Improvements in Bicycle and like Saddles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 1st Dec., 1893-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycle and like Saddles.
We, THOMAS MIDDLEMORE, trading as William Middlemore, of 101 Holloway
Head, in the City of Birmingham, Manufacturer, and WALTER ALBERT
DE LATTRE, of 70 Howard Street, Coventry, in the County of Warwick,
Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention relates to the tension frame, bosses or clips and the tilting
arrangements for the said bosses or clips, of bicycle and like saddles and it is
specially applicable to light saddles suitable for racing purposes.
Our invention consists of a light frame formed of flat steel bars placed on
edge, together with a tilting boss of very simple construction firmly attached to the
said frame. The invention also includes means of adjusting the tension of the
saddle. The flat steel bars are expanded at the cantle plate end to give a suitable
hold on the said cantle plate and the ends are firmly secured by riveting or
otherwise. From the cantle plate the bars curve inwards and then proceed nearly
parallel to each other towards the peak end where they curve in and are united
by a connecting piece of sufficient thickness to carry a screwed pin.
The screwed pin passes inwards and through a nut piece which is firmly riveted
to the peak end of the saddle leather. The screwed pin carries a square at its
outer end and by turning this square the tension of the saddle leather may be
adjusted to any required extent.
Towards the centre of the parallel part of the flat bar frame the said bars are
firmly united by a channel plate. This plate is riveted firmly to the flat frame
bars and holds the bars together thereby forming a very strong and light frame.
The channel plate is preferably formed of stamped steel and the flat connecting
part is curved in the direction of the length of the saddle frame. The L pin
boss is formed by means of a suitable eye bolt through which the Lpin is passed.
The bolt
eye
passes through a hole in a slotted plate the said plate fitting into the
space between the frame bars in the channel plate and having its surface curved
to fit the curved surface of the channel plate. The free surfaces of the slotted
plate on each side of the eye of the eye bolt is curved to receive the L pin and
the curved surfaces project beyond the edge of the hole in the eye bolt to a
sufficient extent to allow the eye bolt to grip the pin when screwed up, and hold
it firmly between the said eye bolt and the surface of the slotted plate. The bolt
of the eye bolt passes through the slotted plate and through a long slot in the
channel plate and a nut and washer behind the channel plate allows the pin to
be firmly gripped as described by the action of the same screw nut or nuts which
holds the eye bolt to the saddle frame. At the same time the tilt of the sad lle
can be varied, by slacking the nut and sliding the slotted plate and eye bolt to a
different position on the curved channel plate and then locking the nut firmly in the
new position. When tilting is not required a flat channel plate may be used with
a corresponding flat slotted or sliding plate.
Dated this 28th day of February 1893.
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Bicycle and like Saddles.
We, THOMAS MIDDLEMORE, trading as William Middlemore, of 101 Holloway
Head, in the City of Birmingham, Manufacturer, and WALTER ALBERT
DE LATTRE, of 70 Howard Street, Coventry, in the County of Warwick,
Commercial Traveller, 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 :-
Our invention relates to the tension frame, bosses or clips and the tilting
arrangements for the said bosses or clips, of bicycle and like saddles, and it is
specially applicable to light saddles suitable for racing purposes.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings illustrative of our invention :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a saddle constructed in accordance with our
invention.
Figure 2 is an inverted plan of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an elevation part in section showing the details of the boss or clip
and the tilting device.
Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3 showing the tilt in the opposite direction.
Figure 5 is a transverse section corresponding to Figures 3 and 4.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 are drawn to a larger scale than Figures 1 and 2.
Our invention consists of a light frame formed of flat steel bars A A placed on
edge, together with a tilting boss of very simple construction firmly attached to
the said frame. The invention also includes means of adjusting the tension of the
saddle. The flat steel bars are expanded at the cantle plate end to give a suitable
hold on the said cantle plate C and the ends are firmly secured in the cantle plate
by riveting or otherwise. From the cantle plate the bars curve inwards and then
proceed nearly parallel to each other towards the peak end where they curve in
and are united by a connecting piece D' of sufficient thickness to carry a screwed
pin D.
The screwed pin D passes inwards and through a nut piece D³ which is firmly
riveted to the peak end of the saddle leather. The screwed pin carries a square D¹
at its outer end and by turning this square the tension of the saddle leather may be
adjusted to any required extent.
Towards the centre of the parallel part of the flat bar frame the said bars are
firmly united by a channel plate E. This plate E is riveted firmly to the flat
frame bars and holds the bars together, thereby forming a very strong and light
frame. The channel plate is preferably formed of stamped steel and the flat con-
necting part E¹ is curved in the direction of the length of the saddle frame.
The pin boss is formed by means of a suitable eye bolt F1 through which
the pin His passed. The eye bolt F1 passes through a hole in a slotted
plate F, the said plate F fitting into the space between the main bars in the channel
plate as clearly shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, and having its surface curved to fit
the curved surface E' of the channel plate E. The free surface G, G of the slotted
plate F on each side of the eye of the eye bolt F are curved to receive
the pin H and the said curved surfaces project beyond the edge of the hole in
the eye bolt to a sufficient extent to allow the eye bolt to grip the pin H when
screwed up by the nut F, and hold it firmly between the said eye bolt and the
surfaces G G of the slotted plate. The bolt of the eye bolt passes through the
slotted plate and through a long slot K in the curved part E¹ of the channel
plate E and a nut F' and washer behind the channel plate allows the L pin H to
be firmly gripped as described by the action of the same screw nut or nuts which
holds the eye bolt to the saddle frame. At the same time the tilt of the saddle
can be varied by slacking the nut F' and sliding the slotted plate G and eye

page_text: bolt F1 to a different position on the curved channel plate and then locking the nut
firmly in the new position.
When tilting is not required a flat channel plate may be used with a corresponding
flat slotted or sliding plate.
The action of the tilting arrangement is clearly seen by inspection of Figures 3
and 4. In Figure 3 the saddle is tilted in one direction and the eye bolt F is at
one end of the slot K in the channel plate E, while in Figure 4 the eye bolt
is at the other end of the said slot K. The eye bolt may be firmly fixed in
any intermediate position and the tilt thus varied between any predetermined
extremes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A bicycle or like saddle in which the tension frame consists of light flat steel
bars set on edge, the said bars being firmly riveted or attached together towards
the centre by a strong metallic connection such as a channel plate, and the ends of
the bars firmly attached by riveting or otherwise to a cantle plate and saddle
leather, while the front part is attached in any convenient manner to the peak
end of the saddle leather, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
2. A boss or clip for a bicycle or like saddle consisting of a sliding plate as F
moving on a curved surface as E'; an eye bolt as F' passing through the plate F
and moving in a slot in the plate E; the said boss or clip being arranged to clip
the pin in any desired position, substantially as herein before described with
reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In bicycle or like saddles, a tilting arrangement in which the tilt is obtained
by sliding a part connected to the saddle frame along a curved surface in the
direction of the length and clipping the saddle frame or part connected with it in
any position on the inclined surface to give the desired angle and direction of tilt,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The construction of saddle boss or clip with tilting arrangements hereinbefore
described as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
1 Nahan 1000
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicants.