Improvements in Handle Bars and Brake Rods for Cycles and Perambulators.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Handle Bars and Brake Rods for Cycles and
Perambulators.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS FISHER, Engineer of Daisy Cottages, Foleshill Road,
Coventry in the County of Warwick do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
According to this invention I form the steering post or stem of handle bar in
two pieces whose adjacent ends are formed after the manner of clutch faces so that
they may be engaged with or disengaged from each other. The two parts are
fitted together by means of an internal plug or tube secured in one part and
capable of moving in longitudinal and rotary directions in the other part, and a rod
which may extend longitudinally through the two parts and the plug. The clutch
faces may be held together by the last named rod with or without a spring and the
necessary tension may be applied by means of a cam on the crown of the T piece
or by a collar or winged nut. When the clutch faces are disengaged from each
other the handle bar can be turned into any desired position irrespective of the
steering wheel.
The brake rod is also divided to admit of this adjustment of the handle bar, the
two parts of said rod being capable of being readily connected together or
disconnected by means of a box-collar having its lower part or projections spiral so
that with a turn the joint may be made or broken. This may be used on any joint
on all descriptions of cycles and perambulators.
Dated this 1st day of May 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Handle Bars and Brake Rods for Cycles and
Perambulators.
1, WILLIAM THOMAS FISHER, Engineer of Daisy Cottages, Foleshill Road,
Coventry, in the County of Warwick, 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 means whereby a handle of a bicycle can be turned
round so as to lie in the same plane as the wheels instead of across as usual, the
objects in view being first, to allow of the machine being placed securely against a
wall without danger of its falling down as a bicycle is apt to do, and secondly to
enable it to take up a small space when not required for use.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 shows a portion of a bicycle with the handles turned into the plane of
the wheels by means of this apparatus.
Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the apparatus.
Figure 3 is a section of part of the apparatus.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of another portion of the apparatus, and
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are details of the brake rod connections.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

page_text: The principle involved in this invention is the division of the handle bar shank
so that while one portion of the shank is rigidly connected with the steering wheel
the other portion can be turned upon the fixed portion.
In the accompanying drawing A represents the socket head which is a portion
of the frame-work of the machine and B a portion of the shank of the handle bar
rigidly connected with the fork C which carries the steering wheel D; the shank B
is divided at B' and the two paris formed into clutch jaws E one of which is shown
in Figure 4 and the other in Figure 3, while both are shown in Figure 1, end to
end and not engaging. In Figure 2 the jaws are shown engaged so that if the
handle be turned the steering wheel must be turned also. The upper portion B³ of
the haudle bar shank is rigidly connected with the handle bar and carries the
tube F which fits conveniently inside the tube B which as already explained is
rigidly connected with the fork C; the tube F serves to retain the parts in their
proper positions while the handle bar is being turned round. Down the axis of
these tubes is the rod G pivotted at G¹ in the double jaws H¹ of a cam lever H the
jaws forming the cam. These working jaws may be of the shape shown in the
drawings or may be portions of an eccentric or other continuous curve their object
being, when in the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 to raise the rod G to its
extreme height and thus by pressure upon the handle bar shank B³ force the
clutches E into proper engagement and prevent them from becoming detached.
This pressure is obtained by means of the rod G the lower end of which carries a
head G of any suitable construction, say conveniently screwed on to the end of the
rod G and locked by a nut G². A portion of the head G¹ is preferably reduced in
diameter au G³ so as to accommodate the helical spring I which is adapted to be
compressed between the head G' and a bearing J fixed in any convenient manner
inside the tube B as by the rivets J' shown in Figure 2.
When the cam H' is in
the position shown in Figure 2 the spring I is compressed because the head G¹ is
pulled upwards by the rod G against the fixed bearing J the necessary pressure
upon the clutch joint E being thus obtained. When it is desired to turn the handle
the cam lever H is raised into the position shown in Figure 1 that into the line
of the axis of the tubes B B when the shorter working face of the cam is in
operation and by lifting the handle bar the clutches E can be disengaged as shown
in Figure and the handle bar turned round as far as necessary, the clutches
reengaged and the cam lever H turned back into its former position to re-lock the
parts.
Figure 8 shows the device when constructed with the wing nut and without the
spring I.
In this case the clutch E is employed exactly as before the shank B being
divided, the tube F being however preferably rigidly connected with the tube B
and free to turn in the part B. The upper portion of F may be made solid and
formed into the screwed bolt R upon which the wing nut S screws. When the
parts B and B are together and the clutch E engaged as in Figure 2 the nut S is
screwed hard down thus firmly holding the parts B and B together. When it is
desired to release the handle bar the nut S is slackened the handle-bar raised until
the clutch E is disengaged and the handle bar can be turned as in the previous
case.
As the foregoing operation would alter the length of the brake rod K means
must be provided for accommodating this change of length unless the amount of
play allowed to the brake shoe L is sufficient to allow of the brake rod being drawn
up far enough to disengage the clutches E; where this is not the case, the following
provision may be made.
The brake rod usually consists of a tube K at the lower part and a rod M sliding
therein and adapted to be fixed by the screw K¹ as will be well understood. In the
present invention the rod. M is provided at its upper end with a head M' in which
are provided two recesses M' Figure 6. The under side of the head M is curved or
bevelled as shown in Figure 7 and the short portion N of the brake rod above the
division which is jointed to the brake lever P is also provided with a head N¹

page_text: recessed at N2 in a manner similar to M but not bevelled and a clutch box or cap O
fits over the portion N and carries two clutch jaws O' which fit up against the rod M
when the two parts are together as shown in Figure 5. The operation of this part
is as follows:-
In the position shown in Figure 5 the parts M and N are securely fastened
together by the clutch box O the upper portion of which engages with the head N'
while the jaws engage with the bevelled under faces of the head M' of the
portion M. To release this fastening the clutch box O which is circular and
milled on the edge as shown in Figure 2 is turned so that the clutch jaws O' will
pass through the recesses M' and N' and the joint will then be broken and the
rods M and N entirely free of each other. To reconnect them they are placed
together the clutch box is slipped down, the jaws passing through the recesses N* M*
which should be in line and by giving a partial turn to the clutch box O the joint
is remade.
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 disconnecting device for the handle-bar of a bicycle the combination with
a clutch such as E of a spring controlled rod such as G and cam such as H¹
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a disconnecting device for the handle-bar of a bicycle the combination with
tubes B B clutch E cam such as H headed rod G G₁ spring I and fixed bearing J
the whole constructed combined and operating substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a disconnecting device for the handle-bar of a bicycle the combination with
separate tubes such as B B of a clutch E substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete handle-bar
releasing device substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 of the
accompanying drawings.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete handle
bar releasing device substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 8 of the
accompanying drawings.
6. In a brake rod disconnecting device the combination with rods such as M N
having heads M' N' recesses M' N of a clutch box such as O O' substantially as
and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
7. In a brake rod disconnecting device the combination with a rod M of a
head M bevelled or cam-faced on its underside and provided with recesses M²
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
8. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete brake
rod disconnecting device substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of August 1893.
WILLIAM THOMAS FISHER.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.