Year: 1896

page_text: JOSEPH ARTHUR WALSHAW, Leather Merchant, 4 Park Row, Otley, Yorkshire,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This idea consists of a kind of strap or support, or suspension apparatus for the
backs and shoulders of cyclists and the like The arrangement is as follows, Two
ends of a kind of sling are attached either to the machine direct or by means of a
nonvibrating medium, such as springs, rubber and the like 'so that the back rests in
a kind of loop, or support, which can be placed at a suitable angle, so as to enable
the rider to use the muscles of the back, to assist those of 'the legs and arms. The
connection with the machine or springs can be easily unhooked if desired. The
whole apparatus may be adjustable to suit the rider. The apparatus or a portion
thereof may be attached to the costume of the cyclist and carried about at pleasure.
Dated this 8th day of September 1896.
JOSEPH ARTHUR WALSHAW.
I, JOSEPH ARTHUR WALSHAW Electrician, 4 Park Row, of Otley, 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:-
I construct of leather, métal, and, cord an apparatus by means of which cyclists
and the like may have the opportunity of supporting the back, and shoulders when
riding, and, of allowing, the muscles of the back, to relieve and assist those of the
legs and arms in the propulsion of the cycle and I construct it in the following
manner.
I take a suitable material, by preference fine strong leather, and cut out an oblong
piece about 30 inches long and 3 inches wide, I faper each end of this strap so
formed gradually to a rounded end. I now take a metal casting A shaped like a
stirrup about 1 inches wide at the broad end the other end narrowing off to a
circular ring B, having a ths inch hole therein. I fästen this metal stirrup to
one end of the strap D, at such a distance from the end that the small ring end of
the said stirrup projects slightly beyond the end of the strap. The stirrup casting is
Ped

page_text: fastened to the strap by means of another piece of leather C, which encircles the
bar at the wide end of the stirrup casting and which piece of leather is afterwards
sewn to the strap D already described. Another stirrup casting is fastened in like
manner to the other end of the strap, which thus has a stirrup casting fastened to
each end, the small rings at the tapered ends of which said stirrup castings extend
outward.
For the sake of appearance, I line the whole of the inside (which is the inferior
side) of the said leather strap D, with cloth, silk, or other suitable fancy lining
according to the price customers are prepared to give for the apparatus. The
lining is fastened to the leather strap by being sewn all round the edge, one line of
such sewing E E E being sufficient to keep it in place.
I take another casting of two rings intersecting each other at right angles F F,
the interior diameter of the one being ths inch and of the other ths inch, the
rings being made of rounded metal about th inch in sectional diameter.
I take a piece of strong cord about 18 yards in length, and of about 4th inch
or more in thickness. I thread the double ring by means of the smaller ring on to
this cord so as to leave it about midway between the two ends of the cord.
On the cord, at each side of this double ring, I thread a small single ring G,
similar to the smaller of the double rings described above, for purposes which will
be described later.
The ends of the cord are now passed through the small rings B in the ends of
the stirrup castings. The cords are now pulled through the holes a few inches,
and the ends passed through the small single rings G (already threaded on to the
cord) in the same direction as it was first passed through the same. Each end of
the cord will now be pointing to its own particular end of the strap and the stirrup
casting. The ends of the cord are now either bunched or knotted so that they will
pot ass back through the rings by the way they came.
The small single rings when threaded in the manner described above render the
distance from the double ring to the stirrup adjustable by moving the small rings G
up or down the cord. When the cord is drawn taut this small single ring is tilted
when threaded as above described, thus gripping the cord so as to prevent it from
slipping and lengthening the distance from the double rings F F to the stirrup
castings A.
I make another casting of a split collar H, the two halves of which will screw or
clamp together, and by this means hold themselves very firmly to the portion of the
cycle to which they are attached. Out of one of the halves of the split collar I
extend a hook I, which is rivetted or screwed to its place in the half of the split
collar H. A convenient position to attach this affair is just underneath the handle-
bar on the rod or tube extending downward from the same; and the hook is made
long enough to appear above the handle-bar and, of course, is turned with its point
in a direction away from the rider. The cyclist or rider now takes his position on
the cycle, having previously slung over one of his shoulders and under the arm on
the other side, the afore-described strap D, with the cords and rings thereto.
attached. The ring F F, in the centre of the cord is hooked on to the hook placed
on the handle-bar, and the cords lengthened or shortened according to the height of
the rider, or the position desired.
The rider will now find that his back is supported within the loop formed by the
strap D, and that by pressing, pushing or leaning against the strap the hands are
wholly or partially relieved of the strain, which they would otherwise have to bear,
and that by pressing the back and shoulder against the strap he can get a greater
force for driving the pedals around.
The castings are made in nickel or inferior metals according to the quality of the
articles desired.
By means of this apparatus a cyclist may support the back and shoulders & may
utilise more muscular force, than has heretofore been used in the old manner, for the
propulsion of the cycle that he or she is riding, and that the exertion is more equally
and satisfactorily distributed over the body.

page_text: Having now particularly described and a certained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what ]
claim is:
An apparatus composed of a lined leather strap, with metal castings, and
cord connections, forming a back rest for cyclists and the like, and that the whole
is constructed substantially in the manner above described and for the purposes
stated in this my Complete Specification.
Dated this Fifth day of June in the year Eighteen hundred and ninety-seven.
JOSEPH ARTHUR WALSHAW.