An Improved Attachment for Signal Bells Applicable to Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 3rd Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Jan., 1888
An Improved Attachment for Signal Bells Applicable to Bicycles,
Tricycles, and other Purposes.
We WILLIAM BOWN, of Summer Lane, Birmingham, in the county of Warwick,
Manufacturer, GEORGE CAPEWELL, of 31", Whitehead Road, Aston, near Birmingham,
aforesaid, Machinist, and JAMES WILLIAM FLAVELL, of 201 Albert Road, Aston
aforesaid, Machinist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Our improved attachment consists of an arm or support constructed in such a
manner that it can be attached to or detached from the central pin carrying the bell
or any other suitable part of same. This arm or support is made preferably of
sheet steel or metal and bent into the desired shape for the purpose of supporting or
carrying a spring piece made from coiled wire, flat sheet metal, india rubber or other
flexible material, the said spring piece being so made as to permit of its being with-
drawn or propelled. To one end of the spring I attach a knob or hammer piece for
the purpose of striking the bell and to the other end I fasten or connect a piece of
metal or tube preferably encompassing the arm or support, and attach thereto a catch
or knob for the purpose of propelling or withdrawing the spring piece and striker
when desired. To ring the bell the said spring piece and striker are pushed out from
the arm or support and are allowed to hang thereon the knob or hammer piece resting
within a short distance of the bell and made to strike same by the vibration or
oscillation of the bicycle, tricycle or other object to which the bell is attached. To
stop the bell from ringing the spring piece and striker are withdrawn upon or into
the arm or support and secured by means of a spring or catch provided for that
purpose.
This attachment when closed or withdrawn out of use is reduced to nearly one half
the ordinary length and rendered more compact and less likely to be damaged or get
out of working order.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Attachment for Signal Bells Applicable to Bicycles,
Tricycles, and other Purposes.
We, WILLIAM BOWN, of Summer Lane, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, GEORGE CAPEWELL, of 31ª Whitehead Road, Aston, near Birmingham,
aforesaid, Machinist, and JAMES WILLIAM FLAVELL, of 201, Albert Road, Aston,
aforesaid, Machinist, 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 :—
This invention relates to an attachment applicable to the class of signal bells which
are used on bicycles, tricycles, and the like.
Our improved attachment comprises an arm or bracket adapted to be attached to
and detached from the central pin carrying the bell or any other suitable part of
the bell.
The arm or bracket is made preferably of sheet steel or other metal bent or curved
into the desired shape and serving to support or carry a spring made of coiled wire,
sheet metal, india rubber, or other suitable flexible material, the said spring being
arranged so that it can be propelled and withdrawn.
To one end of the spring we attach a knob or hammer for striking the bell and to
the other end we fasten or connect a piece of metal or short tube or ring preferably
embracing the arm or bracket. To the said piece or tube we attach a suitable
retaining catch and a knob for the purpose of propelling or withdrawing the spring
and hammer or striker when desired.
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 represents a signal bell with our improved attachment in its closed position
fastened thereto.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing our attachment open or in position for ringing
tho bell.
Figures 3 to 6 are views of modifications.
Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar parts.
Referring to figures 1 and 2, A is the arm or bracket which we fasten to the central
pin B carrying or supporting the bell C in such a manner that it can be readily
removed and again attached.
D is the spring which in the drawing is shown made from coiled wire but which
can obviously, if required, be made of sheet metal, india-rubber, or other suitable
flexible material, the said spring being supported or carried by the arm or bracket A
and arranged so that it can be propelled out of and withdrawn into the arm or
bracket A.
E is the knob or hammer attached to one end of the spring D for the purpose of
striking the bell C, and F is the piece of metal or short tube or ring connected to the

page_text: other end of the said spring D and preferably embracing the arm or bracket A
as shown.
I is the knob for moving the spring D up and down in the arm or bracket A.
J is the retaining catch consisting of a flat spring placed underneath a plate H
fixed to the ring F; the said spring bears on the top of the arm or bracket A and
thereby prevents the spring D from accidentally slipping out of the arm or bracket A
through the vibration of the machine when passing over rough roads; an enlarge-
ment a on the top part of the arm or bracket A is advantageously provided to assist
in retaining the spring D.
In order to ring the bell when fixed for example upon a velocipede the spring D
and hammer E being in the position shown in figure 1 they are pushed out of the
arm or support A by means of the knob I and allowed to hang down as shown in
figure 2, the hammer E being at a short distance from the bell. The hammer will
then be caused to strike the bell by reason of the vibration or oscillation of the
machine. To stop the bell from ringing, the spring D and hammer E are withdrawn
into the arm or bracket A as shown in figure 1 and secured therein by means of the
spring J pressing on the arm or bracket and catching against the enlargement a on
the top of the same.
Figure 3 is a detached elevation of the arm or bracket illustrating a slightly
modified arrangement of catch for holding or securing the spring D and hammer Ĕ
within the arm or bracket A. In this arrangement the plate H at one end is hinged
at 6 to the ring F and a catch J or its equivalent is formed at the other end. The
catch J takes into a hole at the inner end of the arm or bracket A and the flat
spring J¹ serves to firmly hold it in position. It will be seen by reference to the
drawing that when the knob I is pushed forward the plate H will tilt or oscillate on
its axis and so lift the catch J out of the hole in the arm or bracket A thereby
allowing the spring D and hammer E to be moved into position for ringing the bell.
Figure 4 is a similar view to figure 3 but showing another arrangement for holding
or securing the spring D and hammer E within the arm or bracket A.
Figure 5 is a plan of figure 4.
In this arrangement we secure to the inner end of the arm or bracket A, a flat
spring J or its equivalent bent to the required shape and passing partly round the
sides of the arm or bracket and round the sides of the short tube F; the tube to
which the spring D and hammer E are attached are by this means prevented from
slipping out of the arm or bracket A by the vibration of the machine. We hinge
the plate H to the tube F as before explained when referring to figure 3 but at the
opposite end at the point marked band we form at the other end of the said plate two
prongs or forks e for forcing open the flat spring J when required.
In order to ring the bell the knob I is pushed forward causing the plate H to tilt
or oscillate on its hinge and in so doing the forks e are pushed down between the
sides of the arm or bracket A and the flat spring J thereby opening the latter and
allowing the short tube F to which the spring D and hammer E are attached to pass
forward into their open position.
The herein before described attachments when they are in their closed position
or withdrawn out of use are reduced to nearly one half the ordinary length and
are therefore more compact and less likely to become damaged or to get out of
working order.
Figure 6 is a plan illustrating a modification of our improved attachment.
In this arrangement instead of employing an arm or bracket into which the
spring D is adapted to be withdrawn we employ a forked lever K secured, by means
of a nut f, to the central_pin carrying the bell but allowed to swivel thereon; the
spring D and hammer E are also fastened to the said central pin by means of
the nut f.
To ring a bell provided with this attachment the lever K is moved in the direction
indicated by the arrow by pulling the handle or projection 9, thereby allowing the
spring D and hammer E to hang loose or in position for ringing the bell. When it
is required to stop the bell from ringing the lever K is moved into the position shown

page_text: in figure 6, the fork at the end of the lever K catching hold of the spring D and
thereby lifting the hammer E out of contact with the bell.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we would have it understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the exact forms or descriptions of devices herein
referred to for retaining the spring and hammer within the arm or bracket as they
obviously admit of many modifications, but what we claim is :-
The combination and arrangement of parts forming the attachments for signal
bells substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying
drawing.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.
Dated the 3rd day of December loo1.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.