Improvements in or relating to Velocipede Parts or Fittings.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 7th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Velocipede Parts or Fittings.
I, CHARLES WALTER HATHAWAY of No. 18 White Friars Lane, Coventry in
the County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
My invention relates to the fulcra of levers fitted to velocipedes, and has for its
object, the production of a clip for holding the fulcrum that shall be readily
attachable to and detachable from the velocipede and that shall adapt itself within
certain limits to various thicknesses of levers.
I will describe my invention as applied to the fulcrum of an ordinary "pull-up"
brake lever on the bandle bar of a direct steering bicycle or tricycle. I take a
piece of metal (hereinafter referred to as "the block"), of suitable dimensions and
provide its upper surface with a groove to fit against a cylindrical portion of the
handlebar. The contour of the groove preferably does not form more than a semi-
circle so that the block may be readily approached to or withdrawn from the
handlebar. On the lower side of the block I form a projection having a flat face
running parallel to the length of the groove in the upper surface and directed
forwards. This projection is adapted to carry a stud, preferably, standing out at
right angles from or about the centre of the said face. This stud forms the actual
fulcrum of the brake lever and is either made in one piece with the said projection
or, preferably, is made seperately therefrom and screwed thereinto. The face of
the projection is set at a distance behind a line drawn parallel thereto and
tangentially to the front part of the circumference of the handlebar equal or
approximately equal to the average thickness of the brake levers at or about the
part thereof adapted to work on the fulcra. The brake lever is provided with
a transverse hole adapting it to be fitted on to and to oscillate on the said stud and
it is retained in proximity to the face of the projection either by a nut screwed on
to the said stud, if it be in one piece with the projection, or by a collar or enlarged
head formed on the stud, if it be seperate from the said projection. On the back of
the block I form a lug with a hole therethrough parallel or approximately parallel
to the face of the projection and in the same vertical plane with the centre line
thereof. The hole may be slotted out right through the lug and is then preferably
counter-sunk on its underside. To attach the block and stud to the handlebar,
I take a strip or band of flexible steel or other suitable metal preferably of about
the same width as the block and of suitable length and form a hole near each end.
One hole is preferably round and the other rectangular with its sides parallel to the
length of the band. The end of the band provided with the round hole fits on to
the stud in front of the brake lever and the body of the band passes over the
handlebar. The other end of the band, that is, the one provided with the
rectangular hole, is folded back about midway across the said hole and secured to
the body of the band by rivetting or otherwise. In the loop formed by the folding
is inserted a cross bar and on the centre of this bar, in the space or jaw left by the
rectangular hole in the band is hung a screw, the head of the screw being made with
a suitable transverse hole for the purpose. The shank of the screw is passed
through the hole in the lug on the back of the block and is provided with a suitable
nut, the base on which is adapted to bear against the plain or countersunk underside
of the said lug around the hole. The screw and lug at the back of the block are
so arranged that the screw, when in the hole, has a tangential pull on the band and
tightening the nut grips the handlebar between the band and the block and holds
the fulcrum and lever in position. To detach the fulcrum, the nut is released and

page_text: the screw withdrawn from the hole, when, the circle being broken, the flexibility
of the band allows the parts to be withdrawn from the bar. When the hole in the
lug is slotted through, the nut need not be detached from the screw but only
unscrewed so far as to relieve the tension and allow the nut to be removed from the
countersinking and the screw to be passed out through the slot. Instead of fitting
the screw to the band in the way hereinbefore described, the end of the band may
be left plain and the screw be provided with a split head and be rivetted to the end
of the band, or other equivalent means may be adopted. As before described the
brake lever is mounted on the stud forming the fulcrum and lies between the face of
the projection on the block and the part of the band through which the stud passes.
By adjusting the nut on the stud or screwing the stud itself further in or out, as the
case may be, the clips may be adapted to levers differing in thickness within certain
limits.
If preferred the fulcrum may be detached from the machine by removing the nut
from the stud or the stud from the block, as the case may be, thus freeing the
forward end of the band.
A suitable spring may be attached to the block and act on the lever so as to hold
the brake off when not required for use.
Dated this 2nd day of Luns 1902
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Velocipede Parts or Fittings.
I, CHARLES WALTER HATHAWAY of No. 18 White Friars Lane Coventry in
the County of Warwick, 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 :-
My invention relates to the fulcra of levers fitted to velocipedes and has for its
object the production of a clip for holding the fulcrum, that shall be readily
attachable to and detachable from the velocipede and that shall adapt itself withia
certain limits to various thicknesses of levers.
"
I will describe my invention as applied to the fulcrum of an ordinary "pull up
brake lever on the handlebar of a direct steering bicycle or tricycle, and in order
that the same may be well understood I append a sheet of drawings which show
the general form and arrangement of the parts thereof when so applied, but
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.
Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
Figures I, III and V are front, end, and back views respectively of a clip
constructed according to my invention and applied as herein before stated.
Figure II is a front view of the brake lever when detached from the clip.
Figure IV is a plan view of the block seen from the underside.
Figure VI is a plan of the band before the same is folded or doubled.
I take a piece of metal 2 (hereinafter referred to as "the block") of suitable
dimensions and provide its upper surface with a groove 3 to fit against a cylindrical
portion of the handlebar 4. The contour of the groove 3 preferably does not form
more than a semicircle so that the block may be readily approached to or withdrawn
from the handlebar 4. On the lower side of the block I form a projection 5 having
a flat face 6 running parallel to the length of the groove 3 in the upper surface and
directed forwards. The projection 5 is adapted to carry a stud 7 preferably
standing out at right angles from or about the centre of the said face 6. This
stud 7 forms the actual fulcrum of the brake lever 8 and is either made in one
piece with the said projection 5 or preferably is made separately therefrom and

