Certain Improvements in Pneumatic Cycle Saddles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Certain Improvements in Pneumatic Cycle Saddles.
We, LEOLINE ARTHUR EDWARDS, of 23, Selwyn Avenue, Richmond, Surrey,
Mechanical Engineer, THEODORE STRONG HASLUCK, of 27, Tenby Street, in the
City of Birmingham, Brassfounder, and TIMOTHY HENRY STARKEY, of 144 and
145, Great Charles Street, in the City of Birmingham, aforesaid, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the herein described improvements in pneumatic
cycle saddles of that kind in which there are enclosed in the saddle a number
of indiarubber or like air tight balls containing air under pressure to give a soft
and comfortable seat, such saddles are described in the Specification in connec-
tion with the Letters Patent No. 24582 of A.D. 1894 granted to two of the present
applicants jointly namely the said Leoline Arthur Edwards and Theodore Strong
Hasluck. The subject of this present application consists of improvements in
the construction and arrangement of the parts of the saddle whereby the india-
rubber balls are effectually prevented from getting out of place, a more com-
fortable seat is afforded than heretofore, the manufacture of the saddle is
simplified and the indiarubber balls can readily be removed from the saddle and
readily replaced therein.
In a cycle saddle constructed according to this invention the upper leather or
like covering is blocked to the shape of the saddle so as to extend all over the
top of the same, and form the outer walls of the chamber containing the balls
the edges of the outer covering being laced or sewn to the bottom plate or bottom
part of the saddle. Sewn or otherwise fixed to the underside of the seat part of the
outer covering there is an inner piece or inner pieces of leather or other suitable
material which forms or form the inner walls of the chamber containing the
balls and the lower edges of these inner walls are laced to the edges of a corre-
sponding opening in the bottom plate of the saddle by laces and lacing hooks or
eyelets or other suitable means. These inner walls are situated at such a dis-
tance within the outer walls as to allow of the balls being fitted into the leather
covering in a continuous single row arranged side by side and touching each other
and extending from the peak of the saddle all round the two curved sides of the
seat and the back part of the same. Thus, as the indiarubber or like balls are
confined between the inner and outer walls of the leather covering and the base
they will not be displaced by the weight of the rider as is a defect when the balls
are not so confined. By unlacing the edges of the inner walls from the edge of
the opening in the bottom plate the balls can readily be removed and replaced
through the opening in the bottom plate.
According to another part of this invention the edge of the bottom plate is
turned down all round so as to form a projecting rim over which the edges of the
upper and lower leather coverings are sewn or this rim may be pierced with holes
to which the leather covering can readily be laced. That part of the outer cover-
ing of the saddle which when in use is between the rider's thighs is extended for

page_text: a short distance in the form of a flap or skirt at each side of the saddle below the
bottom plate so as to prevent the hard edge of the plate coming in contact with
the rider's legs.
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Certain Improvements in Pneumatic Cycle Saddles.
We, LEOLINE ARTHUR EDWARDS, of 23, Selwyn Avenue, Richmond, Surrey,
Mechanical Engineer, THEODORE STRONG HASLUCK, of 27, Tenby Street, in the
City of Birmingham, Brassfounder, and TIMOTHY HENRY STARKEY, of 144 and
145, Great Charles Street, in the City of Birmingham, aforesaid, Merchant, 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 consists of the herein described improvements in pneumatic
cycle saddles of that kind in which there are enclosed in the saddle a number
of indiarubber or like air tight balls containing air under pressure to give a soft
and comfortable seat, such saddles are described in the Specification in connec-
tion with the Letters Patent No. 24582 of A.D. 1894 granted to two of the present
applicants jointly namely the said Leoline Arthur Edwards and Theodore Strong
Hasluck. The subject of this present application consists of improvements in
the construction and arrangement of the parts of the saddle whereby the india-
rubber balls are effectually prevented from getting out of place, a more com-
fortable seat is afforded than heretofore, the manufacture of the saddle is
simplified and the indiarubber balls can readily be removed from the saddle and
readily replaced therein.
