Improvements in or relating to the Frames of Cycles or other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May. 1896
Complete Specification Left, 1st Mar., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Frames of Cycles or other
Vehicles.
We, BENJAMIN VERITY of 39 Oakhurst Grove, East Dulwich, London,
Electrical Engineer, and THOMAS STOWARD of 7, Saltoun Road, Brixton,
London, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object to prevent or reduce the jolting and jarring
experienced in riding cycles or riding in other vehicles and is designed to obviate
the necessity of using pneumatic tyres with all the drawbacks of puncturing etc.
contingent on the use of the latter or if desired our present invention may be used
in addition to such pneumatic tyres or with any other cushion or other form of
tyres as desired.
Our present invention is as follows and for the sake of example we will describe
same as applied to an ordinary safety bicycle:-
We arrange and provide pneumatic cushion or pneumatic action in or upon the
front forks and similarly in or upon the back forks or in or upon any other part or
parts of the frame such as the saddle pillar or the head or the horizontal bar
across the top and also if desired in or upon the handle bar the parts being so
arranged where this pneumatic action is introduced as to prevent their coming
apart or separating (although provision may be made to enable such separation to
be effected when desired for instance to facilitate packing the machine within a
small compass for travelling or to enable cleaning of the parts etc.) the said parts
being arranged to slide in or upon or along one another (for instance telescopically)
or otherwise combined in any suitable manner-the pneumatic cushion or cushions
or pneumatic action being introduced or arranged in connection with such parts in
any suitable manner so that when one part is forced into or along or upon or
towards the other part such pneumatic cushion will be compressed and thereby
prevent or reduce the jar or jolting upon the rider said pneumatic cushion imme-
diately returning the parts to their normal position as soon as the pressure from
the jolting or jar is over.
If desired any suitable spring or springs such as metal or rubber etc. may be
used in conjunction with the aforesaid pneumatic action to assist the latter or the
aforesaid pneumatic action may be used alone.
We will now describe one way of carrying out our present invention as applied
to each arm of the fork say the front fork of a velocipede :-
To the axle or bearings of the front wheel a piston or plunger is connected on
each side of the wheel and to the lower end of each arm of the fork a cylinder or
enclosed air chamber is fixed or connected the said plungers or pistons being
adapted to fit in an air-tight or gas-tight manner within the aforesaid cylinders or
enclosed air chambers the air being thus enclosed within the latter to produce the
pneumatic action or if desired in addition thereto any suitable air-containing tube
bag or vessel forming an air-tight pneumatic cushion may be placed within said
cylinder against which said plunger will act-suitable means being provided to
normally prevent the plungers coming out of the cylinders so that the wheel is
thus secured to the front fork and the weight put upon said front fork is con-
sequently carried on said pueumatic cushion in each arm of the fork and as any

page_text: jolting or jarring takes place in riding same causes the further compression of the
pneumatic cushions which thus prevent or reduce the effect of such jolting or
jarring on the rider.
In other parts of the framing or in applying our invention to vehicles other
than bicycles the pneumatic cushion or pneumatic action may be introduced in the
above or any other suitable manner for the aforesaid purposes.
Provision may be made (for instance by valves and an air pump such as are now
well known and in common use in connection with pneumatic tyres) for inflating or
re-charging the pneumatic cushion or cushions in any desired manner in the event
of said pneumatic action requiring same.
Dated this 28th dar of Mar 1806
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or relating to the Frames of Cycles or other
Vehicles.
We BENJAMIN VERITY, of 39 Oakhurst Grove East Dulwich, London,
Electrical Engineer, and THOMAS STOWARD of 7 Saltoun Road, Brixton,
London, Manufacturer, 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 to prevent or reduce the jolting and jarring
experienced in riding cycles or riding in other vehicles and is designed to obviate
the necessity of using pneumatic tyres with the attendant drawbacks of puncturing
leakage inflation and difficulty and cost of attaching such pneumatic tyres to the
rims but if desired the present invention may be used in addition to such pneumatic
tyres or with any other cushion or other form of tyres as desired.
The present invention is as follows. We will describe it as applied to an
ordinary safety bicycle although it is not limited thereto.
We arrange as hereinafter described a pneumatic cushion or pneumatic cushious
in, or in connection with, the front fork or similarly in, or in connection with, the
back fork, or in, or in connection with both such forks or any other part, or parts,
of the frame such as the saddle pillar, or the head, or the horizontal bar across
the top and also if desired in, or in connection with, the handle bar; the parts
being so arranged where this pneumatic cushion is, or these pueumatic cushions
are, introduced as to prevent their coming apart or separating accidentally
although provision may be made to enable such separation to be effected when
desired; for instance, to facilitate packing the machine within a small compass for
transit, or to enable cleaning of the parts, or for other purpose, the said parts
being arranged to slide in, or upon, or along, one another; for instance,
telescopically. The pneumatic cushion, or cushions, is, or are introduced, or
arranged, in connection with such parts in such manner that when one part is
forced into, or along, or upon, or towards the other part, such pneumatic cushion,
or cushions, will be compressed and thereby prevent, or reduce, the jar, or jolting,
upon the rider, the said pneumatic cushion, or cushions, returning the parts to
their norinal position immediately the pressure from the jolting, or jar, ceases.
The said pneumatic cushion, or cushions, may be used alone, or, if desired, any
suitable spring, or springs, such as metal, or rubber, or the like may be used in
conjunction therewith.

