Improvements in the Manufacture of Detachable Mudguard Bridge Bars for Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Aug., 1894-Accepted, 15th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Detachable Mudguard Bridge
Bars for Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
I, JOHN EDWARD MEREDITH, of 77, Alexandra Road, Edgbaston, in the City
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
My invention has for its object the production of metallic detachable mudguard
bridge bars, for connecting the mudguards to bicycles and other velocipedes, in
which bridge bars there is great strength lightness and simplicity of construction.
I will describe my invention as applied to a bicycle it being understood that the
description applies also to other velocipedes. My method of forming or making
the bridge bar is as follows:-I take a piece of sheet steel metal, brass, copper,
iron, or any other metallic substance or any other suitable material for making the
bridge bar in one or more parts and from this I have blanks cut out of an elongated
shape and somewhat longer than the bridge bar required. I then have formed if
required on the flat surface, by means of a stamp press or other machine, flutes
hollows ribs ridges, beads or curves for the purpose of obtaining greater strength
and I then have the ends bent or curved for the purpose of embracing and
connecting to the upright rods or tubes of the cycle forks, the sides or edges may
also be bent to an angle or ridge for the purpose of giving greater strength. The
bridge bar is attached to the rods or tubes of the forks of the bicycle tricycle or
other velocipedes in a most effectual manner by cotters pins or bolts and nuts or
with rivets passing through the bridge bar or through the two halves of the same
at or near the curved or bent ends thereof.
Dated this 5th day of October 1893.
JOHN EDWARD MEREDITH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Detachable Mudguard Bridge
Bars for Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
I, JOHN EDWARD MEREDITH, of 77, Alexandra Road, Edgbaston, in the City
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention has for its object the production of metallic detachable mudguard
bridge bars, for connecting the mudguards to bicycles and other velocipedes, in
which bridge bars there is great strength lightness and simplicity of construction.
I will describe my invention as applied to a bicycle it being understood that
the description applies also to other velocipedes. My method of forming or
making the bridge bar is as follows:-I take a piece of sheet steel metal, brass,
copper, iron or any other metallic substance or any other suitable material for
making the bridge bars in one or more parts and from this I have blanks cut
of an elongated shape and somewhat longer than the bridge bar required. I then
have formed if required on the flat surface, by means of a stamp press or other
machine, flutes, hollows, ribs, ridges, beads, or curves for the purpose of obtaining
greater strength and I then have the ends bent or curved for the purpose of
embracing and connecting to the upright rods or tubes of the cycle forks, the

page_text: sides or edges may also be bent to an angle or ridge for the purpose of giving
greater strength. The bridge bar is attached to the rods or tubes of the forks
of the bicycle tricycle or other velocipede in a most effectual manner by cotters
pins or bolts and nuts or with rivets passing through the bridge bar or through the
two halves of the same at or near the curved or bent ends thereof.
My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings on which
Fig. 1 is an elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan of a detachable mudguard bridge bar
constructed according to this invention, represented as connecting the mudguard to
the fork or frame of a bicycle or other velocipede, short portions only of the fork
or frame and the mudguard being shewn; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the same;
Fig. 4 represents in elevation and in plan one of the halves of the mudguard
bridge bar separately and
Fig. 5 shews the sheet metal blank from which the said halves of the bridge bar
shewn by Figs. 1 and 2 are formed;
Fig. 6 is a cross section of a slightly modified form of the said bridge bar and
Fig. 7 is a cross section of a further modification of the same ;
Fig. 8 represents the two halves of another form of mudguard bridge bar formed
according to this invention and
Fig. 9 shews the sheet metal blank from which the halves of the mudguard
bridge bar (Fig. 8) are made and
Fig. 10 is a perspective plan view of a further modification of my invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
Referring firstly more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 it will be seen that
the mudguard bridge bar consists of two parts marked respectively A' A' each
being made from a sheet metal blank of the form represented by Fig. 5 which is of
an elongated shape and somewhat longer than the required bridge bar the end
portions al being rather narrower than the main portion a² of the blank. By means
of tools worked in a stamp or press this blank is raised in the fluted or hollow
form shewn in cross section by Fig. 3 and in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 the main portion a'
being bent so as to be almost semicircular in cross section seé Fig. 3 so that when
two of the blanks are placed together as in the completed mudguard bridge bar the
edges of the two blanks will meet or almost meet and the fluted form add consider-
ably to the strength of the same. The end portions a' are also hollowed as shewn
and curved so as to embrace the upright ridges or tubes B1 B2 of the cycle forks.
