Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes and Motor Carriages.
Year: 1897

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883), as required
by the decision of the Law Officer of the 28th day of July 1898.
Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 16th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 29th Jan., 1898
Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes and
Motor Carriages.
I, HENRY ARTHUR LAMPLUGH, of No. 61, Wellington Road, Birmingham, in
in the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to prevent the sudden jerk in the velocipede or
motor carriage to which it is applied when the wheel or wheels of the velocipede or
motor carriage encounter an obstruction on the road or surface on which the vehicle
is travelling.
I will describe my invention in connection with a safety bicycle.
The steering wheel is connected to the fork in the ordinary manner but I dispense
with the ordinary hub in the wheel in which hub the ends of the spindle ordinarily
take a bearing.
In place of the hub I employ metallic rings in which the inner ends of the spokes
of the wheel are fixed. The said rings have a diameter equal to about one fifth of
the diameter of the wheel. On each end of the spindle is a loose cylindrical flanged
roller which rollers take a bearing on the interior of the said rings so that when the
vehicle is in use the spindle of the steering wheel is excentric to the circumference
of the said wheel, being a short distance below the centre of the wheel.
On the advance motion of the velocipede the flanged rollers resting on the
interior of the rings described roll on the said interior of the rings with practically
no friction. When the steering wheel comes in contact with an obstacle, say a
large pebble on the road the said wheel being lifted its rings describe a curve about
a centre which centre is the summit of the pebble or obstacle. In consequence of
the complete detachment of the spindle from the steering wheel the flanged rollers
on the ends of the spindle slide or rotate upon the rings instead of being brought
suddenly to rest or nearly to rest and the shock which occurs when a safety bicycle
of the ordinary construction encounters an obstacle is prevented, a gentle ascent
and descent of the rider occurring when the bicycle travels over an obstacle.
The arrangement described may be applied to the driving wheel as well as the
steering wheel and the.chain wheel is attached to one of the rings described.
The application of my invention to velocipedes other than safety bicycles as well
as to motor carriages differs in no essential respect from its application to a safety
bicycle as herein before described.
Doted this Twentieth day of February 1897.

page_text: Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes and
Motor Carriages.
I, HENRY ARTHUR LAMPLUGH, of No. 61, Wellington Road, Birmingham, in
in the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
my 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 has for its object to prevent the sudden jerk in the velocipede or
motor carriage to which it is applied when the wheel or wheels of the velocipede or
motor carriage encounter an obstruction on the road or surface on which the vehicle
is travelling.
I will describe my invention in connection with a safety bicycle.
The steering wheel is connected to the fork in the ordinary manner but I dispense
with the ordinary hub in the wheel in which hub the ends of the spindle ordinarily
take a bearing.
In place of the ordinary hub I employ metallic rings in which the inner ends of
the spokes of the wheel are fixed. On each end of the spindle is a loose cylindrical
flanged roller which rollers take a bearing on the interior of the said rings so that
when the vehicle is in use the spindle of the steering wheel is eccentric to the cir-
cumference of the said wheel, being a short distance below the centre of the wheel.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in side elevation a safety
bicycle containing. my improvements; Figure 2 represents in front elevation and
Figures 3 and 4 represent elevations at opposite sides of the hub of the front or
steering wheel of the said safety bicycle and Figure 5 represents the said hub in
section Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 represent parts of the said hub detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
In carrying my invention into effect I form the rings a, a to which the inner
ends of the spokes are to be connected at the ends of and in one piece with the
barrel or hub as of the wheel as is illustrated in the detached sectional view of
the said hub Figure 6. I arrange within the said rings a, a of the hub two loose
rollers b, b the said rollers being carried eccentrically by a tubular sleeve 62 (see
Figures 7, 8 and 9) through which the spindle of the wheel passes. The said
loose rollers b, b and sleeve 63 are represented detached in Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10.
It will be seen by reference to Figure 5 that the several bearings of the improved
hub, namely the bearings of the hub a, a, a on the rollers b, b as well as those of
the rollers b, 6 on the spindle c, are provided with antifriction balls or spheres
marked respectively e, e and d, d the balls d, d being kept in place by the adjustable
cones f, on the screwed ends of the spindle c.
To permit of the assemblage of the parts as well as the adjustment from time to
time of the bearings to compensate for wear one of the rollers 6 (preferably that at
the left hand side of the hub as shown in Figures 5 and 7 of the drawings) is made
in two parts marked respectively b, 6 the part 6 being of a diameter somewhat less
than the interior of the part as of the hub and the other or ring part 6¹ (shown
separately in Figure 10) screwing on the part 6 after the same has been passed
through the part a of the hub. The balls e, e of the bearings of the hub having
been inserted in the ball races the adjustment of the said bearings is effected by
the final screwing up or adjustment of the ring part 1 of the roller b. b. The
adjusted ring 61 is locked in position by a key (shown separately in Figure 11)
the rib or projection g¹ of which key takes into one or other of the series of notches
in the outer face of the ring 61 of the roller b, b¹. The key g is secured to the
part 6 of the roller b, 6¹ by a screw h.

