Improvements in Spring Wheels for Velocipedes and other Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spring Wheels for Velocipedes and other
Vehicles.
We, JOSEPH BUCHANAN, of 20, Ferdinand Street, Chalk Farm, in the County
of London, Manufacturer and Dealer in Cycles, and ALFRED WILLIAM KNOTTS,
of 9, Union Court, Old Broad Street, in the City of London, Commission Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to spring wheels for velocipedes and other vehicles and
comprises the arrangement of two or more curved plate springs, each of which is
at one end connected to discs or flanges on the wheel-hub and at the other end to
a ring or rings forming part of the outer portion of the wheel and having the spokes
connected thereto at one end. In connection with these curved plate springs we
advantageously employ arms to give lateral rigidity.
Dated the 3rd day of May 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SI BUITIOATION.
Improvements in Spring Wheels for Velocipedes and other
Vehicles.
We, JOSEPH BUCHANAN, of 20, Ferdinand Street, Chalk Farm in the County
of London, Manufacturer and Dealer in Cycles, and ALFRED WILLIAM KNOTTS,
of 9, Union Court, Old Broad Street, in the City of London, Commission Agent,
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 :-
Our invention relates to spring wheels for velocipedes and other vehicles and
comprises the arrangement of two or more curved plate springs, each of which is at
one end connected to discs or flanges on the wheel-hub and at the other end to a
ring or rings forming part of the outer portion of the wheel and having the spokes
connected thereto at one end. In connection with these curved plate springs we
advantageously employ arms to give lateral rigidity.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel constructed according to our invention:
Figure 2 is a similar view of the central part of the wheel drawn to a larger
scale; and,
Figure 3 is a central vertical section of the same:
Figure 4 is a modified form of spring:
Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a sectional side elevation and a vertical section
illustrating a modification of the invention :
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

page_text: a is the wheel-hub, and b, bare flanges formed thereon, c, care rings to which
the spokes d, d of the wheel are connected at one end, the said spokes at the other
and being connected to the wheel-rim in the usual manner.
e, e are the curved plate springs the ends of which, as shewn, are turned over in
order to form holes f, for the reception of pins g, y by means of which the said
springs are connected to the hub and to the rings e, c of the wheel, the pin g at one
end of each spring passing through the flanges b, b of the hub and at the other end
through the rings c, c. The said springs are so fixed to the hub and rings
respectively that the front or leading end of each spring, when the wheel is
rotating in the usual direction, shall be connected to the hub and the other or rear
end to the rings c, c as will be readily understood by reference to Figure 2 which
shews a wheel designed to rotate in the direction of the arrow on the said figure.
h, are the arms which we combine with the hub and with the outer part of the
wheel in order to ensure the outer part of the wheel running in the plane of rotation
of the hub. In practice we find it advantageous to make these arms in two parts,
one part being a cylinder and the other in the form of a piston or plunger
sliding within the cylinder, a spring k being arranged between the piston and the
cover of the cylinder. These spring-arms are connected to pins on the hub and on
the rings c, e respectively, the said pins being advantageously formed by extending
the pins g, g carrying the curved plate springs e, e. We advantageously arrange
springs, I between the hub and rings in order to counterbalance to a certain extent
the pressure of the springs k k in the arms.
When great strength is required for the springs e, e we find it advantageous to
employ two or more spring plates in combination as in elliptical springs. A spring
of this kind is shewn in Figure 4. In some cases we may dispense with the curved
plate springs and rely entirely upon the spring-arms with the auxiliary springs 1, 1,
as shewn in Figures 5 and 6. In this case the said spring-arms are placed between
the flanges of the hub and between the rings c, c instead of outside the same as will
be readily understood by reference to the said Figure 3.
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 spring-wheel for velocipedes and other vehicles having the hub separate
from the other part of the wheel and a series of curved plate springs arranged
between the said hub and the said outer part of the said wheel, substantially as
described.
2. In a spring-wheel having a series of curved plate springs arranged between
the hub and the outer part of the wheel, the combination with the said springs of
arms with or without springs, substantially as described.
3. The modification of our invention wherein the curved plate springs are
dispensed with spring-arms only being employed substantially in the manner
described by reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 31st day of January 1895.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.