An Improved Safety Stirrup.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Safety Stirrup.
We, ALFRED DEWSBURY, trading as John Dewsbury and Son, of 22 Littleton
Street, Walsall in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer, and HENRY VINCENT,
of 27 Bath Street, Walsall, aforesaid, Pattern Maker, 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 has for its object the construction of a safety stirrup which shall
have so nearly the appearance when in use of an ordinary stirrup that it will not be
readily noticed that it is other than an ordinary stirrup.
A safety stirrup constructed according to this invention has the tread plate
mounted to swivel on a bar or pin which is hinged at one end to the bottom of the
leg on one side of the stirrup. The treadplate, when the stirrup is in use, presses
at the portions of the ends which are on the forward side of the axis of the bar or
pin upon inward projections from the bottoms of the legs and prevents the bar or
pin from falling down. If the rider is thrown, and his or her foot is caught in the
stirrup, the treadplate is turned backwards on its axis, and its forward side is thus
brought clear of the inward projections from the bottoms of the legs, and the bar
or pin thus opens down on the axis of its hinge, leaving the lower end of the stirrup
open and allowing the foot to pass clear out of the stirrup. The stirrup may be
readily closed up again by first turning up the bar or pin on which the tread plate
swivels, the tread plate being at the same time in an edgeway position vertically Fo
as to allow it to clear the inward projections from the legs, and then turning the
plate on the bar or pin so as to bear upon such inward projections.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, we will now proceed to
describe a practical application of it as illustrated by the accompanying drawings,
of which
Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through the central plane of a stirrup
constructed according to this invention.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the stirrup with the lower end open.
Figure 3 is an edge view of the stirrup when open, as seen looking in the
direction of the arrow Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan of the stirrup taken on line
of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a sectional plan taken on line y y of Figure 2.
Figure 6 is a view of the underside of the stirrup when closed up.
Figure 7 is a transverse section through the treadplate and bar on which it
swivels, when the same are in position for ordinary use, and shews an inside
elevation of a portion of the leg with which the outer end of the hinged bar
engages; and
Figure 8 is a corresponding view to Figure 7, but shews the treadplate to be
turned back with its forward edge upwards.
A bar A is pivoted at a to the lower end of the leg b, and is formed at its
opposite end with a projection e which, when the bar is closed up into the position
shewn by Figure 1, fits within a recess formed in from the outer side of the
lower end of the leg d. The projection e and recess are formed to taper upwards
along their surfaces which come in contact, and with sides and upper ends which
are inclined in transverse section, to ensure that while the projection c is made to
fit well within the recess d¹ it will be easily led thereinto as the bar is closed up.
The treadplate B is swivelled to the bar A by means of metal straps e which fit, as
shewn by Figures 1 and 2, around portions of the bar of reduced diameter and
between the shoulders at the ends of such portions, the straps being brazed riveted
or otherwise fixed at their ends to the tread plate. An inward projection f is formed

page_text: on the lower end of each leg bd in position to be on the forward side of the axis of
the bar A when the same is closed up as in Figure 1. The bar may be closed up
from its position shewn by Figures 2 and 3 into its position shewn by Figure 1, by
keeping the plate in the same relative position to the bar as it is shewn in
Figures 2, 3 and 8; and when the bar has been so closed up the plate is turned
over forwards from its position shewn by Figure 8 into its position shewn by
Figure 7, so that the forward side bears on the two projections ff. In order that
the lower side of the plate may in such case be flush with the bottom ends of the
legs bd, recesses gg are formed in the ends of the plate B on the underside thereof
into which the projections f fit.
It will now be readily seen that when the bar is closed up as shewn by Figure 1,
and the forward side of the plate B rests upon the projections ff, the bar is
prevented from falling at its outer end, and the stirrup may be used in the ordinary
manner; but that if the rider is thrown and his or her foot is caught in the stirrup
the pressure this brought on to the rear side of the plate will cause it to turn back
edgeways, and the bar, and with it the plate, will open out or fall down into the
position shewn by Figures 2 and 3 and allow the foot to fall clear of the stirrup.
In the illustrations the tread plate is shewn when open, or in position to open, as
in a plane at right angles to its plane when in position for ordinary use, but of
course the stops ff may be so formed that the plate will open when turned back
from its ordinary position less than through a right angle.
It will be seen that though the stirrup is made to open and release the foot in
case of the foot being caught in the stirrup as the rider is thrown, the stirrup has so
nearly the appearance of an ordinary stirrup that it will not readily be noticed that
it is other than an ordinary stirrup.
h
In order to prevent the plate B from turning accidentally on the bar A when the
stirrup is closed up ready for use, but is not in actual use, a spring / may be fixed at
one end to the plate B and bear at its free end against a flat formed therefor in the
bar; or if preferred the forward side of the plate may be made sufficiently heavier
than the rear side to ensure its not turning backwards accidentally when the stirrup
is not in use.
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 safety stirrup constructed with a bar or part hinged to the lower end of the
leg on one side of the stirrup, said bar or part having a treadplate swivelled thereto
which rests, when in position for ordinary use, upon stops projecting from the
lower ends of the legs forwards of the axis of the hinged bar or part, the said
plate being capable of being turned backwards to clear such stops and thus allow
the hinged bar or part to turn downwards or outwards on its hinge, substantially as
described.
2. A safety stirrup constructed with a bar hinged to the lower end of the leg on
one side of the stirrup and formed to engage with the lower end of the leg on the
other side of the stirrup in a manner to prevent the two sides of the stirrup from
opening outwards, said bar having a treadplate mounted to swivel thereon and to
rest, when in position for ordinary use, upon stops projecting from the lower ends
of the legs forwards of the axis of the bar, and thus prevent the bar from opening,
the said plate being capable of being turned backwards to clear such stops, and thus
allow the bar to open, substantially as described.
3. A safety stirrup constructed substantially as described and shewn by the
drawings herewith.
Dated this 20th day of Marah 1004
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicants.