Improvements in the Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles and other Velocipedes and Wheel Carriages.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1897
Complete Specification Lett. 28th May, 1898-Accepted, 16th July, 1898
TROY IDIONAL
DIEUIFICATION.
Improvements in the Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles and other
Velocipedes and Wheel Carriages.
I, CHARLES COUND, of Brook Cottage, Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, in the
County of Worcester, Manager of The Lillie Cycle Co. Limited, Bromsgrove, afore-
said, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
My improvements have reference principally to the wheels of bicycles, tricycles
and other velocipedes but are also applicable to the wheels of wheel carriages.
I will describe my invention in connection with a bicycle wheel.
The hub of a bicycle wheel as ordinarily constructed consists of a tubular piece
having a broad flange at each end to which flanges the inner ends of the spokes
are alternately connected.
In making the hub according to my invention I make at the middle of the tubular
piece a third flange of approximately the same size as or somewhat larger than the
flanges at the ends of the hub. This middle flange has holes similar to those in the
end flanges for the reception of the inner ends of part of the spokes of the wheel.
In completing the wheel I prefer to employ the same number of spokes as in an
ordinary wheel, that is forty, but I do not limit myself to any particular number.
But instead of connecting the inner ends of all the spokes to the flanges at the ends
of the hub alternately, I connect the inner ends of some of the spokes to the middle
flange: Where I employ forty spokes I prefer to connect the inner ends of thirty-two
of the spokes to the outer flanges, and the inner ends of the remaining eight spokes
I connect to the middle flange. The inner ends of the last named spokes are
connected preferably alternately to the opposite sides of the middle flange.
The wheels of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes and wheel carriages
made according to my invention are practically of the same weight as wheels of the
ordinary construction but they are stronger and will not buckle under a strain
which will disable a wheel of the ordinary construction.
Dated this Thirtieth day of September 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles and other
Velocipedes and Wheel Carriages.
I, CHARLES COUND, of Brook Cottage, Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, in the
County of Worcester, Manager of The Lillie Cycle Co. Limited, Bromsgrove,
TDi Q71
Improvements in the Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles and other
Velocipedes and Wheel Carriages.
I, CHARLES COUND, of Brook Cottage, Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, in the
County of Worcester, Manager of The Lillie Cycle Co. Limited, Bromsgrove,
LD 971

page_text: aforesaid, 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 :-
My improvements have reference principally to the wheels of bicycles tricycles
and other velocipedes but are also applicable to the wheels of wheel carriages.
I will describe my invention in connection with a bicycle wheel.
The hub of a bicycle wheel as ordinarily constructed consists of a tubular piece
having a broad flange at each end to which flanges the inner ends of the spokes
are alternately connected.
In making a hub according to my invention I make at the middle of the tubular
piece a third flange of approximately the same size as or somewhat larger than the
flanges at the ends of the hub. This middle flange has holes similar to those in
the end flanges for the reception of the inner ends of part of the spokes of the
wheel.
In completing the wheel I prefer to employ the same number of spokes as in an
ordinary wheel, that is, forty, but I do not limit myself to any particular number.
But instead of connecting the inner ends of all the spokes to the flanges at the
ends of the hub alternately, I connect the inner ends of some of the spokes to the
middle flange. Where I employ forty spokes I prefer to connect the inner ends of
thirty two of the spokes to the outer flanges and the inner ends of the remaining
eight spokes I connect to the middle flange. The inner ends of the last named
spokes are connected preferably alternately to the opposite sides of the middle
flange.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in elevation a hub constructed
according to my invention for the driving wheel of a safety bicycle and Figures 2
and 3 are respectively a longitudinal and cross section of the same illustrating the
arrangement of the spokes of the wheel, the sectional view Figure 3 exhibiting
the middle spoke flange of the hub.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing a, a is the hub, a¹, a¹ are the ordinary outer or side spoke flanges
of the same and a² is the middle or third spoke flange constituting my invention.
The spokes b, b connected to the side flanges a¹, a¹ incline from either side of the
hub to the rim but the middle spoke flange a² being in the same or approximately
the same vertical plane as the middle of the rim of the wheel, the spokes b²
connected to the said middle spoke flange a² are all in the same or nearly the
same vertical plane.
I prefer, where the wheel has say, forty spokes, to connect sixteen to each side
flange a' and eight to the middle spoke flange a² as will be seen by reference to
the cross sectional view Figure 3, the shaded spokes in the said Figure 3
indicating the spokes which are connected to the middle spoke flange a².
Although I have only represented my invention in connection with the driving
wheel hub of a safety bicycle yet I wish it to be understood that it is equally
applicable to the steering wheel of the said safety bicycle as well as to the wheels
of tricycles and other velocipedes and wheel carriages.
And although I have only represented tangent spokes in connection with the
said hub, when desired direct or radial spokes may be employed.
The wheels of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes and wheel carriages made
according to my invention while practically of the same weight as wheels of the
ordinary construction are stronger than and will not buckle under a strain which
will disable a wheel of the ordinary construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as
my invention :-
The improvements in the wheels of bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes and

page_text: wheel carriages herein before described and represented in the accompanying
drawing, the said improvements consisting in providing the hubs of the said
wheels with a middle or third spoke flange in the same or approximately the same
vertical plane as the rim of the wheel and arranging the spokes of the wheel
substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of May 1898