The blank shewn by Fig. 5 is hollowed at a as shewn so that this hollowed portion
will form the necessary hollow a³ in the finished bridge bar for the mudguard C to
fit in the said mudguard being there secured by the screw D which passes through
the hole e in the bridge bar these holes being formed in the blank as shewn in
Fig. 5. By means of the screws f¹f passing transversely through the two halves
of the mudguard bridge bar as shewn the said halves of the bridge bar are secured
together and clamped on to the cycle fork B' B³.
It will be evident that instead of the halves of the mudguard bridge bar being
strengthened by being made of the fluted form shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 the
flutings may be made of other shapes as shewn for instance by Fig. 6 which is a
cross section through the two halves of the mudguard bridge bar. In this case it
will be seen that the edges of the blank are bent to an angle with the main
portion a' thus forming the ridge at along each side and increasing the strength of
the bridge bar. Also in the example shewn by Fig. 7 the blank is formed some-
what like Fig. 6 but also made with a hollow fluting or channel g¹ along each side
thus forming the ribs or ridges 9³ on the outside and corresponding hollows g³ on
the inside.
In the example of my invention shewn by Fig. 8 in which the halves A³ of the
mudguard bridge bar are made from a blank of the shape shewn by Fig. 9 this
mudguard bridge bar is flat in cross section the end portions a' being bent or
curved to embrace the fork B₁ B' and there is also a central cross fluting e for the
connecting bolt D to pass through.

page_text: In the example of my invention shewn by Fig. 10 the blank of which the form
will be readily understood from an examination of this figure is made rather more
than twice as long as is the required mudguard bridge bar A and is beut round so
as to embrace the forks B' B' the end portions a¹ of the blank being folded upon
the main portion a² and secured by means of cross bolts passing through the holes h.
In this case it will be seen that the mudguard bridge bar A is made from a single
biank instead of being made from two blanks as in the examples above described.
My invention is applicable to mudguard bridge bars made of any suitable sheet
material whether metal celluloid xylonite compressed fibre or other suitable
material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved detachable mudguard bridge bars for bicycles and other
velocipedes made from sheet metal or from other suitable sheet substance in any of
the several ways substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
2. Making a detachable mudguard bridge bar for bicycles and other velocipedes
from two sheet metal blanks (or from two blanks of any other suitable sheet
substance) of the form substantially as described and shewn by Fig. 5 said blanks
being raised into a fluted or hollow form and the end portions bent or curved to
grip the wheel fork of the bicycle or other velocipede all substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the
accompanying drawings.
3. Making a detachable mudguard bridge bar for bicycles and other velocipedes
from two sheet metal blanks (or from two blanks of any other suitable sheet
substance) of the form substantially as described and shewu by Fig. 9 said blanks
being fluted at e for the reception of the fixing bolt of the mudguard and the end
portions bent or curved to grip the wheel fork of the bicycle or other velocipede,
all substantially as herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 8 and 9 of the
accompanying drawings.
4. Making a detachable mudguard bridge bar for bicycles and other velocipedes
from a sheet metal blank (or from a blank of any other suitable sheet substance)
of the form substantially as described with reference to Fig. 10 said blank being
fluted at e for the reception of the fixing bolt of the mudguard and the end portions
bent or curved into eyes a¹ to grip the wheel fork of the bicycle or other velocipede
all substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Fig. 10 of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 31st day of July 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.