An Improved Combined Alarm Bell and Brake for Cycles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 8th Jan.,
1898
An Improved Combined Alarm Bell and Brake for Cycles.
I, RICHARD GRIFFITH PRICHARD, of Llwyn Onn Portmadoc, in the County of
Carnarvon, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
inanner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:---
This Invention relates to an improved combined alarm bell and brake for cycles
and has for its object to provide ineans for operating the said bell upon bringing
the brake into action.
For this purpose the spindle carrying the bell or gong is clamped to the vertical
brake rod and is operated by means of a cord or band passing over two small
pullies one of which is carried on a sleeve revolving on the bell spindle and carry-
ing the clappers or strikers whilst the other is carried by a spring or springs fixed
to the front of the frame or bracket carrying the brake blocks.
The axis of this second pulley carries a small wheel or roller provided with an
india-rubber rim or tyre which lies a short distance above the centre of the tyre
of the cycle wheel to which the brake is fitted when in its normal condition or when
the brake is off. Thus when the brake rod is forced down in the ordinary manner
for applying the brake the said small wheel comes into contact with the tyre of the
cycle wheel before the brake begins to act or at the first moment of contact of the
brake blocks with the said tyre and the revolution of the latter is transmitted to the
said small wheel so as to revolve the same rapidly and thereby operate the bell
through the aforesaid cord or connection. The gong of the bell is provided with
a small projection against which the revolving clappers strike so as to produce a
series of sounds resembling an electric bell as long as the bell is in action.
Upon the continued pressure or lowering of the brake blocks upon the wheel tyre
the springs supporting the small wheel gives so as to loosen by the descent of the
upper pulley the cord or connection thus stopping the action of the upper pulley
and causing the bell to cease ringing.
By means of my invention the rider is thus enabled to sound the bell or alarm
immediately before or at the moment of applying the brake and by the single
action of operating the latter thus obviating the necessity of ringing the bell by
a separate action as has heretofore been the practice.
is a side elevation of the upper
In the accompanying sheet of drawings Fig.
part of the front steering head of a bicycle with the bell fitted thereto according to
Fig. 3 is an inside view
my invention and Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.
a is the front or steering head of the bicycle
of the gong and clappers or strikers.
and a the steering fork b is the brake rod and b₁ the brake blocks carried by the
frame or bracket 6. To this bracket are fixed the curved springs or spring
arms c or a fixed or pivoted bracket may be employed instead of the said springs.
The springs c carry the axis d to which is fixed the small pulley d and the
small wheel e fitted with an india-rubber rim or tyre f is the gong or bell whose
supporting spindle is clamped at f' to the brake rod d.
This spindle carries a sleeve g to one end of which are fixed the clappers or

page_text: striking arms h provided with metal rollers has shewn in Fig. 3 the other end of
the sleeve carrying the small pulley h². is the cord or connection between the
pulleys and h which is preferably cut from a piece of leather without a joint.
The gong is formed with a small tooth or projection f against which the metal
rollers of the clappers strike as they are revolved thus producing a quick succes-
sion of sounds similar to an electric bell. When the rider applies the brake by
lowering the rod b the small wheel e is brought into contact with the centre of
the tyre T of the bicycle brake wheel the motion of the latter being thus trans-
mitted to the wheel e and through the pullies and cord i to the clappers h
thus causing the bell to ring. As the rod bis forced further down to increase the
pressure of the blocks b¹ upon the tyre T the springs c give to permit of the con-
tinued descent of the bracket 2 whilst at the same time the lowering of the upper
pulley causes the cord i to slacken which thus stops the action of the bell.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
(1) In a combined alarm bell and brake for cycles clamping the said bell to
the brake rod and operating the same by a small wheel carried by springs con-
nected to the brake block bracket and an endless cord passing over two pullies
upon bringing the said small wheel into contact with the tyre of the bicycle brake
wheel when applying the brake substantially as described and for the purposes
specified.
(2) In an alarm bell and brake for cycles the combination with the steering
head a and brake rod b of the springs or spring arms c axis d pulley wheel c
gong or bell projection f sleeve clappers fitted with rollers h¹ pulley he and
endless cord i substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
(3) The improved combined alarm bell and brake for cycles constructed arranged
and operating substantially as described and shewn in the accompanying sheet
of drawings.
1004
J. B. FLEURET,
5 Hatton Garden, Holborn Circus, Agent for the Applicant.