Year: 1897

page_text: I, JOHN HENRY KNIGHT, of 78, Clifton Hill, St. John's Wood, in the County of
Middlesex, Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an adjustable handle bar and brake mechanism con-
nected therewith, and it consists in so mounting the stem of the handle bar in the
pillar of the steering fork that its vertical position with respect thereto can be
varied by the rider without dismounting and without interfering with the connec-
tion between the spoon or shoe of the brake and its operating lever.
According to my invention I mount in the pillar carrying the transverse handle
bar a hollow rod having a screw thread at its lower end adapted to engage with a
cone fitting in the lower end of the pillar which is coned to receive it and is split
longitudinally in one or more places so that when the threaded rod is rotated it
draws the cone up and thereby expands the lower end of the pillar, thereby locking
it to the stem of the steering fork in whatever position it may be therein. The
top of the hollow operating bar is carried through the socket carrying the trans-
verse handle bar so as to rotate freely therein and on its upper end outside the
said socket is mounted a suitably shaped lever for rotating the said bar.
The handle bar stem is prevented from rotating in the stem of the steering fork
by means of a feather and featherway or by any other suitable device, a suitable
stop being provided to prevent the pillar from being accidentally lifted out of
the stem.
The spoon or shoe of the brake is operated by a rod formed in two parts, the
lower part carrying the spoon or shoe being mounted in the stem of the steering
fork. The brake is kept off that is clear of the steering wheel by means of a
suitable spring acting to keep the lower part of the brake rod in its highest
position. The upper part of the brake rod is mounted to slide in the operating rod
for locking the handle bar pillar in any desired position in the stem of the steering
fork and the said part of this brake rod is kept at its highest position by means
of a suitable spring which also acts to return it to that position after depression.
This part of the brake rod is depressed to apply the brake by means of the usual
brake lever pivotted to the handle bar by reason of its operating end-which
passes through a slot in the handle bar pillar and through a slot in the hollow
operating rod-engaging with the top of the upper part of the brake rod.
The upper part of the brake rod is connected with the lower part thereof by
means of an interrupted screw so arranged that when the operating rod of the
locking gear is turned so as to free the handle bar pillar and allow its position to
be adjusted, the top of the brake rod is free to slide on the lower part thereof, but
when the locking rod is turned to fix the handle bar pillar in the stem of the

page_text: steering fork the two parts of the brake rod become locked together so that in
whatever position the transverse handle is fixed with respect to the steering wheel
the brake mechanism is always ready for operation.
Dated this 13th day of February 1897.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
I, JOHN HENRY KNIGHT, of 78, Clifton Hill, St. John's Wood, in the County of
Middlesex, Agent, 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 adjustable handle bar and brake mechanism con--
nected therewith, and it consists in so mounting the stem of the handle bar in the
pillar of the steering fork that its vertical position with respect thereto can be
varied by the rider without dismounting and without interfering with the connec-
tion between the spoon or shoe of the brake and its operating lever.
In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a practical method of carrying
my invention into effect; Figure is a broken view in front elevation, partly in
section,
Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are transverse sectoinal views on lines 1-1, 2-2, 3-3,,
4-4 and 5-5 respectively of Figure 1 and
Figures 7 and 8 are broken detail views in back elevation.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
In the pillar A carrying the transverse handle bar B is mounted a hollow rod C,
having its lower end c screw threaded and adapted to engage with a similar screw
threaded coned nut D fitting in the lower end a of the pillar A which is coned to
receive it and is split longitudinally at a¹, a¹ (see Figures 5 and 8) in one or more
places so that when the rod C is rotated it draws up the coned nut D and thereby
expands the lower end a of the pillar A and so locks it to the stem X of the
steering fork Y in whatever position it may be therein. To prevent the coned
nut D from turning round within the coned portion of the pillar and also to prevent
the rod C being unscrewed too far so as to disengage with the said coned nut, it is
provided with a pin d engaging with a slot a² formed in the end a of the pillar A
(see Figures 5 and 8). The top of the hollow operating rod C is carried through
a tube fixed in the socket 6 carrying the transverse handle bar B so as to rotate
freely therein and on its upper end outside the said socket is mounted a suitably
shaped lever c¹ for rotating the said rod.
This
The handle bar pillar A is prevented from rotating in the stem X of the steering
fork Y by means of a feather a so shaped that a projecting piece thereon engages
with slots formed in the stem X and the adjustable cone of the ball bearing, respec-
tively, and is held in place therein by means of the usual locking nutr.
feather a³ engages the feather way at formed in the pillar A(see Figures 4, 7 and 8).
The featherway at is preferably stopped short of the lower end a of the pillar as
shown or any other form of suitable stop may be provided to prevent the pillar A
from being accidentally lifted out of the stem.
The spoon or shoe % of the brake is operated by a rod formed in two parts E
and F, sliding one within the other, the part E carrying the spoon or shoe Z being

