# persons siren history



## 57 spit (Jan 11, 2016)

Does anyone know how to date a persons majestic siren? I have a 1936 bike (and a 1950) and want to make sure i get a roughly correct siren.
Thanks


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## Pantmaker (Jan 11, 2016)

Tell her how you feel about her and just ask her out. Keep it simple too...dinner and a movie. The majestic sirens tend to be more conservative. Best of luck! 







57 spit said:


> Does anyone know how to date a persons majestic siren? I have a 1936 bike (and a 1950) and want to make sure i get a roughly correct siren.
> Thanks


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## 57 spit (Jan 11, 2016)

That's funny.


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## juanitasmith13 (Jan 11, 2016)

I have a Majestic siren... when I searched the web for history I found Persons was tied in... I found no dates usable; unable to find my sirens age... The engraving, font style made me think 1910-1930s. The sirens that are bullet or missile shape are 1950s +/- style.


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## cyclingday (Jan 12, 2016)

I'm not sure about all of the cut off dates, but the earliest Persons Majestic sirens had heart shaped cutouts in the bottom and one fork clamp bracket with a long reach spindle. The next generation still had the heart shaped cutouts but had two fork clamp brackets for better support and either a long or short reach spindle.  The long reach spindle being the earlier version of the two clamp type siren. The post war versions still used the two clamp brackets with the short spindle, but had three large pie shaped cutouts in the bottom instaed of the earlier heart shaped design.
A very cool accessory, that were banned in some towns for being so obnoxious. I love it!


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## 57 spit (Jan 12, 2016)

now thats good info!


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## scrubbinrims (Jan 12, 2016)

Pretty sure you're looking for a two fork clamp Persons for a '36 (or any ballooner for that matter) as it was outfitted on Elgin Falcons earlier than your bike.
Chris


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## Pantmaker (Jan 12, 2016)

So is this one the heart version,  double clamp,  short spindle?


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## 2jakes (Jan 13, 2016)

I bought a 1934 Columbia motorbike & this siren came with it.
This is the double fork clamp, long spindle.










There is no year on the siren other than 
Persons ~ Majestic MFG. Co. USA





The rear does not have the round bullet shape cone like the 50s.

This is pure speculation, but I would say this siren would go with a 30s bike.


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## filmonger (Jan 13, 2016)

DESCRIPTION  (OCR text may contain errors)
1948. c. A. PERSONS ET AL 2,434,516

MECHANICAL SIREN Filed March 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l Hg 6 I \NVENTORS CHARLES A. PERSONS JOSEPH G. S. ROBlNSON 1948. c. A. PERSONS El AL 2,434,516

MECHANICAL S'IREN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 10, 1945 g. 4 2o 36 as 28 A \NVENTORS CHARLES A. PERSONS JOSEPH G.S.RoB\-soN I2 28 BY Wm? 61%;.

Patented Jan. 13, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT '0 FFI CE 2,434,516 MECHANICAL SIREN lharles A. Person's an'd Joseph G. S. Robinson, Worcester, Mass.- assignors to Persons-Majcs tic Manufacturing ;C oi n pany. Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 10, 1945, Serial No. 582,084

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to audible warning devices of the type having'me'ans to drive the same from wheels of cycles or other like members.

Objects of the invention include the provision of the above devices which are especially long lived and less subject to damage or' failure; by reason of aparticular rigid rotor assembly and shaft therefor; the provision of a new and novel bracket support for the device; and the provision ofa special streamlined housing which further rigidifies and stabilizes the rotor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in elevation showing the'siren in position on the front fork of a cycle;

Fig; 2 is a vertical section through the siren;

Fig. 3 is a View in elevation of the supporting bracket;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the bracket;

Fig. 5 is anexploded View of the balloon ring clamp for the siren; and

Fig. 6 is a detail of the shaft.

As shown in Fig. 1, the mechanical siren com-' prisesa bracket Iii secured by fasteners l2to' the front fork I l of a cycle having a front wheel tire It, the siren l8 itself being pivote'd'to the bracket on a pintle 26 arranged to carry the siren on a ring clamp 22-. A chain 24 or the like is secured to the siren at the outside aspect thereof so that a pull upwards tilts the siren on pintle to bring a plug cap or the like 25 into contact with the tire to be rotated thereby. A ring 21 on the chain may be used to slip over the handlebar 29 of the cycle.

