IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES FOR BICYCLES TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES AND VEHICLES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Alfred Lamplugh of the firm of Lamplugh and
Brown of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturers for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES FOR BICYCLES TRICYCLES AND
OTHER VELOCIPEDES AND VEHICLES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Alfred Lamplugh at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th December 1883.
JAMES ALFRED LAMPLUGH of the firm of Lamplugh and Brown of Birmingham
in the County of Warwick Manufacturers "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES FOR
BICYCLES TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES AND VEHICLES
"
In the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me bearing date the 24th day
of February 1883 N° 1008 I have described and claimed (among other things)
appliances for adjusting the tension of the seats of saddles.
My present invention consists of the following improvements in and alterations
and modifications of the said adjusting appliances whereby the same object is more
efficiently attained.
Instead of or in addition to making the front attachment of the branched
supporting plate or other analogous plate of the seat adjustable the attachments of
the rear branches of the supporting plate may be made adjustable by means of
appliances of the kind used with the front attachment. Or the front or both front
and rear adjustable attachments of the branched supporting plate may be modified
as follows:-In the patented arrangement referred to a pin having a cross screwed
hole or screw box for the tension screw to work in is fixed to the leather foundation
of the seat. In place of the said fixed pin I use a tension plate having a lip or
bent part at its front end and provided with a screw box for the tension screw to
work in. A plain hole is made in the end of the branch of the three branched plate
for taking upon a screwed pin the stem of which passes through a slot in the
tension plate fixed to the leather foundation A collar on this screwed pin acts as
a fixed bearing or abutment for the end of the tension screw. As the tension screw
is incapable of advancing its rotation causes the screw box on the tension plate to
D
.
77

page_text: travel upon it in one or other direction and thereby tighten or relax the tightness
of the leather foundation of the seat.
When the tension appliances are used at the three branches of the supporting
plate the tightening longitudinally of the leather foundation may be effected either
at the front end or at the rear end of the seat.
The rear tension plates last described for carrying the tension screws may be
made in one piece with the curved bearing plate which is rivetted to the leather
foundation at the rear of the seat. When however the rear adjusting appliances
are combined with the rear curved bearing plate I prefer to modify the parts in the
following way. The tension screws are made capable of a rotatory motion only
and are supported in brackets on the curved bearing plate the said tension screws
working in cross screwed holes or screw boxes in the screwed pins upon which the
ends of the rear branches of the supporting plate are secured. The heads of the
tension screws may either be situated at the inner edge or outer edge of the curved
bearing plate. By rotating the tension screws they advance in one or other
direction in the fixed screw boxes of the screwed pins described thereby giving a
sliding or longitudinal motion to the curved bearing plate and either tightening or
relaxing the tension of the leather foundation of the seat.
The last described modification of the adjusting appliances may be used at the
front end of the seat.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Alfred Lamplugh in the Patent Office on the 25th June
1884.
JAMES ALFRED LAMPLUGH of the firm of Lamplugh and Brown of Birmingham
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES FOR
BICYCLES TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES AND VEHICLES
"
In the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me bearing date the 24th day of
February 1883 N° 1008, I have described and claimed (among other things)
appliances for adjusting the tension of the seats of saddles.
My present invention consists of the following improvements in and alterations
and modifications of the said adjusting appliances, whereby the same object is more
efficiently attained.
Instead of or in addition to making the front attachment of the branched
supporting plate or other analogous plate of the seat adjustable the attachments of
the rear branches of the supporting plate may be made adjustable by means of
appliances of the kind used with the front attachment.
Or the front or both front and rear adjustable attachments of the branched
supporting plate may be modified as follows:-In the patented arrangement
referred to, a pin having a cross screwed hole or screw box for the tension screw
to work in, is fixed to the leather foundation of the seat. In place of the said fixed
pin I use a tension plate having a lip or bent part at its front end and provided
with a screw box for the tension screw to work in. A plain hole is made in the
end of the branch of the three branched plate for taking upon a screwed pin the
stem of which passes through a slot in the tension plate fixed to the leather
foundation. A collar on this screwed pin acts as a fixed bearing or abutment for
the end of the tension screw. As the tension screw is incapable of advancing its
rotation causes the screw box on the tension plate to travel upon it in one or other
direction and thereby tighten or relax the tightness of the leather foundation of
the seat.
When the tension appliances are used at the three branches of the supporting
plate, the tightening longitudinally of the leather foundation may be effected either
at the front end or at the rear end of the seat.
The rear tension plates last described for carrying the tension screws may be
made in one piece with the curved bearing plate which is rivetted to the leather
foundation at the rear of the seat. When however the rear adjusting appliances
are combined with the rear curved bearing plate I prefer to modify the parts in
the following way. The tension screws are made capable of a rotatory motion
only and are supported in brackets on the curved bearing plate the said tension
screws working in cross screwed holes or screw boxes in the screwed pins upon
which the ends of the rear branches of the supporting plate are secured. The
heads of the tension screws may either be situated at the inner edge or outer edge
of the curved bearing plate. By rotating the tension screws they advance in one
or other direction in the fixed screw boxes of the screwed pins described, thereby
giving a sliding or longitudinal motion to the curved bearing plate and either
tightening or relaxing the tension of the leather foundation of the seat.
The last described modification of the adjusting appliances may be used at the
front end of the seat.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan of underside, a bicycle saddle containing tension
adjusting appliances at the rear branches of the branched supporting plate as

page_text: well as at the front branch of the said supporting plate; Figure 2 represents a
longitudinal section drawn to a larger scale of the front adjusting appliances and
Figure 3 represents a longitudinal section, drawn to a larger scale, of one of the
rear adjusting appliances.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
The seat of the saddle is formed of a foundation of strong leather a² and a
covering or upper leather a between which is a stuffing of the ordinary kind, the
said seat a, a being without any internal support. The seat of the saddle is
supported by an external support consisting of a three branched plate c, c², c² made
of sheet metal and concavo on its upper side: The tension adjusting mechanism
at the front branch c of the supporting plate is the same as that described and
claimed in the specification of the patent before referred to but I use in combination
with the said front adjusting mechanism similar adjusting mechanism at the rear
branches c², c² of the supporting plate so that the required tension may be put upon
the leather foundation a² of the seat by operating either at the front or rear end
of the supporting plate. Each of the adjusting appliances at the ends of the
branched supporting plate is constructed in the following manner. To the leather
foundation a² of the seat, a plate b is fixed the said plate having on its underside
the screwed pin d. In the expanded end of each of the branches c, c³, c² of the
supporting plate, is a slot c³ in which the plain part of the pin d works. Upon
the plain part of the pin d is a slotted cap c which is fixed by a screw nut e. In
the pin d is a cross screwed hole or screw box f in which the tension screw g
works, the said tension screw passing through a plain hole in the lip or abutment h
at the front of the arms of the three branched plate. The head of the tension
screw g takes a bearing against the lip or abutment has represented. By turning
the screw g so as to advance it in the screw box f the adjustable attachment d is
drawn upon the said screw g and the leather foundation a² of the seat to which the
said adjustable attachment d is connected is thereby tightened longitudinally and
the required degree of tension put upon it by operating at the rear or front of the
saddle. In the curved back plate x which is rivetted to the leather foundation a²,
slots are made for the pins & of the rear adjusting mechanism to work in (see
Figure 3).
Figure 4 represents in plan of underside a bicycle saddle to the front end of
which a modification of the adjusting mechanism herein before described is
applied; Figure 5 represents the same in longitudinal section and Figure 6 repre-
sents in longitudinal section the front portion of the saddle and the adjustable
appliances drawn to a larger scale and Figure 7 represents in plan and section a
part of the adjusting appliances drawn to the same scale as Figure 6.
Instead of a pin having a screw box in it being fixed to the leather foundation
a² of the seat as before described for the tension screw to engage with, in the
modification Figures 45 6 and 7, a plate p (shown separately in Figure 7) is
fixed to the leather foundation a². The lip or bent part at the front of the plate p
is furnished with a screwed hole or screw box p² for the tension screw g to work
in. The lip on the front branch of the branched plate is dispensed with and a
plain hole is made in the branch c for taking upon the screw pin q the stem of
which passes through a slot r in the tension plate p fixed to the leather foundation a².
On the said screw pin q and bearing against the end of the branch c is a collar 8
which acts as a fixed bearing or abutment for the end of the tension screw g.
The screw pin q is held in its place by the screw nut t.
When the seat of the saddle is required to be tightened the tension screw g is
turned in the direction proper to drive it home. As the tension screw g is
incapable of advancing in consequence of its abutment against the collars the
screw box p² on the tension plate p advances on the said screw g and the leather
foundation a² of the seat may be tightened longitudinally to the required extent.
