Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 13th Mar.,
1897
I, OTIS KIMBALL NEWELL, of 68 St. James' Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Physician, 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 a seat for bicycles, and has for its object to provide a
seat in which the rider sits and is supported in such manner as to relieve all middle
flesh or perinæum from pressure, thereby obtaining an easy riding, safe and
anatomically correct bicycle seat.
In accordance with this invention, the seat is composed of a rim or frame
suitably shaped at its back portion to embrace the buttocks of the rider, and
further provided with inwardly extended arms at the front portion, which
arms are separated to avoid contact with the middle flesh or perinæum of the
rider.
The inwardly extended arms are inclined rearwardly toward the back portion to
form a substantially wide bearing or seat proper for the seat bones or ischial
tuberosities to rest upon, and to offer a resistance or stop to any tendency of the
rider slipping forward out of the seat, by the impingement of the anterior aspect
of the ischial tuberosities and the muscles and other soft parts covering them,
against the said arms. The rim seat may be spring-supported in any desired
or suitable manner, and preferably by making the rim or frame of wire rods
and extending the free ends of said wire rods down under the seat to form the
supporting springs. The rim may and preferably will be provided with a suitable
covering or pad, which may be of felt, leather or other suitable or desired
material.
:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle seat embodying this invention.
Fig. 2, a front elevation of the seat shown in Fig. 1 looking toward the
right.
Fig. 3, a rear elevation of the seat shown in Fig. 1 looking toward the left.
Fig. 4, a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 2, looking toward the left.
Fig. 5, a top or plan view of the seat shown in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of
the arrow thereon.
Fig. 6, an inverted or rear plan view of the seat shown in Fig. 5, and
Fig. 7, a sectional detail to be referred to, taken on the line 7-7, Fig 5.
The bicycle seat embodying this invention, is characterized by a rim or frame
adapted to be sat into by the rider, and comprising a back portion, and a front
portion composed of inwardly extended arms inclined rearwardly and downwardly
with relation to the said back portion, so that when the rider sits into the scat with
the latter in its proper riding position shown in Fig. 1, the seat bones or ischial
tuberosities of the rider will rest upon the rearwardly inclined arms, which, by
reason of their being inclined rearwardly, (see Figs. 1 and 4) will prevent the
rider slipping forward and out of the seat, and the sensitive middle flesh or
perinæum will not make contact with the seat and will be thus relieved from
pressure.
The rim or frame referred to, may be made of one piece of metal, but in the
form preferred by me, which is shown in the drawings, the said frame or rim is
made of wire rods A A 1, suitably bent or shaped and secured together to form

page_text: the back portion a of the seat, and also shaped or, bent to form the inwardly
extended arms al a 2, which incline. downwardly with relation to the back
portion a.
Each of the wire rods A A I, after being bent or shaped as described, has its
free ends 2, 3, brought close together and carried down under the seat and toward
the front portion or arms al a 2, and the ends 2, 3, of the wire rods A. A 1 are
united or connected together so as to form the complete frame, by a fastening
device or clip b, provided with clamping or set screws 61. The free ends 2, 3, of
the wire rods are in practice fastened to the bicycle frame as by a clip 63, which is
itself secured to the seat post 64 by a set screw 65, and the portion of the
ends 2, 3, of the wire rods A A 1, between the, clips 663 form the supporting
springs for the seat, in the embodiment of the invention herein shown; and by
reference to the drawings, it will be seen, that the supporting springs are located
below the seat proper such a distance, that they will not make contact with the
body of the rider, when the latter is sitting in the seat. By reference to Figs. 2
and 6, it will be seen that the portion of the wire rods A A 1, which form the
inwardly extended arms a 1 a 2, are somewhat widely separated and the inner parts
of the wires forming the arms a 1 a 2 are in a lower plane than the outer parts of
the said wires, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 7, so as to impart to the
arms a 1 a 2 an incline downward with relation to the back portion.
