Improvements in Whistle Alarms, more especially Designed for Use on Velocipedes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1899-Accepted, 2nd Sept.. 1899
[Communicated from abroad by BUTCHER SIGNAL AND ALARM Co., of Denver,
Colorado, United States of America, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Whistle Alarms, more especially Designed for Use
on Velocipedes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 improvements in alarm mechanisms of the whistle
type, and particularly to those in which the alarm whistle is sounded by a rapidly
rotating or reciprocating device, and its object is to improve the construction of
such mechanisms in the manner to be hereinafter more fully pointed out.
My invention relates particularly to improvements in that type of devices
wherein a whistle, and preferably a pair of whistles, is adapted to be sounded
as an alarm at the will of the operator through the intervention of a part, pre-
ferably a wheel, which is caused to be rapidly rotated and reciprocated. Such
alarms are particularly well adapted for use in connection with bicycles, and my
present invention relates mainly to improvements in adapting the device for
such use.
Alarms of this character have heretofore been constructed in which a double-
headed piston works practically air-tight in a cylinder communicating at its end
or ends with a whistle chamber or chambers. Reciprocating motion is imparted
to the piston through the medium of a friction wheel, which when the device
is used in connection with a bicycle, is ordinarily held out of contact with the
bicycle tyre and is adapted to be brought into contact therewith when desired,
so as to cause the wheel to be frictionally revolved, thereby sounding the alarm.
My present invention relates specifically, first, to improvements in the con-
necting mechanism between the friction wheel and the piston, whereby a cheap,'
simple and effective device may be produced, and second, to improvements in
the mechanism whereby the friction wheel and connected parts, while held ordi-
harily out of contact with the wheel of the bicycle, may be moved so as to bring
he friction wheel into contact to sound the whistle when desired.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevation showing part of the frame of a bicycle to which
he device is attached.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on line 2,2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on line 3, 3 of Figure 1, and
Figure 4 is a side view of the piston, hereinafter more fully described.
In the drawings the piston A is shown as composed of two discs adapted to
lide with a working fit in the cylinder B, with which the whistles C, C' (see
igure 3) are connected as shown in Figure 2. The piston-heads are joined and
e piston completed by means of a plate or diaphragm a provided with a trans-
erse slot a best shown at Figure 4.
tends into the cylinder B and is provided at its end with a crank d, which
The axle of the wheel D of the device
ters and works within the slot a¹ of the piston diaphragm. By means of this
[Price 8d1

page_text: connection a cheap, simple and efficient device is produced, whereby irrespective
of the rate of speed of revolution, the piston is reciprocated with certainty, the
parts being so relatively arranged that they are cheaply formed, easily put to-
gether, and are practically without wear.
My improvement in the device whereby the operating wheel carrying its con-
nected parts is adapted to be moved toward or away from the tyre of the bicycle
wheel or other source of motion is as follows: The cylinder, piston, whistle cham-
bers and operating wheel have heretofore been connected together and normally
held up or out of contact with the tyre of the bicycle merely by means of a spring
interposed between the parts named and some portion rigidly attached to the
frame of the machine, and when it has been desired to depress the wheel to
sound the whistle this has been done by means of some mechanism adapted to be
worked by a cord or rod extending upwardly to the hand of the rider.
It has been found that when the spring alone is used to hold the parts against
the movement downward or in a direction to bring the operating wheel into
contact with the tyre, there is a likelihood that when riding over an obstacle,
the jar may be sufficient to overcome the lifting power of the spring and cause
the whistle to sound. It is desirable for many reasons to avoid this, and I have
done so by causing the alarm wheel and connected parts to be mounted upon a
slide F, adapted to slide upon a post F¹ attached to a convenient part of the frame
of the bicycle a spring G being interposed between the two so as normally to
keep the wheel and connected parts raised. I further provide a depressing and
locking pawl or finger H, which is pivoted upon the post F and which bears
upon the slide F. This pawl H is provided with an extension I, arranged to lie
in the path of the sliding motion of the part 1 when the pawl is in its normal
position, thereby acting as a stop to prevent the slide F from moving accidentally.
When it is desired to sound the whistle, the tail K of this pawl is raised by the
rider by means of a cord or other suitable connection and this motion forces
downwardly the slide connection carrying the wheel and connected parts, while
at the same time the pawl rocks about its pivot and thereby throws the extension
or stop I to one side, thereby permitting the friction wheel to be pressed down-
ward until it is brought into contact with the tyre.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a cylinder pro-
vided with a whistle or whistles, of a piston formed of two cylinder heads con-
nected by a slotted diaphragm, and a crank, the end of which lies within the slot
of said diaphragm, and a wheel connected with said crank to operate the same
and oscillate the said piston as set forth.
2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a post adapted
to be attached to the frame of a bicycle, of a cylinder, piston, whistle chamber
or chambers, and operating wheel, all being connected together and adapted to
slide vertically upon said post, and a pawl pivoted upon said post, whereby
the cylinder and connected parts may be depressed when desired, said pawl being
provided with an extension adapted to interlock with and support the said cylin-
der, for the purpose set forth.
D
1
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.