Improvements in or relating to Road and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 28th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Road and other Vehicles.
I, THOMAS BRIGGS of The Willows, Barrow-on-Soar, near Loughborough in
the County of Leicester, Agricultural Implement Maker and Carriage Builder
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to road and other vehicles and embodies certain
improvements in or relating to the construction of the springs therefor, which have
for their object to reduce the frequency with which the springs of ordinary con-
struction get out of repair and also to enable the vehicle to more readily adapt
itself to the weight and to minimise vibration when passing over inequalities of
the road.
The invention is specially applicable to vehicles provided with curved or
laminated springs which as is well known are sometimes connected at each end
either to the body of the vehicle or to a shackle or other device attached
thereto.
In this form of construction the bolts frequently wear loose and sometimes drop
out on the road during transit of the vehicle.
According to my invention the springs are connected only at one end and the
opposite end is free to bear and move on or in a suitable plate, guideway or track
formed on or attached to the underside of the body of the vehicle.
In one form of construction the free end of the spring may rest against and be
in contact with a movable curved surface which may consist of a roller or rollers
revoluble on a fixed centre or movable to and fro in a suitable track with varying
loads or inequalities of the road.
When a travelling roller is employed it may be provided with a series of ribs or
circumferential grooves to fit into corresponding grooves or ribs formed in or on
the track, so as to prevent jamming of the roller against the sides of the track.
Dated this 13th day of March 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, THOMAS BRIGGS of The Willows, Barrow-on-Soar, near Loughborough in
the County of Leicester, Agricultural Implement Maker and Carriage Builder
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 has reference to road and other vehicles and embodies certain
improvements in or relating to the construction of the springs therefor, which have

page_text: for their object to reduce the frequency with which the springs of ordinary con-
struction get out of repair and also to enable the vehicle to more readily adapt
itself to the weight and to minimise vibration when passing over inequalities of the
road.
The invention is specially applicable to vehicles provided with curved or laminated
springs which as is well known are sometimes connected at each end either to the
body of the vehicle or to a shackle or other device attached thereto.
In this form of construction the bolts frequently wear loose and sometimes drop
out on the road during transit of the vehicle.
According to my invention the springs are connected only at one end and the
opposite end is free to bear and move on or in a suitable plate, guideway or track
formed on or attached to the underside of the body of the vehicle.
In one form of construction the free end of the spring may rest against and be
in contact with a movable curved surface which may consist of a roller or rollers
revoluble on a fixed centre or movable to and fro in a suitable track with varying
loads or inequalities of the road.
When a travelling roller is employed it may be provided with a series of ribs
or circumferential grooves to fit into corresponding grooves or ribs formed in or on
the track, so as to prevent jamming of the roller against the sides of the track.
The invention will be fully understood upon reference to the accompanying
drawing in which,
Figure 1 shows a central longitudinal section of a device constructed in
accordance with this invention and showing the free end of the vertical spring
therein.
Figure 2 is an underside plan of the said device with the crossbar and vehicle
spring omitted so as to clearly show the antifriction roller and the concave bed
therefor.
Only so much of the vehicle and of one of the usual springs thereof are shown
in the drawings and will be hereinafter described as is necessary to clearly illustrate
the invention.
A represents the bottom bar of the body of a cart or other vehicle to the
underside of which a plate B is attached by screw bolts B'.
The said plate has two downwardly depending cheeks C between which is a
thickened bed plate D having a concavity D¹ therein.
A roller placed in such concavity, has one end of the vehicle spring F resting
on it and between a crossbar C₁ which stretches between and connects the two
cheeks C together being secured thereto by screws or in any convenient manner.
The concavity of the bed is preferably formed with a series of intersecting ribs
or ridges D2 and the roller E instead of having a plain surface has a number of
circumferential grooves E¹ corresponding to the ribs D2 the one fitting the
other.
This construction as will be readily understood insures the roller moving evenly
to and fro in the bed plate and prevents it getting awry and jamming or becoming
fixed in any way.
The free end F¹ of the spring is passed between the device as shown in Figure 1
while the opposite end of the spring is connected by a shackle or link to the body
of the cart in any of the well known ways being sufficiently well understood not
to need further illustration.
It is obvious that the roller E might be axially connected between the side
cheeks C but it is considered preferable to place it loosely in the concave bed so
that it is free to move to and fro therein as the spring F becomes more or less
flattened in adjusting itself to varying loads or to inequalities of the road.
It will be observed that the roller is kept in position by the weight of the vehicle
pressing it downwardly against and in contact with the spring, the latter resting on
the crossbar.
By the hereinbefore described construction it will be readily understood that all
strain is removed off the spring bolts in consequence of the free end of the spring

page_text: being able to move easily through the device hereinbefore described, the said springs
thus require repairing much less frequently and a greater durability of the vehicle
is thereby secured.
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. In a road vehicle the combination of a spring one end of which is free and
in contact with a movable curved surface substantially as and for the purpose
described.
2. In a road vehicle the combination with a spring one end of which is con-
nected to the vehicle and the other end free and in contact with an anti-friction
roller movable on its axis or to and fro in a concavity substantially as and for the
purpose described.
3. In a road vehicle the combination with a spring having a free or unattached
end of a device constructed, arranged and operating substantially in the manner
and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
0
THOS. BRIGGS.
Witness-
E. N. LEWIS,
Berridge Street Chambers,
Leicester.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.