Improvements in or relating to Mudscrapers or Guards and Chain Cleaning Attachments for Velocipedes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1895-Accepted, 19th Oct., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Mudscrapers or Guards and Chain
Cleaning Attachments for Velocipedes.
I, FRIEDRICH OTTO OPPERMANN otherwise known as Otto Menotti" of
35, Salisbury Road, Wavertree, Liverpool, Gymnast, 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 is designed to dispense with the use or necessity of gear-cases or
mud-guards as heretofore constructed for the driving chain or wheels of cycles and
thereby not only save the weight and inconvenience of such cases or mud-guards as,
heretofore used but also save the expense thereof as well as rattle and noise
therefrom-my substitute therefor (which forms the subject of my present.
invention) being very small and inexpensive, light in weight, easily attached and
detached when desired or removed out of the way when not required, readily
adjustable, not uusightly on the machine and out of the way of the rider and,
having many advantages for the purposes for which same is designed.
And in order that my present invention may be easily understood and readily
carried into practice I will proceed to fully describe same with reference to the
drawings hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1 is a side view (in elevation) of the back wheel and its connections of a,
cycle showing my invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a side view-on an enlarged scale-of one of my brushes and its attach-
ments shown detached from the machine.
Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow z.
Fig. 4 is a plan view (on an enlarged scale) of the brush and outer ends of the
rods supporting said brush against or adjacent to the wheel tyre.
a represents the driving wheel of an ordinary cycle i.e. bicycle or otherwise.
bis the driving chain of any well-known or suitable construction and it is operated
by the chain wheel c on the crank shaft d or in any other desired manner.
ee are two brushes mounted and arranged according to my present invention to
keep the chain b clean (or sufficiently clean) as it travels round and round and
thus dispensing with the use or necessity of mud-guard or gear-case over the said
driving chain b.
i
These brushes ee and their attachments are shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3 the
bristles or other suitable material (and which I shall hereinafter refer to as
"bristles") forming the brush e are specially mounted in the metal socket f,
viz.. after the bristles have been inserted therein the front of said socket is
then compressed (to a taper form as shown in Fig. 3) so as to thus very firmly grip
and hold said bristles in this metal socket; or said bristles may be otherwise.
suitably mounted or the brush constructed in other desired and suitable manner.
The back edge of this mount has a flange or projecting lip ƒ along each side
thereof these flanges f2 serving to guide and hold the said brush in the guideway,
adapted to receive same in the holder g the edges g' of which latter are turned over
to form such guideway (see Fig. 3) while the outer end of said holder is also
turned over at g² (see Fig. 2) to form a stop and thereby prevent the brush coming
out of the said holder when mounted in position on the cycle.
The aforesaid holder g is advantageously formed out of one piece of metal,
having a part g* bent to an angle of nearly 90° or thereabouts, with the part y

page_text: see Fig. 2, and to the said part g* is swivelled or otherwise suitably attached a clip
or other suitable device for clamping or firmly attaching the said holder and with
it the brush to the desired part of the cycle.
The form of this clip or device will naturally vary according to the part of the
machine to which same is to be attached.
In the example illustrated the clip consists of a piece of metal bent round in a
circular form the two ends thereof h¹ terminating opposite to each other and
about parallel to one another.
Each of these ends has a hole or opening provided therein and one of them may
if desired be forked or slotted so as to readily permit of the insertion therein and
withdrawal therefrom of the screw ród or tie bar i.
This screw or screwed rod i terminates in or has fixed to one end thereof a
milled head or other suitable device to afford a ready means of grasping and
holding same while the opposite end of this screwed rod i has a milled nut thereon
or same may be a wing-nut or may be otherwise suitably formed for or adapted
to receive a spanner or other means of-tightening same up firmly on the rod i.
In order to enable the brush e to be adjusted (or moved in or out of use) the clip
or part is swivelled to the holder part g* by means of a bolt & and nut thereon
or same may be secured by a rivet or otherwise suitably attached as desired.
The brush thus arranged and mounted (or arranged and mounted in any other
suitable manner) can be attached at any convenient point to clean the chain for
instance same may be clipped or locked firmly to the upright part y of the frame of
the cycle and the brush e set to the desired angle so as to bear against the driving
chain on the top side thereof and similarly a second brush e mounted by being
attached to any convenient part of the machine so as to bear against the underside
of the said driving chain (see Fig. 1) and thus as the chain 6 travels round and
round both sides are continuously brushed and kept clean thereby the necessity for
using a mud-guard or gear-case for said chain is obviated and the weight and
expense thereof can thus be avoided by my simple and inexpensive contrivance
both the weight and cost of which need only be nominal compared with said
mud-guard.
For use as mud-guard on the wheels of cycles I proceed as follows:
The brush e (advantageously formed of a semi-circular concave shape
see Fig. 4 i.e. as a counterpart to the shape of the tyre of the wheel a)
is advantageously formed as in Figs. 2 and 3 by mounting the bristles in a
metal socket with lips or flanges (not shown) along each edge thereof (as at 2
Fig. 3) by which means same is mounted on the holder g (Fig. 4) under over-
hanging or turned over edges thereon (as at g' Fig. 3) while the ends g of this
holder g are prolonged and have holes provided therein through which the ends of
the supporting rods or wires m pass and are there secured by nuts n screwed
thereon or same may be otherwise suitably secured to the rods m which latter may
if desired have light springs o combined therewith so that the brush e will thus
"give" a little or these springs may be dispensed with. Or said brush may be
arranged and mounted in any other suitable manner to act as mud-guard on the
wheel or wheels of cycles.
The other end of these rods are secured to any suitable part of the machine in
any suitable manner and in the case of the back wheel if desired same may be
pivotted (advantageously above the axle of the said wheel) for instance as shown
in Fig. 1 so that same can be turned up (when desired) out of use as at m¹
Fig. 1 and there secured by an elastic band string or other suitable means as
desired while any suitable means may also be provided to hold said brush down in
the required position when acting as mud-guard on the wheel a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination with a cycle of a brush with means provided thereon for

page_text: attaching same to any desired part of the machine for use instead of a gear-case
or mud-guard.
2. The combination with a cycle of a brush with means provided thereon for
attaching same to any desired part of the machine for use instead of a gear-case
or mud-guard substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
3. An attachment for cycles as a substitute for the ordinary gear-case or mud-
guard thereof consisting of the combination with a brush of a metal mount adapted
to receive and hold said brush therein and means to clamp or attach same to the
desired part of the machine.
4. An attachment for cycles as a substitute for the ordinary gear-case or mud-
guard thereof consisting of the combination with a brush of a metal mount adapted
to receive and hold said brush therein and means to clamp or attach same to the
desired part of the machine substantially in the manner and for the purposes
herein before described.
5. An attachment for cycles-as a substitute for a cover for the driving chain
thereof consisting of a brush a holder adapted to receive and hold said brush and
permit same to be removed or replaced as desired a clip or clamping device
adapted to be securely attached to any desired part of the machine and a swivel
joint connecting said brush holder to said clip so as to permit adjustment of the
brush.
6. An attachment for cycles-as a substitute for a cover for the driving chain
thereof-consisting of a brush a holder adapted to receive and hold said brush and
permit same to be removed therefrom or replaced as desired a clip or clamping
device adapted to be securely attached to any desired part of the machine and a
swivel joint connecting said brush holder to said clip so as to permit adjustment of
the brush substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described.
7. An attachment for cycles consisting of a brush such as e mounted in a metal
socket such as fa holder such as g adapted to receive and hold said brush socket
therein and having an arm or extension such as g* thereon a clip such as h swivelled
to said arm g* and means such as the screwed rod i and nut j thereon to attach and
fix same to any desired part of the machine combined and arranged to act
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and
illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings hereunto annexed.
8. An attachment for cycles consisting of a semi-circular shaped brush such as e
mounted in a metal socket such as fa holder such as g adapted to receive and hold
said brush socket therein and having extensions such as 9 thereon and supporting
rods or wires such as m one end of each of which latter is fixed to the machine and
the other end of each secured to said extensions g substantially in the manner
and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings
hereunto annexed.
-1זי.
L
T1 100%
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.