Improvements in Parts of Cycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 19th Feb., 1837
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Parts of Cycles.
I, BENJAMIN SHORTHOUSE of the Firm of B. and G. Shorthouse, of Spring
Hill, in the City of Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in certain parts of cycles, such as the
handle bars, pedals and like outstanding parts, and has for its object, the folding
or collapsing of the said parts so as to be out of the way and make a machine
portable for transit and storage, and further, with reference to the handle bars,
when made folding in manner as hereinafter described, the same admit of being
thrown up out of the way in the event of a cyclist finding there to be insufficient
clearance to admit of him passing between two vehicles.
Thus my invention consists, in the one part, in folding handle bars, and in the
second part, in folding pedals whereby the machine admits of lying practically in
one plane, thus taking up less room when packed for transit and less storage space.
My improvements also admit of a machine being hung up upon a wall out of
the way.
In carrying out one form of my improvements in connection with the handle
bars of a safety bicycle, I make the handle bar up of two parts or halves, each
half representing a side and each side being capable of folding towards the other
so as to lie practically in one plane with the machine, that is to say, each half is
jointed to a head surmounting the steering pillar or post, or to the inner ends of
each other in manner that when the machine is not in use, or when required, the
handle bars are lifted and turned upon their joint or joints, and on rising, are made
to fold inwardly.
I propose to accomplish this by making the inner ends of the said folding halves
turn upon oblique pivots, that is, upon joints directed obliquely to the general
direction of the handle bars, so that when the said bars are lifted from a horizontal
plane, they gyrate, as it were, in their rotatory movement thus causing their outer
ends to travel inwards and towards each other. I propose also that the said halves
should have curved or other butt joints and that a loose or other pin, holt or
equivalent, either worked by hand or through the medium of a thumb or other
lever carried by the bar or by the head of the steering post, should secure them
in their normal positions.
Thus, when the bolt, fastening or equivalent is removed, the butt joints at the
inuer ends of the bar halves leave the butt joint or equivalents of the head
surmounting the steering post. It will from this be understood that downward
pressure on the handle bar forces the butts together, and that the halves are
prevented from rising by fastening bolts or equivalents.
I prefer to employ spring or snap bolts or their equivalents so as to make the
handles self-locking when turned down into their normal positions.
I also propose to connect the inner ends of the halves together by a link, so
that the pulling up of one half, after having been released from the bolt, shall give
a corresponding upward movement to the other half and so, should a cyclist find
himself confined between two vehicles, he could release the bolt with one hand and
throw up the handle bars with the other, thus diminishing the breadth of his
machine possibly sufficient to allow of him clearing himself of the vehicles.
:

page_text: As a further form of my invention, I make the inner ends of the handle bar
halves cross pivoted or cross jointed so as to come together when turned up and
with opposed butt joints on the ends of the bars and the rests or fulcra, and with
fastening bolts working into the said inner ends and either snapping into one
another or into sockets or the like in the summit of the post.
As a still further form, the jointed inner ends of the bar halves may be stepped
so as to form a continuous bar in coming together and being fastened by a pin.
As a still further modification I make the two halves of the handle bar integral
or in one piece, and form through the same a socket, which takes upon a like shaped
peg or stalk carried at the summit of the post and with slight opposed key or bolt
ways in handle bar and stalk respectively. The safety bolt or cotter when in
position, fixes the handle bar rigid to the post, but when the cotter or bolt is
withdrawn by hand or by a thumb lever carried either by the post or by the
handle bars, the said handle bars swivel around the pivot or stalk as a centre and
may be retained lignable with the machine by a stop. The fastening may be
self-locking aud instead of being removed by a lever may be removed by a stud or
piston.
As a still further form of my improvements, the handle bar is pivoted to work in
a vertical plane and has a knuckle lug upon the middle of its underside taking into
a like knuckle lug at the summit of the post, whilst the spring bolt works within
one of the members and engages with the other. By thus setting the joint of the
handle bar down from its general plane, it admits of being folded into the general
plane of the machine by the handle being turned upon its joint so as to cause one
end to rise and the other to fall.
In the application of my invention to pedals, I connect the spindles to the cranks
by butt joints alike unto a rule joint and they may be secured in their up-turned
positions by spring or other bolts.
Dated this 18th day of February 1896
BENJAMIN SHORTHOUSE,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
I, BENJAMIN SHORTHOUSE of the Firm of B. and G. Shorthouse of Spring
Hill, in the City of Birmingham, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in certain parts of cycles, such as the
handle bars, pedals and like outstanding parts, and has for its object, the folding
or collapsing of the said parts so as to be out of the way and make a machine
portable for transit and storage, and further, with reference to the handle bars,
when made folding in manner as hereinafter described, the same admit of being
thrown up out of the way in the event of a cyclist finding there to be insufficient
clearance to admit of him passing between two vehicles.
Thus my invention consists, in the one part, in folding handle bars, and in the
second part, in folding pedals whereby the machine admits of lying practically in
one plane, thus taking up less room when packed for transit and less storage
space.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in vertical section, a
folding handle bar provided with improvements made according to one form of
my invention.