page_text: Although I prefer the construction described and represented of the loose
rollers b, b yet I do not limit myself thereto as the rollers 6, b at both ends of the
sleeve 6s may be constructed alike, that is, of two parts 6, 61; or both rollers may be
inade each of one piece of metal but separate from the sleeve 6 in which case
the ball bearing cups terminating the ends of the sleeve 6 are preferably screw-
threaded externally and the rollers b, 6 are made to screw thereon being locked in
position after adjustment by locking screw nuts or equivalent devices passed on
to the ends of the said ball bearing cups.
In applying my improvements to the rear or driving wheel of a safety bicycle
the ring a at the right hand side of the hub is provided with a tubular extension
or flange externally screwed to which the toothed or chain wheel is attached in a
way similar to that employed in the attaching of the chain wheel to an ordinary
driving wheel hub.
On the travelling of the safety bicycle described and represented on a smooth or
even surface the hub of each wheel rotates on the loose flanged rollers b, 6 but the
flanged rollers b, b resting on the interior of the rings a, a of the hub the said rollers
are capable of rolling on the said interiors of the rings a, a with practically no
friction. When one or other of the wheels comes in contact with an obstacle, say a
large pebble on the road, the said wheel being lifted its rings a, a describe a curve
about a centre which centre is the summit of the pebble or obstacle.
In conse-
quence of the complete isolation of the spindle c from the hub of the wheel the
flanged rollers b, b on the ends of the spindle c slide or roll on the interiors of the
rings instead of being brought suddenly to rest or nearly to rest and the shock
which occurs when a safety bicycle of the ordinary construction encounters an
obstacle is prevented, a gentle ascent and descent of the rider occurring when the
hile travels over an obstacle.
The application of my invention to velocipedes other than safety bicycles as well
as to motor carriages differs in no essential respect from its application to a safety
bicycle as herein before described.
In heavy vehicles such for example as motor carriages ball bearings may be
replaced by roller bearings; or the bearings may be plain, that is, without devices
for reducing friction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I would have it understood that
I am aware that it has been previously proposed in certain forms of apparatus for
reducing vibration in velocipedes and other vehicles to construct the wheels thereof
with hubs rotating upon hollow intermediate portions or centres and to connect the
framework on each side of the wheel by pins or spindles passing eccentrically
through the intermediate portions or centres, and I do not claim such construction
as my invention, but I declare that I claim as my invention of "Improvements
in bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes and motor carriages":-
The construction and arrangement or combination of parts herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of the wheels of velocipedes and the
like, the said arrangement of parts consisting essentially of the combination, with
the spindle of the wheel, of a pair of eccentric loose rollers carried by a sleeve on the
spindle, the rings at the ends of the hub of the wheel taking and rotating
on the said rollers the several gearings being preferably provided with anti-friction
balls or spheres or rollers substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Dated the Tenth day of November 1897.
HENRY A. LAMPLUGH.