Improvements in Bells for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes, Call Bells, Door Bells, and Bells for other Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 4th Oct.,
1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bells for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes,
Call Bells, Door Bells, and Bells for other Purposes.
We ARTHUR EGERTON HECKFORD and JAMES HENRY ROBINSON both of
No. 78 Parade Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturers and JAMES
GLAZEBROOK STORMONT of Maney Sutton Coldfield in the County of Warwick
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The said invention has reference principally to bells in which compound or double
bells are employed and has for its object to produce by the motion of a lever forming
part of the mechanism of the bell two preferably dissimilar sounds by the motion of
the said lever actuating the clappers of the single bells. Where the bells are in unison
the succession of the sounds are the same but the bells may be tuned in thirds fifths or
sixths so as to produce harmonies or they may be tuned so as to produce discord.
The said invention is an improvement on an invention for which Letters Patent
were granted to one of us namely the said James Glazebrook Stormont dated
January 1st 1875 No. 1.
We will describe the said invention in connection with a double bicycle bell.
We employ two bells of approximately the same siz and shape nearly of the figure
of a hollow hemisphere. These bells are supported on a fixed frame with their mouths
presented to each other and together form nearly a complete hollow sphere. In the
space between the mouths of the bells a hand lever works the said lever being restored
to its normal position after temporary displacement by a spring.
Two clappers are situated in the interior of the bells at such different levels as fits
them to strike the two bells respectively near their margins. These clappers are
carried by and turn upon axes on the ends of the frame which supports the bells which
said frame is carried by the clip by which the bell is connected to the handle bar of
the bicycle.
The hand lever by which the bell mechanism is actuated turns on a pin or centre
situated preferably in the interior of the bell near its edge and is carried by the frame.
The inner short arm of the said lever carries near its end a cross pin projecting on
each side of it. The two projecting parts of the said pin operate upon the clappers of
the bells respectively in the following manner.
Each clapper is carried by the long arm of a lever turning upon a pin carried by the
frame the short arm of the said lever being turned at about a right angle to the long
arm. The normal position of each of these arms is such that its clapper is nearly but
not in contact with the bell. The said lever is brought to its normal position by a
spring. The cross pin of the lever does not act directly on the short arm of the clapper
lever but on teeth on the said arm the said teeth turning through a small angle on
pivots on the said arm. When the hand lever is pressed the cross pin on its inner end
is carried over the said teeth drawing back the clapper as it advances on each tooth
and liberating the clapper as it passes over the summit of each tooth. The clapper
suddenly liberated its spring urges it forward and being carried by the momentum it
acquires beyond its normal position strikes the bell as is well understood. A blow is
struck and the bell rung as the cross pin of the lever passes over each tooth on the end
of the clapper lever and when the pressure of the finger is removed from the outer
long arm of the lever its return motion effected by its spring produces a second series
of ringings.
The action described with respect to one bell also takes place with the other bell one
end of the cross pin of the inner arm of the hand lever acting on one clapper lever and
the other end of the cross pin on the other clapper lever. The teeth of the ends of the

page_text: short arm of the clapper levers may in their normal state be opposite each other or one
set of teeth may be in advance of the other.
In the former case the bells are struck simultaneously in the latter they are struck
alternately.
The mechanism described may be modified so as to adapt it to single bells. In this
case only one clapper with its adjuncts is employed the details being suitably simplified
to adapt them to the single bell.
The application of the said invention to hells other than bicycle bells differs in no
essential respect from its application to a bicycle bell as herein before described.
Dated this Twelfth day of December 1889.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bells for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes,
Call Bells, Door Bells, and Bells for other Purposes.
We ARTHUR EGERTON HECKFORD and JAMES HENRY ROBINSON both of
No. 78 Parade Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturers and JAMES
GLAZEBROOK STORMONT of Maney Sutton Coldfield in the County of Warwick
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and the
manner in which the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The said invention has reference principally to bells in which compound or double
bells are employed and has for its object to produce by the notion of a lever forming
part of the mechanism of the bell two preferably dissimilar sounds by the motion of
the said lever actuating the clappers of the single bells. Where the bells are in unison
the successive sounds are the same but the bells may be tuned in thirds fifths or sixths
so as to produce harmonies; or they may be tuned so as to produce discord.
