Improvements in and relating to Bicycle Bells.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1897-Accepted, 31st July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Bicycle Bells.
We, ALEXANDER BERNARD BURNS, Contractor, and ISADORE SAKS, Merchant,
citizens of the United States of America, residing respectively at 632 L Street, and
corner of Seventh Street and Market Space, in the City of Washington, District of
Columbia, United States of America, 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 invention relates to certain improvements in automatic bicycle bells, of the
class known as "continuous ringing", and it consists, essentially, in providing a train
of multiplying gearing, a suitably wound spring to impart motion to the gearing, a
vibratory hammer actuated by the gearing, and a device for locking the hammer
against action and releasing it to permit continuous ringing.
The principal object of the invention is to produce a bell in which the hammer
may be automatically vibrated to ring the bell continuously, for a period of time, so
as to permit the rider of a bicycle to have the free use of both hands, at all times, to
manage the handle-bar of the machine, and thus enable him to have perfect and
entire control of the wheel while the bell is ringing, thereby preventing the class of
accidents generally due, when an ordinary bell is used, to the fact that the rider is
compelled to employ one hand to manipulate the bell and the other to control the
machine.
This object is attained by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying
drawing, in which--
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bell complete and ready for attachment to the
bicycle; Figure 2, a vertical central sectional view, showing the gearing in elevation ;
Figure 3 a horizontal sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 a similar
section on line 4-4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 a detail perspective view of a modified form
of the device for locking and releasing the vibratory hammer, and Figure 6 a detail
view, partly in section, of the hammer releasing mechanism.
Referring to the drawings-
The numeral 1 indicates a cylindrical casing or shell upon which is secured a flat
metal plate, 2, by means of screws 3. The upper face of the plate is provided with
posts 4 to which is secured a plate, 5, by means of screws 6, as shown in Figure 2.
Centrally journaled in the plates 2 and 5, is a winding-post 7, the lower end of which
projects into the casing and has secured to it the inner end of a convolute actuating
spring, 8, the other end of the spring being secured to a post, 9, attached to the
bottom of the casing. To the winding-post, above plate 2, is secured a ratchet wheel,
10, and to the plate is pivoted a spring-actuated pawl, 11, which engages the teeth of
the ratchet-wheel to hold the winding-post against the tension of the actuating spring
when wound. Above the rachet wheel, on the winding-post, is secured a gear-wheel,
12, which intergears with a pinion 13, mounted on a shaft, 14, journaled in the plates
2 and 5. Above the pinion, 13, on the shaft, 14, is secured a gear-wheel, 15, which
intergears with a pinion, 16, mounted on a shaft, 17, also journaled in the plates 2
and 5, and above the pinion 16 on the shaft 17 is an escapement-wheel, 18, which
engages alternately the pallets 19 of an escapement-lever, 20, fulcrumed on a post,

page_text: 21, attached to the plate 2. The end of the escapement-lever, opposite to that
carrying the pallets, is provided with a hammer, 22, which is normally held against
vibratory action, as will be hereinafter explained. The upper end of the winding-post
is screw-threaded and a gong-shape bell, 23, provided with a screw-threaded boss, 24,
is screwed thereon.
The numeral 25 indicates a detent which, in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and 6 consists of a
bar having a feather, 26, on its lower face, which feather sets into and is adapted to
move in an oblong slot, 27, made in the plate 2. Secured to the lower side of the
feather is a leaf spring, 28, which bears against the lower face of the plate 2 so as to
hold the deteni, when pushed in or drawn out in frictional contact with the plate 2.
The outer end of the detent is provided with a suitable knob or finger-piece, 29, by
means of which it may be manipulated to lock the escapement lever and its hammer
against vibratory movement, or to release it so that it may be vibrated by the train
of gearing acted upon by the force of the wound-actuating-spring.
In the modification shown in Figure 5, the detail consists of a bar, 30, fulcrumed
on the plate 2 in such position that its inner end can be thrown into or out of engage-
ment with the escapement-lever, to hold the hammer against vibratory movement, or
to permit it to vibrate. The lower side of the detent is provided with a leaf spring
30 which bears against the upper face of the plate 2 and holds the detent in
frictional contact, against accidental shifting.
To the lower side of the casing is secured one member 31, which, in connection
with a similar member 32, forms the usual clamping means for securing the bell
to the handle-bar or other part of the frame of the machine, the two members being
clamped by screws 33.
In operating my improved bell, the actuating spring is first wound by turning the
bell proper, and the detent set to hold the escapement lever against vibration. When
it is desired to sound an alarm, the detent is drawn out or pushed away from the
escapenent-lever, which, being released, will be instantaneously set into vibratory
motion by the tensioned force of the spring acting upon the train of gearing. The
bell will continue to ring until the spring is run down, or the detent is again brought
into contact with the escapement-lever.
It will be observed that when the detent, which can be pulled away from the
escapement-lever by a slight movement of the thumb or finger, is out of engagement
with the escapement lever, no force of the rider is required to hold it, as the frictional
contact of the spring 29 with the plate 2 is amply sufficient. In the modified form,
a slight upward pull on the handle forces the free end of the detent out of engage-
ment with the escapement-lever, and a push in the opposite direction will bring it
into engagement again.
The bell is quite simple in construction and can be cheaply made; the parts are
not liable to get out of order or become injured by ordinary use, and when the
hammer is released will ring continuously without the constant manipulation or
holding any part of the operating mechanism, as is the case with all of the bells now
in use and known to us.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim, is-
1. In a bicycle bell, the combination with a train of gearing actuated by the
tensioned force of a spring, of an escapement-lever carrying a hammer, and a single
bar or detent movably secured upon the plate supporting the train of gearing and
arranged to be pushed into and out of engagement with the escapement-
lever, whereby the bell is caused to ring continuously when the bar or detent is
moved out of engagement with said escapement-lever and is stopped when the
bar or detent is moved into engagement with the escapement-lever substantially
as specified.
2. In a bicycle bell, the combination with the escapement-lever and its operating
mechanism, of means for locking and releasing said escapement-lever, said means

page_text: consisting of a bar provided with a feather setting into and adapted to move in a slot
in the plate supporting the operating-mechanisin and provided with a leaf spring
bearing against the underside of said plate, whereby the bar is held in and out of
engagement with the escapement-lever, substantially as specified.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents.