A new or improved Steering Lock for Safety Bicycles and other Front Steering Velocipedes.
Year: 1896

page_text: A new or improved Steering Lock for Safety Bicycles and other
Front Steering Velocipedes.
We, JAMES WARD MILLIGAN, of 36, Lancaster Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Director and Secretary of Perry and Company Limited, and FRED OLDFIELD, of 36,
Lancaster Street, aforesaid, Works Manager of the said Company, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the herein described new or improved steering lock for
safety bicycles and other front steering velocipedes which is designed to lock the
steering pillar in the head of the machine with the steering wheel in a line with the
back wheel or at any desired angle thereto so that the machine can readily be
supported resting against a wall or other support.
This invention is carried out as follows: We provide a light metal locking collar
which fits upon the bottom flange of the steering pillar lug and is so arranged that
by the action of a screw the said locking collar can be moved down on to the top of
the front lug of the machine so as to clamp the flange or top cone of the steering
pillar lug between the locking collar and the balls in the top bearing and thus prevent
the steering pillar from turning. The screw by which the pressure of the locking
collar is applied as aforesaid may be arranged in various ways as for instance the
locking collar may have two ears one at each side of the cycle head through which
screws pass vertically into corresponding ears formed on the front top lug of the
cycle head. One of these screws is made with a milled head by turning which the
locking collar is clamped on to the top of the flange of the steering pillar lug
thereby locking the same and the steering pillar as stated above. Between the ear
of the steering pillar and the ear on the front lug there is or may be a spiral spring
which raises the locking collar when the screw is screwed upwardly to free the steering
pillar. The locking collar inay be flat on its underside and fit in a corresponding
rebate on the bottom flange of the steering pillar lug, or the locking collar may be
made of an inclined or other form as may be most convenient and the flange of the
steering pillar be made to correspond.
In another arrangement of this invention the said locking collar which clamps the
steering pillar lug down on to the ball bearing in the top lug as stated above, may be
screwed on to or into the said front top lug of the cycle frame, so that by screwing
the locking collar in one direction it clamps the steering pillar lug as aforesaid and
when the locking collar is screwed in the opposite direction the locking collar rises
slightly so that the steering pillar is then free to turn.
Dated this 26th day of October 1896.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A new or improved Steering Lock for Safety Bicycles and other
Front Steering Velocipedes.
We, JAMES WARD MILLIGAN, of 36, Lancaster Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Director and Secretary of Perry and Company Limited, and FRED OLDFIELD, of 36,
Lancaster Street, aforesaid, Works Manager of the said Company, 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 consists of the herein described new or improved steering lock for
safety bicycles and other front steering velocipedes which is designed to lock the
steering pillar in the head of the machine with the steering wheel in a line with the
back wheel or at any desired angle thereto so that the machine can readily be
supported resting against a wall or other support.
According to this invention we provide a light metal locking collar which fits
upon the bottom flange of the steering pillar lug and is so arranged that by the
action of a screw the said locking collar can be moved down on to the top of the
front lug of the machine so as to clamp the flange or top cone of the steering pillar
lug between the locking collar and the balls of the top bearing and thus prevent the
steering pillar from turning.
On the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section of part of
the head and steering pillar of a safety bicycle with our invention applied;
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same;
Fig. 3 shews the locking collar of the same separately in plan and in elevation;
Fig. 4 is an elevation partly in section and a plan of the top cone of the steering
pillar separately;
Fig. 5 is an elevation partly in section of a part of a bicycle head and steering
pillar with a modified form of our invention applied thereto;
Fig. 6 is an elevation partly in section and a plan of the locking collar of the
modification illustrated by Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is an elevation partly in section of a part of a bicycle head and steering
pillar with a further modification of our invention applied thereto; and
Fig. 8 is an elevation partly in section and a plan of the locking collar of the
modification illustrated by Fig. 7.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
Figures of the drawings.
We will first describe the arrangement of our invention illustrated by Figs. 1, 2,
3 and 4.
'
A is the front lug of the bicycle head; B is the steering pillar lug which grips and
turns with the steering pillar C as usual and D are the balls in the top bearing between
the flange b' of the steering pillar lng B and the ball race a¹ in the top lug A. E is
the light metal locking collar which fits upon the botton flange b₁ of the steering
pillar lug B and at one side has an ear e¹ through which a screw F1 passes
into a corresponding ear 2 formed on the top lug A and at the other side of the
locking collar E there is an ear e2 through which passes the screw F2 into a
corresponding ear a³ formed on the other side of the top lug A. The
screws F1 F2 have to be so adjusted that the locking collar E bears properly all round
the bottom flange 61 of the steering pillar lug, then when it is required to lock the