The said invention is an improvement on an invention for which Letters Patent
were granted to one of us namely the said James Glazebrook Stormont dated
January 1st 1875 No. 1.
We will describe the said invention in connection with a double bicycle bell.
We employ two bells of approximately the same size and shape nearly of the figure
of a hollow hemisphere. These bells are supported on the fixed frame with their
mouths presented to each other and together form nearly a complete hollow sphere.
In the space between the mouths of the bells a hand lever works the said lever being
restored to its normal position after temporary displacement by a spring.
Two clappers are situated in the interior of the bells at such different levels as fits
them to strike the two bells respectively near their margins. These clappers are
carried by and turn upon axes on the ends of the frame which supports the bells which
said frame is carried by the clip by which the bell is connected to the handle bar of
the bicycle.
The hand lever by which the bell mechanism is actuated turns on a pin or centre
situated preferably in the interior of the bell near its edge and is carried by the frame.
The inner arm of the said lever carries near its end a cross pin projecting on each side
of it. The two projecting parts of the said pin operate upon the clappers of the bells
respectively in the following manner.
Each clapper is carried by the long arm of a lever turning upon a pin carried by
the frame the short arm of the said lever being turned at about a right angle to the
long arm. The normal position of each of these arms is such that its clapper is nearly
but not in contact with the bell. The said lever is brought to its normal position by a
spring. The cross pin of the lever does not act directly on the short arm of the
clapper lever but on teeth on the said arm the said teeth turning through a small
angle on pivots on the said arm. When the hand lever is pressed the cross pin on its
inner end is carried over the said teeth drawing back the clapper as it advances on

page_text: Ine
each tooth and liberating the clapper as it passes over the summit or each tooth.
clapper suddenly liberated its spring urges it forward and being carried by the
momentum it acquires beyond its normal position strikes the bell as is well understood.
A blow is struck and the bell rung as the cross pin of the lever passes over each tooth
on the end of the clapper lever and when the pressure of the finger is removed from
the outer arm of the lever its return motion effected by its spring produces a second
series of ringings.
The action described with respect to one bell also takes place with the other bell one
end of the cross pin of the inner arm of the hand lever acting on one clapper lever and
the other end of the cross pin on the other clapper lever. The teeth of the ends of the
short arm of the clapper levers may in their normal state be opposite each other; or
one set of teeth may be in advance of the other.
In the former case the bells are struck simultaneously, in the latter they are struck
alternately.
The mechanism described may be modified so as to adapt it to single bells. In this
case only one clapper with its adjuncts is employed, the details being suitably simplified
to adapt them to the single bell.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawing the
manner in which the said invention is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent vertical sections taken at right angles to one another of
a double bicycle bell constructed according to this invention;
Figure 3 represents a plan of underside of the upper bell of the double bell and
Figure 4 represents a plan of upperside of the lower bell of the double bell.
In Figures 2 and 4 the hand lever by which the bell mechanism is worked is
represented in its normal position and in Figures 1 and 3 in the position it occupies
after it has been moved from the dotted normal position to the full line position
Figure 3, and has actuated in its motion the clapper of the lower bell and is operating
upon the clapper of the upper bell.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts.in the several figures of the
drawing.
a is the upper bell and the lower bell the said bells producing preferably dissimilar
sounds. They are supported on the fixed frame c the mouths of the bells being
presented to each other. The shape of the fixed frame c supporting the two bells a, b
and the bell mechanism is best seen in Figure 2. The said frame c is carried by the
clip d by which the double bell is connected to the handle bar of the bicycle e is the
hand lever by which the bell mechanism is actuated working in the space between
the mouths of the two bells (see Figure 1). The said hand lever e turns on the
centre e carried by the fixed frame c the said centre being situated within the bells.
