Improved Method of Pneumatically Cushioning the Frames or Bodies of Vehicles on their Wheels.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Sept., 1898--Accepted, 12th Nov.,
1898
Improved Method of Pneumatically Cushioning the Frames or
Bodies of Vehicles on their Wheels.
I, HENRY BARTZ, of 26c, Rosinenstrasse, Charlottenburg, near Berlin, Germany,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to supporting vehicles for persons or for wares or goods
in which it would be desirable to avoid shocks resulting from the unevenness of
the road, and more especially to velocipedes.
Hitherto there have been used spiral or other springs of steel, and commonly
solid elastic or hollow pneumatic tyres to attain the said object. However, springs
will soon slack as to elasticity, whilst solid elastic tyres do not afford the degree of
elasticity required, and pneumatic tyres are liable to be easily destroyed or rendered
temporarily useless by being punctured or cut on coming in contact with sharp
stones or other objects on the road.
To overcome the said inconveniences by the present invention, I make use of
pneumatic balls or similar contrivances, these being the best means for receiving
and balancing shocks, but I place them to a point of the vehicle not coming into
contact with the road, the pneumatic appliances thus being reducible to com-
paratively small bodies and always secured against destruction from the road.
As to the form of pneumatic appliances I make use of in my invention, I prefer
hollow india rubber balls or cushions filled up with air, of a comparatively small
size, which may be placed to any convenient point of the vehicle between the axles
of the wheels and the seat of the driver, or the box or receptacle for the wares,
making, in case of exigency, the frame of the vehicle of two parts bearing against
cach other by means of the said air balls or air cushions inserted between the two
parts of the frame. However, I prefer to let the frame be in one piece, and to
insert the said air springs i.e. the air balls or air cushions, just between the axles
of the wheels and the ends of the frame abutting on these axles. To this purpose
I preferably suspend the ball or the cushion on the axle by means of a supporting
rod passing through the ball or cushion and provided with a supporting plato at
its lower end, on which the ball or the cushion rests (the ball or the cushion in this
case being run through from above to below by a flexible channel air tightly
connected thereto at its end), or I suspend a shell or a curved plate on the axle by
means of suspending rods or strips passing outwards by the ball or cushion, the
latter being supported by the shell or plate.
I further provide the ends of the frame abutting on the axles each with a plate
extension, and I provide a slot in each plate, the said slots being open at the
bottom and intended to fit on the axles of the wheels. By these means the frame
can be put on the axles, and in order to keep it in position I insert a supporting plate
between the slotted end of each plate extension and the respective ball or cushion.
The frame thus bears against the supporting plates, and the latter rest on the balls
or the cushions, which therefore will form elastic supports receiving and balancing
the shocks. The supporting plates may be guided on the above mentioned

page_text: supporting or suspending rods, or on separate guides provided to the axles, or they
may be fixed or connected to the above mentioned plate extensions.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1897
Improved Method of Pneumatically Cushioning the Frames or
Bodies of Vehicles on their Wheels.
I, HENRY BARTZ, of 26c, Rosinenstrasse, Charlottenburg, near Berlin, Germany,
Engineer, 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 relates to supporting vehicles for persons, wares or goods, and
more especially to velocipedes; and the object of my invention is to provide means
for avoiding the shocks resulting from the unevenness of the road.
Hitherto there have been used spiral or other springs of steel, and commonly
solid elastic or hollow pneumatic tyres to attain the said object. However, springs
will soon slack as to elasticity, whilst solid elastic tyres do not afford the degree of
elasticity required, the pneumatic tyres are liable to be easily destroyed or rendered
temporarily useless by being punctured or cut on coming in contact with sharp
stones or other objects on the road.
To overcome the said inconveniences by the present invention, I make use
of pneumatic balls or similar contrivances, these being the best means for
receiving and balancing shocks, but I place them to a point of the vehicle not
coming into contact with the road, the pneumatic appliances thus being reducible
to comparatively small bodies and always secured against destruction from the
road.
As to the form of pneumatic appliances I make use of in my invention, I prefer
hollow indian rubber balls or cushions filled up with air, of a comparatively small
size, which may be placed to any convenient point of the vehicle between the axles
of the wheels and the seat of the driver, or the box or receptacle for the wares,
making in case of exigency the frame of the vehicle of two parts bearing against
each other by means of the said air balls or air cushions inserted between the two
parts of the frame. However, I prefer to let the frame be in one piece, and to insert
the said air springs, i.e. the air balls or air cushions, just between the axles of
the wheels and the ends of the frame abutting on these axles.
I have represented my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a side view of a bicycle provided with one feature of my invention.
Figure 2 a detailed view thereof, and
Figure 3 a sectional view of Figure 1 on line x, x.
Figures 4 and 5 are a side view and a front view respectively of a modification of
the feature represented, Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Figures 6 and 7 are a side view and a rear view respectively of another feature
of my invention, and
Figures 8 and 9 similar views of a modification thereof.
Referring first to Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, the frame 1 of a bicycle is provided
at its bearing ends with circular plate extensions 2 and slots 3 open at the bottom.
Collars are mounted on and fixed by screw nuts 4 to the ends of the axles 5, the