The bracket l0 comprises'a pair of double arms 28 to embrace the fork, one arm 28'being angled and secured at 30 to the other arm, thelattr being bent to extend upwardsat an angle-see 32. Theangled portion 32 also includes a pair of parallel ears 34 mounting the pintle 28 on an axis parallel to portion 32, i. e., at an angle to arms 28. A pivot bracket hinge 35 is mounted on the pintle and a spring 38 engages the bracket hinge and arm portion 32 to constantly urge the bracket hinge in one direction, i. e., away from the tire. Pivot bracket hinge 33 is provided with a pair of angled upstanding ears 4!! shaped as shown in Fig. 3 to clamp and hold out-turned legs 42 forming the terminal portions of the ring clamp 22, see Figs. 1 and 2.

A spacer 44 is positioned between legs 42 and is provided with two reversely curved portions 46 to accommodate a fastener 48 to prevent angularity of the legs and to ensure that the' sain' will be drawn together to a parallel position or the fastener. V

In the embodiment of theinvention-'- 'shbw'na fan 50 is provided on a disk 52, the latter being fixed to a shaft 5 for rotation thereby; ever, other types of noise makers maybe ern ploy'ed. The shaft is' provided with alie some which the disk 52' is cri'mp'ed by a- The shaft has an enlarged portion 5" the shoulder for fitted reception of' an int'erii smooth ball race cone 62. A ball cup' fifl' fo the outer race for balls- 55 and the cupis' by a circular supporting disk 68 having ac l cup 70 fitting thecu'p' il-i anda peripheral flange 12 receiving and supporting the skirt of a fan cover'l i V A threaded cone isadjustably .msuri 'e thread iii of shaft 5t and cooperatejswith cup 83 to contain balls" 3;.2, there being a lsle'viej 84 connecting the ball cups main-erase disk 68" to hold the latter and sleeve in a unitary; a'ss" bly. The cone it is held by a nut an'dlockw" indicated at 85 and the ball cupandsleeveassem bly is held by a streamlinedjcup' shaped shell as by a flange ea atits' snmnerend. The-largerf end of the shell ear'eeeives the ran mien- 4 retains the same, the ringeiam'p 22holding the parts'toge'ther. g I A A dust andwat'er cap 92 is held to the nuhat, 86] byte. washer 94 and the acorn nut orsimilar plug or cap 26 isturned upon threads 78 to compl'etethe assembly. 1 ,7 Y

,When' the chain 24 is given an upwardpulL-the' siren l8 as a whole will pivot as on-pintle 20in a planeat right angles to the planeof the wheel of thecycle, and as the siren, by the bracket and hinge construction, lies with thespindle radially" of mewnee the acorn nut 26 impinges the tire" at right anglesso that the nut acts as a'diiv'er' ee a.

Thepresent siren is; extremely long lasting" because of the double ball bearing spindle cdn struction which lies between the driver 25 and fan 53 and the streamlined cup 88 supports the spindle adjacent the driver. Hence the fan may be made to closely approach the cover 14 to give a louder Warning and the parts are rigidly secured together in a manner overcome vibratory damage, etc. The shaft is securely held against endwise or lateral play and the same is true of the base disk 68 and sleeve assembly.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:


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## filmonger (Jan 13, 2016)

1. An audible signalling device comprising a spindle, sound generating mechanism at one end thereof, a driver at the other end of the spindle, a tube about said spindle, a bearing at each end of said tube, a bearing supporting disc adjacent said mechanism, a casing for said mechanism, a cup shaped shell, said shell receiving in its large end said bearing supporting disc and the adjacent edge of said casing, a shoulder near the large end of said shell, 2. socket at the small end of said shell, said socket being adapted to receive one of said bearings, a clamping band about said shell adapted to receive the shoulder and said casing, and a bracket attached to said clamping band.

2. An audible signal device comprising a spindle, a sound mechanism to be driven thereby, a bearing on said spindle near said mechanism, a bearing supporting disc about said bearing, a tube about said spindle, said bearing being located in one end thereof, a second bearing located at the other end thereof, a cup shaped shell having a larger end receiving and supporting the bearing supporting disc and the mechanism, and a smaller end supporting the second bearing, a clamping band about the edges of said shell and said mechanism, and a bracket attached to said clamping band.

3. A siren comprising a spindle, an audible signal head end and a driver at the other end thereof, a tube surrounding said spindle, a, bearing at each end of said tube, a bearing supporting disc behind said head, a casing for said head, a cup shaped shell comprising at its large end a cylindrical wall which receives said bearing supporting disc and the adjacent edge of said head casing, a stepped shoulder at the inner end of said cylindrical wall, a socket at the small end of said shell, said socket being adapted to receive one of the bearings, a clamping band about said shell adapted to receive the cylindrical wall and stepped shoulder on said shell.

