Improvements in or connected with Dress Guards for Cycles and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Dress Guards for Cycles and
the like.
I, WILLIAM SHIRLEY, of Camden House, Foleshill Road, Coventry, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with dress guards for
cycles and the like, and has reference more particularly to the guards used for
protecting ladies dresses from the rear wheels of bicycles.
The guard is made usually of a network form, which may be of cotton, silk,
woollen, mohair, or other suitable cord or the like, or it may be made of any
other suitable material. Its shape is somewhat quadrantal so that its upper edge
may be secured to the usual mudguard, whilst its lower or axial part is connected
to a quadrant plate or the like as bereinafter explained.
It is usual to provide a series of holes along the mud guard and near its edge
by means of which the dress guard may be attached thereto. To make this attach-
ment I may use a series of split rings which by a few turns shall take hold of
the dress guard and also into the holes of the mud-guard, or I may first pass the
loop ends of the network cord through the said holes and then pass the said
loop-now upon the underside of the mud-guard, a spring cotter pin or the like,
which is therefore hidden from view. Split rings may also if desired be used to
connect the outer sides to the suspension rods which carry the mud guards.
I now provide what I may term a spring quadrant plate or bar to which the
radiating centre of the dress guard is attached.
This may be modified considerably, but essentially it is a bar or plate, which is
itself carried upon or from a spring or springs attached to or carried from a bar or
plate attached to the frame of the machine and generally from the axle pin. These
springs may be carried in protecting tubes or they may be open, and arranged in
such a manner that the upper bar or plate,-when the dress guard is in position-
shall cause the said springs to be in tension, so that as the length of the cords may
vary from time to time, the slack will be readily taken, and the guard always
kept taut.
In some cases in combination with the spring quadrantal plate or bar I may use
at the upper edge of the guard, studs or rings or both to take into or upon the one
or the other upon the mudguard.
Dated this 17th day of September 1896.
CHARLES T. POWELL,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Dress Guards for Cycles and
the like.
I, WILLIAM SHIRLEY, of Camden House Foleshill Road, Coventry, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, 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 improvements in dress guards used for protecting
ladies dresses from the wheels of cycles, and its object is to provide improved
means whereby the guard may be readily attached to the mud guard, and also
improved means whereby the varying contraction or expansion of the guard may
be taken up automatically.
In order to more clearly explain this my invention, I have appended hereunto
illustrated drawings upon which are figures and numbers of reference, in which :-
Fig. 1, is a general view of the invention showing the dress guard with its
attachments.
Fig. 2, is a detail front view of the spring plate.
Fig. 3, is a side sectional view on line A-B (Fig. 2) of the spring plate.
Fig. 4, is a detail front view and Fig. 5 a side view of the attachment ring.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing a modification of spring and spring tube.
Similar numbers of reference refer throughout the several views to the same
thing or part.
The guard 8 is made usually of a network form, which may be of cotton, silk,
woollen, mohair, or other suitable material. Its shape is somewhat quadrantal so
that its upper edge may be secured to the usual mud guard 9 whilst its lower or
axial part is connected to a quadrant frame or plate 10 or the like as hereinafter
explained.
•
It is usual to provide a series of holes along the mud guard and near its edge
by means of which the dress guard may be attached thereto. To make this attach-
ment I may use a series of overlapping rings 11 (Figs. 4 & 5) which by a few
turns shall take hold of the dress guard 8 and also into the holes 12 of the
mudguard.
If desired I may also use these overlapping rings to connect the outer parts at 13,
to the suspension rods 14 which carry the mud guards.
I now provide the bar 15 to which the radiating centre of the dress guard 8 is
attached.
This may be modified considerably, but essentially it is a bar or plate, which is
itself carried upon or from springs 16, 16, 16, attached to or carried from the
plate 10, which latter is secured to the frame of the machine and generally from the
axle pin of the road wheel. These springs 16, 16, 16, may be carried in protecting
tubes 17 or they may be open, and arranged in such a manner that the upper bar or
plate 15,-when the dress guard is in position-shall cause the said springs to be in
tension, so that as the length of the cords may vary from time to time, the slack will
readily be taken up and the guard always kept taut.
I may modify the arrangement of the springs and box as shown in Fig. 6, so that
the springs are entirely hidden in the tube by closing its ends at 18 and making the
book 19 with the continued shank 20 upon which is rivetted the plate 21, with the
loose spring 16 enclosed in the tubular box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination in a cycle dress guard with the dress guard 8 which is secured

page_text: to the mud guard and stay rods along its edges, of the bar 15, springs 16, and plate 10,
all substantially as set forth and shown and for the purposes specified.
2. The combination in a cycle dress guard with the dress guard 8 of the attachment
overlapping rings 11, substantially as set forth and shown.
Dated this 18th day of December 1896.
CHARLES T. POWELL,
12 Cherry Street, Birmingham, Applicant's Agent.