Improvements in and relating to Bells for Velocipedes and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Bells for Velocipedes and other
Vehicles.
I, HARRY WILLIAMS ELSOM, of Sundorne House, Pinner, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to bells for velocipedes and other vehicles, and has for its
object to provide improved devices for causing such bells to be operated at any
desired moment by one of the vehicle wheels in motion. For this purpose 1 make use
of an indiarubber ball which when pressed will bring a small wheel or roller in contact
with the tyre or other part of the vehicle wheel so as to cause such contact wheel or
roller to turn, thereby actuating the bell mechanism.
In a velocipede the bell is preferably arranged on the front fork in as close
proximity as practicable to the wheel tyre; but should there not be sufficient room
on the fork for the bell I may employ a sliding adjustment and place the bell at
a short distance from the mechanism. The indiarubber ball, occupying a convenient
position for the rider's hand on the handle bar of the machine is connected by its
tube with a small air bag intended to be inflated on pressure being exerted upon the
said ball. This bag bears upon a disc or plate supporting the bell mechanism and
bell
I proper, and is enclosed on its two sides by plates to which a bell crank lever is
pivotted in such a manner that one arm of this lever, forming a plate, will be in
contact with the top of the air bag whereby it can thus be actuated, whilst the other
arm constitutes a bracket for supporting the end of a shaft which carries the small
wheel or roller hereinbefore referred to. As this wheel or roller is designed to come
in contact with the wheel tyre, on pressure being brought to bear upon the bell crank
lever, it is arranged as close to the tyre as practicable, and may be furnished with an
indiarubber ring to increase the friction and obviate injury to the tyre. Between
the two ends of the shaft carrying the small wheel or roller I insert a helical spring
which ensures a certain amount of flexibility to the said shaft and causes this small
wheel or roller to return to its original position as soon as the pressure upon the
arm of the bell crank lever is discontinued. The second end of the shaft is held
in the aforesaid disc or plate and receives one or more projecting arms which in
the rotary movement of the said shaft will strike against a nose on the bell hammer
fixed by means of a helical spring to a bracket on the disc or plate. The latter
also carries a bracket for supporting the bell proper in a suitable position, and
may be secured to the front fork of the velocipede by a clamp or other appropriate
means.
It will be seen that when the rider compresses the indiarubber ball he will, by
inflating the air bag in communication therewith, cause the bell-crank lever to turn
about its pivot and bring the small wheel or roller in contact with the tyre of the
vehicle wheel, so that owing to the consequent rotation of the shaft of the small wheel
or roller the bell hammer will be operated. When the pressure upon the indiarubber
ball ceases, the air bag will be deflated, the small wheel or roller will come out of
contact with the tyre of the vehicle wheel and the bell will therefore discontinue
to ring.
The principle underlying the construction of my improved devices being understood

page_text: from the foregoing description of their application to velocipedes, it will be easy to
adapt such devices also to other vehicles.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Bells for Velocipedes and other
Vehicles.
I, HARRY WILLIAMS ELSOM of Sundorne House, Pinner, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, 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 :-
The present invention relates to improvements in and relating to bells for veloci-
pedes and other vehicles; and consists in improvements in the details of the mechanism
by or through which the combination of the vehicle's wheel in rotation and the
distension of an air bulb caused by pressure on an air ball communicating there-
with, is adapted to make the hammer deliver a series of strokes upon the gong.
The accompanying figures illustrate the invention and the application of it to a
cycle. So far, they are to be taken as part of this specification and read there-
with:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the head and part of the steering wheel and fork to
which the present invention has been applied.
Figure 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, corresponding generally with the
previous figure.
Figure 3.is an inverted plan of the bell including the holding clip and the air ball
and tube.
Figure 4 is also an inverted plan omitting the clip and the friction pulley appearing
in Figure 3.
Figures 5 and 6, are respectively, plan and side view of the distensible air bulb
and the adjacent portion of the air tube.
Figure 7 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 1.
