Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 21st July, 1892-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Vehicles.
I CHARLES STUART Speedwell Works Coventry Mechanical Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a means whereby the riders on bicycles, tricycles, or
other velocipedes, and heavy weights on other vehicles, may be supported
advantageously and all vibratory motion removed or greatly diminished. In order
to effect this object, I construct, or adapt and arrange, the forks on bicycles, and
their equivalents in other vehicles, so that such forks or equivalents, shall be;
vertical with regard to the axis of the wheels, and not inclined backwards at an
angle as generally used at present. I also construct or adapt and arrange the whole
or part of the framework, of bicycles and other cycles or vehicles, so that such
framework may move freely up and down in a vertical direction on such forks.or
equivalents. Spiral or other springs, or compressed air being so interposed between
certain parts of such framework and the forks or equivalents, that the whole frame-
work including saddle, handle-bars, bottom bracket, and treadles complete in a
cycle, or the cart, or carriage body in other vehicle with the rider, or burden
carried, may be so balanced, by the said springs or compressed air, or by atmospheric
pressure as below, that the vibration, caused by the wheels passing over rough roads,
or other obstacles, may scarcely affect such rider, or burden, without the intervention
of pneumatic or other tires, or any other like contrivance. In the above mentioned
atmospheric pressure, a cylinder is supplied with a close fitting piston, and no air
being admitted through such piston, to inside of such cylinder, such piston cannot
be withdrawn, without the application of a force equal to the area in square inches
of such piston, multiplied by the atmospheric pressure per square inch in lbs.
avoirdupois. The actual mode of applying this invention may differ slightly in
different vehicles, but the principle of the construction is the same in all.
Dated this Third day of December 1891.
CHARLES STUART.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Vehicles.
1, CHARLES STUART, of Speedwell Works, Coventry, Mechanical 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 bicycles and other velocipedes and consists in the construe-
tion and application thereto of a novel spring-arrangement, whereby the vibratory.
movements usually felt by the rider will be obviated or greatly diminished.
In carrying out my invention I construct the framework upon which the rider
sits so that it can move up and down in a vertical direction, and for this purpose I
arrange the standards of the wheel-forks vertically and provide the framework with
sockets adapted to slide upon the said wheel-fork standards, the said sockets' being
designed to receive spiral springs or compressed air to support the framework upon
the said standards.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same as applied
to a bicyclé especially designed for military purposes.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a bicycle constructed in accordance with my
invention:
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation drawn to an enlarged scale of the spring-
arrangement in which a spiral spring is employed:
Figures 3 and 4 are views of parts of the bicycle hereinafter described:
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating the application of compressed
air-springs.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a, a indicate the usual wheel-forks, in which the wheels are mounted in any
ordinary or suitable manner, and b, bare the standards of the said forks, which
standards are preferably provided with tubular recesses c.
d indicates the backbone of the bicycle which is provided with the downwardly
projecting arm e carrying the pedal or crank-axle, and f, are the sockets arranged
at the ends of the backbone and sliding upon the standards b, b. 9, 9 are the
springs contained in the casings formed by the recesses c, c and sockets f, f, each of
the said springs being arranged to bear at its lower end upon the bottom of its
tubular recess c and at its upper end against the top of its socket f. With this
arrangement it will be readily seen how the backbone d is entirely supported upon
the springs g, 9 and (owing to the arrangement of the standards sliding in the
sockets) that the vibratory movement imparted to the standards will be received
by the springs g, g without being communicated to the backbone.
In Figure 2 the spring 9 is represented as spiral and a pin.c¹ secured at its
lower end to the standard b at the bottom of the recess c passes through the centre
of the spring, the said pin at its upper end being passed through the crown of the
socket and provided with a head or nut for preventing the socket from becoming.
disconnected from the standard b. When I make use of compressed air the latter
is enclosed in a flexible bag or vessel as shewn in Figure 5 and fitted into the
recess c. In this modification the edges of the recess are curved outwardly at b
and rounded to prevent the said edges from damaging the flexible material. The
socket is prevented from becoming disconnected from the standard by screwing
into the lower end of the said socket fa gland f¹ designed to impinge against the
outward projecting portion & of the socket.
C
h, h indicate the steering handles of the machine, the motion of which is communi-
cated to the standard of the steering wheel through the rods i, i and the lever
which is secured to the pin of the front wheel standard, the said wheel standard
being preferably prolonged above the socket, as shewn in Figure 1, to admit of the
said lever being connected thereto. k is the brake and the lever for operating the
same, the motion of the lever being communicated to the brake through the rod m
and the bell-crank lever n.
o, o are clips (one of which is shewn drawn to an enlarged scale in Figure 4).
secured to the backbone or to ans projecting therefrom and serving for carrying a
rifle.
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 1
claim is: :-
1. In a bicycle or other velocipede, the use of spiral springs or compressed air
enclosed in casings formed by the fork standards and the sockets of the frame,
substantially as described.
2. A bicycle or other velocipede the wheel standards of which are arranged
vertically and have sliding upon them sockets for supporting the frame, springs
being arranged between the sail wheels standards and the sockets, substantially in
the manner and for the purpose described.
3. The combination with the wheel standards of a bicycle or other velocipede,
of a spring-arrangement constructed substantially in the manner described by

page_text: reference to Figure 2 and Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings for the purpose
specified.
4. The improved velocipede having its backbone supported upon spiral or
compressed air-springs, substantially in the manner described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated the 21st dor of July 1899
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.