The hand lever e is restored to its normal position on the removal of the pressure from
it by the coiled spring f secured at one end to the lever and at the other end to the
fixed frame c (see Figures 3 and 4). On the inner arm of the hand levere is a vertical
cross ping projecting on each side of the said arm (see Figure 1) the two projecting
parts of the pin operating upon the clappers of the two bells respectively as hereinafter
described; is the clapper of the top bell a carried by the lever k, k2 the latter turning
on the centre 3 and is the clapper of the bottom bell b carried by the lever 1, 12
turning on the centre 13 on the fixed frame c, the said clappers i being situated at
different levels so that they strike the two bells respectively near their margins:
m m are the clapper springs by which the clapper levers are returned to their normal
positions and made to bear against the stops on the fixed frame, best shown in Figure 1.
It will be seen by an examination of Figure 1 that the short arms k², 12 of the clapper
levers are turned at about a right augle to the long arms k, 1 of the said levers, the
clappers , i when they are in their normal positions being nearly in contact with the
bells. The extreme end of the inner arm of each clapper lever is bent inwards and
forms a support on which one or more teeth situated in the path of the cross pin g of
the actuating lever e are jointed, the said teeth turning through a small angle on joints
carried by the turned in parts of the clapper levers. The clapper lever k, 2 of the
upper bell a is furnished with a single tooth p (see Figures 2 and 3) and the clapper

page_text: ጥ
lever 12 of the lower bell b is furnished with two teeth r and s (see Figures 2 and 4)
the tooth p being situated between but at a higher level than the teeth and s. It is
upon these teeth that the cross pin g of the hand lever e acts to operate in succession the
two clappers of the bells. That is to say, when the hand lever is first pressed upon in
the direction of the arrow, the lower part of the pin g is carried over the tooth r of the
lower clapper lever 1, 12 drawing back the said clapper lever and its clapper as it
advances and liberating it as it passes over the summit of the said tooth r and thereby
causing the said elapper to strike the bell b. As the hand lever e is further pressed in
the direction of the arrow the upper part of the pin g passes over the tooth p and
operating the clapper lever k, k and its clapper rings the bell a; and by the further
pressure of the hand lever in the same direction the lower part of the pin g passes over
the second tooth s on the clapper lever 1, P and again rings the bell b. In this
way a blow is struck and the bell rung as the cross pin g of the hand lever passes over
each tooth on the end of the clapper lever and when the pressure of the finger is
removed from the outer or finger end of the hand lever its return motion, effected by
the spring, produces a second series of ringings. In Figures 1 and 3 the upper part
of the pin g of the hand lever is represented operating upon the tooth p of the upper
clapper lever the said pin having reached the summit of the said tooth p which is about
escaping from it.
Although we have represented the upper clapper lever k, k² as being provided with
a single tooth p and the lower clapper lever with two teeth r, s yet we do not limit
ourselves to that number of teeth nor to their position. For example each of the
clapper levers may be provided with two or more teeth situated in their normal positions
opposite each other; or one set of teeth may be situated in advance of the other set.
When the two sets of teeth are situated opposite each other the two bells are struck
simultaneously and when one set of teeth is arranged in advance of the other set, the
bells are struck alternately as the hand lever makes its advance and return motions.
In applying the said invention to a single bell one clapper and clapper lever only is
used the projecting pin on the hand lever which operates the teeth on the clapper
lever of the single bell projecting on one side only of the said hand lever.
The application of the said invention to bells other than bicycle bells differs in no
essential respect from its application to a bicycle bell as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we
claim as the said invention of "Improvements in bells for bicycles tricycles and other
velocipedes, call bells, door bells and bells for other purposes
First: In double or compound bells the combination of the cross pin g projecting
on opposite sides of the inner arm of the actuating hand levere working in the space
between the mouths of the two bells, with the clapper levers k, k² and 1, 12 provided
with jointed teeth on their inner arms the said clapper levers being arranged with
respect to one another and to the bells and being operated upon by the cross pin of
the hand lever for producing a succession of sounds or ringings substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Secondly-In single bells the combination of the cross ping projecting on one
side only of the actuating hand lever with a clapper lever of the kind described
arranged in the single bell and being operated upon for producing a succession of
sounds or ringings substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with respect
to a double bell.
Dated the 27th day of August 1890.
ARTHUR EGERTON HECKFORD.
JAMES HENRY ROBINSON.
JAMES GLAZEBROOK STORMONT.