IMPROVEMENTS IN BELLS FOR BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1885

page_text: CUMI LEID
DIECIFICATION.
'I BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS of the firm of Harris and Mills of
23 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BELLS FOR BICYCLES
AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES A communication to me from abroad by Edward K. Hill
of Worcester in the State of Massachusetts and United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
The invention consists of improvements in that class of bells which are rung by
the jar of the bicycle or other velocipede and which are provided with a means of
rendering them inoperative and silent at will; familiarly known as stop-bells.
The invention further relates to that special variety of the class in which the
ringing is done by a hammer suspended from the bell by by a spring.
Heretofore the function of all hammers so suspended, has been, as far as I am
aware, to act as an auxiliary hammer adapted to be snapped against the bell by the
finger, when by reason of smoothness of road there fails to be sufficient vibration
to actuate a principal hammer.
The hammer in the kind of bell to which the present improvements apply is
suspended by a spring of sufficient sensitiveness to admit of being operated by the
vibration of the bicycle or other velocipede and it may also be used as a snap
hammer, both functions combining in one hammer.
The objects of this invention are first: to provide a construction and combination
of parts that shall result in a hammer action so delicate and sensitive that the bell
will be sounded on the smoothest roads: second to combine with this hammer, a
simple and effective stopping contrivance, and third; to provide an improved
construction of the said hammer.
The invention and the means of attaining its objects as above enumerated, are
illustrated by the drawings hereunto annexed, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional
side elevation of a bell constructed to contain the present invention and shown
attached to the head of a bicycle, and having its parts in position to permit free
action of the hammer. Figure 2 is the same. except that the hammer is stopped
and the bell is not shown on the machine.
1. Figure 3 is a back elevation, partially in section, of Figure 2.

page_text: Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a sectional side elevation and a back elevation
of the bell showing a simplification of the stopping contrivance illustrated by
Figures 1, 2, and 3.-Figure 6 is a side elevation of the improved hammer.
In the various figures A is a gong secured to a post J which is provided with a
head, clamp bar and screws for attaching to the bicycle in the usual way.
The hammer consists of the bow spring B, B having the striking heads C C. the
whole supported by securement to the post J.
It is preferred to make the bow spring of thin ribbon steel, but the material or
kind of spring used is not pertinent to the invention, and it is likewise not
necessary that there should be a double hammer, a half of the bow spring shown,
having one hammer head only, serving the purpose. In a gong bell of practicable
size there is not room to arrange a spring of the length which is found necessary
for sufficiently sensitive action, without resorting to some expedient, and to this
end the hammer spring is shaped into a return bend as shown in the several
figures, thereby obtaining the desired length, the result of thus constructing the
hammer being a peculiarly sensitive action.
The manner in which the second object of the invention is attained namely a
simple and effective stopping contrivance is shown in the first five Figures. In
general this consists of cams which, being mounted on the post of the bell and free
to be turned thereon axially by means of a projecting handle are adapted to press
the hammer against the bell and firmly hold it there, when it is desired that the
bell shall be silent.
In Figures 1, 2 and 3 I, I, are disc cams having a hub H fitted to and turning
upon the central post of the bell. By means of a projecting handle L Figure 3,
these cams may be conveniently shifted from one position to another, and it is
evident that they may be readily adapted to confine or release the hammer at will;
Figure 1 showing the released position of the parts; Figure 2 the confined position,
and Figure 3 a back view of both in full' and dotted lines.
The cams and their parts ought to remain in any position in which they may
chance to be, notwithstanding the jolting they may receive from the bicycle or
other velocipede and moreover this jolting should not cause any rattling of the
parts. To attain these ends the post is formed into a cone or taper G, and the
hub His fitted to the same. Between the hub and the surface of the gong, (or
the bow spring as shown in the drawing) is interposed a spring K, the action of
which is simply to force the hub onto the conical part G, using the gong as an
abutment, and by the resulting friction holding the cam parts in any position, and
by maintaining close contact of the hub with the post, preventing any rattle that
might come from looseness of fit or wear.
It is not essential to the invention that the stopping contrivance should consist
of cams pushing the hammer outward against the bell. They may be arranged to
accomplish the same end by drawing the hammer inward against the post or some
part thereof, neither is it essential that the form of cam so far referred to should
be used. As an equivalent and a simplification it is preferred to use the
contrivance shown in Figures 4 and 5 in which all the features of that in Figures 1,
2 and 3 are preserved except the conical portion of the post, and the hammer is
shown single instead of double.
This simplified stopping arrangement combines the cam, the hub, the handle and
the spring all in one piece, and it can be most conveniently made of wire. It is
shown thus made in Figures 4 and 5 the end O of the wire being formed into a
cam; the middle portion P into a helical spring and the other end Q into a handle.
The operation of this wire in stopping the hammer is identical with that of the
cams shown in Figures 1.: 2 and 3 the two positions being given in full and dotted
lines in Figure 5.
If it is desired that a double hammer be used, the end of the wire may be
extended in the form of a second cam.
The portion P of the wire is wound around the post in sufficient length to nut