page_text: said collars consisting of amiddle reduced portion 6 and of projecting flanges 7, 8.
The space thus formed by the flanges and the middle portion is intended to receive
and guide the legs 9, 10, of plate extension 2. A rod 11 is pivoted to the
flanges 7, 8, between the same, and an air inflated ball or cushion 12 suspended to
the rod. The ball or cushion is run through by a flexible tube 13 air tightly connected
thereto at its ends and receiving rod 11, and is supported by a slightly excavated
supporting plate 14 screwed to the end of the rod. A similar upper supporting
plate 15 is loosely mounted on rod 11 bearing from above against the air ball or
cushion and provided with a hollow upper projection 16 to receive the correspond-
ing projecting ends 17, 18, Figure 2, of the plate extension legs 9, 10.
By these means frame 1 is guided by the collars and removably supported by the
balls or cushions.
There are a plurality of opposite bore-holes 19 provided in the flanges 7, 8, and
the object thereof is to allow of shifting the collars and suspending rod 11 by
another pair of holes in order to bring other points of the edge of portion 6 into
guiding contact with the legs 9, 10. By these means, if the portion 6 should be
worn out at the two opposite contact points of its edge, the collars are simply to be
shifted a step and not to be rejected unless fully used.
In the modification represented Figures 4 and 5, the lower ball supporting
plate 141 is supported by a ring 20 passing outwards by the ball or cushion
and pivoted by means of two strips 21, 22, to the collar on axle 5. The upper
supporting plate 151 is provided with a guide plate 23 passing through a slot in the
upper part of the ring and between the strips 21, 22. Plate 23 fits with its upper
reduced portion within the slot 3 of plate extension 2, whilst the latter bears with
its legs on shoulders 24, 25, of the plate.
A pin 26 is screwed to plate 23 preventing the latter from being raised and the
ball from falling out of its seat but allowing when removed of likewise removing or
inserting the ball.
In the feature of my invention represented Figures 6 to 9, I have provided the
air ball or cushion within the rear part of the frame, the said ball being mounted
on a rod passing through it, Figures 6 and 7, or freely inserted between two plates,
Figures 8, 9.
As appearing from Figures 6, 7, frame tubes 27, 28, are connected by a bridge 29
supporting a fixed tube piece 30, and a rod 31 is pivoted to the frame shell 32 and
guided within the tube pieco 30, passing at the same time through ball 12 which is
of the same construction as shown Figure 3. A lower supporting plate 4¹¹ is fixed
to the tube piece 30 and an upper supporting plate 151 to rod 31.
In the modification represented Figures 8, 9, rod 31 has been dispensed with,
and the upper supporting plate 15* is provided with lateral extensions 33, 34, and
connected by bolts 35, 36 to a plate 37 guided on tube piece 30. By these means,
the ball is clamped between the plates 15* and 14".
In order to give a yielding movement to the rear frame portion, as required, the
latter is composed of parts pivoted to each other. There may be provided three
pivots, say at 38, 39, 40, or two pivots 39, 40 only, the pivot 38 being dispensable
by reason of the but very slight inflection taking place with respect to
tubes 27, 28.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid frame,
parts for loosely connecting the rigid frame to the wheel axle or axles, and
an air cushion inserted in the said connecting parts, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
2. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid frame, holders
suspended on the wheel axles, an air cushion supported by each holder, and

page_text: means for supporting the frame by the air cushions, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
3. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid frame provided
with forked abutments, collars provided on the wheel axles to receive the said
forked abutments, rods, suspended on the wheel axles, an air cushion mounted
on and supported by each rod, and means for supporting the frame by the air
cushious, substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid frame provided
with forked abutments, collars provided on the wheel axles to receive the said forked
abutments, rods suspended on the collars, an air cushion mounted on and supported
by each rod, and means for supporting the frame, by the air cushions, substantially
as and for the purposes described.
5. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid frame provided
with forked abutments, collars provided on the wheel axles to receive the said
abutments, rings or shells suspended on the wheel axles, an air cushion supported
by each ring or shell, and means for supporting the frame by the air cushions, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described.
6. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid frame provided
with forked abutments, collars provided on the wheel axles to receive the said
forked abutments, rings or shells suspended on the collars, an air cushion
supported by each ring or shell, and means for supporting the frame by the air
cushions, substantially as and for the purposes described.
7. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid frame provided
with forked abutments, movable flanged collars mounted on the wheel axles to
receive the forked abutments, holders suspended on the said collars, an air cushion
supported by each holder, and means for supporting the frame by the air cushions,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
8. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid main frame, a
supplementary part pivoted to the main frame and containing a yielding or
compressible two-parted member, an air cushion inserted between the two parts of
the said member, means for supporting the air cushion by one of the said parts,
and means for supporting the other part by the air cushion, substantially as and
for the purposes described.
9. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid main frame,
a supplementary frame part pivoted to the main frame end containing a yielding or
compressible two-parted member, means for guiding by each other the two parts
of the said member, an air cushion mounted on one of the said parts, and means for
supporting the latter and the air cushion by the other part, substantially as and for
the purposes described.
10. In a velocipede or similar vehicle, the combination of a rigid main frame, a
supplementary frame part pivoted to the main frame end containing a yielding or
compressible two-parted member, means for guiding by each other the two parts of
the said member, an air cushion clamped between the two parts of the compressible
member, means for supporting the air cushion by one of the said parts, and means
for supporting the other part by the air cushion, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
The 2nd dow of Santambo 1000