AN IMPROVED ALARM BELL FOR BICYCLES AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1885

page_text: I JAMES GLAZEBROOK STORMONT of 112 Lionel St Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Brassfounder do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
AN IMPROVED ALARM BELL FOR BICYCLES AND OTHER PURPOSES to be as
follows:-
For the purposes of an alarm bell for Bicycles, Tricycles, Tramcars and other
vehicles my invention consists first, of a screw clip which may be varied in shape
and length to suit any machine or vehicle on which it may be used; and to this
clip I attach by means of a central hollow screw an ogee, dome, hemispherical, or
other shaped bell. Within this bell is suspended a clapper having two, three, or
more arms, radiating from a common centre, and each terminating in a knob or
striking piece. These arins are of such length, that when the radial clapper of
which they form a part, is in its ringing position, the knobs or striking pieces in
which they terminate, are a short distance from the interior periphery of the bell,
and being freely hung from the central pin, a continuous ringing is produced by
the vibration of the machine or vehicle when in motion.
I
propose two methods of stopping and silencing this continuous ringing when
it is desired to do so.
(1) By surrounding the pin to which the radial clapper is suspended with a
spiral spring capable of lifting it so as to jam against the upper and smaller part
of the interior of the bell. In this case the pin may terminate in a button or
thumbpiece on which the rider presses when he wishes the bell to ring.
(2) By a cam-action the movement of which raises the clapper from the ringing
to the silent position and keeps it there without further effort on the part of the
rider, or vice versa.
In order to enable the rider to give a further loud alarm signal in addition to
the continuous ringing produced by the vibration of the machine or vehicle,
I attach to the central hollow screw a surrounding collar to which a clapper-lever
is hinged, the end of which projects beyond the bell to a convenient distance, and
terminates in a thumbpiece. When in a state of rest, the clapper remains a short
distance from the rim of the bell, being kept there by the action of a spring. Ou
the projecting thumb piece being pressed down and suddenly released, the clapper
strikes the bell loudly.
Or the entire clapper-lever may be made of a continuous piece of elastic metal,
having a striking piece attached to it in a convenient position and in this case, no
separate spring or collar will be necessary.

page_text: The said arrangements viz. the continuous ringer and the sudden alarm can
either be used together or separately one not interfering with the other, and the
additional striking lever may be arranged to strike any part of the rim of the bell
which may be convenient to the machine or vehicle to which it is attached, by
loosening the central screw and adjusting it before re-tightening to the position
required.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a plan in which a a is the bell; bbb the radial clapper; c the screw-
clip for attaching the bell to the machine; d d the additional striking lever.
Fig. 2 shews a sectional elevation, in which like letters refer to like parts.
Figs. 3 & 4 show the bell with the additional striking-lever made of a continuous
piece of elastic metal e e.
Fig. 4 also shows a different way of forming and suspending the radial clapper bb
the principle being the same.
Fig. 4 also shows the cam-action f, whereby the said clapper is raised or lowered.
In this fig. the radial clapper is shown in its silent position, and to place it in action
the cam is moved in the direction shown by the arrow g.
Dated this twelvth day of March, One thousand eight hundred and eighty-five.

page_text: I, JAMES GLAZEBROOK STORMONT, of 112 Lionel St, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Brassfounder do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN
IMPROVED ALARM BELL FOR BICYCLES AND OTHER VEHICLES 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 first of a screw clip which may be varied in shape and
length to suit any machine or vehicle on which it may be used; this clip may either
be made in one rigid piece of cast or wrought metal, or it may be rendered flexible
by the introduction of a flat piece of elastic metal between the part where it is
attached to the machine and that where it is affixed to the bell.
To the clip so described I firmly attach an ogee, dome, hemispherical or other
shaped bell. Within this bell is suspended a clapper, having two three or more
arins radiating from a common ceutre and each terminating in a knob or striking
piece. These arms may either radiate horizontally as shewn at b b in Fig. 2, or in
a downward slanting direction as shown by dotted lines at ƒ ƒ in Fig. 2, and they
are of such length that when the radial clapper of which they form a part is in its
ringing position, the knobs or striking-pieces in which they terminate are a short
distance from the interior periphery of the bell, and being freely hung from the
central pin a continuous ringing is produced by the vibration of the machine or
vehicle when in motion. I propose two methods of stopping or silencing this
continuous ringing when it is desired to do so. (1) By surrounding the pin to
which the radial clapper is suspended with a spiral spring capable of lifting it so
as to jam against the upper and smaller part of the interior of the bell. In this
case the pin may terminate in a button or thumb-piece on which the rider presses
when he wishes the bell to ring. (2) By a cam action the movement of which
raises the clapper from the ringing to the silent position and keeps it there without
further effort on the part of the rider or vice versa.
In order to enable the rider to give a further loud alarm signal in addition to
the continuous ringing produced by the vibration of the machine or vehicle, I attach
to the centre of the concave side of the said bell a collar to which a clapper-lever
is hinged, the end of which projects beyond the bell to a convenient distance and
terminates in a thumb piece. When in a state of rest the clapper remains a short
distance, from the rim of the bell being kept there by the action of a spring. On
the projecting thumb piece being pressed down and suddenly released the clapper
strikes the bell loudly. Or the entire clapper lever may be made of a continuous
piece of elastic metal having a striking-piece attached to it in a convenient position
and in this case no separate spring or collar will be necessary. The said arrange-
inents viz. the continuous ringer or the sudden alarm can either be used together
or separately, and the additional striking lever may be arranged to strike any part
of the rim of the bell which may be convenient to the machine or vehicle to which
it is attached by so fixing it as to allow of its being pushed round to any part of
the circumference of the bell.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1. is a plan in which a. a. is the bell, bbb the radial clapper, c the screw-
clip for attaching the bell to the machine, dd the additional striking-lever. Fig. 2
shews a sectional 'elevation in which like letters refer to like parts. ce is the cam-
action for lifting the radial clapper, when in the silent position it assumes the
position shown by dotted lines at g. g.
Figs. 3 & 4 shew in plan and section respectively the additional striking lever
used separately without the arrangement for continuous ringing though still
retaining the adjustability of the striking piece to any part of the circumference
of the bell.
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) The use of a clapper having two three or more radial arms and striking
pieces.
(2) The use of the cam-action as described for lifting or lowering the said
clapper.
(3) The use of a vibrating spring as part of the clip which attaches the bell to
the machine or vehicle.
(4) The adjustability of the additional striking lever which may be pushed
round like the hand of a clock and fixed in that point of the periphery of the bell
which may be most convenient to the user.
(5) The curved shape of the single clapper d. d which enables it to give a more
effective ring, by striking the bell in the direction of its vibration.
Dated this tenth day of December Eighteen hundred and eighty five.