Improvements in Seat or Saddle Posts for Velocipedes and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Seat or Saddle Posts for Velocipedes and the like.
I, FRANK AMBROSE HELMER, of Atwood Buildings, Clark and Madison Streets, in
the City of Chicago, County of Cook, and State of Illinois, United States of
America, Attorney and Counsellor-at-Law, 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 seat-post, more especially adapted for use
with bicycles, in which connection its application is shown.
The object of the invention is to construct a seat-post which is simple, strong,
durable, inexpensive in construction and easily and quickly adjusted to raise or lower
the seat; and which will allow the seat to be removed and replaced without difficulty,
and which will more firmly, rigidly and reliably support the occupant or rider as the
weight or strain upon the seat increases; and the invention consists in the novel
and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a seat-post embodying the invention, secured in
operative position in its supporting standard which is shown in section.
Figure 2 is a vertical section showing the position of the parts before the seat
assumes the required position, that is, before the post is firmly and reliably secured
at the desired point.
Figure 3 is a front view of said post detached from the frame.
Referring to the drawing in detail, 1 designates the usual hollow standard of a
bicycle-frame, in which the seat-post is mounted.
The seat-post proper comprises two members, 2 and 3 and as shown is formed of
hollow tubing cut obliquely in half from end to end, as at 4, so that the member 3
forms practically a wedge.
The member 2 is flattened and reduced at its upper end, and pivotally connected
thereto, as at 5, in the seat supporting bar 6, which bar, in effect, is a lever, as will
hereinafter appear, and mounted adjustably upon the outer end of the bar or lever 6
is a seat 7, of any preferred form or type.
Said bar or lever 6 is, as shown, bifurcated at its inner end, and embraces the
flattened upper end of the body 2 of the post, and also embraces the upper end of an
arm 8, formed at the upper end of the wedge or member 3; said arm being connected
to the bar or lever 6, by a pivot 9, extending through the elongated hole 9ª, or the
elongated hole 9b, of said bar, accordingly as said bar projects rearward or forward
from the post. Owing to the fact that the distance between the pivots 5 and 9 varies
as the lever is raised or lowered, the said holes or openings must be provided to
permit the pivot 9 to play back and forth, and instead of having the elongated holes
in the arm or lever 6, an elongated hole can be provided in the upper end or arm of
the part 2, and a similar hole in the arm 8 as shown in Figure 2, in which case the

page_text: holes for the pivots in the bar or lever 6 will not be elongated but of a size for the
pivot.
It will thus be seen that the movement of the bar or lever 6 in a vertical plane
will cause the wedge or inember 3 to slide up and down on its companion member 2,
and thereby decrease or increase the diameter of the seat-post. The construction of
seat-post thus far described will be found practical and efficient in use, but the
members of the post would be free to separate or swing apart whenever the post was
drawn out of the standard 1, which would necessitate the operator, each time the
seat was removed and again fitted in position, pressing and holding said members
together, until the operator had succeeded in fitting the lower end of the members
into said standard, and while this manipulation, if necessary, would not be very
objectionable, necessity therefor is obviated by providing the member 2 with a closed
lower end having an aperture 10, and the member 3 with a spring rod or arm 11,
which is secured in any suitable manner at its upper end to the said member 3, and
at its lower end projects through the aperture 10, and consequently tends to hold
said members together with a yielding pressure.
The arrangement is such, however, that when the user presses down or mounts
upon the seat the member 3, is caused to slide down upon the member 2, the spring
sliding down through the aperture 10, and yielding or springing laterally, of course,
to accommodate the relative change of position of the members 2 and 3.
When securing the seat-post in position, the bar or lever carrying the seat is tilted
to the position shown in Figure 2, so as to raise the wedge or member 3 and reduce
the diameter of the post. The latter is then fitted down into the tubular standard
of the frame in the customary manner, until the seat is at the required height. The
member 2 of the post is then grasped and held firmly, until pressure is brought to
bear upon the seat, to depress its outer end until the wedge-member has been moved
down to the position shown in full lines, Figure 1, and the diameter of the seat-
post increased to such an extent that it impinges against and is tightly embraced by
the surrounding standard when the seat has reached a horizontal position.
The rider may now mount in perfect safety, as weight upon the saddle will only
tend to support it more firmly, rigidly and reliably in its proper position, as will be
readily understood.
It will be seen that by constructing one member of a seat-post with a surface which
converges relatively to the opposing surface of the seat-post standard, and the other
member in the form of a wedge, and connecting the two by a seat-supporting arm or
lever, which is actuated by downward pressure or the weight of the user, to move
downwardly into the converging space formed by and between the first-named
member and the opposing wall of the seat-post standard, weight applied upon said
standard will only tend to more firmly, rigidly and reliably support the post in
position, and it is further seen that when no one is upon the seat, the seat-post can,
without the use of a wrench or any other implement, be quickly and easily removed
from position, or adjusted to a higher or lower plane, to accommodate riders of varying
length of limb. To do which all that is necessary to be done is to raise the arm or
lever, releasing the wedge, thereby loosening the seat-post for removal or re-
adjustment.
It will furthermore be obvious that the rider of a wheel provided with this
improvement may leave it standing outside a door or any building, with almost
perfect confidence that it will remain there, because the seat can be removed and
taken away and very few people care to attempt to spirit away a seatless bicycle.
When desired, the rider may shift the seat to a point in advance of the post by
rotating the post until the lever 6, projects forward. When this is accomplished said
lever projects upward as well as forward and consequently throws the seat to an
impracticable position due to the inclined standard. To reinedy this the pivot 9, is
removed from opening 9 to opening 9b, above, which depresses the lever until it
assumes a horizontal position as shown in dotted lines Figure 1, when the seat
can be removed, reversed and replaced in position upon the lever, as will be readily
understood.

