Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Sept., 1899
10th
Lune 4000
That tul
1000
I, THEODORE JAMES BIGGS, of Dungarvon Buildings, Frome, Somerset, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:---
This invention relates to an improved fork end for cycles and to the methods
of its construction; also to an improved chain stay bridge or crown for cycles,
and its methods of construction.
"
By a rear fork end I mean a member of a cycle frame to which the axle
of the rear wheel hub is usually secured and which also serves to unite one of
the rear stays to one of the chain stays.
•
"
"
By a rear stay I mean one of those members of a cycle frame which runs
from the seat bracket to the rear fork end. By a chain stay" I mean one of
those members running from the rear fork end towards the bottom bracket.
By a chain stay bridge" or crown I mean a member of the frame which
is usually located a short distance in front of the rear wheel tyre and serves to
unite the chain stays running forward from the rear fork end, to one or more
tubes running rearward from the bottom bracket, which tubes I will call the
bracket tubes."
According to my invention I construct a rear fork end of two suitably shaped
blanks with which I combine for the purpose of attaching the tubes thereto,
suitably shaped thimbles. Each blank has in it a hole of a suitable size to fit
the spindle of the rear wheel or a bushing which I may place thereon.
To construct the fork end from the two blanks, I place them together so that
the centres of the holes coincide. From this centre the blanks and the tubes
attached thereto may be swung to suit the varying angles of different sizes of
frames.
In making a chain stay bridge according to my invention, the shell of the
bridge is made in two halves which are preferably stamped from sheet metal
and meet together so that the joint between them lies in a plane which coin-
cides with the axes of the chain stays and the bracket-tubes.
Usually the bracket-tubes enter the bridge for the purpose of forming a joint
therewith. In the case of a single bracket tube being employed, the joint
between the bracket tube and the bridge may be effected in a similar manner,
Gr the bracket tube may be made an integral part of the bridge shell.
The chain stays may enter the bridge shell to form a joint therewith; or to
make a joint which shall have a flush finish, the bridge shell may be shouldered
down to enter the chain stays; or a butt joint may be made between the bridge
and the chain stays and a strip of sheet metal bent to the necessary shape, may be
inserted so as to make contact with the inside of both the bridge and the chain
stay.
In order to impart greater lateral strength to the bridge and adjacent frame
members-employ-a-web-consisting of-a-flat-plate-preferably stamped-from-sheet-
metal and of such a shape as to conform to the inside of the bridge and to

page_text: provide extensions which shall fit the inside of the chain stays and the bracket
tubes. This web plate is placed inside the bridge, and its extensions enter the
chain stays and bracket tubes, the said web plate being located in the plane
coincident with the axes of the chain stays and the bracket tubes. The edges
of the two halves of the bridge which, meet to form the joint may be provided
with notches to receive suitably shaped projections provided on the web for
the purpose of maintaining the web in correct location within the bridge shell.
These notches may be dovetail shaped so that by clinching the said projections
therein the two halves of the bridge tend to hold together at the joint between
them.
When the chain stays, bridge shell, web plate, bracket tubes and other parts
herein mentioned, have been correctly located together, the whole may be secured
together by brazing or other suitable means.
By another method of constructing a bridge shell in accordance with this
invention the shell is formed of two halves preferably stamped from sheet metal,
one half being trough shaped and conforming to the outer sides of the chain
stays, the other half being of the necessary shape to close the opening of the
trough shaped half.
Bridges herein described as uniting the chain stays to the bracket tubes, may
also be used for uniting the rear stays to tubes running from the seat bracket.
Dated this 12th day of September 1899.
Improvements in the Frames of Cycles.
I, THEODORE JAMES BIGGS, of Dungarvon Buildings, Frome, Somerset, Engineer,
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 relates to an improved fork end for cycles and to the methods
of its construction; also to an improved chain stay bridge or crown for cycles,
and its methods of construction.
By a rear fork end" I mean a member of a cycle frame to which the axle
of the rear wheel hub is usually secured and which also serves to unite one of
the rear stays to one of the chain stays.
66
.
دو
"
By a rear stay I mean one of those members of a cycle frame which runs
from the seat bracket to the rear fork end. By a chain stay" I mean one of
those members running from the rear fork end towards the bottom bracket.
By a chain stay bridge" or
"
crown I mean a member of the frame which
is usually located a short distance in front of the rear wheel tyre and serves to
unite the chain stays running forward from the rear fork end, to one or more
tubes running rearward from the bottom bracket, which tubes I will call the
bracket tubes.
