Improvements in Locking Devices for the Front Fork Shanks of Bicycles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1893-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locking Devices for the Front Fork Shanks
of Bicycles.
I, JULIUS SCHIPKOWSKY, residing at the corner of Eighth and Minnesota
Avenues, in the Town of South Milwaukee, County of Milwaukee, and State of
Wisconsin, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of my 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 has for its object the provision of means for absolutely locking the
front-fork shank within the steering-head of a bicycle in a predetermined desired
position to which said shank has been turned, whereby the front wheel will be held
fast at such an angle to the rear wheel as will prevent the bicycle from being
ridden until the said fork-shank has been unlocked and turned to an operative
position, and to that end the said invention consists, primarily, in an absolute
locking device in permanent connection with the steering head of a bicycle and in
operative connection with the fork-shank of the front-wheel thereof, and further,
in certain specified peculiarities of construction and arrangement of parts as more
fully set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 illustrates my invention in connection with a portion of a bicycle partly
in section on line 1-1 of the succeeding figure, and
Figure 2, a horizontal section on line 2-2 of the first figure.
Referring by letter to the drawings A represents a lock of any suitable
construction riveted or otherwise permanently attached to the steering-head B of a
bicycle-frame. The bolt portion C of the lock is normally in register with or
extended through an opening in the steering-head, and the shank D of the front
wheel fork is provided with a keeper for the bolt when the latter is thrown
forward, this keeper being shown in the form of an opening bin said fork-
shank.
As a matter of convenience I prefer to have the lock between the reach-
members E, F, of the bicycle-frame, and it is also preferable to position the keeper
for the bolt so as to require a quarter-turn of the fork-shank from its normal
position to bring said keeper into register with said bolt, whereby the front wheel
will staud at right angles to said frame when the locking operation takes place.
However it will be no departure from my invention to otherwise position the
keeper or to multiply the latter.
By means of the construction and arrangement of parts above specified, I do
away with various detachable bicycle locking devices that are liable to be mislaid
and which are inconvenient to carry about, and at the same time provide an
effective locking-device, whereby the owner of the bicycle if obliged to leave it
temporarily in an unsecured position, may simply turn the front-wheel fork-shank
within the steering-head to a predetermined desired position, so that the said front
wheel is at an angle to the rear wheel, and then by turning a key in the described
permanent lock, may prevent any unauthorized person from riding the bicycle
in the owner's absence, thereby doing away with a common form of theft and injury
to bicycles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The provision of an absolute locking device in permanent connection with

page_text: the steering-head of a bicycle, and in operative connection with the fork-shank of
the front wheel thereof.
2. The combination of a bicycle steering-head provided with a suitable.opening,
a lock set fast on the steering-head and having its bolt portion in line with said
opening, and the adjacent fork-shank provided with a keeper for the bolt, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein before set forth.
3. The combination of a bicycle steering-head provided with a suitable opening,
a lock fast on the steering-head and having its bolt portion in line with said
opening, and the adjacent fork-shank provided with an opening for the
reception of the bolt, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set
forth.
Dated this 21st day of September 1893.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.