page_text: ounted in the stem A as to be prevented from turning round therein either by
squaring its lower end as shown or in any other manner.
The brake is kept off, that is clear of the steering wheel V by means of a spring C
acting to keep the part E of the brake rod in its highest position. The upper and
tubular part of the brake rod is mounted to slide within the hollow operating
rod C and is kept at its highest position by means of a spring H which also acts to
return it to that position after depression. The spring H preferably encircles the
rod C, its one end taking a bearing against a shoulder formed thereon and the
other end acting on a sliding sleeve f connected to the part F by means of a pin f',
slots care formed in the rod C so as to allow the sleeve to be depressed indepen-
dently of the rod C but not to allow of any independent rotative movement. The
part F is depressed to apply the brake by means of the usual brake lever U pivotted
to the handle har B. The operating end of said lever is pivotted to a sliding
piece u, which passes through a slot a in the pillar A the lower end of the piece
engages the top of the sleeve f which is rigidly connected to the part F.
78
The tubular part 1 of the brake rod is connected to the other part E by means
of an interrupted screw thread. e formed thereon and engaging in certain positions
with a similarly threaded nut f2 carried by the lower end of the part F. The
engaging parts are so arranged that when the operating rod C of the locking gear
is turned so as to free the handle bar pillar A and allow its position to be adjusted,
the part F of the brake rod is free to slide on the lower part E, but when the
locking rod C is turned to fix the pillar A in the stem X of the steering fork the
two parts E and F become locked together so that in whatever position the trans-
verse handle bar B is fixed with respect to the steering wheel V, the brake
mechanism is always ready for operation.
The thread e of the part and also of the nut on the part F is preferably only
interrupted in two opposite places as shown also the screw thread formed on
the end of the rod C and likewise in the coned nut D is of such a pitch that the
operating handle or lever e¹ may be so fixed to the rod C that when the operating
lever is at right angles to the handle bar 13 the two parts E and I of the brake
rod will be disengaged and the pillar A will not be locked to the stem X but be
locked thereto and the two parts E and F be engaged when the said handle is in
a position parallel with the handle bar.
I wish it to be understood that the improved brake mechanism herein described
is applicable to all handle bar pillars capable of being adjusted in height with
respect to the steering head, whether the said adjustment is capable of being per-
formed from the saddle or dismounted by the ordinary adjustment.
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) In a velocipede, an adjustable handle bar and brake mechanism connected
therewith consisting essentially of a hollow rod mounted within the handle bar
pillar and screw threaded on its lower end to engage with a similarly screw threaded
coned nut mounted within the coned and split end of the handle bar pillar in such
a manner as to expand and lock the said pillar to the stem of the steering fork
when the hollow rod is operated, and of a brake rod formed in two parts, the one
part carrying the brake shoe or spoon and the other part adapted to be operated
by means of a brake lever mounted on the transverse handle bar, the two parts
adapted to be engaged with each other after the pillar is locked to the stem by
forming an interrupted screw thread on one of the parts adapted to engage with a
correspondingly interrupted screw threaded nut carried by the other part, each of
the said parts being kept in their highest position and returned thereto after
depression by means of suitably arranged springs, substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown.
(2) In a velocipede the combination of an adjustable handle bar pillar and of an
adjustable brake rod as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: (3) The combination of parts herein described and illustrated by the accom-
panying drawing forming my improvements in velocipedes.
Dated this 13th day of November 1897.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.., Agent for the Applicant.