IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS MANUFACTURING BICYCLE AND OTHER WHEELS."
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hillman, of the Firm of Hillman & Herbert,
Machinists, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
MANUFACTURING BICYCLE AND OTHER WHEELS."
FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hillman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th August 1870.
WILLIAM HILLMAN, of the Firm of Hillman & Herbert, Machinists, of Coventry,
in the County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES, AND IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING BICYCLE AND OTHER WHEELS."
My Invention relates, first, to improvements in bicycles, and is designed to
increase the strength and durability of the same, and to render their action more
easy and comfortable, so that less power is required for driving them, and less
fatigue is caused by their use for a given distance than heretofore.
The said Invention comprises,-
First. Improved means for supporting the seat.
Second. A novel method of staying or giving rigidity to the front fork.
And, Third. In a novel construction of the axle, and method of fixing the wheels
thereon.
For supporting the seat of my improved bicycle I employ a novel form of spring
in combination with a jointed or elastic steel bar secured to the top of the "back-
bone." The said spring is formed by coiling an extension of the said bar in such a
manner that the coils or spirals thereof extend horizontally across the backbone,
and between the same and the seat, and the flat surfaces of the spirals or coils are
radial to the axis of the spring. The extremity of the said coiled or spiral spring
has a clip formed to embrace and fit tightly upon the said backbone. The seat is
secured upon the said bar in the usual manner.
The staying or giving rigidity to the fork is accomplished by the employment of
stay rods at the front of the same. Two of these stay rods are secured to the lower
extremities of the fork, and extend upward in an inclined direction from the samo
to a short stay projecting forward from the fork. From the junction of the said

page_text: inclined stays and short stay a diagonal stay bar extends to the top of the fork,
where it is secured by a screw nut or by other suitable means.
The aforesaid short stay has its inner end fitted in a holo in the fork, and is
provided with a screw nut. By screwing the latter up against the surface of the
fork the said stays are made very tight and rigid, and also render the fork rigid or
stiff, thereby preventing to a great extent the unpleasant vibration of the latter,
which in bicycles as heretofore constructed has greatly impaired their speed, and
has rendered them uncomfortable and dangerous to the rider.
Instead of constructing the axle solid or in one piece with the discs, to which the
wire spokes or arms of the wheel are secured, I make the said discs and axlo
separately, and I bore the discs with holes slightly taper or conical, and turn on the
axles correspondingly taper or conical portions to fit the said holes. The discs
are then fitted on the axle, and driven with slight force thereon, their conical bore
insuring their fitting and remaining securely in the same.
This method of constructing the axle and discs renders the forging of them more
simple and less costly, and prevents any difficulty of hardening or tempering the
axle bearings without hardening the discs.
My improvements in machinery or apparatus consist in an arrangement of three
rolls upon a triangular adjustable frame. The said frame consists of two bars or
legs pivotted together, and forming a triangle. One roll is arranged at the point or
apex of the said triangle, and the other two between the apex and the extremities.
One of these bars is pivoted or jointed to a fixed support, and the other is connected
with an adjusting screw.
The metal of which the wheels are formed is triangular in section, and the said
rolls have their peripheries formed concave and convex, that is to say, the top roll
has its periphery grooved or concave, and the other rolls have their peripheries
curved or convex.
When a straight bar is placed between these rolls, and the legs or bars of the said
triangle are set or adjusted to the proper angle, and the rolls are caused to rotate on
their axes, the said bar will travel through them, and in doing so will assume the
required circular form. The said arms or bars of the frame are set near to or farther
from each other according to the diameter of the wheel. The top roll may be
turned by a crank or handle, or by a belt and pulley or by other suitable means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Hillman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th February
1877.
WILLIAM HILLMAN, of the Firm of Hillman & Herbert, Machinists, of Coventry,
in the County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES, AND IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING BICYCLE AND OTHER WHEELS."
My Invention relates, first, to improvements in bicycles, and is designed to
increase the strength and durability of the same, and to render their action more
easy and comfortable, so that less power is required for driving them, and less fatigue
is caused by their use for a given distance than heretofore.
The said improvements in bicycles comprise,―
First. Improved means for supporting the soat.
Second. A novel method of staying or giving rigidity to the fork.
And, Third. A novel construction of the axle, and method of fixing the discs
thereon.
The said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in which,―
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle.
Higures 2 and 3 shew portions of the said bicycle detached.