We will describe this invention by referring to the accompanying drawings
on which Fig. 1 is a plan and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a cycle saddle con-
structed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of
the same; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of the said saddle; Fig. 5 is an inverted
plan of the same. Fig. 6 is a side elevation and Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of
a modified form of the said cycle saddle.
.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all
the figures.
In a cycle saddle constructed according to this invention the upper leather or
like covering A is blocked to the shape of the saddle so as to extend all over the
top of the same and form the outer walls of the chamber containing the india-
rubber air balls C the edges a¹ of the outer covering being sewn laced or otherwise
fixed to the leather bottom piece B of the saddle (Figs. 2 and 3) or to the bottom
plate E of the saddle (see Figs. 6 and 7). We make the said chamber of such a
shape that the indiarubber air balls C contained therein are arranged in a single
row along the peak and along both of the curved sides and back of the saddle the
balls touching one another and touching the walls of the chamber and being by
the shape of the chamber prevented from getting out of place. This will be clear
by an examination of the drawings by which it will be seen that the chamber part
of the saddle is made of the same width and height as the exterior diameter of
the balls the inner walls of the chamber being formed by an inner piece or inner
pieces of leather or other suitable material d² d³ d³ which are sewn to the outer
covering A at a certain distance within the outer walls and the lower edges of these

page_text: inner walls d¹ ď ď³ are laced to the edges of a corresponding opening e¹ in the
bottom plate E of the saddle by the lace or laces f engaging with hooks g¹ on the
bottom of the saddle and corresponding hooks fixed on the edges of the
walls ddd so that by unfastening these laces the balls can readily be removed
or replaced through the opening e in the bottom of the saddle. It will be seen
that the inner walls d' d d are situated at such a distance within the outer walls
of the outer covering A as to retain the indiarubber air balls C in a continuous
single row side by side and touching each other and extending from the peak of
the saddle all round the two curved sides and the back part of the same.
Thus as
the indiarubber or like balls are confined within the inner and outer walls of the
leather covering A and the base E they will not be displaced by the weight of the
rider as is a defect when the balls are not so confined. The pulling down of the
inner walls by the laces f causes a depression a² in the top of the outer
covering A which adds to the comfort of the rider. The outer leather covering A
is perforated with holes a³ as shewn as are other cycle saddles for the purpose of
ventilation.
In the example of our invention shewn by Figs. 1 to 5 both inclusive the edges a¹
of the outer covering A are sewn to the edges of the bottom leather B underneath
the bottom plate E and of a corresponding shape. The bottom plate E is stamped
with the edges turned down so as to strengthen the same. Instead of fixing the
leather covering A to the bottom leather B as shewn in Figs. 3 and 5 the turned
down edges of the base plate E may as shewn in Fig. 7 be perforated and the
outer covering A be laced thereto by a lace such as H passing through holes e
in the turned down edge e³ of the base plate E and through corresponding holes
round the edge of the leather outer covering A.
The part of the outer covering A of the saddle which when in use is between the
rider's thighs is extended downwardly for a short distance at a in the form of a
flap or skirt at each side of the saddle below the bottom plate E so as to prevent
the edges of the bottom plate E from coming in contact with the rider's legs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. A pneumatic cycle saddle consisting essentially of an outer leather covering
and saddle base fixed together and containing inflated indiarubber balls said cover-
ing and base being shaped and formed so as to confine the balls in a single row
along the peak and along both sides and the back of the saddle substantially as
herein before set forth.
2. In a pneumatic cycle saddle the combination of the base plate, the outer
leather covering fixed to the edges of the same, the internal walls d³ fixed to
the top of outer covering and laced round a hole in the base plate, said outer
covering and base and internal walls being so shaped as to form a chamber of
uniform area along the peak and along both sides and the back of the saddle and
inflated indiarubber balls arranged in a single row in said chamber substantially
as described.
3. A pneumatic cycle saddle constructed and arranged substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. A pneumatic cycle saddle constructed and arranged substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by Figs. 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of July 1898.
"
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.