4. An audible signalling device comprising a spindle with a sound generating mechanism at the forward end thereof, and a roller at the rearward nd thereof, a tube about said spindle, a bearing at each end of said tube, a bearing supporting disc adjacent said mechanism, a, casing for said mechanism, a cup shaped shell receiving in its large end said bearing supporting disc and the adjacent edge of said casing, a stepped shoulder near the large end of said shell, a socket at the rearward end of said shell, said socket being adapted to receive a bearing, a wall extending rearwardly from said socket, a dish shaped cap about said spindle mounted outside of the shell, the perimeter of said cap overlapping said rearwardly extending wall, a clamping band about said shell adapted to receive the stepped shoulder on said shell and the said edge of said signal head casing, and a bracket attached to said clamping band.

5. A siren comprising a spindle, a signal mechanism therefor, a head on the spindle, a shoulder adjacent the head, the shoulder crimping the mechanism to the head, a loose ball cone on the spindle, a ball cup about the cone, a supporting disk, a second ball cone and cup spaced from the loose cone, a sleeve interposed between the cups and bearing on the disk to hold the same, means to secure the second ball cone and cup, a, streamlined shell having a large end encompassing the disk and a small end supporting the second ball cup, a driver on the spindle, a bracket, and an angled hinge on the bracket and supporting the siren for pivotal movement thereon.

6. The siren of claim 5 including a casing for signal mechanism, said casing having a peripheral edge held under the larger end of the streamlined shell.

7. A siren comprising a spindle, a driver on one end and an audible signal head on the other end, a first bearing adjacent the head and a second bearing remote therefrom on the spindle, a bearing supporting disk for the first bearing, a shell having an end supporting the disk and another end supporting the second bearing, one of said bearings comprising a cone loose on the spindle and the other bearing including a cone adjustably secured to the spindle, a ring encompassing the shell, a bracket secured to the ring, and a hinge interposed between the bracket and shell, said hinge being angularly arranged to provide pivoting the siren as a Whole angularly relativ to the bracket.

8. The siren of claim 7 including an enlarged portion on the spindle receiving the loose cone for a relatively close fit thereof.

9. A siren comprising a bracket, a, hinge having a pair of ears thereon at an angle to the bracket, a tire-driven audible signal, a casing therefor, a ring having spaced ends about the casing, said ends being secured to the cars, a fastener extending through the ears and ends, and a spacer between said ends said spacer having a pair of curved portions for receiving the fastener selectively in either portion, and a re- Versely curved portion between said pair of curved portions.

CHARLES A. PERSONS. JOSEPH G. S. ROBINSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,106,446 Gordon, Jr. et a1. Aug. 11, 1914 1,162,421 Welch Nov. 30, 1915 1,835,451 Armstrong Dec. 8, 1931 1,835,452 Armstrong Dec. 8, 1931


[video=youtube_share;7UKtoZ2IvMQ]https://youtu.be/7UKtoZ2IvMQ[/video]


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## filmonger (Jan 13, 2016)

View attachment 265175


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## incajoe (Jan 16, 2016)

I literally just listed a really clean Person siren on ebay with the long spindle, heart cutouts and double fork brace. If anyone is looking for one my eBay name is "helmetmouse".


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## 1936PEDALER (May 23, 2021)

I purchased a majestic siren from a fellow Caber, and when I installed, was disappointed that it does not work and seems to be worn out. Are they easily rebuildable, and are parts available, or do I need to search for correct bearing size?


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## cyclingday (May 23, 2021)

Hmmm!
I’ve never run across one, that flat out didn’t work.
Some are better than others, but they’re pretty durable, and not easily worn out.
It should be mounted on the right side of the bike, on either the fork or the seat stay.
Hang the pull chain from the handlebar, and mount the siren, so that the spindle can just clear the fender when the chain is pulled.
Lubricate the moving parts with some
3 in 1 oil, and take your bike for a spin.
Get up a bit of momentum, and then give it a go.
It takes a little bit, to get the siren up to a wail, but you should be able to get it to cry without too much effort.
One thing to note, is that they need air to pass through them, so they won’t work at all by just spinning the spindle between your fingers.
The more air/spindle speed, the louder the wail.
I’m not sure, how rebuildable those sirens are.
I’ve never had to take one apart.
Usually some oil and a good head of steam, and your screaming away.
Good luck with yours.
I hope it is not kaput.


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