An Improvement in the Construction of the Frames of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes, and in the Metal Framework of Furniture, such as Bedsteads and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 18th May, 1896-Accepted, 18th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Communicated from abroad by EMILE BÉRANGER, of No. 5 Rue Keyenveld,.
Commercial Agent, and ALFRED CHOBERT, of No. 23 Rue des Longs-Chariots,
Engineer, both of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium.]
An Improvement in the Construction of the Frames of Bicycles,
Tricycles, and other Velocipedes, and in the Metal Framework
of Furniture, such as Bedsteads and the like.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 has for its object to substitute for the drawn tubes and tubular
pieces with cast or stamped joints heretofore employed in the construction of the
frames of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes, tubes or tubular pieces formed
by bending sheet metal notched at its edges so as to cause such edges to interlock
with or hook into each other and secured together by brazing or soldering. Such
pieces with notched edges are stamped or cut by suitable stamping or cutting tool
out of sheets of steel or other strong metal and they are then bent by suitable tools
to form a blank having a U shaped cross section.
They are afterwards closed up into tubular form by means of a special tool
similar to those employed for rolling up and closing hinges; this tool, in raising-in
and compressing the metal, imparts to it a rigidity equivalent to that produced by
the drawing operation.
The edges of the blank being formed with dovetail notches and projections, the
blank is closed into tubular form by causing these edges to interlock or book into
each other, whereby a very rigid tube will be obtained, the joint when brazed being
perfectly secure against opening. The ends of the blank are formed with two
tongues with hollow curved sides, which tongues are situated opposite each other
when the blank is bent into the closed tubular form, and which are then bent
round the tube to which the end of the first tube is to be joined being, made either
to form a butt joint or to overlap, and they are secured to each other by soldering
or brazing.
The principal advantages of this construction consist in great lightness of the
frames; the use of a much smaller quantity of metal, and proportionate lessening
of the cost, the sheet steel being much more economical with equal weight, than
the drawn tubes.
The same construction of tubes can also be applied advantageously to metal
furniture, such as bedsteads and the like.
When tubes do not require to be joined together the said tongues at the ends
are of course dispensed with.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing shews the flat blank for the tube, as stamped
out of sheet steel,
Fig. 2 shews the blank bent into U form,
Fig. 3 shews the tube closed up, and Fig. 4 shews the same combined with other
tubes passed through the loops formed by the bent tongues at the ends.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described improved construction of tubes for bicycle and other
velocipede frames and for metal furniture, consisting in first forming blauks with
notched edges, stamped or cut out of sheet metal, and then bending such blanks
into tubular form with the notched edges interlocked with each other and secured
by brazing, substantially as described.
2. In tubes formed of sheet metal such as are referred to in the first claim,
forming projecting tongues at the ends, which tongues are bent into circular form
and secured by brazing for forming a loop or eye through which another tube is
passed, substantially as described.
Dated this 18th day of May 1806
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.