IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BEARINGS OF LOOSE AXLES FOR VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER CARRIAGES. PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Forder, of Wolverhampton, in the
County of Stafford, and John Traves, also of Wolverhampton, in
the County of Stafford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
BEARINGS OF LOOSE AXLES FOR VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER CARRIAGES.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Forder and
John Traves at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 9th September 1869.
We, FREDERICK FORDER, of Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, and JOHN TRAVES, also of Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN THE BEARINGS OF LOOSE AXLES FOR VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER
CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-.
Instead of the upper half of the ordinary axle bearing we fix a circular
roller of hardened steel or other suitable material, against the periphery
of which circular roller the axle journal bears. The circular roller
aforesaid, which is carried by a pin through it's centre, and which pin is
perpendicularly above and parallel to the axle, may be fixed either in
the axle box, fork, or guide, or any of their equivalents, according to

page_text: the construction of the carriage to which it is applied. The axle journal
is prevented from moving laterally by means of guides or side bearings
parallel to each other, and the same distance apart as the diameter of
the axle journal, and therefore the entire weight coming on the axle
journal is transmitted to it through the circular roller before mentioned.
By these means the friction of carriages is considerably reduced and
therefore less power is required to effect their locomotion, which is
especially advantageous in the case of velocipedes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Forder and John Traves in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 7th March 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
FORDER and JOHN TRAVES, both of Bilston Street, Wolverhampton, in
the County of Stafford, Carriage Builders, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Frederick Forder and John Traves, Her
special licence that we, the said Frederick Forder and John Traves,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Frederick Forder and John Traves, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BEARINGS OF LOOSE AXLES
FOR VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Frederick Forder and John Traves, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or one of our or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Frederick Forder and John Traves,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings (that is to say) :-
Our Invention has for it's object improvements in the bearings of loose
axles for velocipedes and other carriages.
Instead of the upper half of an ordinary axle bearing we use a circular
roller or rollers carried by a pin or pins, which pin or pins is or are
parallel to the axle. The rollers (if more than one is used) may work
in the same plane or side by side, or some in one position and some in
another, as may be most convenient, and the pins may be carried in the
axle box, fork, or guide, or any of their equivalents, according to the
construction of the carriage to which the Invention is applied. The
axle journal takes it's bearing against the periphery or peripheries of the
roller or rollers above mentioned, and thus the friction of the journal
just named is considerably reduced, which is especially advantageous in
the case of velocipedes. Where more than one roller is used and the
rollers are revolving in the same plane there are no side bearings required
for the axle, but where one roller only is used, or more if revolving side
by side, it or they is or are fixed perpendicularly above the axle journal,
and guides or side bearings are provided parallel to each other and the
same distance apart as the diameter of the axle journal, though as the
said roller or rollers is or are perpendicularly above the axle journal, as
before stated, the whole of the weight coming upon the said journal is
transmitted to it through the circular roller or rollers aforesaid.
Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we now pro-
ceed more particularly to describe the manner of performing the same
with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a front elevation of a bearing
for a loose axle of a velocipede, and is shewn in the manner we prefer for
those vehicles, though, as before stated, more than one roller may be
used if desired.
A is the shank or bearing end in which the axle journal E revolves;
B is the roller carried in a slott, as shewn in Figure 2 in full and in
Figure 1 in dotted lines; D is the pin on which the roller B revolves;

page_text: C, C, are two parallel guides or side bearings and are the same distance
apart as the diameter of the axle journal E; they are arranged thus in
order that the axle journal E may retain it's position perpendicularly
under the pin D, so that the whole weight coming on the shank or
bearing end A may be transmitted to the axle journal E through the
roller B. It will be seen from the Drawing that the axle journal E bears
against the periphery of the roller B, and thus the friction of the said
axle journal is considerably less as compared with the ordinary description
of axle bearings.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, we declare that we claim, the
construction and application of machinery or apparatus arranged and
combined substantially as above described for the purpose of reducing
the friction of the bearings of loose axles for velocipedes and other
carriages.
In witness whereof, we, the said Frederick Forder and John Traves,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-second day
of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy.
Witness to the signatures of
the said Frederick Forder
and John Traves,
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Patent Office,
Wolverhampton.
FREDERICK FORDER.
(L.S.)
JOHN TRAVES.
(L.S.)