According to my invention I construct a rear fork end of two suitably-shaped
blanks with which I combine for the purpose of attaching the tubes thereto,
suitably shaped thimbles. Each blank has in it a hole of a suitable size to fit
the spindle of the rear wheel or a bushing which I may place thereon.
To construct the fork end from the two blanks, I place them together so that
the centres of the holes coincide. From this centre the blanks and the tubes
attached thereto may be swung to suit the varying angles of different sizes of
frames.

page_text: In making a chain stay bridge according to my invention, the shell of the.
bridge is made in two halves which are preferably stamped from sheet metal
and meet together so that the joint between them lies in the plane which coin-
cides with the axes of the chain stays and bracket-tubes.
Usually the bracket-tubes enter the bridge for the purpose of forming a joint
therewith. In the case of a single bracket tube being employed, the joint
between the bracket tube and the bridge may be effected in a similar manner,
or the bracket tube may be made an integral part of the bridge shell.
The chain-stays may enter the bridge-shell to form a joint therewith; or to
make a joint which shall have a flush finish, the bridge shell may be shouldered
down to enter the chain-stays; or a butt-joint may be made between the bridge
and the chain-stays and a strip of metal bent to the necessary shape, may be
inserted so as to make contact with the inside of both the bridge and the chain-
stays.
In order to impart greater lateral strength to the bridge and adjacent frame
members, I employ a web consisting of a flat plate preferably stamped from sheet
metal and of such a shape as to conform to the inside of the bridge and to
provide extensions which shall fit the inside of the chain-stays and the bracket-
tubes. This web plate is placed inside the bridge, and its extensions enter the
chain-stays and the bracket-tubes; the said web plate being located in the plane
coincident with the axes of the chain-stays and the bracket-tubes. The edges
of the two halves of the bridge which meet to form the joint, may be provided
with notches to receive suitably shaped projections provided on the web for
the purpose of maintaining the web in correct location within the bridge shell.
These notches may be dovetail-shaped so that by clinching the said projections
therein the two halves of the bridge tend to hold together at the joint between
them.
When the chain-stays, bridge-shell, web-plate, bracket-tubes, and other parts
herein mentioned, have been correctly located together, the whole may be secured
together by brazing or other suitable means.
By another method of constructing a bridge-shell in accordance with this
invention the shell is formed of two halves preferably stamped from sheet metal,
one half being trough-shaped and conforming to the outer sides of the chain-
stays, the other half being of the necessary shape to close the opening of the
trough-shaped half.
Bridges herein described as uniting the chain stays to the bracket tubes, may
also be used for uniting the rear stays to tubes running from the seat-bracket.
With reference to the accompanying drawings; Figs. 1 & 3 show elevational
views and Figs. 2 & 4 plan views of the two metal blanks A & B which form
the main portion of the rear fork end. Figs. 5 & 7 show elevational views and
Figs. 6 & 8 plan views of half thimbles C & E such as are commonly used to
close the end of D section tubes when one end of a flat metal blank is to be
brazed to the inner flat side of the ]) section tube.
To construct a rear fork end from these parts A, B, C, E, I first place the two
blanks A & B together as shown in Figs. 9 & 10 with the hole A4 in the blank A
concentric with the hole B4 in the blank B. I then place the half thimble C
upon the portion A1 of the blank A and the half thimble E on the portion B1
of the blank B.
Fig. 11 shows an elevational view, Fig. 12 a plan, and Figs. 13 & 14 respective
end views of the two blanks A & B and the two half thimbles C & E assembled
to form a rear fork end ready to receive D) section tubes which are passed over
the portions A1 & C1 and B1 & E1 which are shaped as shown for the purpose
of receiving the tubes so as to show a flush joint between the tubes and the fork
end.
Figs. 15 & 16 show sectional elevation views of a fork end_completed_with
the-tubes-H-&-K-in-position. It will be noticed that the angle of the tube H
with the tube K is greater in Fig. 15 than that shown in Fig. 16 and it will also

page_text: be noticed that if the blanks A & B are so shaped at A3 & B3 as to allow for
the maximum angle required, by keeping the holes A4 & B4 concentric and
rotating one blank relatively with the other a reduction in the angle may be
made, in which case the portion A3 of the blank A overlaps the blank B, and
the portion B3 of the blank B overlaps the blank A. For the sake of appear-
ance the overlapping portions A3 & B3 may be removed by filing or otherwise.
