Improvements.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 27th July, 1895-Accepted. 31st Aug.,
1895
Improvements.in Frau D
I, CLAUDE FRANÇOIS PICHARD of 21 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris in the
Republic of France Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be
as follows:-
-:
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of frames for cycles
wherein two or more tubes or tubular parts are to be fitted together.
A cycle frame constructed according to my invention consists of tubes fitted
with junction sleeves, which are expanded and firmly retained in position by means
of closely fitting tapering. screw-threaded plugs, for the reception. of which the
junction tubes or sleeves may be provided with inwardly tapering openings or bores
with small external aad large internal diameters.
1
Pressure is exercised upon the tubes. by means of the screwed plug which tubes
will then fit the conical bores of the junction sleeves, so that the connection
obtained is sufficiently firm to stand any test.
The junction piece may be constructed in various ways, for example the junction
piece and the tube may be threaded or tapped, and the parts retained in position by.
means of the screw threaded plug.
Or the construction may be modified, the screw threaded plug being simply
fitted into the tube to be joined, or, the screwed parts may be in the junction sleeve
only, while the tube receives the conical part of the plug having a plain and
smooth surface.
All the joints of a cycle, for instance, the backbone, steering device, guide fork,
saddle support, crank mechanism and handle bar may have their junctions formed.
in the manner described without the use of solder, one conical or cylindrical part
exactly fitting another part of similar shape, or by expanding the tubes into the
junction sleeves which may be performed in any suitable manner, the improved
arrangement enabling a high degree of firmness and stability to be attained in the
whole structure.
.The plug may be either smooth, screw threaded or otherwise grooved or milled.
Dated the 27th day of October 1894.
I CLAUDE FRANÇOIS PICHARD of 21 Boulevard Poissonniere Paris in the
Republic of France 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of frames for cycles
wherein two or more tubes or tubular parts are to be fitted or connected together.
The tubes are according to my invention connected by means of junction sleeves
or sockets outside the tubes and tapering screw threaded plugs inside the tubes the

page_text: sleeves or sockets being made with inwardly tapering or flaring openings or bores
to retain the tubes when expanded therein as hereinafter more fully described.
I will describe my invention with reference to the annexed sheet of drawings
which shews (in section) examples of ways in which my invention can be
performed.
The frame cousists of junction sleeves B which are formed internally with
tapering or conical openings or bores, the greater diameter of the conical openings
or bores being at the inner end 6 and the smaller diameter at the outer end bl.
The ends of the cylindrical tubes C which are to be joined, correspond in
external diameter to the smallest internal diameter of the junction pieces and
plugs A formed conical externally so that their sides are parallel (or practically so)
to the conical openings or bores of the sleeve B, the smallest external diameter of
the plug corresponding to the smallest internal diameter of the tube.
To connect these parts together the plug A is first introduced into the tube C,
and the whole is inserted in the sleeve B. The plug A is then forcibly screwed
along the sleeve B and the tube C, by means of a key with pawl and ratchet gear
for example which is inserted through the part B' of the said sleeve. The conical
shape of the said plug A causes the end of the tube C, to expand and to conform
to the conical shape of the interior of the sleeve and the parts will thus be held
firmly together.
In Figure 1 the plug A. is screw threaded or tapped externally from end to end
BO as to screw into both the sleeve B and the tube C, which latter two are corre-
spondingly tapped or threaded for that purpose.
In Figure 2 the plug A is shewn to be tapped only in the part taking into the
tube C which is correspondingly screwed; the junction sleeve B in this case not
being screwed.
Figure 3 shews the inverse of Figure 2 the threaded parts being in the junction
sleeve only in the portion of the plug which takes into it, the tube C, having a
plain or smooth interior. All the tubular parts of a cycle may be joined in the
manner described, dispensing with welding or soldering, thus constituting a
considerably stronger frame than has been obtainable hitherto.
In the lower part of the several figures I have shewn a tube expanded into the
sleeve as described the plug being shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1 and removed
in Figures 2 and 3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A frame for cycles which can be formed without welding or soldering the
parts being united by means of internally coned sleeves or junction pieces and
externally coned plugs for expanding the tubes of the frame into the internally
coned junction sleeves substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The several constructions for frames for cycles substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figure 1 in Figure 2 and in Figure 3 of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of July 1895