Improvements in Springs or Cushions to be Applied to the Seats of Cycles, Mattresses, and generally where Ease is Required Under Pressure.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Springs or Cushions to be Applied to the Seats of
Cycles, Mattresses, and generally where Ease is Required Under
Pressure.
I, FREDERIC WOOD, of Commercial Quay, Wexford in the County of
Wexford Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to springs or cushions, to be applied to the seats of cycles,
mattrasses and generally where ease is required under pressure.
The object of my invention is to use springs or cushions the resilience of which
is derived from the elastic properties of air confined in suitable receptacles or
cavities as substitutes for or in combination with spiral or other springs in which the
resilience is due to the elastic properties of the steel or other material of which the
spring is made.
In constructing pneumatic springs or cushions according to my invention I
confine the air in vessels or cavities which take the form and dimensions most
suitable for the particular circumstances or conditions in which they are used such
as vessels of the shape and size of an egg set end wise to the pressure exerted upon
them the said vessels being composed of material which is both compressible and
air tight such as rubber so that the air vessel or cavity being set in position yields
to extra pressure by changing its form which form it again resumes, as the said
extra pressure is removed, as for instance when applied to the seat of a cycle which
is subjected to the kind of shocks and concussions for the relief of which my
pneumatic spring is especially applicable.
The seat is mounted on a spindle enclosed in a tube and the combination of parts
consists as follows:-To afford the required up and down movement of the seat the
spindle is passed through a washer inserted in the mouth of the tube and exactly
fitting both the tube and the spindle; at the lower end of the spindle is furnished
a piston also exactly fitting the tube and resting on a pneumatic spring at the
bottom of the tube, the resilience of which cushions the movements of the seat
whether arising from concussions and shocks due to inequalities of the road and
obstacles encountered in travelling, or to the variations of pressure exerted thereo
by the movement of the rider. In other respects the fittings are similar to those
for steel or the like springs.
In applying my pneumatic springs or cushions to bed mattrasses or for the like
cushioning purposes the said pneumatic springs are arranged in their several
positions as deemed best to carry the mattress or the like, and to cushion such
ariations of pressure as may be applied to it without material departure from the
evel position of the mattress. In this case the pneumatic springs or cushions
ombine the egg shaped receptacle with square ends or their equivalents, so as to
it into or afford suitable surface contact with rigid counterparts attached to the
nattress itself or to the framework or surface upon which it is supported or the
neumatic springs may themselves be incorporated as parts of a compressible frame
which can be used, in various modifications as a substitute for the springs of a
arriage or taking an egg ended tubular form may be enclosed within a spiral
pring the two to be used in combination.
Dated this 6th day of February 1893
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Springs or Cushions to be Applied to the Seats of
Cycles, Mattresses, and generally where Ease is Required Under
Pressure.
I, FREDERIC WOOD, of Commercial Quay, Wexford, in the County of Wexford,
Ireland, Seed Merchant, 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 relates to springs or cushious to be applied to the seats of cycles,
stools, mattresses, and generally where ease is required under pressure.
The object of my invention is to use springs or cushions, the resilience of which
is derived mainly from the elastic properties of air confined in suitable receptacles
or cavaties as substitutes for or in combination with spiral or other springs in which
the utility of the spring is mainly due to the resilient or clastic properties of the
steel or other material of which the spring is made.
In constructing pneumatic springs or cushions for the purposes of my invention
I confine the air in vessels or cavities which take the form and dimensions most
suitable for the particular circumstances and conditions in which they are to be
used, such as vessels of the shape and size of an egg set end wise to the pressure
exerted upon them, or if the practical difficulties in the way of attaining the true
egg shape be found too great, the said air vessels may take such other form as
approximates to the conditions and advantageous properties of the egg shape, such
as the spherical form, or the cylindrical form, whether round ended or flat ended,
the said vessels being composed in any case of a material or combination of
materials which is both compressible and air-tight, such as rubber combined in
some cases with a spiral spring so that the air vessel or cavity being set in position
yields to extra pressure by changing its form which it again resumes as the said
extra pressure is removed as for instance when applied to the seat of a cycle which
is subjected to the kind of shocks and concussions for the relief of which my
pneumatic spring is especially applicable.
And in order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accom-
panying drawings, in which I have illustrated my invention in use in three forms in
which it is especially applicable and from which its adaptability to analogous
purposes or uses is thought to be obvious and the same letters of reference are used
to indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the figures.
