Cycle-type vehicle attachment

An attachment for cycle-type pedal-powered handle-barred vehicles, particularly bicycles, tricycles and low-slung children's vehicles, of the type having child hand-operated multi-element means for steering the cycle-type vehicles over a surface to be traversed, the attachment comprising:

• (a) a synthetic plastic material housing elongated along an axis of symmetry and having
• (i) a generally cylindrical end portion and an opposite end portion which flares outwardly in direction away from said generally cylindrical end portion,
• (ii) longitudinally-extending partition wall means of one-piece with said housing and operative for subdividing the interior of said housing into separate compartments, one of said compartments being elongated and having an open end region and an opposite end region, and
• (iii) a mounting portion of one-piece with and extending in generally radial direction outwardly of said housing, said mounting portion having a tranversely-extending passage formed with opposite open ends;
• (n) a unitary carrier mounted for sliding movement in said one compartment through said open end region of the latter;
• (c) multi-component means for electronically generating a variable pitch ululating siren-type sound, including
• (i) oscillator means for generating an audio carrier signal having a predetermined frequency,
• (ii) switching means for generating a modulating signal having a frequency less than said predetermined frequency,
• (iii) said oscillator means and said switching means including a plurality of actuatable transistor components, resistor components and capacitor components all mounted on said unitary carrier,
• (iv) feedback means for electrically interconnecting said components to thereby modulate said audio carrier signal with said modulating signal, and
• (v) loudspeaker means on said housing for converting the modulated carrier signal to the siren-type sound;
• (d) a small light dc battery power source receivable in said housing, including
• (i) a pair of batteries, and
• (ii) a battery holder in which said batteries are supported, said holder being receivable in another of said compartments within said housing;
• (e) anti-tampering safety means for preventing unauthorized contact with said components on said carrier, said safety means including
• (i) a transversely-extending abutment wall of one-piece with said housing and with said partition wall means, said abutment wall overlying said opposite end region of said one compartment, and
• (ii) a transversely-extending shield wall mounted on said movable carrier, said shield wall being located intermediate said components and said abutment wall to thereby protect said components from unauthorized contact;
• (f) means for actuating said components of said siren-type sound generating means, including
• (i) normally-open electrical circuit means for normally disconnecting said power source from said components to thereby minimize battery drain, and
• (ii) hand-operated switching means for closing said normally-open circuit means to thereby connect said power source with said components and generate the siren-type sound;
• (g) means for adjustably mounting said actuating means at any selected position along the length of a handlebar element of the multi-element steering means to thereby grant a user easy access to said actuating means, including
• (i) a casing on which said switching means is mounted,
• (ii) a pair of clamping arms depending from opposite sides of said casing, and
• (iii) clamping means for urging said arms towards each other and into clamping engagement with said handlebar element;
• and
• (h) multi-part kit means for mounting said housing at a highly visible and elevated position on the steering means, including
• (i) a mounting bracket having one bracket portion connected to said housing, and another bracket portion connected to a cycle-type pedal-powered handle-barred vehicle to thereby mount said siren-type sound generating means on a prominent forward region of the cycle-type vehicle, said one bracket portion of said mounting bracket having a pair of flange arms on opposite sides of said mounting portion, each flange arm having a through-hole which overlies and is registered with a respective open end of said passage, and
• (ii) means for adjustably orienting said housing on said steering means by tilting said axis of symmetry relative to the surface to be traversed, including
• (A) an elongated pivot element which extends through said passage and said holes and which defines a pivot axis along its elongation, and
• (B) a movable locking element mounted on said pivot element for movement lengthwise of the latter between a non-locking position in which said housing is free to pivot about said pivot axis, and a locked position in which undesired pivoting movement of said housing about said pivot axis is prevented.

A siren-type sound generating device for attachment on cycle-type pedal-pedal powered handle-barred vehicles particularly bicycles, tricycles, and low-slung children's tricycles, of the type having hand-operated steering means for steering the vehicle, comprising:

• (a) A synthetic plastic material housing;
• (b) A carrier receivable with clearance in said housing for easy insertion and removal therefrom;
• (c) multi-component means for electronically generating a variable pitch ululating siren-type sound, including
• (i) oscillator means for generating an audio carrier signal having a predetermined frequency.
• (ii) switching means for generating a modulating signal having a frequency less than said predetermined frequency,
• (iii) said oscillator means and said switching means including a plurality of actuatable transistor components, resistor components and capacitor components, all mounted on said carrier
• (iv) feedback means for electrically interconnecting said components to thereby modulate said audio carrier signal with said modulating signal, and
• (v) loudspeaker means on said housing for converting the modulated carrier signal to the siren type sound;
• (d) a small light dc battery power source receivable with clearance in said housing for easy insertion and removal therefrom;
• (e) means for actuating said components of said siren-type sound generating means, including
• (i) normally-open electrical circuit means for normally disconnecting said power source from said components to thereby minimize battery drain, and
• (ii) hand-operated switching means mountable on the vehicle steering means within hand-reach of the rider of the vehicle for closing said normally-open circuit means to thereby connect said power source with said components and generate the siren-type sound;
• and
• (f) means for mounting said housing at a highly visible and elevated position in the steering means, including a mounting bracket having one bracket portion connectable to the housing, and another bracket portion connectable to the vehicle to thereby mount the device on a prominent forward region of the vehicle.