Improvements in or relating to Saddle Supports for Cycles and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Saddle Supports for Cycles and
the like.
(A. communication from JOHN S. FIELD, of 134 Van Buren Street, Chicago, Illinois,
United States of America, Gentleman.)
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
The objects of the present invention are to provide a support for the saddles and
seats of bicycles and like vehicles which will take up and neutralize perfectly the
vibrations and jars ordinarily felt by the rider when the wheels are running over
rough or uneven ground, and at the same time to provide a support which will main-
tain the lateral rigidity and alignment of the saddle and prevent all binding due to
lateral pressure or uneven pressure in the movements necessarily made to take up
or neutralize the jars and vibrations as aforesaid.
In carrying this invention into practice, it is intended to provide a socket or
receiver in or adjacent to the ordinary tubular portion of the frame in which the
seat post rests, with a second tubular socket adjacent to and in the rear thereof,
and in connection with these sockets provide a seat post having two legs or arms
extending into the sockets with a horizontal or substantially horizontal top portion
for the attachment of the seat or saddle proper, and springs for holding said post
at the upward limit of its movement.
It is preferred the device shall be made complete in itself and adapted to, as a
whole, take the place of the seat post ordinarily clamped in the tubular portion of
the frame for which purpose the main socket or tubular guide is preferably made of
a size to fit down in the frame of the machine in the place of the ordinary seat
post, and from its upper end it has an arm or arms extending backwardly and
supporting the second tubular socket which, when the device is in place will fit
down between the branching rear frame of the machine. These two sockets are
adjustable vertically after the manner of the ordinary seat post and preferably one
or both contain springs for supporting the seat post proper, which latter has
depending parallel arms or branches fitting into the sockets. The springs employed
are preferably a combination of coiled spring and a rubber buffer, one located over
the other inasmuch as it is found that the rabber neutralizes and is much more
sensitive to slight vibrations than a metal spring which is of sufficient power to
support the weight of the rider, while the heavier vibrations or prolonged move-
ments are neutralized to a great extent by the aforesaid metallic springs. Te
enable the tension of the spring to be adjusted, they may be mounted on adjustable
supports, or the end of the seat post sliding down in the socket, adjusted as to its
length, or the rubber may be cut off or additional pieces inserted.
For the purpose of holding the seat post and socket together so as to form a single
connected device adapted to be sold as an article, independent of the machine, and
placed in position by any one and adjusted to the machine without danger of disar-

page_text: rangement, one of the sockets is preferably made separable from its upper end,
and that arm of the seat post projecting into that socket is provided with a nut or
enlarged head which being applied after the seat post has been past through
or fixed on the upper end of the socket, prevents the withdrawal or escape of the
seat post therefrom.
In some instances it is designed to connect the lower ends of the two sockets
or the rear socket and the tubular portion of the frame of the bicycle by lateral
clamps embracing the same and held together by set screws or otherwise.
For use on tandems or machines having a bar extending centrally both front
and rear from the tubular portion of the frame adapted for the reception of the
seat post, a single socket is provided adapted to enter such tubular portion of the
frame and two sockets to the rear thereof, but connected thereto at the upper ends
and lying respectively on opposite sides of the rearwardly extending portion of
the tandem frame.
By locating the tubular sockets in relatively fore and aft positions, it permits of
a fore and aft adjustment of the saddle without danger of binding by reason of the
lateral thrust, as would be the case were a single socket employed.
ד
1007
ALFRED J. BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Saddle Supports for Cycles and
the like.
c
(A communication from JOHN S. FIELD, of 134 Van Buren Street, Chicago, Illinois,
United States of America, Gentleman.)
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
The objects of the present invention are to provide a support for the saddles and
seats of bicycles and like vehicles which will take up and neutralize perfectly the
vibrations and jars ordinarily felt by the rider when the wheels are running over
rough or uneven ground, and at the same time to provide a support which will main-
tain the lateral rigidity and alignment of the saddle and prevent all binding due to
lateral pressure or uneven pressure in the movements necessarily made to take up
or neutralize the jars and vibrations as aforesaid.
In carrying this invention into practice, it is intended to provide a socket or
receiver in or adjacent to the ordinary tubular portion of the frame in which the
seat post rests, with a second tubular socket adjacent to and in the rear thereof,
and in connection with these sockets provide a seat post having two legs or arms
extending into the sockets with a horizontal or substantially horizontal top portion
for the attachment of the seat or saddle proper, and springs for holding said post
at the upward limit of its movement.
It is preferred the device shall be made complete in itself and adapted to, as a
whole, take the place of the seat post ordinarily clamped in the tubular portion of
the frame for which purpose the main socket or tubular guide is preferably made of
a size to fit down in the frame of the machine in the place of the ordinary seat
post, and from its upper end it has an arm or arms extending backwardly and
supporting the second tubular socket which, when the device is in place will fit

