Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 6th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 7th June, 1887.
We CHARLES NEESOM, Gentleman, JAMES NEESOM, Hop Merchant, and HARRY
JAMES, Stuff Buyer, all of Heaton Grove, Bradford, in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to novel and useful improvements in bicycles, tricycles, and
analogous vehicles; and its object is to check the vibration of such vehicles when in
motion, by introducing a spring or springs between the bearings of the wheels and
their connection with the vehicle.
The said improvements are particularly applicable to the back wheels of bicycles,
and the stearing wheels of tricycles, and are hereinafter described as applied to such
wheels.
To carry out our invention we pivot an arm or lever to the extremity of each of
the forks, the said arms are retained in an approximately horizontal position by
bow or other suitable curved springs attached by one end to such arms preferably by
hinge attachments, and by the other end to the forks or other convenient part of the
vehicle. The bearing pin or bearings are secured to the said arms which are preferably
provided with means to limit their motion, thus the rigidity of the connection between
the bearings and the ends of the forks is broken, and the vibration occasioned by the
motion of the vehicle is in a great measure checked or absorbed by the springs.
In place of the above mentioned pivotted arms we may form slots in the extremities
of the forks through which the ends of the bearing pin are arranged to pass and are
adapted to be secured to the ends of the bow springs. The ends of the bearing pin
working in the said slots have preferably flats formed upon them to increase the
bearing surface, or steel collars may be fitted thereon provided with such flats. To
apply this arrangement to existing machines suitable cups are fitted to the ends of the
forks in which the said slots are formed.
As a modification of the latter arrangement slide sockets may be formed at the ends
of the forks and the bearing pin or bearing secured to the end of slides adapted to fit
in such slide sockets, the lower end of the spring being secured thereto.
It is obvious that the above described arrangement may with slight modification be
applied to the other wheels of bicycles, tricycles and analogous vehicles.
Dated this 8th day of January 1887.
. DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and Analogous Vehicles.
We, CHARLES NEESOM, Gentlemen, JAMES NEESOM, Hop Merchant, and HARRY
JAMES, Stuff Buyer, all of Heaton Grove, Bradford in the County of York, 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 novel and useful improvements in bicycles, tricycles, and
analogous vehicles, and its object is to check the vibration of such vehicles when in
motion.
The said improvements are particularly applicable to the back wheels of bicycles,
and the stearing wheels of tricycles, and are hereinafter described as applied to such
wheels.
The said improvements consist in forming slots at the extremities of the forks through
which the ends of the bearing pin are arranged to pass, and are adapted to be secured
to the ends of bow or other suitably shaped springs, the opposite ends of which springs
are attached to the forks or other convenient part of the vehicle. The ends of the
bearing pin working in the said slots are preferably formed with flat faces to increase
the bearing surface, or steel collars may be fitted thereon provided with such flat faces.
To apply this arrangement to existing machines, suitable caps are fitted to the ends of
the forks in which the said slots are formed.
In lieu of the said slots, slide sockets may be formed or fixed at the ends of the
forks, and the bearing pin secured to the ends of slides adapted to fit in such slide
sockets, the lower ends of the springs being secured to the said slides.
In order to describe our invention more in detail reference is to be had to the
accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1, represents a front view of the stearing wheel of a tricycle fitted with
slide sockets and springs in accordance with our invention. Figure 2, is a side view of
the same.
Figure 3, is the rear view of the hub of the back wheel of a bicycle and its attach-
ment to the forks, illustrating a somewhat similar arrangement to that represented.
above, and which is redily applicable to existing machines. Figure 4, is a side view
of the same. Figure 5, is a back view of one of the slide sockets, and one of the
slides separately shown. Figure 6, is a similar view to figure 4, illustrating a modified
method of attaching the spring. And Figure 7, is a view of such spring before it is
bent to the form required.
Figure 8, represents a rear view of the hub of the back wheel of a bicycle mounted
in slots secured to the ends of the forks. Figure 9, is a side view of the same. And
Figure 10, is a view of the bearing pin and slide collars fitted thereon.
Referring to figures 1 and 2: The forks or sockets A are arranged and adapted to
allow the slides B to slide therein, and the said slides are provided with lugs C, between
which the lower ends of the springs D are hinged. The said springs are attached

page_text: at the top to the sockets A. And the slides B are free to slide in such sockets, their
motion bing controlled by the said springs and limited by the shoulders F striking
the bottom of the sockets.
In figures 3 and 4, the sockets A (separately represented with the slide B in figure 5)
are provided with studs G fitted with nuts to enable them to be attached to the bottom
of the forks H by means of the holes through which the bearing pin E usually passes.
The slides B are adapted to slide in the sockets A, and such slides are formed with
projecting pieces J to enable the bearing pin E supporting the hub K to be attached
thereto. The spring D is hinged at the bottom between the lugs C formed on the
slides B, and at the top between the lugs L formed on the socket A.
In figure 6, the spring D (separately represented in figure 7) is formed with eyes M
at each end. The slides B and sockets A are provided with screwed ends N and O
upon which the said eyes are adapted to fit and are secured thereon by means of the
nuts P. Two of the said nuts are preferably employed to connect the springs to the
ends of the sockets, in order to allow such springs to be vertically adjusted.
In figures 8 and 9, the caps Q, are recessed to receive the bottom ends of the
forks and are secured thereto by the bolts R. The said caps are formed with
slots S in which the slide collars T, mounted on the bearing pin E, slide. The
springs D, which are of similar construction to that represented in figure 7, are
mounted, by means of the eyes formed at the lower ends of such springs, on the
projections U (figure 10) formed on the outer faces of the slide collars T, and the
nuts V at each end of the pin E secure the springs and also clamp the said slide
collars against the bearing collars W. At or about the point X the springs are twisted
to allow them to be curved over in the form shown, and the upper ends are secured
to the screwed projections above the slots S by the nuts Z.
It is obvious that the above arrangements are with slight modifications applicable
to any construction of bicycle, tricycle or other velocipede.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare what we claim is :
1. The combination with the stearing wheel of a tricycle, of the sockets A, the
slides B adapted to slide in such sockets and be attached to the bearing pin of said
wheel, and the springs D connecting such sockets and slides, substantially as herein
shown and described.
2. The combination with the trailing wheel of a bicycle, of the sockets A, the
slides B adapted to slide therein and be attached to the bearing pin of said wheel,
and the springs D. connecting such sockets and slides, substantially as herein shown
and described.
3. The combination with the stearing wheel of a tricycle, of the slots S formed
with or secured to the forks, the collars T mounted on the bearing pin of said wheel
and adapted to slide in the said slots, and the springs D connecting such collars to a
convenient part of the vehicle, substantially as herein shown and described.
4. The combination with the trailing wheel of a bicycle, of the slots S formed with
or secured to the forks, the collars T mounted on the bearing pin of the said wheel
and adapted to slide in the said slots, and the springs D connecting such collars. to a
convenient part of the vehicle, substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 4th day of May 1887.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.