page_text: Figure 2 represents a transverse vertical section of the same upon the dotted
ine a Figure 1.
Figure 3 represents the middle part of the said handle bar in elevation, showing
oth of the handles withdrawn, and in the positions which the same take prior to
being folded.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the middle part of the handle bar upon the
lotted line a', Figure 1.
Figure 5 represents a section of one of the end fittings of the handle bar halves,
and Figure 6 is a topside plan of the middle part of the handle bar, whilst
Figure 7 represents the handles in their up-turned positions.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 7 of
the drawings.
a is a steering post, surmounted at top by a hollow head a', having bifurcated or
gapped ends a², forming joints a³, wherein knuckle or plate like ends b', of the
handle bars b, inwardly pass and turn upon fixed pins c, as centres of motion. Now
the said knuckles or plate ends have elongated gaps b, formed within them, which
work over the pins and have located therein springs d, which butt against the pins c,
and the back ends of the gaps respectively, and automatically take the handle
bars back into their normal and locked positions, with the lugs ³, taking into the
gaps a
In order to throw up the handle bars so as to reduce the normal breadth, simply
pull the same out horizontally when the springs d, are compressed and the out-
standing lugs 63 on the handle bars b, are taken out the like shaped gaps at in the
head a¹, of the steering post a. When these lugs are clear, throw up the handles
into the position represented in Figure 7 where they are retained by the pressure of
the springs between the joint pins and the ends of the slots.
It will be observed that the plates 61, worked between guides a³, hanging or
directed from the sides of the gaps a².
If necessary, the handle bars may be further locked in their positions of use by
cross pins or collars, spring bolts or their equivalents.
Figure 8 represents another form of my invention, in which the ends of the
handle bars are pivoted to the head of the steering post instead of being knuckle
jointed as in the previous arrangenient.
Figure 9 represents the same with the handle bars turned up.
In Figures 8 and 9, a is the steering post, and a¹ the head or summit thereof,
with the pivot ends 61, of the handle bars b, socketting horizontally or obliquely
and turning up vertically within bearing holes a', of the head a' and which handle
bars may be held rigid in their positious of use by screw pins f1, passing through
a casing a³, and taking into holes at, for locking the said handle bars in the positions
0 of use, as represented in Figure 8 although instead of employing a screw pin I
may employ a cross pin, spring bolt, cottar or expedient. When a cross pin is
employed, the same may be made to take through coincident half-round grooves
in the walls of the pivot and head respectively (see the dotted lines marked on
Figure 8).
5
Figure 10 represents a modification of the last arrangement in which a spring
bolt is employed instead of a screw pin.
b are the handle bars, b¹ the pivot ends, a¹ is the head surmounting the steering
post and a² the bearing holes or seatings wherein the said pivot ends work alike as
in the arrangement shown in Figures 8 and 9. f is a spring bolt, and taking into
50 one or other of the pair of holes a, a, for locking the handle bars either in the
position of use or out of use. The spring bolts are of sufficient strength to
normally hold the handle bars in their positions for use but when it is required to
fold them, a powerful jerk is sufficient to take the said bolts out of the holes as
and the handles can be turned round till the bolts snap into the other holes a*.
Figure 11 represents a further part of my invention as applied to a cycle pedal
whereby the same is made folding.
55
Figure 19 is a cross section of Figure 11 upon the dotted line ².

page_text: g is a pedal, with the shank g', having an eye g, through it, which fits upon the
end A', of the crank h, having cut within its said end h', a pair of key ways (or
flats) ha, ha, one or other of which is coincident with a like key way gs, formed in
eye g, of the shank of the pedal, and into which a cottar pin k, is passed to secure
the pedal either in its position of use, or turued up or folded, as shown in dotted
lines in Figure 12.
Instead of releasing the spring bolts or equivalent means by hand, the same may
be released by suitable levers hinged to or jointed the handle bars.
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 :-
First. A folding handle bar for cycles, comprising two jointed handle bar parts,
with their inner ends formed into slotted plates or tongues which take within
corresponding gaps or recesses formed in the head at the summit of the steering
post, and with fixed cross pins carried by the said head passing through the slots,
whereby the handles, when drawn out, are capable of being folded, but when their
ends are pushed into the said gaps, the bars become rigidly locked to the head,
substantially as described and set forth.
Secondly. A folding handle bar for cycles, comprising two jointed handle bar
parts, with their inner slotted ends taking into corresponding gaps or recesses in
the head at the summit of the steering post, wherethrough the fixed pivot pins on
which the handles turn pass, and between which pins and the ends of the slots in
the handle bar ends, springs are located, substantially as and for the purpose
described and set forth.
Thirdly. A folding handle bar for cycles, comprising a pair of handle bar
halves with their ends swivelling horizontally or obliquely within holes directed at
right angles to the longer direction of the handle bars, substantially as described
and set forth.
Fourthly. A folding handle bar for cycles, comprising a pair of handle bar
halves, with their ends swivelling horizontally or obliquely within holes directed at
right angles to the longer direction of the handle bar, which are retained or locked
in their positions of use or in their folded positions by springs, bolts, screw pins,
cottars or equivalent means, operated either directly by hand or through levers
jointed on the handle bar, substantially as described and set forth.
Fifthly. A folding pedal for cycles, turning upon the end of a crank, substantially
as described and set forth.
Dated this 17th day of November 1896.
BENJAMIN SHORTHOUSE,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.