As the tension plate p is drawn back, its slot r works upon the stem of the
screw pin g to which the front branch c of the branched plate is secured as will be
understood by an examination of Figures 5 and 6.

page_text: Figure 8 represents in plan of underside the seat of a bicycle saddle in which
the tension mechanism constructed as last described is applied to the rear end of
the seat as well as to the front end of the seat.
By the use of the tension mechanism represented in Figure 8 the tightening
longitudinally of the leather foundation a2 of the seat may be effected either at
the front end or at the rear end of the seat. Or the tension mechanism at the
front end of the seat may be omitted and the front branch c of the branched plate
be fixed to the leather foundation instead of being made adjustable. The tension
plates p, p carrying the tension screws g, g at the rear of the seat may be made in
one piece with the curved bearing plate x by the casting process. Or when the
rear adjustable attachments are carried by the curved bearing plate & they may be
constructed in the manner illustrated in the plan of underside of a bicycle saddle
drawn of the full size in Figure 9 and a section of a portion of the same in
Figure 10; Figure 11 represents the curved bearing plate x and its tension screws
detached from the saddle.
The front adjusting appliance represented in Figure 9 is constructed in the
manner last described and corresponding parts are marked with the same letters of
reference.
In the rear adjusting arrangement represented in Figures 9. 10 and 11 the heads
of the tension screws g, g are situated at the outer edge of the bearing plate x.
The said bearing plate x carrying the rear adjusting appliances is rivetted to the
leather foundation a² of the saddle and the ends of the rear branches c², c² of the
three branched supporting plate are secured on the screwed pins q, q the said ends
of the rear branches resting upon the faces of the ribs or bearings in which the
tension screws g, g are supported and turn. The screwed pins q, q pass through
slots x2, x in the bearing plate and have cross screwed holes for the tension
screws g, g to work in, the said tension screws being capable only of a rotatory
motion and being supported in the ends ³ ³ of the ribs or bearings made on the
curved end plate x. By rotating the tension screws g, g either by a spanner or
applying a screw driver to the nicked heads of the screws they advance in one or
other direction in the fixed screw boxes of the pins q, q thereby giving a sliding
or longitudinal motion to the bearing plate x, the slots at 2 in the said plate
working upon the fixed pins qq. As the plate x is fixed to the leather foundation a³
the latter may be tightened or its tension relaxed according to the direction in
which the tension screws g, g are turned.
The heads of the tension screws g, g may be situated at the inner instead of at
the outer edge of the curved bearing plate x.
This construction of tightening appliance may be used at the front end of the
saddle for tightening the leather foundation or for relaxing its tension as desired.
In this case the parts are modified in the manner represented in section and plan
of underside in Figure 12, where y is the plate fixed to the front end of the
leather foundation of the saddle the said plate carrying at its ends, brackets y², y²
for the tension screw g to work in. The screw g on which the front branch c of
the supporting plate is secured has a slotted collar ≈ upon it for supporting the said
front branch which is fixed by a screw nut in the manner before described.
Although I have described and represented my improvements applied to the seat
of a bicycle saddle yet my said improvements are also applicable to the seats of
saddles for tricycles and other velocipedes and vehicles.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention.
First-Changing or regulating the tension of the leather foundation of the seats
of saddles for bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes and vehicles by the
combination with the three branched plate or external support c, c², c² or other
equivalent external supporting plate of the seat, of the adjustable attachments b, d, f
at the rear of the seat together with the tightening appliances g, h substantially
as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 of the accompanying
Drawings.

page_text: Secondly-Changing or regulating the tension of the leather foundation of the
seats of saddles for bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes and vehicles by the
combination with the three branched plate or external support c c³ c² or other
equivalent external supporting plate of the seat, of the front adjusting tension
plate p, p, r, or similar adjustable tension plates at the rear of the seat or both
at the front and rear of the seat, together with the tightening appliances g, 8
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of
the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly The modification of the parts of the rear tightening appliances
herein before described and represented in Figures 9, 10 and 11 of the accompanying
Drawings and the application of the said tightening appliances to the front end
of the saddle as herein before described and illustrated in Figure 12 of the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said James Alfred Lamplugh have hereunto set my
hand and seal this nineteenth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty four.