Figure 8 is a plan of the bell after removal of the gong.
a is the handle bar; a', one of the grips; b, the steering head; b¹, one of the
sides of the fork; c, the tyre of the vehicle wheel; d, the gong of the bell; e, the
base plate over which the gong is held by being made fast on and to the free end
of an arm springing from the base plate; f, the friction pulley; 9, the clip by
which the bell mechanism and friction pulley are held to the fork side b¹: h, the
compressible air ball; i, the air tube; and the air bulb distensible by the injection
of air into it by the compression of the air ball h. The combination as such, of the
organs just enumerated is practically the same as heretofore.
k, k¹ is bell crank lever. It has its fulcrum in a fixed rod carried in a line
parallel with the base plate e by a pair of cheeks ' fast to and pendent from the said
plate. The connection between the said lever and the rod is illustrated as
consisting of a pair of bracket pieces fast to the said lever and through which
the rod is passed. The upper arm k of the lever is splayed out near the rod 1 to
an area not less than that of the air bulb j. The normal position of this splayed
out portion is one parallel with the base plate e. The distance between them is then
that of the thickness of the un-distended air bulb. The latter stands between the
plate e and the said splayed out portion, its sides being in touch more or less, over
their entire area, with the plate e and the splayed out portion, respectively; the said
plate e acting as an abutment for the bulb; during the time it is being distended

page_text: and while it remains so. The width of the outer end of the upper arm k is a little
more than the diameter of the air tube i, and the cheeks above mentioned are
continued towards the edge of the base e, in directions parallel with the sides of the
said upper arm and as far as its outer end, but stand far enough away from it not
to impede its motion. Consequently the plate e, the outer end of the lever arm k
and the adjacent portions of the continuations above described, constitute a fair lead
for the air tube, while the continuations serve to prevent lateral distension of the
bulb j.
The friction pulley is normally parallel with the plate e as heretofore. It is
maintained at the proper distance therefrom by a collar f' on the axle f" and the
presence immediately under such collar of the end of the bell crank lever arm k
which there embraces the said axle. The opposite end of the axle f-the one
inside the gong d-carries a short fixed arm m projecting from it at right angles.
m³ is the clapper. It has the shape of half a navvy's pick and a shoulder m² which
is held in the path of the outer end of the arm m by a clapper arm m³ made as a
spiral spring, to one end of which the said clapper is made fast, while the opposite
end of the clapper arm m³ is fast to a fixed post m standing up from the base e.
fs is a second collar fast on the axle f immediately outside, that is underneath,
the plate e.
Between the two collars fi, f. the axle consists of a spiral spring f
or flexible portion after the fashion of a flexible shaft. This flexible portion, in
virtue of its position and resilience allows of the friction pulley f being swung into
contact with the wheel tyre a without deranging the rectangular position of the end
of the said axle inside the goug, the arm m and the clapper arm m³. The flexible
portion serves also as a returning spring to return the friction pulley f to its
normal position.
The way in which the present invention acts is substantially the same as heretofore,
that is to say, the compression of the air ball h effects the distension of the air
bulb j, which swings the friction pulley into contact with the tyre c.
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. The combination in the bell mechanism of a velocipede or other vehicle, of a
distensible air bulb; base plate of the bell mechanism adapted to serve as an
abutment for the said air bulb; a bell crank lever one end of which stands
normally at a proper distance from the said abutment to receive and hold between
them the said air bulb when it is not distended and the other of which is connected
to the axle of the friction pulley.
2. The combination in the bell mechanism of a velocipede or other vehicle, of
friction pulley; its axle containing a flexible portion outside the gong; and the rigid
portion of the said axle inside the gong.
3. The combination in the bell mechanism of a velocipede or other vehicle, of a
distensible air bulb; base plate of the bell mechanism adapted to serve as an
abutment for the said air bulb; a bell crank lever one end of which stands normally
at a proper distance from the said abutment to receive and hold between them the
said air bulb when it is not distended and the other end of which is connected to
the axle of the friction pulley; the said friction pulley, its axle containing a
flexible portion outside the gong; and the rigid portion of the said axle inside
the gong.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.
Agents for the Applicant.