In the drawings
Figures 1, 2 and 3, illustrate the application of my invention to the seat of a
cycle, Figure 1 showing in part sectional view the seat pillar tube secured to the
usual bottom bracket tube and the cycle seat mounted on its pillar but otherwise
balanced on the ordinary spiral springs, Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on
line of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a part sectional view of the cyclo seat
mounted on pneumatic springs in the place of the spiral springs shown in
Figure 1.
Figure 4 illustrates in vertical section a music stool with the seat pillar working
on a pneumatic spring in accordance with this invention and with the seat proper
also pneumatically cushioned as in Figure 3 in accordance with the invention
described and illustrated in the Specifications and drawings as filed by me in my
application for Letters Patent No. 24007 of 1892.
Figures 5 and 6 are a side elevation and corresponding plan view respectively of
a mattress mounted on my pneumatic springs and
Figure 7 illustrates in sectional view as an enlarged and separate detail, the

page_text: form and construction of pneumatic spring as illustrated in all the
previous figures.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the seat a is mounted on a spindle or seat
pillar 6 standing in a seat pillar tube c, and the combination of parts consists as
5 follows:-To afford the requisite up and down movement of the seat a, the seat
pillar 6 is passed through a washer inserted in the mouth of the tube c and exactly
fitting both the tube and the spindle or as a substitute for this I prefer the screw
cap d as shown in Figure 1, as being more reliable and serviceable for the purpose.
At the lower end of the seat pillar b is furnished a piston or plunger e which is
screwed onto or otherwise secured to the pillar seat, and is designed in the
manner shown, that is with hollow sides at f and packed with rubber with a
view of sufficiently elongating the surface contact between plunger and tube to
secure good action in combination with a minimum of weight in the said
plunger. This plunger e rests upon the pneumatic spring 9 at the bottom of
the tube o the resilience of which cushions the movements of the seat in the manner
required whether arising from concussions and shocks due to the inequalities of the
road and obstacles encountered in travelling or to the variation of pressure exerted
thereon by the movements of the rider. h is a spiral spring to check an upward
jerk of the seat.
In Figures 1 kk are the usual spiral springs for supporting the seat a for which
the pneumatic springs g1 g are substituted in Figure 3 the details of which are too
simple and clear to require description, which pneumatic springs can be used in
combination with the pneumatic spring g inside the tube c or in combination with
a spiral spring as a substitute for the pneumatic spring 9.
The adaptation of the above described arrangement of parts to the music stool
illustrated in Figure 4 is also sufficiently obvious to require no further description
in detail.
In applying my pneumatic springs or cushions to bed mattresses as illustrated in
Figures 5 and 6, or for the like cushioning purposes the said pneumatic springs are
arranged in their several positions as deemed best to carry the mattress or the like
and to cushion such variations of pressure as may be applied to it without material
departure from the level position of the mattress.
springs or cushions combine the egg shaped or other shaped receptacle with the
In the case the pneumatic
flanged ends so as to fit into or afford suitable surface contact with rigid counter-
parts attached to the mattress itself or to the framework or surface upon which it
is supported. Taking the arrangement as shown in Figures 5 and 6, it will be
observed that each pneumatic spring g is of large diameter relatively to its height
and that they are secured to the frame and its cross bars upon which they stand,
and to the mattress webbing m, which is placed upon them by means of their flanges
hrough which holes are provided for the reception of bolts, cords or the like
ecuring devices.
Referring to Figure 7 which is intended more particularly to show a construction
f pneumatic spring adapted for this invention, I would here remark that the spiral
pring in which it is enclosed is not to be taken as essential to the efficiency of
he pneumatic spring in all cases, but helps to preserve its form and to prevent
nequal bulging of the rubber when yielding to pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
on and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
laim is :-
Firstly. As a substitute for or in combination with spiral or other springs in
hich the resilience of the spring is mainly due to the elastic properties of the
aterial of which it is made, the use of pneumatic springs or cushions the resilience
which is mainly derived from air confined in suitable receptacles or cavities,
bstantially as and for the purposes as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
ay of example in the accompanying drawings.
Secondly. The arrangement and combination of parts by which the movements,

page_text: shocks or concussions of a cycle seat are pneumatically cushioned substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
Thirdly. The arrangement and combination of parts by which a music stool or
the like is pneumatically cushioned on its pillar seat as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figure 4.
Fourthly. The use of pneumatic springs in combination with mattresses or the
like as and for the purpose as hereinbefore described and with reference to Figures 5
and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
ليم
1000
CIT
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.