page_text: as
bone" b. The said spring is formed by bending an extension of the said bar
shewn at c, Figure 2, or in coiling it in such a manner as to form one, two, or
more horizontal coils or spirals at c¹ between the backbone 6 and the seat a in such
a manner that the flat or broad surfaces of the spirals or coils are the upper and
lower surfaces of the same. The extremity of the said bent or coiled spring c has a
clip formed to embrace and fit tightly upon a projection b¹ on the said backbone.
The seat a is secured upon the arm c³ of the said spring bar in the usual manner, as
clearly shewn in Figure 1. c is a pad of india-rubber or other suitable substance,
which forms a cushion for the said spring bar.
The staying or giving rigidity to the fork is accomplished by the employment of
stay rods e, f, g, at the front of the same. Two of these stay rods e are secured to
the lower extremities of the fork h, and extend upward in an inclined direction from
the same to the short stay f projecting forward from the upper part of the fork l.
From the junction of the said inclined stay rods and short stay at f¹ a diagonal
stay bar g extends to the top of the fork h, as shewn, where it is secured by
screwing it into the fork, or by other suitable means.
The aforesaid short stay f has its inner end fitted in a hole in the fork, and is
provided with a screw nut, as shewn at j. By screwing the latter up against the
surface of the fork the said stays are made very light and rigid, and also render
the fork rigid or stiff, thereby preventing to a great extent the unpleasant vibration
of the latter, which in bicycles as heretofore constructed has greatly impaired their
speed, and has rendered them uncomfortable and dangerous to the rider. At the
point I arrange a brake lever %, which has on one arm a brake roller k¹, and
whose other arm is connected to the hand bar or handle i, and operated in the
usual manner to apply and take off the brake.
Instead of constructing the axle & solid or in one piece with the discs /, to which
the wire spokes or arms m of the wheel are secured, I construct the said axle and
discs and fit them together as shewn in Figure 3, that is to say, I make the said
discs and axle separately, and I bore the discs with holes slightly taper or conical,
and turn on the axles correspondingly taper or conical portions to fit the said holos.
The discs are then fitted on the axle l, and driven with slight force thereon, their
conical bore ensuring their fitting and remaining securely on the axle l.
This method of constructing the axle and dises renders the forging of them more
simple and less costly, and prevents any difficulty of hardening or tempering the
axle bearings without hardening the discs.
My improvements in machinery or apparatus are shown in Figures 4 and 5 of
the Drawing. Figure 4 is a side elevation; and Figure 5, an end elevation of the
same.
These improvements consist in an arrangement of rolls upon a triangular
adjustable frame. The said frame is mounted upon a bed or plate n, and consists
of bars or legs n³, n², pivotted together and forming a triangle, as clearly shewn in
Figure 4. The bars may be straightened by a cross bar at n³. One roll o is
arranged at the point or apex of the said triangle, and the other two rolls p, q, are
arranged in close proximity thereto, and supported in the bars n', n², as shewn.
The bars n' are pivoted or jointed to fixed supports at on the bed, and the other
bars are connected with an adjusting screw 8, which is provided with a handle s¹,
and passes through the nut & fitted in and between the bars n
The metal of which the wheel rims or felloes are formed is triangular in section
and the said rolls have their peripheries formed concave and convex, that is to say,
the top roll o has its periphery grooved or concave, and the other rolls p, q, have
thoir peripheries curved or convex, as shewn in Figure 5.
When a straight bar of the above described sectional form is placed between these
rolls, and the legs or bars n', n², of the said triangular frame are set or adjusted to
the proper angle, and the rolls are caused to rotate on their axes, the said bar
will travel or pass between the rollo and the rolls p, q, und in doing so will assume
the required circular form. The said arms or bars of the frame are adjusted by the
said screw or by other suitablo means to set the nearer to or farther from cach

page_text: other, according to the diameter of the wheel on which they are operating. The
roll p or either of the other rolls may be turned by a crank or handle t, or by a belt
and pulley or by other suitable means.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. The improved manner of supporting the seat or saddle of a bicycle by a flat
spring or spring bar attached to the neck of the backbone and to the seat, and
coiled horizontally behind the part to which the seat or saddle is attached, as above
set forth.
Second. The method of staying and increasing the rigidity of the fork by the
combination with the same of the stays or stay rods arranged and connected to the
upper and lower portions of the said fork, as above set forth.
Third. The novel arrangement of the brake of a bicycle at the junction of the
long and short stay rods, as above described.
Fourth. The novel construction and connection of the axle and discs of a bicycle,
as above set forth.
Fifth. In a bicycle the combination of the seat supported upon a horizontally
coiled spring bar with the above described method of staying the fork, and either
with or without the brake, as above set forth.
Sixth. The improvements in apparatus or machinery for manufacturing the rims
or felloes of bicycle and other wheels, consisting of the three rolls or rollers sup-
ported in an adjustable frame in the relative positions shewn and formed, and
operating upon the metal bars passed between them, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hillman, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
WILLIAM HILLMAN. (L.S.)