Year: 1895

page_text: A communication from ARTHUR JEROME EDDY, Lawyer, of 616 The Rookery,
Chicago, State of Illinois, United States of America.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :-
It is a fact now well-recognized that lasting injury to health may be occasioned
by the more or less constant riding upon a cycle-saddle which is not constructed
according to hygienic and anatomical principles to conform to the body of the rider;
and the difficulties hitherto in the way of obtaining a resilient saddle for cycles which
would be free from all danger of working injury to a rider, and at the same time
contribute to his ease and comfort without interfering with the free movement of
his legs, is well-known to those who have investigated the subject, and has caused
many to adopt saddles of the unyielding type, but shaped to permanently conform
to the body, rather than resilient-saddles, which, if constructed with due regard to
the health of the rider, would be much more comfortable.
One of my objects is to provide a yielding-saddle for cycles which shall possess
the properties of adapting itself to the form of the rider, and of fitting against a
considerable area of his body, during, and without interfering with, the movement
of his legs, whereby the weight of the rider, while he works the pedals, will be
upon those parts of his body naturally intended to sustain the weight in sitting,
and never with undue pressure upon the prostate gland or any part which such
pressure might injuriously affect.
My object is, also, to provide a saddle having the properties named and of a
construction which shall render it yielding in such a manner as to neutralize the
vibrations transmitted by the machine and give particular ease and comfort to
the rider.
My object is still further to provide a yielding saddle of improved construction,
which shall be comparatively simple, durable, light, attractive and inexpensive.
In the drawing which illustrates a saddle involving my improvements as I prefer
to construct them, at the present time-
Figure 1 is a top plan view;
Figure 2, a side elevation ;
Figure 3, a rear elevation, illustrating a preferred manner of fastening together
the two sections of the saddle-frame, when made in two separate parts, and of
securing them upon a saddle-support;
Figures 4 and 5, a top plan view and a side elevation, respectively, of the spring
frame-portion of the saddle;
Figure 6, a section taken on line 6 of Figure 2 and viewed in the direction of
the arrow; and
Figure 7, a plan view of a detachable reinforcing-plate or pad.
A is the saddle formed with the skeleton-frame A', comprising a transverse,
preferably resilient, bar or member A2, and horizontally-disposed seat-sections A³
and A. As I prefer to construct the frame it is in two parts, as shown, each
formed of a single length of spring-wire bent to produce the transversely extending
1dle inclined vart (2), bend t³, from

page_text: which extends the ogee length or outer forward rail terminating at the forward
end in a bend to, center-rail or length in a plane somewhat higher than the
length, horizontally disposed loop t', rear curved portion or back-rail 18
terminating in a bend to in close proximity to the bend t³, and arm to formed like
and extending parallel with the arm t. The arm-portions t 10 of the frame-sections
together form the transverse supporting-bar A2 of the saddle and the other parts
of the sections form the horizontally disposed seat-portion.
B is a saddle supporting-block or clip provided with the socket-portions,
saddle-bar engaging-screws, and the upward projecting arms ². In the
arms are openings to receive the end-portions t' of the arms to. The
arms in the construction illustrated overlap or intermesh with each other in the
saddle supporting-block B, and between the arms of the latter they are bent
coincidently upward to form a saddle-support receiving-socket, (as shown at t¹ in
Figure 3). The saddle-support C extends through the sockets of the block B
and socket formed by the parts t¹ of the arms, and the saddle is fastened in place
by tightening the screws, which thus clamps all the parts firmly in position.
The lengths to which form the arms, or opposite end-portions of the transverse
supporting-bar A2, sustain the main-body of the seat-portion of the frame about
midway between front and back, while the horizontally disposed frame-sections are
supported to swing or vibrate from the bends t³ to, and yield with greatest case
along the center rail-portion. The loops t', which are supported at the center
rail-portions, have an additional independent yielding. At the pummel-portion A
of the saddle the parts t to pitch slightly upward to elevate the bends to; and
the back-rails to are bent to extend in a higher plane than the loops t', to produce
the cantle Aº.
In practice the weight of the rider is imposed more directly upon the loops t
and the yielding of these loops is substantially in the vertical plane with the effect
of lowering the center-rails t, to prevent their pressing with material force against
the prostate gland. Thus the least resistance is at, those parts of the saddle which,
by yielding, produce practically absolute conformity of the seat to the rider's
person and thereby give the greatest comfort and ease.