Sometimes I make the blank B of the shape shown by the dotted line at 12
Fig. 3, so that the blank B in no case projects beyond the blank A at this
particular point.
The edges A 5 & A6 of the blank A are radial to the centre of the hole A4
and therefore any alteration in the angle of the two blanks relatively with each
other does not interfere with the fitting of the blank A at A5 & A6 into the
thimble E.
When the parts A, B, C, E and the tubes If & K have been assembled together
in their correct positions and the two blanks A & B set to the required angle
all the parts concerned may be secured together by brazing or other suitable
means or the blank A, halt thimble C and tube H may be brazed or otherwise
secured together, and the blank B, half thimble E and tube K similarly secured
together, the two blanks A & B being held together in the latter case by the
nuts and other parts upon the axle of the hub, the said axle passing through
the holes A 4 & B4 in the blanks A & B. In order to facilitate the removal
of the hub axle I sometimes cut a slot through the blanks A & B as shown at S
Fig. 16.
When the tubes to be connected to the fork end are of circular section I employ D
section half thimbles on both sides of A1 & BI so as to obtain a circular form
to receive the circular section tube.
Instead of making the portions C2 & E2 of the thimbles C & E convex in
shape sometimes make them concave.
Figs. 17 to 23 inclusive show chain stay bridges made in accordance with my
invention.
Fig. 17 shows an end view and Fig. 18 a side view of the two halves G1 which
form the shell of the chain stay bridge. Fig. 19 shows a plan inside view of
one half shell G. Fig. 20 shows a plan view of the web plate W. Fig. 21
shows a sectional plan of the shell G. web plate W, bracket tubes T. T. and
chain stay tubes P. P. assembled together.
The projections 0 on the web plate W fit into the notches N in the shell G
as shown in Fig. 21, for the purpose of locating the web plate correctly in
position. The notches N may be made rectangular in shape to fit the rect-
angular projections or they may be dovetail shape as shown so that when
the parts are assembled the projections may be clinched into the dovetail
shaped notches and thereby tend to hold the two halves of the shell G together.
I sometimes dispense with both the projections and the notches N. and make
the web plate a tight fit within the shell G, and tubes T, T, & P, P.
The notches in the web plate W receive and retain in position strips of
metal F bent to fit the inside of the tubes P, P, and employed for the purpose
of strengthening the joint between the tubes P, P, and the bridge shell G. The
circular holes shewn in the web plate W are pierced through the web plate for
the sake of lightness.
When the two halves of the shell G, web plate W, tubes 1, P, & T, T, and
strips F, F, are assembled together the whole is secured together by brazing or
other suitable means.
Fig. 23 shows another method of making the bridge shell. The main portion G
is made in one piece, and is trough shaped with an opening at G2, the said
opening being closed by the metal plate G1. This shell, comprising the parts G,
&G, may be used in conjunction with a web plate as before described to form
a complete chain stay bridge.
Fig. 22 shows a method which I employ for making a chain stay bridge when

page_text: a single bracket tube is used. In this arrangement the joint between the two
halves of the bridge shell may be made as shown in Figs. 17, 18 & 19 or as
shown in Fig. 23.
I sometimes dispense with the tube T Fig. 22 and lengthen the part G 3 of the
bridge shell and braze it to the bottom bracket.
In Fig. 17 the shell G is shown of the necessary shape to fit round tubes at Y
and 1 section tubes at X. The shell may however be made of the necessary
'shape to fit tubes of any desired section.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:-
1. A rear fork end the main portion of which is made from two pieces of
metal A and B of the shape shown in Figs. 1 and 3, for the purpose of allowing
for variation of the relative angle of the rear stay H with the chain stay K.
2. The combination with the half thimbles C, and E, of the blanks A. and B,
of the shape and for the purpose described and illustrated in Figs. 1 to 16
inclusive.
3. The combination of the two halves of the shell G with the web plate W
to form a chain stay bridge as and for the purpose described and illustrated in
Figs. 17 to 22 inclusive.
4: The combination of the two halves of the shell G, G1 shown in Fig. 23
with the web plate Was and for the purpose described.
5. The use of the notches N, in the shell G, and the projections
on the
web plate Was and for the purpose described and shown in Figs. 17 to 22
inclusive.
مدل Dated
1141 are of in 1000