Improvements in and in connection with Brushes for Bicycles and other Velocipedes and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
Improvements in and in connection with Brushes for Bicycles
and other Velocipedes and the like.
I, CARL EDUARD FLEMMING, of Schoenheide, Erzgebirge, Germany, Brush
Manufacturer, 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 construction of brushes which is particularly advan-
tagecus for cleaning bicycles and the like, and which serve more particularly for
removing dirt from between parts situated close together.
This construction is distinguished from known brush constructions for this
purpose in that the bristles are pressed closely together in two diametrically
opposite lines longitudinally of the brush so that by means of these parts of the
brush an increased frictional and consequently cleansing action can be obtained.
For polishing the cleaned bright metal parts of the bicycles these brushes can
be covered with a soft leather cap or covering which will then constitute a soft
and elastic polishing cushion for the above purpose.
The improved construction of brush is shewn in several modifications on the
accompanying drawing.
Figure shews the brush body from which the brush is formed by bending it
together into a U form;
Figure 2 shews a section at a Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 shews the finished brush,
Figure 4 a section at y y Figure 3 ;
Figure 5 a modified form of the brush;
Figure 6 a section at z z Figure 5.
Figures 7 and 8 are coverings for the brushes shewn at Figures 3, 5, 9, 12
and 14.
Figure 9 shews a simple brush for cleaning chains;
Figure 10 a receptacle for the brush which is secured to the bicycle in the
manner shewn at Figure 11.
Figures 12 to 20 shew several modifications of the improved brush.
The finished brush shewn at Figure 3 is made up of an ordinary wire brush
body such as is shewn at Figures 1 and 2 in which a cylindrical brush surface is
produced by twisting together wires a between which the bristles are passed.
This brush body is bent round into a U shape, as shewn at Figure 3, and the
two ends of the wires a are fixed in a handle b. The bristles on the one side of
the brush body being thus pressed close together when the body is bent double,
there are formed at 7 on opposite sides of the brush at Figures 3 and 4 two
longitudinal lines of brush surface which are stiffer than the other parts, such
increase in stiffness depending upon the degree to which the two limbs of the brush
body are pressed together.
These two lines of stiffer brush surface enable a much greater frictional and
cleaning action to be produced than with the other parts of the brush surface, and
as the bristles are there bent with much greater difficulty than at the other parts,
they are particularly applicable for cleaning parts such as wheel spokes, in which
the particles of dirt lodge in the corners and cannot be removed with a soft brush
or with a uniformly hard one.

page_text: As before stated the hardness of the brush surface I can be increased or decreased
at will by bending the two limbs closer together, or further apart.
In the modification shewn at Figure 5, the brush formed in the above described
manner is provided, in place of a handle, with a conical brush d for cleaning the
driving chain. This brush can be covered by a cap e' of soft leather &c., which
on the one hand serves as a handle when using the spoke brush a, l, and on the
other hand may be used for polishing the bright parts of the machine after the dirt
and dust have been removed therefrom.
The brush wire d can either be formed in one with the wire a, or it can be a
separate piece fixed to a. For securing together the two limbs a a of the
Ushaped brush, a clamp c is employed. The spoke brush al can also be provided
with a cape Figure 7 of leather or other suitable material. A separate brush for
cleaning chains, as shewn at Figure 9 may also be provided with a cap such as e'.
These brushes, as also those to be presently described, can be contained in a
suitable receptacle m Figures 10 and 11 which can be secured to the cycle frame
by means of spring clips n n.
As shown in the two modifications at Figures 12 and 14 the combined spoke
brush and chain brush can be provided with a handle. In the construction shewn
in elevation and section on line y' y' in Figures 12 and .13, such handle is formed
at the one end of the combined brushes. In Figure 14 it is formed between
the spoke brush and the chain brush. If the latter arrangement be employed, the
spoke brush or the chain brush can be connected by a hinge-joint g with the
bandle b, so that they can be folded together when not used and be conveniently
placed either in the ordinary saddle case or in the special case shewn at Figures 10
and 11. When required for use, the brush is turned up on its hinge and secured
by a sliding bolt h, which is slid into a recess formed in the part c. Figure 15
shews an elevation and Figure 16 a section on line u-u of a modification in which
the body of the spoke brush is made of wood or similar material; it is made to
turn down on a hinge g on the handle i and is secured by a bolt h, as before.
The chain brush d is in this case arranged so as to be inserted into the tubular
handle i when not required. For this purpose the chain brush is fixed on a double
coned base k, formed so that it can be inserted in reversed positions into the
tubular handle, according to whether the brush is required for use or is inserted
in the handle. Instead of forming the base of double coned form as shewn, it may
be formed with a screw thread, in which case the end of the tubular handle would
be formed with a female screw thread.
The spoke brushes instead of being made of cylindrical form as described, can
Le made of angular configuration, as shewn at Figures 17 to 20.
The construction
shewn in elevation and section on line v-v at Figs. 17 and 18 consists of a brush
bent together in U form as above described, the bristles of which, are afterwards so
cut as to produce an angular cross section. It is of advantage to effect this cutting
in such manner that the opposite sides at 7 where the bristles are pressed close
together by the bending so as to form a stiff surface, are cut to form more or less
acutely angular edges, which are consequently better enabled to penetrate into
angular spaces, and being comparatively stiff, they can exercise à considerable
frictional and cleaning action.
In the construction shewn in elevation and section at ss at Figures 19 and 20 the
brush is formed of triangular section, the bristles being in this case simply secured
between two twisted wires a¹ in the well known manner.
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 L
claim is :-
1. A brush for bicycles and other purposes consisting of a cylindrical or other
shaped flexible brush bent together in U form and having its ends fixed in a
handle in such manner that the bristles on the inner side of the two limbs are
pressed together, or pass through each other, whereby stiffer brush surfaces / are

page_text: produced that exercise a more perfect cleaning action than the other, softer parts,
substantially as described.
2. In the construction of spoke brush referred to in the first claim, substituting
for the handle b a chain cleaning brush which can be used as a handle when using
the spoke brush, the chain brush also providing the spoke brush with a cap or
cover of soft leather, that can serve for polishing the bright parts of the cycle,
substantially as described.
3. In the combined spoke and chain brush referred to in the second claim, the
provision of a handle b to which both brushes are attached, such handle being
attached either to one cud of spoke brush as at Figure 12, or between the spoke
and chain brushes as at Figures 14 and 15, the one or the other brush being
arranged to fold over on a hinge, when not in use, and to be secured by a bolt or
catch when in use, substantially as described.
4. In the combined spoke and chain brush such as is referred to in the third
claim, constructing the handle as a tubular socket, to which the chain brush is
secured in such manner that when not in use it can be inserted into the handle
substantially as described with reference to Figure 15.
5. In a spoke brush such as is referred to in the first claim, constructing the
brush surface with an angular section, so that the parts of the brush surface where
the bristles are pressed together form the edges of the angles, substantially as
described.
1
1
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.