamping strap.
A is the front fork, and A' is the tubular neck rising from the front fork and to-
which the stem of the handle-bar and the head of the frame are applied. Heretofore-
said tubular neck has had near its upper end a threaded portion extending outward a
little farther than the rest of the cylindrical surface of the said neck. The said
neck has usually been formed by taking a solid shaft and turning down all of the
exterior excepting that portion upon which threads were to be formed. Then said
threads were turned, after which the said shaft was bored out almost to the lower-
end to make a partial tube. This work is expensive and tedious and cannot always.
be done so correctly as to make a strong neck. Occasionally in the process of
boring, the tool is deflected sufficiently to produce a thin and consequently weak
wall at one side. In my construction said threaded portion is omitted and the entire
neck is uniform in surface and diameter throughout its entire length. A piece of
stock tubing of good quality may be used; and it requires no further work than the
longitudinal slotting of the transverse channelling to be hereinafter described.
The lower end of said neck is let into the upper end of the fork and secured
thereto by brazing, or said neck and fork may be made continuous in any other
suitable manner.
At its upper end, its rearward side is vertically slotted a short distance, as at a',.
and at the lower portion of said slot, the said neck has formed into it a transverse
groove, a to a depth of approximately the thickness of the wall of said neck. B is
the tubular head of the frame. This surrounds the neck, A' and has at its lower-
end a bearing on an annular seat, B', on the upper end of the fork B. Balls, b',
may intervene between said head and said seat in the well known manner. At the
upper portion of said head, B, an adjusting collar B2, surrounds said neck
and bears upon the upper end of said head in the well known manner. Balls, b
may intervene between said collar and said head, as indicated in the drawing. But
said collar is not threaded upon said neck as has heretofore been done. On the
contrary, the interior of said collar is smooth and fits neatly but loosely around said
neck, which latter, as already stated, is smooth throughout its entire length. C is
the stem of the handle-bar. This is preferably made tubular as has been done
heretofore. It is cylindrical and of uniform diameter and has a smooth exterior.
Said stem telescopes into the neck B, fitting to the latter closely but loosely.
D is the clamping-strap extending around the upper end of the neck B, and the
upper portion of the collar B². The portion of the interior of said strap extending:

page_text: around said collar is threaded to the latter. The remainder of the interior of said
strap is smooth. At the extreme upper end said strap is preferably contracted so
as to extend over the upper end of the neck, A', into contact with the stem C.
At its middle and at the rear, said strap has preferably cut into it a horizontal slot, D',
so that the portion of the strap above and below said slot may be separately
contracted and relaxed. Above and below said slot each side of the strap is
provided with an ear, D2, through which extends a horizontal opening, D³.
A bolt E, extends horizontally through the holes, D³, above said slot, and a bolt, E',
extends through the holes, D³, below said slot. The opening, D₁, is formed
horizontally through the clamping-strap between the bolts E, and E', in such
position and of such form as that it will together with the channel, a², form a
cylindric passage for the bclt, E. Said bolt E2, when resting in said opening
serves as a key to prevent said clamping-strap from rotating or moving up and
down upon the neck A¹.
Tightening the bolt, E', will clamp the lower portion of the strap, D, to the
neck, A', and to the collar, B². If the bearings or head, B, are to be adjusted,
said bolt, E', must be loosened and the collar, B2, screwed up or down as may be
required. Then the bolt E¹, is to be tightened.
With the bolt, E', thus tightened, the neck, C, of the handle-bar is still free
within the neck, A³, of the fork. If the bolt E, is now tightened, the upper portion
of the clamping-strap, D, is bound tightly around the upper end of the neck A',
and the latter is compressed (as permitted by the slot a¹) and pressed tightly against
said neck C.
Either the bolt, E, or the bolt, E', may be loosened while the other remains
tight, so that an adjustment of either the handle-bar or of the bearings of the
head, B, may be made separately.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a velocipede, the combination with the tubular head, B, of a fork having a
tubular neck of uniform diameter and smooth exterior, a collar B2, having a smooth
interior and surrounding said neck above said head, B, and exteriorly threaded, a
clamping-strap surrounding said neck and said collar and threaded to the latter
and keyed to the former, and a bolt for tightening said strap, substantially as
described.
2. In a velocipede, the combination with the tubular head, B, of a fork having a
tubular neck of uniform diameter and smooth exterior and slotted at its upper en!,
a collar, B2, having a smooth interior and surrounding said neck above said head, 13,
and exteriorly threaded, a bandle-bar stem extending into said neck, a clamping-
strap surrounding said neck and said collar and threaded to the latter and keyed to
the former and a bolt for tightening the lower portion of said clamping-strap and a
boli for tightening the upper portion of said strap, substantially as described.
3. In a velocipede, the combination with the tubular head, B, of a fork having a
tubular neck of uniform diameter and smooth exterior and slotted at its upper end,
a collar, B2, having a smooth interior and surrounding said neck above said head, B,
and exteriorly threaded, a handle-bar stem extending into said neck, a clamping
strap surrounding said neck and said collar and contracted at the top to extend over
the upper end of said neck into contact with the handle bar stem and threaded to
the latter and keyed to the former, and a bolt for tightening the lower portion of
said clamping-strap and a bolt for tightening the upper portion of said clamping-
strap, substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.