page_text: screwed thereinto as shown. The face 6 of the projection 5 is set at a distance.
behind a line X, X drawn parallel thereto and tangentally to the front part of
the circumference of the handlebar equal or approximately equal to the average
thickness of the brake levers at or about the part thereof adapted to work on the
fulcra. The lever 8 is provided with a transverse hole 9 adapting it to be fitted on
to and to oscillate on the said stud, and it is retained in proximity to the face 6 of
the projection either by a suitable nut screwed on to the said stud, if it (the said
stud) be in one piece with the projection 5, or by a collar or enlarged head 10.
formed on the stud, if it be seperate from the said projection. On the back of the
block 2 form a lug 11 with a hole 12 therethrough parallel or approximately
parallel to the faces of the projection 6, and in the same vertical plane with the
centre line thereof. The hole 12 may be slotted out right through the lug and is
then preferably countersunk on its underside as shown.
To attach the block 2 and stud 7 to the handlebar 4, I take a strip or band 13
of flexible teel or other suitable metal, preferably of about the same width as the
block and of suitable length and form a hole (14, 15) near each end, if and when.
the band is bent or folded as hereinafter described. One hole, 14, is preferably
round and the other 15, rectangular with its sides parallel to the length of the
band. The end of the band provided with the round hole 14 fits on to the stud 7
in front of the brake lever 8 and the body of the band passes over the handlebar 4.
The end of the bar provided with the rectangular hole 15 may be folded back about
midway across the said hole and be secured to the body of the band by rivetting
or otherwise, or the band may be doubled about the hole 15, and the hole 14 be
made through both ends of the metal from which the band is constructed, both
ends of the band then fitting on to the stud 7, as shown. I prefer the arrangement
lastly described, finding it simple, cheap and efficient. In the loop 16 formed by
the folding is inserted a cross bar 17 and on the centre of this bar, in the space or
jaw left by the rectangular hole 15 in the band is hung a screw 18, the head of the
screw being made with a transverse hole for the purpose or the screw may be
stamped, cast or otherwise formed in one piece with the cross bar 17, which I find
to be a cheaper and stronger construction. The shank of the screw 18 is passed
through the hole 12 in the lug 11 on the back of the block 2 and is provided with
a suitable nut 9, the base of which is adapted to bear against the plain or counter-
sunk underside of the said lug around the hole 2.
The screw 18 and lug 11 at the back of the block 2 has a tangential pull on the
band 13, and tightening the nut 19 grips the handlebar 4 between the band 13 and
the block 2 and holds the fulcrum and lever in position. The clip is attached to
the handlebar at a distance from the centre thereof suited to the dimensions of the
lever 8 and the face 6 is set parallel to the plane in which the lever 8 is to
move.
To detach the fulcrum the nut 19 is released and the screw 18 withdrawn from
the hole 12, when, the circle being broken, the flexibility of the band allows the
parts to be withdrawn from the bar 4. When the hole 12 in the lug 11 is slotted
through the aut 19 need not be detached from the screw 18 but only unscrewed so
far as to relieve the tension and allow the nut to be removed from the counter-
sinking and the screw to be passed out through the slot, which is made wide enough
for the purpose.
Instead of fitting the screw 18 to the band 13 in one of the ways.
herein before described, the end of the band may be left plain and the screw be
provided with a split head and be rivetted to the end of the band, or other
equivalent means may be adopted. As before described, the brake lever 8 is
mounted on the stud 7 forming the actual fulcrum and lies between the face 6 of
the projection 5 of the block and the part or parts of the band 13 through
which the stud 7 passes. By adjusting the nut on the stud or screwing the stud
itself further in or out, as the case may be, the clips may be adapted to levers
differing in thickness within the limits allowed by the length or lengths of the
screw threaded parts.
If preferred, the fulcrum may be detached from the machine by removing the

page_text: nut from the stud or the stud from the block, as the case may be, thus freeing the
forward end of the band.
A suitable spring 20 may be attached to the block 2 in any convenient manner
and act on the lever 8 so as to hold the brake off when not required for use.
In Figure III the lever 8 is shown in dotted lines and the spring 20 is
omitted.
The block 2 may conveniently be cast nearly to the finished shape required and the
band 13 is preferably set to nearly the shape it takes when the clip is attached to the
handlebar 4. A washer 21 may be interposed between the head of the stud 7 and
the band 13. In applying my invention to the fulcra of other levers fitted to
velocipedes I proceed as in applying the same to the fulcra of ordinary "pull-up'
brake levers as hereinbefore described but making any modifications that may be
required by the construction and arrangements of such fulcra and levers.
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:
66
1. In a velocipede, a clip, for holding the fulcrum of a pull-up" brake lever
or other suitable lever, constructed so as to be readily attachable to and detachable
from the velocipede and so as to adapt itself within certain limits to various thick-
nesses of levers substantially as herein described.
2. A clip, of the kind referred to in Claim 1, consisting of a shaped block, a
stud made in one piece with or screwed into the said block, a band adapted to
engage with the said stud at one end and, by means of a screw and nut, with the
said block at the other end, all constructed, arranged and operating substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a clip for holding the fulcrum of a "pull-up" brake lever on the handle-
bar of a direct steering bicycle or tricycle the combination of the block 2 with the
stud 7, band 13, cross bar 17, screw 18 and nut 19 substantially as herein described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. The improvements in clips for holding the fulcra of levers fitted to
velocipedes, substantially as herein described and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 5th day of March 1801
WILLIAM BESTWICK MAXFIELD,
"The Central" Office for Inventions, &c.,
19, Bowling Green Street, Leicester, Applicant's Agent.