page_text: steering pillar C in the top lug A it is only necessary to turn the screw F2, which is
suitably shaped for turning by the thumb and finger, so that the locking collar E
will then be clamped on to the top of the flange b¹ forcing the same against the
balls D of the ball bearing and thereby locking the steering pillar lug B and steering
pillar C and preventing them fron turning. Between the ear e² of the steering
pillar lug and the ear a³ of the front lug there is or may be applied a spiral spring G
which raises the locking collar E when the screw F2 is screwed upwardly to free
the steering pillar. The locking collar E is by preference made inclined underneath
as shewn and the flange b¹ of the steering pillar lug B is made inclined or coned to
correspond but it will be evident that instead of being inclined as shewn these parts
may be of other shapes as for instance flat or rebated without departing from the
nature of this invention.
In another arrangement of our invention illustrated by Figs. 5 and 6, the locking
collar which clamps the steering pillar lug B down on to the top of the ball
bearing D in the top lug A as stated above, is screwed on to the top of the front lug A
so that by screwing the locking collar E in one direction the locking collar clamps
the steering pillar lug B as aforesaid and when the locking collar E is screwed in the
opposite direction the locking collar rises slightly so that the steering pillar C and
steering pillar lug B are then free to turn.
In the further modification of our invention illustrated by Figs. 7 and 8, instead
of the locking collar E being screwed on to the top lug A as in Figs. 5 and 6, the
said locking collar is screw threaded externally and screwed into the top of the
front lug A which in this case is screw threaded internally at a to receive the locking
collar E.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. In a safety bicycle or other front steering velocipede the combination with the
head and steering pillar lug, of a locking collar, fitting upon the bottom flange of the
steering pillar lug and so arranged that by the action of a screw the said locking
collar will either clamp down the flange of the steering pillar lug on to the balls of
the ball bearings and lock the steering pillar or by turning the screw in the opposite
direction the locking collar will be eased off the flange and allow the same and the
steering pillar to turn, all substantially as herein before set forth.
2. In a safety bicycle or other front steering velocipede the combination with
the head and steering pillar lug, of the locking collar E fitting upon the bottom
flange of the steering pillar lug and the screws F1 F2 so arranged that by turning one
of the said screws in one direction the locking collar will clamp down the flange of
the steering pillar lug on to the balls of the ball bearing and lock the steering pillar
and by turning the said screw in the opposite direction the locking collar will be eased
off the flange and allow the same and the steering pillar to turn, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a safety bicycle or other front steering velocipede the combination with the
head and steering pillar lug, of the collar E fitting upon the bottom flange of the
steering pillar lug and made to screw on to the top lug of the cycle head so that by
turning the said locking collar in one direction the flange of the steering pillar will
be clamped down on to the balls of the ball bearing and lock the steering pillar and
by turning the locking collar in the opposite direction the steering pillar lug and
steering pillar will be free to turn, substantially as herein before described with
reference to Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In a safety bicycle or other front steering velocipede the combination with the
head and steering pillar lug, of the collar E fitting upon the bottom flange of the
steering pillar lug and made to screw in to the top lug of the cycle head so that by
turning the said locking collar in one direction the flange of the steering pillar will
be clamped down on to the balls of the ball bearing and lock the steering pillar and

page_text: by turning the locking collar in the opposite direction the steering pillar lug and
steering pillar will be free to turn, substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of August. 1897
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.