Improvements in the Saddles or Seats of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 24th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Saddles or Seats of Bicycles, Tricycles, and
other Velocipedes.
I, JAMES ALFRED LAMPLUGH, of No. 135 Great Colmore Street, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object principally to give to the pommel or front end
of the saddle such a yielding property that it will not distress the rider when he
presses upon it as the ordinary rigid pommel does; and consists further in making
the cantle or rear end of the saddle capable of yielding vertically and in attaching
to the cantle or rear end of the saddle a carrier for the ready attachment or
suspension of parcels or articles which the rider may wish to take with him.
I make the leather part of the saddle or seat nearly of the ordinary kind that is
of one piece of leather having a middle division extending through about two thirds
of its length the pommel and cantle parts being undivided. The pommel end of
the leather is arched the sides of the arch being kept at a fixed distance apart by
a cross pin passing through them, the said pin having a head at each end external
to the leather sides. The pommel of the saddle thus consists of an arch formed of
the leather of the seat the said arch having no solid support immediately
underneath it. The said pommel is consequently capable of yielding and changing
its figure by the pressure of the rider upon it, and the distress which is occasioned
to the rider when the pommel is rigid is avoided. For the purpose of giving a still
further yielding property to the pommel the leather of the pommel part may be
softened by working or may be reduced in thickness.
Underneath the leather seat of the pommel and between it and the cross pin
described I sometimes fix an india rubber cushion either solid or hollow and when
hollow inflated either with compressed atmospheric air or atmospheric air of the
ordinary pressure.
The pommel end of the saddle may be supported by the swivel adjusting rod
connecting it to the spring foundation of the saddle being hooked to the cross pin
described which may have a groove at its middle for the said hook to seat
itself in.
In order to make the cantle capable of yielding vertically I apply thereto a pad
of vulcanised india rubber. The said pad may either be solid or hollow and when
hollow inflated either with compressed atmospheric air or atmospheric air of the
ordinary pressure. I affix the said pad to the saddle either by sewing or cementing.
In order to prevent the india rubber pad dragging the trousers or dress of the
rider I cover it with a thin covering of smooth leather or smooth textile fabric.
To the cantle or rear end of the saddle I attach a light rod or strong wire
having the figure of the cantle and connected to the underside of the cantle by its
ends. The said rod or wire is situated preferably a little beyond and below the
cantle and its turned in ends are connected to the foundation of the saddle. The
said rod or wire constitutes a carrier to which articles may be hung by being
hooked on the said rod or wire or by string connected with them being passed over
and tied to the said wire.
Besides supporting the said rod or wire at its ends it may be supported at one or
more intermediate positions by means of leather straps or bands passing over or
around it the said leather straps or bands being connected to the foundation of the
saddle or seat.
Dated the 0th Jane of March 1000
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Saddles or Seats of Bicycles, Tricycles, and
other Velocipedes.
I, JAMES ALFRED LAMPLUGH, of No. 135 Great Colmore Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention has for its object principally to give to the pommel or front end of
the saddle such a yielding property that it will not distress the rider when he
presses upon it as the ordinary rigid pommel does; and consists further in
making the cantle or rear end of the saddle capable of yielding vertically and in
attaching to the cantle or rear end of the saddle, a carrier for the ready attach-
ment or suspension of parcels or articles which the rider may wish to take with
him.
I make the leather part of the saddle or seat nearly of the ordinary kind; that
is, of one piece of leather having a middle division extending through about two
thirds of its length, the pommel and cantle parts being undivided. The pommel
end of the leather is arched, the sides of the arch being kept at a fixed distance
apart by a cross pin passing through them, the said pin having a head at each end
external to the leather sides. The pommel of the saddle thus consists of an arch
formed of the leather of the seat the said arch having no solid support immediately
underneath it. The said pommel is consequently capable of yielding and changing
its figure by the pressure of the rider upon it, and the distress which is occasioned
to the rider when the pommel is rigid is avoided. For the purpose of giving a still
further yielding property to the pommel, the leather of the pommel part may be
softened by working or may be reduced in thickness. Underneath the leather seat
of the pommel and between it and the cross pin described I sometimes fix an india
rubber cushion either solid or hollow and when hollow inflated either with
compressed atmospheric air or atmospheric air of the ordinary pressure.
pommel end of the saddle may be supported by the swivel adjusting rod connecting
it to the spring foundation of the saddle being hooked to the cross pin described
which may have a groove at its middle for the said hook to seat itself in.
The
In order to make the cantle capable of yielding vertically I apply thereto a pad
of vulcanized india rubber. The said pad may either be solid or hollow and when
hollow inflated either with compressed atmospheric air or atinospheric air of the
ordinary pressure. I affix the said pad to the saddle either by sewing or
cementing. In order to prevent the india rubber pad dragging the trousers or
dress of the rider, 1 cover it with a thin covering of smooth leather or smooth
textile fabric.
To the cantle or rear end of the saddle I attach a light red or strong wire
having the figure of the cantle and connected to the underside of cantle by its ends.
The said rod or wire is situated preferably a little beyond and below the cantle
and its turned in ends are connected to the foundation of the saddle. The said rod
or wire constitutes a carrier to which articles may be hung by being hooked on the
said rod or wire or by string connected with them being passed over and tied to
the said wire.