page_text: It will be seen that the construction is one by which an adjustable seat-post is
produced which embodies the advantages enumerated in the statement of invention,
and it is to be understood that slight changes in the details of construction or
arrangement will not be a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Where it is not desired to have a reversible seat-post, only one hole, 9 or 9b need be
provided, according as it is desired to have the seat forward or back. The diameter
of the seat-post for use on bicycles should be such as to enter and fit the interior
of the usual hollow standard of the bicycle frame on which the seat-post is
mounted.
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. The combination with a tubular support, of a tubular seat-post fitting therein
and adapted under pressure to increase diametrically in size, substantially as
described.
2. A seat-post, comprising an upwardly tapering member, a downwardly tapering
member, and a seat-supporting lever fulcrumed upon the first-named member
and pivotally connected to the last-named or sliding member, substantially as
described.
3. A seat-post for bicycles, comprising a member having a bevelled face which
converges downwardly with reference to the opposing wall of its supporting standard
of a bicycle frame, a wedge-like member fitting snugly and slidingly against the
bevelled surface of the first named member, and a lever fulcruined upon the first
named member and pivotally connected to the last named member, that its
vertical adjustment may increase or diminish the diameter of the seat-post as a
whole, by sliding the wedge-like member downwardly or upwardly, substantially as
described.
4. A seat-post for bicycles, comprising a member having a bevelled face which
converges downwardly with reference to the opposing wall of its supporting standard
of a bicycle frame, a wedge-like member fitting snugly and slidingly against the
bevelled surface of the first named member, a lever fulcrummed upon the first named
member and pivotally connected to the last-named member in order that its vertical
adjustment may increase or diminish the diameter of the seat-post as a whole by
sliding the wedge-like member downwardly or upwardly, and a seat mounted upon
the outer end of said lever, substantially as described.
5. The combination with the tubular seat-post supporting-standard of a bicycle-
frame, of a cylindrical seat-post fitting snugly within said standard, and formed by
cutting a piece of tubing in half longitudinally, so as to produce opposing inclined
faces on the members thus formed, a lever fulcrumed at its front end upon the
member forming the "body" of the post, and adapted to swing in a vertical plane,
and pivotally connected to the upper end of the other member nearer its rear end,
and a seat mounted upon said lever rearward of its connection with the last-named
member, substantially as described.
6. A seat-post comprising a pair of members, one tapering upwardly and the other
downwardly, and fitted together and forming conjointly a cylindrical post, and a
spring holding said members yieldingly together, substantially as described.
7. A seat-post comprising an upwardly tapering member, a downwardly tapering
member, a seat supporting lever fulcrumed upon the first-named member and
provided with superposed openings or slots, and a pivot-pin mounted in one of said
openings and connecting the lever pivotally with the last-named member,
substantially as described.
8. A seat-post comprising a pair of members having cam or inclined faces fitting
slidingly together, and a spring holding them yieldingly in this position.
9. A seat-post comprising a pair of members, having opposing inclined faces fitted
together, and one of them provided with an apertured bottom, and a spring extending

page_text: through said aperture and secured at its upper end to the member not provided with
the apertured bottom.
Dated this 5th day of January 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.