Improvements in Bicycle Bells.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 19th Nov., 1898
Improvements in Bicycle Bells.
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:-
The object of my invention is to provide a bicycle bell of the class operated
by a thumb lever or push device which projects beyond the periphery of the bell
or its base, with means whereby this thumb piece may be located in any desired
position with reference to the axis of the handle bar. In bells as usually 'con-
structed prior to my invention, the base piece, or bell as a whole, has been
rigidly secured to the clamp and the thumb piece has had a fixed position with
reference to the clamp so that the angle at which the thumb lever or push device
is located with reference to the axis or line of the handle bar has been constant
and unchangeable.
The handle bars of bicycles are made of various styles and have direct and also
reversed curves and bends, so that it is difficult to secure the ordinary bicycle
bell of the old art to a handle bar at all times with the thumb piece in the
proper accessible position to be conveniently operated by the rider of the wheel
while maintaining a hold of the grip or handle bar.
To this end my invention consists in the combination of a clamp and bell
support thereon with means for holding the bell with a frictional grasp on its
support on the clamp, and it further consists in details of the several parts making
up the device and the combination of such parts as, hereinafter described and
more particularly pointed out in the claims."
Referring to the drawings:-
Figure 1 is a view in cross section through the preferred form of my improved
bell.
Figure 2 is a detail top or plan view of the base plate of the bell with the
bell striker and part of the operating mechanism removed.
Figure 3 is a top or plan view of the bell in place on a handle bar illustrating
in dotted lines the position to which the thumb lever may be turned after the
bell has been clamped to the handle bar.
In the accompanying drawings the letter a denotes a clamp of convenient, form
for attaching a bell to a handle bar of a bicycle, the base plate of the bell,"
e the gong and d the thumb piece which projects beyond the periphery of the
bell.
In the preferred form of my improvement, as shown and described, a center,
post e is riveted to the clamp plate a¹, the end of the post being of irregular
outline in cross section and fitting and extending through a hole in the clamp
plate a
:.
The base plate bis mounted on this central post and is free to rotate thereon
except as held against rotation by the clamp device f which is also mounted
on the central post in such manner as to hold the base plate with a frictional
grasp between the clamp plate and the friction disk. The center post e is prefer-
ably shouldered as shown at e¹ in the sectional view in Figure 1 of the drawings,
and the clamp device f is preferably a concave disk of steel or other spring

page_text: metal located on the center post below the shoulder. The opening through the
disk is preferably of irregular outline and so fitted to the center post as to be
held against rotation thereon.
"
The result of this construction of parts is that the base plate is held between
the friction disk and the bell clamp with a frictional grasp sufficient to hold
the base plate against accidental rotary movement but permit it to be rotated
upon the central post when a considerable force is applied. This rotary move-
ment of the base plate is what enables the thumb piece of the bell sounding
mechanism to be moved into and located in the position desired for the most
convenient operation of the bell after it has been clamped to the handle bar or
bicycle frame. The bell sounding devices form no part of my improvement
and for that reason are not shown or described in this connection except as to
the thumb piece which projects beyond the edge of the bell and is by means
of my improvement located wherever it may be desired to turn the bell after it
has been secured in place by means of the clamp.
The base plate or bell member which supports the thumb picce is held with
sufficient force to prevent it from moving in the ordinary operation of the bell
by pressure applied to the thumb piece and it is obvious that various forms of
friction or clamping devices may be employed in place of the one shown without
departing from or avoiding the main feature of my invention which is not
limited to the special friction clamp described but contemplates the use of
various forms of devices which have the desired effect and result in permitting
the adjustment of the support for the thumb piece independently of the clamp.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manuer the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a bell, in combination, a clamp, a base rotarily movable with respect
to the clamp, a clamping device for holding the base with a frictional grasp
against rotation with respect to the clamp, and a gong.
2. In a bell, in combination, a clamp, a base rotarily movable with respect
to the clamp, a thumb lever mounted on the base, means for holding the base
with a frictional grasp against rotation with respect to the clamp, and a gong.
3. In combination in a bell, a clamp, a post secured to the clamp, a base
rotarily mounted with respect to the clamp, means for temporarily holding the
base against rotation, and a gong.
4. In a bell, in combination, a clamp, a post mounted on the clamp, a base
rotarily mounted with respect to the clamp, means for holding the base with
a frictional grasp against rotation with respect to the clamp, and a gong.
5. In a bell, in combination, a clamp, a post mounted on the clamp, a gong
rotarily mounted with respect to the clamp, a frictional clamp surrounding the
post, means for holding the clamp with a yielding pressure against the base,
and a gong.
6. In a bell, in combination, a clamp, a post mounted on the clamp, and having
a shoulder, a base rotarily movable with respect to the clamp, a clamp device
thrusting against the shoulder on the post and against the base, and a gong.
7. In a bell, in combination, a clamp device, a post mounted on the clamp,
a base rotarily movable with respect to the clamp, a friction disk mounted on
the post and thrusting against a shoulder thereon and against the base, and
a gong.
Dated Hartford, Conn., October 4th A.D. 1898.
опл.
EDWARD DAYTON ROCKWELL.
D. Young & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.