D is a saddle-covering shaped to conform to the frame-sections A³ A' and
sufficiently flexibile to follow to the desired extent the motions of the springs.
I prefer to construct the covering in one piece as shown, and the material
employed is preferably leather. The weight of the rider is about equally balanced
upon a transverse line directly over the transverse supporting-bar A², and under
any change of position of the rider the saddle may rock to yield at the pummel or
cantle-ends. The pummel-portion of the saddle will prevent the rider from slipping
to either side, and is preferably so yielding, that in the event, that the rider slips
forward it will sink under his weight and thereby prevent the tendency to injury
which more rigid pummels would be apt to inflict. The cantle-portion of the
saddle being yielding enables a rider to slip off the saddle in the backward
direction, in case of emergency, with greater ease than were the cantle rigid. The
construction which permits the saddle. to rock upon a central transverse line, and
thus, afford a yielding pummel and a yielding cantle is particularly desirable, both
for the comfort and safety of the rider; and the yielding pummel is also particularly
desirable for the use of ladies, because it renders mounting and dismounting from
the saddle much more easy than is the case with rigid pummels.
I prefer, in practice, to secure the spring frame-sections together at the pummel,
and for this purpose I provide the clip shown in Figure 6, which connects at
opposite ends with the center-rails t*. The pummel-portion of the saddle-cover
may be fastened in place by means of a rivet q passing through the clip q as
shown.
I also prefer, in practice, to provide upon each loop t' a reinforcing-plate or
pad E which reay be of leather, or it may be of thin sheet-metal, perforated, as
shown in Figure 7, and provided with lugs or stops p, which, when the plate or
pad is imposed upon the loop, engage the inner circumference of the latter and

page_text: prevent shifting of the plate or pad. This manner of attaching the plate or pad
renders it removable and replaceable at will; and the material from which it is
formed should be sufficiently flexible to dish downward under the weight of the
rider and sustain in a measure the flexible seat-covering to prevent the latter from
becoming permanently sagged at the loops in use. The tendency of the plates or
pads when used will also be to cause the loops to yield equally throughout under
weight imposed upon any part thereof; and they will also operate as supplemental
cushions between the rider and the springs.
Though I prefer to construct the transverse bar A2 in two separate sections, as
shown and described, the two parts or sections of the spring seat-frame may be
formed integral, as, for example, by forming them both from a single length of
wire. The bends at the parts t', which afford the upper support-receiving socket,
afford a particularly desirable and simple construction, and in the event that either
section of the seat becomes injured, it may be replaced, while the other section
may remain.
The features of my saddle, which render it particularly desirable for comfort
and ease while working the pedals, are the tendency to yield more readily at the
center than at the sides, and the readiness with which it will rock to produce
the yielding pummel and cantle.
The wire from which the springs are made may be of any desired gage to
produce the proper action according to the weight of the rider; and, constructed
as described, the saddle is not only neat in appearance and durable, but it is
particularly light and inexpensive to manufacture.
While I prefer to construct my invention throughout as shown and described, it
may be modified in the matter of details of construction without departing from
the spirit of my invention as defined. by the claims.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of
a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the said
block, and a seat supported at opposite sides upon the ends of said bar, substantially
as described.
2. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of
a transverse resilient seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at
the said block, and a seat supported at opposite sides upon the ends of said bar,
substantially as described.
3. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of
a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the said
block, and a yielding seat-frame supported at opposite sides upon the ends of said
bar, substantially as described.
4. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of
a transverse resilient seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its endsat
the said block, and a yielding seat-frame supported at opposite sides upon the ends
of said bar, substantially as described.
5. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of
a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the said
block, and a seat-frame formed of longitudinally extending sections supported at
their outer sides upon the ends of said bar, substantially as described.
6. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of
a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the said
block, and a seat-frame formed of longitudinally extending downwardly yielding
sections supported at their outer sides, upon the ends of said bar, substantially as
described.
7. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of
a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the said

page_text: block, and a seat-frame formed of wire bent to produce a pummel and supported
at opposite sides between its ends upon the ends of said bar, to render the saddle
readily yielding at the pummel, substantially as described.
8. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block,
of a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the
said Lluck, and a seat-frame formed of wire bent to produce a cantle, and supported
at opposite sides between its ends upon the ends of said bar, to render the saddle
readily yielding at the cantle, substantially as described.
9. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block,
of a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the
said block, and a seat-frame formed of wire bent to produce a pummel and a
cantle, and supported at opposite sides between its ends upon the ends of said bar
to rock thereon and thus render the saddle readily yielding at the pummel and
cantle, substantially as described.
10. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block,
of a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its cuds at the
said block, and a skeleton seat-frame formed of parallel longitudinally extending
sections separated from cach other at the seat-portion, and supported at their outer
sides upon the ends of said bar to yield more readily along the center of the saddle
than at the sides thereof, substantially as described.
11. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block,
of a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the
said block, and a skeleton-frame in two parallel longitudinally extending sections
forming together seat and pummel frame-portions of the saddle, and supported at
their outer sides upon the ends of said bar to yield more readily along the center of
the saddle than at the sides thereof, substantially as described.
12. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block,
of a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the
said block, and a skeleton-frame in two parallel longitudinally extending sections
forming together seat and pummel frame-portions of the saddle separated at the
seat-portion and connected together at the pummel-pertion, and supported at their
outer sides upon the ends of said bar to yield more readily along the center of the
saddle than at the sides thereof, substantially as described.
13. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block,
of a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the
said block, and a skeleton-frame in two parallel longitudinally extending sections
forming together seat and pummel frame-portions of the saddle, and supported at
their outer sides between their ends upon the ends of said car to yield more readily
along the center of the saddle than at the sides thereof, and to rock on said bar to
render the pummel yielding, substantially as described.
14. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block,
of a transverse seat-supporting member or bar mounted between its ends at the
said block, and a skeleton-frame in two parallel longitudinally extending sections
forming together seat, pummel and cantle frame-portions of the saddle, and sup-
ported at their outer sides between their ends upon the ends of said bar to yield
more readily along the center of the saddle than at the sides thereof, and to rock on
said bar to render the pummel and cantle yielding, substantially as described.
15. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of
a spring seat-frame formed with spring wire skeleton frame-sections extending
transversely through the block, and supported to yield more freely along the
center of the seat than at the sides thereof, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
16. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of
a spring seat-frame formed with two sections each comprising a transversely
extending arm supported toward its inner end at the said block and an inward
extending horizontally disposed seat-portion carried by the outer end of said arm,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 17. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of
a spring seat-frame formed with two sections each comprising a transversely
extending arm supported toward its inner end at the said block and an inward
extending horizontally disposed seat-portion carried by the outer end of said frame
and formed with an outward extending loop supported at the inner side to the
seat-portion, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
18. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of
a spring seat-frame formed with two sections, each comprising a transversely
extending arm supported toward its inner end at the said block and an inward
extending horizontally disposed seat-portion carried by the outer end of said arm,
the said transverse arms overlapping each other at the said block, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
19. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of a
spring seat-frame formed with two sections, each comprising a transversely
extending arm supported toward its inner end at the said block and an inward
extending horizontally disposed scat-portion carried by the outer end of said arm,
the said transverse arms overlapping each other at the said block, and being
bent coincidently at their overlapping portions to form a support receiving socket,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
20. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of a
spring seat-frame comprising two sections, each formed of a length of wire bent to
produce the transverse supporting-arm, outer forward rail t, center-rail to, loop t
and back-rail t8, substantially as described.
21. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of a
spring seat-frame comprising two sections each formed of a length of wire bent to
produce the transverse supporting-arm, outer forward rail and center-rail t
having the elevated free end-portion forming the pummel, loop t', and back-
rail having the upwardly bent cantle-portion, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
22. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of a
spring seat-frame formed with two sections each comprising a transversely
extending-arm supported toward its inner end at the said block, and an inward
extending horizontally disposed seat-portion carried by the outer end of said arm,
a reinforcing-plate or pad on each said section, and a seat covering of flexible
material fastened upon the frame over the said reinforcing-plate or pad, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
23. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of
a spring seat-frame comprising two sections each formed of wire bent to produce
the transverse supporting-arm, outer forward rail, center-rail, loop and back-rail,
and a reinforcing-plate or pad fitted upon the said loop, substantially as described.
24. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of a
spring-seat frame comprising two sections each formed of wire bent to produce the
transverse supporting-arm, outer forward rail, center-rail, loop and back-rail, and a
clip connecting the center-rails of the sections toward their forward ends, substan-
tially as described.
25. In a cycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block, of
a spring seat-frame comprising two sections each formed of wire bent to produce
the transverse supporting-arm, outer forward rail, center-rail, loop and back-rail,
a clip connecting the center-rails of the sections toward their forward ends, and a
seat-covering of flexible material fastened to the said clip, substantially as
described.
1
CT
1005
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.