page_text: To the axle, or bearings, of the front wheel a piston, or plunger, is connected
on each side of the wheel and to the lower end of each arm of the fork a cylinder,
or its equivalent, is fixed, or connected, the said plungers, or pistons, being adapted
to enter within the aforesaid cylinders, or their equivalents. An air-containing
tube bag or vessel forming an air-tight pneumatic cushion is placed within the said
cylinder or its equivalent against which the said plunger or piston will act-
suitable means being provided (such as a head thereon) to normally prevent the
plungers coming out of the cylinders, or the equivalents, so that the wheel is thus
secured to the front fork and the weight put upon the said front fork is con-
sequently carried on the said pneumatic cushion in each arm of the fork, and as
any jolting, or jarring, takes place in riding, it causes the further compression of
the pneumatic cushions which thus prevent, or reduce, the effect of such jolting,
or jarring, on the rider, whilst the air cushions, being enclosed, are protected from
injury. The pneumatic cushions and their containers and the parts which co-act
to compress the cushions may be similarly applied to other parts of the bicycle, or
vehicle, with which they are used.
The container of the air cushiou may be of any suitable form.
Provision may be made (for instance by valves and an air pump such as those
now well known, and in common use, in connection with pneumatic tyres) for
inflating or re-charging the pneumatic cushions in any desired manner.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side elevation of a bicycle provided
with air cushions according to our invention.
Figure 2 is a front elevation and Figure 3 a vertical section at right angles
thereto of a portion of the front end of the machine drawn to a larger scale.
Figures 4 and 5 are views similar to Figures 2 and 3 of portion of the rear end
of the machine.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of a bicycle shewing modified arrangements of the
air cushions and
Figure 7 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section of a
portion of the front end of the machine drawn to a larger scale.
Referring to Figures 1 to 5, A is the frame of the machine, parts of which are
connected together by hinge joints or pivots at a to admit of independent move-
ments of these parts. B are the crown plates of the rear wheel fork from which
extend upwards, the back stays A', the upper ends of which back stays pass
through eyes c in a yoke C hinged to the top bar A. To the crown plates B is
secured a piston or plunger D on the stem of which is fitted to slide a chamber or
container E for a flexible air cushiou F the said chamber or container E being
made in parts connected together by screws or otherwise to admit of the parts
being separated for the insertion and removal of the air cushion. The yoke C
bears on or is connected to the top of the chamber or container E so that by the
weight of the rider the said chamber will be depressed and caused to slide down
the stem of the piston or plunger D whereby the air cushion is compressed between
the plunger and the top of the container and constitutes a resilient bearing for the
rear end of the frame, the yoke C, to which it is hinged, being free to slide up and
down the back stays A. To the crown plates B₁ of the front wheel fork is
similarly attached a piston or plunger D' fitted to slide in a chamber E' containing
an air cushion F1 the said chamber E' being rigidly connected to the top and
botton bars of the frame A so that when the rider is on the machine the chamber
is caused to slide down the stem of the plunger D' and compress the air cushion F
between the said plunger and the top of the chamber. The upper end of the
chamber or container E¹ is provided with an extension e which enters a socket e
secured to plates B2 which are connected to the crown plates B' by tubes 9 in which
tubes are inserted the stems H of the steering handle bar I. The extension e and
socket constitute the bearing for the frout wheel fork and steering handle bar,
balls being provided between the extension e and the socket e to reduce friction.
To prevent the head of the plunger which bears directly on the flexible air cushion
from abrading the said cushion, by the movement of the steering wheel, the said

page_text: head may be fitted loosely on or in the stem of the plunger so that the stem will be
free to turn without turning the head. The air cushions may be inflated by any
suitable means we have shewn the chambers or containers E E' as being provided
with non-return valves f which may be of ordinary construction.
Instead of arranging the air cushions at the parts of the frame shewn and
described with reference to Figures 1 to 5, the said cushions may be applied to the
forks of the machine, for example, the axle or the bearings of the wheel may be
provided with a piston or plunger on each side of the wheel and to the lower end
of each arm of the fork a cylinder or its equivalent containing the air cushion may
be fixed or connected, the said plungers or pistons being adapted to enter within
the aforesaid cylinders or their equivalents and compress the air cushion as herein-
before described, but when applying the air cushions to the forks of the machine
we prefer the arrangement illustrated by Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings. In
Figure 6 we have shewn two different forms of the air cushion, those shown
applied to the front fork being spherical and those applied to the rear fork being
cylindrical. Each chamber or container for the air cushion is made in two
parts E E2 fitted to slide one within the other, one part E being connected to a
bracket b projecting from the fork arm and the other part E' being connected to a
projection d from the axle K on which the wheel turns. The flexible air
cushions F in the chamber or container may be inflated by any convenient means
but to ensure the air cushions on the two arms of the fork being uniformly inflated
we prefer to provide a communication between the interior of both the cushions;
for this purpose the axle of the wheel and the projections d from the axle are made
hollow as shewn in Figure 7 and a nou-return valve h is provided at one end of the
axle, or of one of the projections d through which valve air is forced into the axle,
the said air passing thence through the hollow projections or branches d into the
air cushions F F on both arms of the fork. The fork of the back wheel may be
made hollow and the air cushions carried thereon be similarly inflated.
rider is on the machine the air cushions are partly compressed and any jolting or
jarring, which takes place in riding, causes the further compression of the cushions
which thus prevent or reduce the effect of such jolting or jarring on the rider,
whilst the air cushions being enclosed are protected from injury. The pneumatic
cushions and their containers and the parts which co-act to compress the cushions
may be applied to any suitable parts of the bicycle or vehicle with which they
are used, and may be of any suitable form other than those described and
illustrated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
In combination with the frames of cycles or other vehicles parts which act
respectively as a cylinder and as a pistou or plunger the cylinder containing an
air tube bag or vessel so as to act substantially as, and for the purpose, herein-
before explained.
Dated this 1st day of February 1897.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.