Improvements in Mud-guards for Velocipedes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd May, 1896-Accepted, 27th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mud-guards for Velocipedes.
We, JOHN FORD WHITEHEAD, of 74 Peverill Street, in the Borough of
Nottingham, Draughtsman, and WILLIAM CALOW, 9 Beaconsfield Street, Long
Eaton, in the County of Derby, Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates more particularly to mudguards for safety bicycles and it
has for its object to provide improved means for supporting such mudguards when
in use and for removing or stowing them when out of use.
The whole of the apparatus is carried by two plates or bars of a suitable length,
which are placed transversely across the two back legs of the frame of a safety
bicycle at a convenient point, one being placed at the back and the other at the
front of the legs and secured by a bolt or bolts passing through both plates.
Carried on the front plate is a drum or cylinder of suitable width journalled in
bearings secured to or forming part of the plate; the journal or axle of this drum
may be provided with a lock-nut or other means for locking the drum.
The mudguards for the back and front wheel are made of flexible material of a
suitable width and are both connected to the drum so that they may be wound on
to or drawn off from the drum simultaneously.
The front guard is carried down the front of the diagonal stay of the framing
and may be secured in any well known manner to that stay or the bracket bearing.
The back-guard which is carried over the back wheel is supported in the following
manner.
Hinged or pivotted to the back plate is a lug, and pivotted on this lug are the
ends of the first two members of a series of thin strips of metal jointed together on
the same principle as the well known lazy-tongs, the extreme ends of the two outer
members are formed with forks which engage with studs or loops in the guard and
hold it in position. Any slackness in the guards may be taken up by winding them
on the drum and locking it.
When the guards are wound on the drum the back support may be closed up and
then turned up parallel to the back legs, or the whole may be removed by releasing
the bolt which secures the two plates to the back legs of the frame.
Dated this 21st day of August 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants.
We, JOHN FORD WHITEHEAD, of 74 Peveril Street, Nottingham, in the
County of Nottingham, Draughtsman, and WILLIAM CALOW, of 9 Beaconsfield
Street, Long Eaton, in the County of Derby, Draughtsman, 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 :-
The invention is designed to provide mud guards more particularly for safety
bicycles which can be easily stowed or detached when out of use.

page_text: It consists essentially of a mud guard for a single wheel of the cycle constructed
of flexible material supported by the members of a series of thin strips of metal
jointed together on the principle of the lazy-tongs or of a mud guard of flexible
material supported over the back wheel by lazy-tongs and for the front part of the
cycle mounted upon a roller and extending down behind the diagonal stay to
the head.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1. Side elevation of bicycle showing mud-guard in position.
Fig. 2. Side elevation of bicycle showing a similar construction of mud guard
applied to the front and back of the back wheel and to the front wheel.
Fig. 3. Enlarged plan of mudguard extended.
Fig. 4. Side elevation of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5. Plan of same closed or folded and detached.
Fig. 6. Side elevation of Fig. 5.
Fig. 7. Details.
Fig. 8. Plan of flexible mud guard and roller.
Fig. 9. Side elevation of Fig. 8.
The mud guard is constructed so as to be applied to protect all parts or any
particular part of the machine from being splashed and may be made either to
follow the curve of the wheel or to lie flat against the stays or framework.
A plate or bracket A is provided to be affixed to the back stays B to support or
hold the guards in position. To the bracket A we pivot the members c of a lazy
tongs C of any desired length and to this bracket we also attach one end of the
flexible material D. The flexible material D extends over the members c of the
lazy tongs C and is fixed to the other end and in Fig. 1 it also extends down
the front of diagonal stay and under the axle bearing and in front of the front stay
being secured to the head of the machine.
Referring to Figs. 1, 8 and 9 the flexible material D forming the guard in front
of the driving wheel is mounted upon a roller E upon which when not in use it can
be rolled up.
Referring to Fig. 2 instead of the guard D in front of the driving wheel and
behind the steering wheel being formed of a strip of flexible material attached to a
drum and fastened to the stays a separate detachable and collapsible guard mounted
upon lazy tongs may be applied to each wheel. In this construction two separate
guards are applied to the driving wheel being affixed to the back stays and one is
applied to the front fork being affixed to the steering fork below the head so as to
turn with the wheel.
Referring to Figs. 3 to 7 the construction of the lazy tongs mud guard is shown
in detail. The plate or bracket A is preferably made with a hinge or pivot a for
the purpose of adjustment or ease in attaching and detaching. It is secured to the
back stays B or to the front fork B₁ by means of a bolt of any convenient or
suitable shape that shown in Fig. 3 being of U-shape to embrace the front
fork B'. To the bracket A is pivoted at a¹ the end members of a number or series
of pivoted plates c forming lazy tonga C. At the points c¹ at which the members c
of the lazy tongs cross are preferably pivoted strips of metal G placed in a trans-
verse position. The members c of the lazy tongs are preferably made of spring or
tempered steel strips so that when extended they may be readily curved to any arc
and when released resume a normal flat position.
The flexible material D is preferably a waterproofed fabric and is secured in
position to the transverse strips G by means of eyelets g rivets or other convenient
appliance. A pin H is secured by a chain in any convenient position and through
two adjacent members c are drilled holes through which the pin H is passed when
the mud guard is extended to maintain it in an extended position. When secured
to the machine the free end of the mud guard is drawn down into position around
the wheel by strings or bands K secured to the axle or other convenient position.
These strings being of flexible twisted braided or woven material can be tied round
the guard or otherwise disposed of when not in use, or they can be removed and

page_text: placed in the pocket or tool bag. By this construction we dispense with the rigid
stays which have hitherto been employed to support mud guards. This form of
guard when applied to the front wheel follows the curve and twisting of the wheel
in the same way that a rigid guard does. This form of collapsible guard may be
applied to protect one or both wheels without the use of any other construction of
guard.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.
1. A mud guard for the wheels of velocipedes comprising a number of members.
jointed together in the form of lazy tongs upon which is stretched a flexible material
or fabric substantially as described.
2. A mud guard for velocipedes constructed with a flexible material stretched on:
a collapsible lazy tongs frame to cover the back of the driving wheel in combination,
with a flexible band mounted upon a drum upon which it can be wound to cover the
front of the driving wheel and the back of the steering wheel substantially as
described and shown with reference to Figs. 1, 8 and 9.
3. A mud guard for velocipedes constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figs. 2 to 7.
Dated this 21st day of May 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.