page_text: down between the branching rear frame of the machine. These two sockets are
adjustable vertically after the manner of the ordinary seat post and preferably one
or both contain springs for supporting the seat post proper, which latter has
depending parallel arms or branches fitting into the sockets. The springs employed
are preferably a combination of coiled spring and a rubber buffer, one located over
the other inasmuch as it is found that the rubber neutralizes and is much more
sensitive to slight vibrations than a metal spring which is of sufficient power to
support the weight of the rider, while the heavier vibrations or prolonged move-
ments are neutralized to a great extent by the aforesaid metallic springs. To
enable the tension of the spring to be adjusted, they may be mounted on adjustable
supports, or the end of the seat post sliding down in the socket, adjusted as to its
length, or the rubber may be cut off or additional pieces inserted.
For the purpose of holding the seat post and socket together so as to form a single
connected device adapted to be sold as an article, independent of the machine, and
placed in position by any one and adjusted to the machine without danger of disar-
rangement, one of the sockets is preferably made separable from its upper end,
and that arm of the seat post projecting into that socket is provided with a nut or
enlarged head which being applied after the seat post has been passed through
or fixed on the upper end of the socket, prevents the withdrawal or escape of the
seat post therefrom.
In some instances it is designed to connect the lower ends of the two sockets
or the rear socket and the tubular portion of the frame of the bicycle by lateral
clamps embracing the same and held together by set screws or otherwise.
For use on tandems or machines having a bar extending centrally both front
and rear from the tubular portion of the frame adapted for the reception of the
seat post, a single socket is provided adapted to enter such tubular portion of the
frame and two sockets to the rear thereof, but connected thereto at the upper ends
and lying respectively on opposite sides of the rearwardly extending portion of
the tandem frame.
By locating the tubular sockets in relatively fore and aft positions, it permits of
a fore and aft adjustment of the saddle without danger of binding by reason of the
lateral thrust, as would be the case were a single socket employed.
In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which
similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the portion of the bicycle showing the application
of this invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section much enlarged from Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a vertical section of one of the tubes, the springs and the post
working in such tube, the parts being detached from each other so as to show their
construction clearly, and
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.
In the drawing, A represents the frame tube which in the ordinary construction
of bicycles, receives and supports the seat post, and which is usually split at its upper
end so that it may be tightened by the bolt A¹, in the ordinary manner.
B is a
parallel companion tube, serving as a guide for the second seat post. It is supported
from the tube A by a coupling C at the top and may, if desired, be connected to
the frame A, by a clamp D at the bottom, the latter being made in two halves and
provided with a screw D. The tube B is threaded in the coupling C, but is merely
embraced by the clamp D.
E is a horizontal bar or tube upon which the saddle is mounted, and it is
supported in the tubes A and B by means of posts F and G, movably inserted in
the tubes and resting upon springs therein, as hereinafter more fully shown. The
post G is preferably made in one piece with the saddle bar E, and the post F is
rigidly attached to the bar E and works vertically in a sleeve F fitting the tube A.
The sleeve F is threaded at its upper end in the coupling C, and also closed at its
lower end so that it may support the springs H and H, one of which is of coiled
metal and the other made of rubber. At its lower end the post F receives a nut J

page_text: having a central outer projection or stud J', adapted to center the spring H. The
post G is also provided with a nut at its lower end, shown at G₁, and having a
centering stud G, and it rests upon a similar coiled spring K and rubber spring K¹.
It is of course desirable that a spring supported seat should not have too much move-
ment, because otherwise, it will rise so high when the rider dismounts as to make
it inconvenient when he desires to resume his seat. And hence means are provided
for limiting the upward movement of the seat under the expansion of the springs
as follows: -The post G is somewhat smaller in diameter than the interior of the
tube B and it is encircled above the nut G and below the coupling by a sleeve L,
while the rim of the nut G¹ is made to fit the interior of tube B so that the sleeve L
will act in conjunction with the nut to limit the upward movement not only of the
post G but of both posts, and by means of said sleeve and nut, (the sleeve can of
course be made any length desired) such normal compression is enabled to be put
upon the springs in the tubes as desired.
Compound springs are shown in both tubes, that is springs partly of metal and
partly of rubber. This renders it easy to adapt the springs to the weight of the rider.
If the rider is a light person, then the rubber is shortened by using a penknife
and the metal spring allowed to expand to a greater extent; if he is a heavy
person, the length of the rubber block is increased so as to cause a greater normal
compression of the metal spring.
This construction also allows the ready adjustment of the seat to the height
of the rider, it being only necessary to loosen screws A' and D' to move both the
tubes to a higher or lower position upon the tube A.
The seat support E together with the posts G and F and the connected tubes Fi
and B constitute an independent article adapted to be adjusted like an ordinary
seat post as above pointed out and constitute an article of manufacture independen
of the bicycle itself. As as article, it is obvious that it may be applied to any
bicycle now in use, as a substitute for the ordinary seat post, and while this is the
preferred construction, my correspondent does not wish to be specifically limited
thereto as the invention may be applied to bicycles in the course of manufacture
and made a permanent part of the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
1. The herein described improvement in seat supports for bicycles consisting
of the parallel connected tubes adapted to be secured to the frame, one in advance
of the other, the parallel rigidly connected seat posts movably confined in said tubes
and having the substantially horizontal seat support at the top and springs confined
in said tubes beneath the posts.
2. The herein described improvement in seat supports for bicycles, consisting of
the parallel rigidly connected guides or tubes, one of which constitutes an adjustable
post adapted to be confined within the frame tube, the parallel rigidly connected
seat posts having their lower ends movably confined within the guides or tubes,
the seat support on the upper ends of said posts, springs located beneath one or
both of the posts with means for adjusting the strength of the same.
Dated this 1st day of March 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.