The metallic rim or frame above described, is provided with a covering or pad B,
which may be of felt, leather, rubber or other suitable or desired material, but
which is represented in the present instance as composed of two pieces.or
strips 4-5 of leather, stitched together at their edges and filled with any suitable
soft or yielding material 6 such, for instance, as hair. The covering or pad B
may be secured to the metal rim or frame by a lacing b 10, passed through suitable
holes in the bottom strip or piece 5 of the pad or covering and about the wire rods
of the metal rim or frame, or the said pad or covering may be secured to the rim
or frame in any other suitable or desired manner. The pad or covering B is
secured tightly to the rim or frame and conforms to the shape of the said frame
and comprises a back portion and inwardly extended and rearwardly inclined arms,
and, if desired, the filling 66 may be thicker at the front portion or outer edge of
the rim as represented in Figs. 4 and 7, to make the incline of the arms more
pronounced.
The inwardly extended arms of the seat are designed in practice to be made of
suitable length to be engaged by the muscles and soft parts covering the ischial
tuberosities, which is the proper part of the body to receive the pressure, blow,
vibration or shock incurred in riding, thereby relieving the middle flesh and other
sensitive parts of the body from such pressure, vibration and shock, and
consequently relieving the said middle flesh from danger of injury.
In Figs. 4 and 5, I have shown the seat in what I regard as the proper position,
and by reference to said figures, it will be seen that when the rider is seated therein,
he or she is firmly supported and is retained in the seat and prevented from slipping
out, by the downwardly inclined arms of the seat, while at the same time, the back
portion of the seat forms a brace or support for the buttocks of the rider.
Furthermore, the inclined arms constituting the front portion of the seat do not
interfere with the action of the legs in pedaling, but, on the other hand, follow the
movements of the leg, yielding on the downward movement and ascending on the
upward movement of the leg.
By reason of the fact that the sensitive middle flesh of the rider is entirely
relieved from pressure, a bicycle seat made in accordance with this invention is
especially available for women.
.
I have herein shown one angular relation between the back portion and the
inclined arms constituting the front portion, which I believe to be best suited for
the majority of riders, but I do not desire to restrict my invention to the precise
relations shown.
I prefer to have the inwardly extended arms a al disconnected, but I do not

page_text: desire to limit my invention in this respect, as the said arms may be connected
together by a tie bar, which is -removed from contact with the middle flesh or
perinæum, and the bicycle seat thus constructed would still retain its characteristic
features of a back portion to embrace the buttocks of the rider, and a front portion
composed of inwardly extended and rearwardly inclined arms over which the legs
of the rider extend.
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. A bicycle seat consisting of a frame or rim adapted to be sat into by the
rider and comprising a back portion downwardly inclined toward the front portion
of the seat to embrace the buttocks of the rider, and the said front portion
consisting of arms extended inwardly from the back portion and downwardly and
rearwardly inclined toward the rear portion of the said seat, substantially as
described.
2. A bicycle seat consisting of an open frame or rim adapted to be sat into by
the rider, and comprising a back portion adapted to embrace the buttocks of the
rider, and a front portion consisting of inwardly extended arms separated at their
adjacent ends and inclined rearwardly toward the said back portion to form a
substantially wide bearing or seat proper when the legs of the rider are extended
over the front edges of the said arms, substantially as described.
3. A bicycle seat comprising a metal rim composed of wire rods bent or shaped
to form a back portion to embrace the buttocks of the rider, and to form inwardly
extended and rearwardly inclined arms comprising the front portion, which forms
the seat proper, a fastening device to secure the free ends of the wire rods which
are extended below and under the seat to form supporting springs therefor, and a
covering or pad secured to the metal rim.
4. A bicycle seat consisting of an open frame or rim adapted to be sat into by
the rider and comprising a curved back portion (a) to embrace the buttocks of the
rider and form a brace for the back of the rider, and arms (a1 a 2) extended
inwardly and inclined rearwardly and downwardly from their upper edges to afford
a substantially wide bearing for the seat bones or ischial tuberosities to rest upon,
substantially as described.
5. A bicycle seat consisting of an open frame or rim adapted to be sat into by
the rider and comprising a back portion adapted to embrace the buttocks of the
rider, and a front portion consisting of inwardly extended arms inclined rearwardly
toward the said back portion to form a substantially wide bearing or seat proper
for the seat bones or ischial tuberosities to rest upon, substantially as described.
Dated
L
+1002
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.