page_text: formed on the post, not only forming thereby a hub which may turn upon the
post as a centre or axis, but holding the whole wire in any position against the
jolting of the bicycle or other velocipede and also preventing rattling of the parts,
both these ends resulting from friction of the spring part of the wire against the
shoulders in practically the same manner and by the same means as described in
connection with Figures 1, 2 and 3.
The third object of the invention namely an improved hammer construction is
illustrated by Figure 6. The special objects of this construction are; simplicity;
security of attachment of hammer to post; and avoidance of sharp edges where
the spring joins both the hammer head and the bell post, a condition which if not
avoided will cause the spring part of the hammer to break off at such edges in a
short time.
For this spring a very thin ribbon of steel is used and to secure it to the head C
such head C is made in two parts, one is placed on each side of the spring end, and
all are united with a rivet C thus holding the thin ribbon between large flat
surfaces, each part of the head acting as a washer to the rivet.
This construction does away with the liability of the rivet head breaking out of
the thin steel. As a simple and sure means of securing the hammer to the post,
a hole is made in the end of the spring B and the end J of the post is milled to
fit it, the spring resting against a shoulder left on the post.
The end J is drilled and countersunk for the screw which fastens the gong to
the post, the counter sinking leaving a thin annular edge J³. By means of a set
punch this edge is expanded, either onto a washer R as shown, or directly onto the
face of B, again confining the thin metal between broad faces. To do away with
the possibility of the hammer turning on the post, I provide on the post a
shoulder J, over the edge of which the square end B¹ of the spring is bent, in the
manner shown. To prevent the spring breaking from excessive vibration over
sharp edges, I round away these edges in the head, as at C¹, C, and in the post as
at J, R
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination, with a gong bell, of a spring-hammer secured thereto,
adapted to ring the bell by vibration resulting from the jarring of the bicycle or
other velocipede and to be made inoperative by mechanism which shall press
upon and hold said hammer, or release the same at will, substantially as specified.
2. The combination, with a gong bell, of a spring hammer in which the outer
end of the spring is formed into a return bend, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
3. The combination, with a gong bell and a spring hammer, of a stopping
contrivance consisting of one or more cams and an operating handle, arranged to
render the hammer inoperative at will, substantially as specified.
4. The combination, with a gong bell and a spring-hammer, of a stopping
contrivance consisting of one or more cams, and an operating handle, arranged to
turn upon the post of the bell as an axis substantially as specified.
5. The combination, with a gong-bell, a spring-hammer and a hammer stopping
contrivance, of the conical or tapered post G, substantially and for the purpose
specified.
6. The combination, with a gong-bell, a spring-hammer and a hammer stopping
contrivance, of the conical post G. and the spring K, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
7. The combination, with a gong-bell, and a spring-hammer, of a hammer
stopping contrivance consisting of a cam, a spring or hub, and a handle, all formed
from a wire or its equivalent, operating substantially as specified.
8. The method of rendering inoperative bells with spring hammers adapted to be
rung by jarring, which method consists of stopping or confining the hammers by

page_text: means of cams operated by an attached handle, substantially in the manner
specified.
9. The combination, with a gong bell, of a hammer composed of the spring Band
the head C made in two parts, united with the spring and with each other, by a
riyet, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
10. The combination, with a gong-bell and and a supporting post, of a spring
bammer the attached end of the spring of which, is secured to the end of the post
by expanding the edge of the same, and by bending the end of the spring over a
'corresponding square edged shoulder. on the post substantially as specified.
B. J. B. MILLS.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.