Improvements in Saddles for Velocipedes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Mar., 1897-4ccepted, 24th Apr., 1897
We, ROBERT CROSSMAN and JOSEPH РOWELL, both of The Foundry,
Brancaster, King's Lynn, in the County of Norfolk, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to velocipede saddles chiefly designel for use by lady
cyclists and has for its object to provide a saddle which will combine absolute
rigidity with softness at the fore part, thereby affording a much more comfortable
saddle than is now in general use."
According to our invention the fore part of the saddle is formed with a chamber
made of leather or other soft imaterial firmly attached to the portion of the leather
or the like composing the main portion of the saddle. This, chamber is built.upon
or attached to an iron. bracket to which the clip for securing the saddle to the stem
of the velocipede is also fixed, the said clip having connected to it steel springs
which support the back part of the saddle and permit of such vibration as make it
easy and comfortable to ride. The air chamber which is lined with rubber,
or supplied with an air-bag, is adapted to be inflated to any desired degree
of hardness...
t.
A spring is arranged between the bracket carrying the air-chamber and an arm
to which the rear end of the leather of the saddle is directly connected, the said
spring being intended to keep the seat of the saddle from sinking more than is
desired. A screw is provided for regulating the tension of the spring and
consequently enabling the saddle to be adjusted for different riders.
Dated the 24th day of June 1896.
Improvements in Saddles for Velocipedes.
We, ROBERT CROSSMAN and JOSEPH POWELL, both of The Foundry,
Brancaster, King's Lynn, in the County, of Norfolk, Engineers, 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:-
Our invention relates to velocipede. saddles and has for its object to provide a
saddle which will combine rigidly with softness at the fore-part, thereby affording
a much more comfortable saddle than is now in general use.
According to our invention the fore part of the saddle is formed with a chamber
made of leather or other soft material the said chamber being supported upon
a plate or bracket having connected to it steel springs which support the back part

page_text: of the saddle and permit of such vibrations as make it easy and comfortable to ride.
The said chamber which is lined with rubber, or supplied with an air-bag, is adapted
to be inflated to any desired degree of hardness.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure is an underside view. of a saddle constructed according to our
invention:
Figure 2 is a section of the same on the line 2-2 Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 Figure 2; and,
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 Figure 2:
Figure 5 is a sectional view illustrating the construction of the fore part of the
seat or saddle proper:
Figure 6 is a view illustrating a slight modification.
a is the leather seat or saddle proper, & is the air-bag for distending the front or
fore part of the said saddle and c is a plate to which the rear end of the saddle is
rivetted. d is the bracket which supports the air-bag which may as shewn in
dotted lines in Figure 2 and in section in Figure 3 have sides or flanges e, "
the said sides serving to confine the bag laterally but the flanges may be dispensed
with.
is a spring which may be fixed to the seat standard of a cycle by a clip of any
suitable construction and which at its front end is fixed on a bolt g passing through
the base of the bracket d as clearly shewn in Figure 2 and at the rear end is fixed
by bolts h, h to a bracket i carrying the plate e hereinbefore referred to, us clearly
shewn in Figures 1 and 4.
The nose of the said saddle is constructed with a leather partition j sewn into it
forming a pocket as shewn clearly in Figure 5, the said leather partition lying
beneath the bracket d as shewn in Figure 2 and being tightly held by a clamping
plate fixed by means of the bolt g (which holds the spring f) and another
holt g'.
In practice the air-bag is made with an outer covering of leather and an inner
lining or bag of india-rubber; the leather is preferably fixed to the plated by
means of a clamping plate I held like the clamping plate k by the bolts g, gl the
india-rubber lining or bag lying above the said clamping plate and the heads of the
bolts, as clearly shewn in Figure 2. This arrangement ensures a firm fixing
of the bag whilst maintaining the latter air-tight. m is a valve for permitting of
inflating the bag.
n, n are two arms which at one end are each connected to the flanges e, e of the
bracket d and which at the other end carry between them a lever o one end of which
is connected either directly or by links p, p with holes q in a lug g' on the saddle
plate e whilst the other end of the said lever is passed over a rod r fixed at one end
to the bracket d by the bolt g and at the other end carrying a thumb nut s or the
rod r may be fixed at one end to the arms n, n as indicated in Figure 6. With this
arrangement it will be understood that when the nut a is tightened up the lever o
will be operated to push the plate e rearwards and so stretch the leather of the
saddle to any desired degree of tension. By employing the series of holes g in the
lug g the point of attachment of the lever o or the links p can be altered as
the saddle stretches with age so as to always obtain extreme tension. To permit
of the movement of the plate e relatively with the bracket i which directly supports
the said plate, guide pins t, t on the plate e are passed into slots u, u in the
bracket i as shewn in Figures 1 and 4.
is a spring arranged between the lever o and the thumb nut & the said spring
serving to allow the said lever to move slightly as the plate c is moved forward
relatively with the bracket i under the weight of a rider sitting upon the seat.
Instead of employing a spring e the rods a, n may be made slightly flexible so
that they will be more or less deflected laterally under the weight of a rider upon
the seat.
We wish it understood we are aware that saddles inflated with air have been

page_text: heretofore used, but these saddles owing to the relatively large body of air which
they contained lacked rigidity at the fore part and were in some cases so much
depressed under the weight of a rider as to afford no elasticity at all at the
fore part.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a velocipede saddle the combination of a chamber in the fore part of the
saddle with an air bag supported by a plate or bracket substantially as described.
2. In a velocipede saddle the combination of an air chamber in the fore part of
the saddle supported by a plate or bracket with springs attached to the said plate
or bracket to carry the rear part of the saddle, substantially as described.
3. In a velocipede saddle the combination of the front end with its air bag
supported by the plate or bracket and the seat or saddle proper with a pocket
fitting over the said air bag and the bracket supporting the same, substantially as
described.
4. A saddle for cyclists and others having its nose or front portion supported
directly by an air chamber carried by a plate or bracket which is connected at its
rear end to a bar which can slide in guides against the pressure of a spring or
springs, substantially as described.
5. The manufacture and use of velocipede saddles constructed arranged and
operating substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.