A New or Improved Mud Guard for the Wheels of Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 20th May, 1898
A New or Improved Mud Guard for the Wheels of Vehicles.
I, ARTHUR FREDERICK HEATON, of Covington Rectory, Kimbolton, in the County
of Huntingdon, Clerk in Holy Orders, 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 a new or improved mud guard for the wheels of vehicles,
by means of which certain advantages are obtained.
My invention consists essentially of three integers, (a) a shield or mud guard
proper, (b) supports therefor and (c) a socket device by means of which said
supports are attached to the axle of the vehicle.
In order that my invention may be more readily understood I have appended
hereto a sheet of drawings illustrating one form of my invention, the said form
being one which gives good results in practice.
In the said drawings,
Figure I is a diagrammatic end elevation showing the relative positions of the
parts.
Figure II is a side elevation of same.
Figure III is a side elevation of the socket device shown in position with respect
to the axle.
Figure IV is a horizontal section on the line x x of Figure III.
Figure V is a modification, also illustrated diagrammatically.
In the said figures similar numerals of reference indicate similar or equivalent
parts.
In the said figures, 1 is the wheel and 2 the shield, the latter consisting of a
bent plate or sheet of metal, leather or other suitable material curved in any
direction and to any convenient form. 3, 3, 3, 3, are the supports, of which there
may be any desired number but consisting in the case illustrated of four bent
wires or rods. The upper ends of the said supports may be attached to the shield
The lower ends 5
in any desired manner as for example by means of rivets 4, 4.
of the supports engage in the socket device as will be hereinafter described.
These supports cross or interlace at the points 6, 6, where they are laced or
attached together say by ligatures or by turns of wire as for example in the manner
employed for attaching the spokes of cycle wheels where they cross.
The socket device consists of a saddle-shaped piece 7 which is placed astride
the axle 8 and which may be affixed to said axle by a screw or other convenient
attaching device 9. The socket device bears a number of vertical recesses or
perforations 10 into which the lower ends of the supports 3 are inserted and
in which the said ends 5 may be retained by means of binding screws or the
like 11.
In Figure V, I show a modification of the supports shown in Figure II, the

page_text: difference being that the supports shown in Figure V do not cross one another but
pass in straight lines from the socket piece to the shield. It will be seen that in
this case the sockets or orifices in the saddle piece 7 are not vertical as shown in
Figure III but are arranged radially. For the purpose of sustaining the said
supports a bow piece 12 may be employed when desired. It consists of a
bow-shaped piece of steel or other suitable material through which the supports
pass and when desired two or more such bow pieces may be employed to render
the whole more rigid.
It will be seen that by attaching my mud guards to the axle instead of to the
body of the vehicle as in ordinary practice, the mud guard proper or shield is
always maintained in the same position relatively to the wheel.
The socket device and with it the supports and shield may be readily detached
from the axle by loosening the binding device 9. Or, the shield and supports may
be detached by loosening the binding screws 11 and removing the ends 5 of the
supports from their sockets. It will be obvious that the socket device shown in
Figure V is permanently attached to the supports and that in order to detach the
mud guard the socket piece must be removed from the axle.
I desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction
and arrangement of parts illustrated in the drawings as it is obvious that the
details may be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of
my invention.
For the purposes of this specification I employ the term "mud guard" not
merely to indicate the shield or mud guard proper, but to indicate and embrace the
three integers in combination and previously mentioned as being essential features
of my invention.
I have herein before described my invention as applied to an axle of the fixed
type, that is to say to an axle which does not itself revolve but upon which the
wheels revolve. When I employ a rotating axle, instead of affixing the socket
piece to it I affix the socket piece to a sleeve or bearing within which the shaft may
rotate and I may prevent the rotation of the mud guard with the shaft by
employing any convenient form of stop such for example as a stud projecting from the
body of the vehicle and passing between two of the supports. For example, a stud
placed in the position marked by the cross 13 in Figure II would prevent such
rotation of the mud guard and at the same time give ample space for the play of
the body of the vehicle on its springs.
Another convenient device for preventing such rotation as aforesaid consists of a
spiral spring looped at the ends and passing say from one of the supports to a
staple or the like on the body of the vehicle.
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
I claim is
1. In a mud guard, the employment of a socket piece for engagement with an
axle substantially as set forth.
2. In a mud guard, the combination of a shield, a support or supports and a
socket piece attached to the axle substantially as set forth.
3. The combination of a shield, a support or supports, a saddle-shaped piece and
means for attaching said saddle-shaped piece to the axle, substantially as set
forth.
4. The combination of a shield, interlacing or crossing supports and a socket
piece substantially as set forth.
5. The combination of a shield, interlacing or crossing supports, ligatures or the
like for attaching said supports where they cross and a socket piece substantially
as set forth.
6. The combination of a shield, a support or supports, and a bow piece
substantially as set forth.

page_text: 7. The combination of a shield, a support or supports, a socket piece placed
over a moving axle and means for preventing the rotation of the mud guard with
said axle, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 19th day of April 1898.
Witness
J. G. LORRAIN, M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech. E.,
Norfolk House, Victoria Embankment, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.
A. F. HEATON.