Besides supporting the said rod or wire at its ends it may be supported at one or
more intermediate positions by means of leather or other straps or bands passing
over or around it the said leather or other straps or bands being connected to the
foundation of the saddle or sent.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents inside elevation and Figure 2 in plan of upperside, a saddle

page_text: or seat constructed according to my invention in which the pommel or front end is
made capable of yielding and changing its figure by the pressure of the rider ;
Figure 3 represents a cross section of the pommel end of the leather top of the
saddle or seat.
a is the leather top of the saddle or seat having a middle division b extending
through about two thirds of its length as usual.
The pommel end of the saddle is arched as seen in Figure 3 and marked a², a
the sides of the arch being kept at a fixed distance apart by the headed swivelling
cross pin c passing through them. It will be seen by an examination of the drawing
that the pommel of the saddle consists of an arch formed by the leather of the seat,
the said arch having no solid support iminediately underneath it. The unsupported
pommel is thereby made capable of yielding and changing its figure by the pressure
of the rider upon it, and the distress which is occasioned to the rider when the
pommel is rigid is avoided. The pommel end of the saddle made as described is
supported by the swivel adjusting rod d screwed into the swivelling cross pin c to
which adjusting rod d the front end of the spring foundation e of the saddle is hooked
as seen in the drawing.
The swivelling cross pin c and its adjusting rod d for supporting the pommel end
of the saddle may be applied to saddles in which the arch at the pommel end is
rigid or incapable of yielding.
Figure 4 represents in longitudinal section, partly in 'side elevation and Figure 5
in plan of upperside, a saddle or seat provided with my arrangement for making the
pommel and cantle ends capable of yielding vertically when pressure is put upon
them.
In this arrangement I make the saddle top of two pieces of leather, namely of a
strong piece marked of less size than the ordinary top and of a thin covering piece
marked having the size and shape of the ordinary top. The strong under piece
of leather is supported by the ordinary spring foundation e the front end of which
foundation is hooked to the swivel adjusting rod d on the cross pin e as before
described.
To the strong under piece of leather of the saddle top, and between it and the
covering piece at the cantle end, a hollow pad or cushion of vulcanized india
rubber is cemented or sewn the said pad or cushion having the figure of the
cantle end of the saddle as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 5. The said hollow
pad or cushion is inflated either with compressed atmospheric air or atmospheric
air of the ordinary pressure.
The pad or cushion at the cantle end of the saddle may be solid instead of
hollow as represented in the drawing.
I provide the saddle at the pommel end with a hollow pad or cushion i of
vulcanized india rubber, the said pad or cushion i being arranged longitudinally at
the middle of the pommel end. The pommel pad or cushion i is inflated as described
with respect to the pad at the cantle end and may be fixed in its place between
the strong under leather and the thinner leather covering g by sewing or
cementing.
By arranging at the pommel and cantle ends of the saddle, inflated pads or
cushions of the kinds described, the saddle is made capable of yielding vertically at
the said pommel and cantle ends so that the saddle will not distress the rider.
Instead of arranging the inflated vulcanized india rubber pad or cushion at the
pommel end between two layers of leather constituting the top of the saddle, the
pommel pad or cushion may be inserted and fixed by sewing in an opening made in
the leather top at the said pommel end as shown in the saddle represented in side
elevation in Figure 6 plan of underside in Figure 7 and a portion in longitudinal
section in Figure 8. In the said Figures 6, 7 and 8 the hollow inflated pad or
cushion of vulcanized india rubber at the pommel end is marked k and the opening
in the saddle top in which it is fixed is marked l. It will be seen by an examination
of the drawing that the inflated pad or cushion & is flush with the top of the leather
seat, and somewhat projects on the underside of the said leather seat.

page_text: Although I prefer to make the pad or cushion at the pommel end hollow and
inflated as described yet it may be made solid with nearly the same effect.
With the saddle represented in Figures 6 and 7 I have combined my improved
wire carrier to which articles may be hung. The said carrier is marked m and has
the figure of the cantle of the saddle and is connected to the underside of the cantle
by its turned in ends m², in². These turned in ends are provided with eyes m³ which
are passed onto the screw pins by which the rear ends of the spring frame are
secured to the rear of the saddle and fixed by the screw nuts n, n. It will be seen
that the wire carrier m is situated a little beyond and below the cantle so that
articles to be carried may be conveniently hung upon it by hanging them thereto;
or by string connected with them being passed over and tied to the wire of the
carrier.
By means of the wire stays p, p fastened to the carrier and to the cantle end by
the screw nuts n n the carrier is supported and flexure of the wire and its change
of figure is prevented when great strain is put upon it. Leather straps or bands
may be used in place of the stays p, p represented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention of "Improvements in the saddles or seats of bicycles, tricycles and
other velocipedes "
―:
First Giving a yielding property to the pommel or front end of the saddle or
seat by the employment of an unsupported leather arch at the pommel end and
preserving the sides of the said unsupported arch at a fixed distance apart by
a headed and swivelling cross pin, to which the spring foundation of the saddle is
connected by a screw adjusting rod working in the said cross pin, for supporting the
pommel end of the saddle substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, whether the said swivelling cross
pin and its adjuncts be used with an unsupported or supported arch at the pommel
end of the saddle.
Secondly Making the cantle and pommel ends of the saddle or seat capable of
yielding vertically when pressure is put upon them by the rider by means of hollow
inflated pads.or cushions or solid pads or cushions of vulcanized india rubber, the
said pads or cushions being applied to or combined with the saddle or seat in the
ways hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of
the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly The combination with the cantle or rear end of the saddle or seat of
a strong wire carrier to which articles may be hung, the said carrier being made
and applied to the saddle substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Fifteenth day of November 1892.
JAMES ALFRED LAMPLUGH.