An Improved Arrangement of Springs for Absorbing the Vibration in Safety Bicycles, Tricycles, and Ordinary Bicycles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 25th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Arrangement of Springs for Absorbing the Vibration
in Safety Bicycles, Tricycles, and Ordinary Bicycles.
--
GEORGE WILLIAM GARDINER, Engineer, 15, Albert Hill, Bishop Auckland,
Co. Durham. I do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
To the lower end of centre tube of steering socket of Safety bicycle or tricycle
is brazed a crossbar with two eyes, parallel to the spindle of steering wheel.
In the centre of this crossbar, and at a right angle to the centre line of eyes, an
arm is forged, which projects behind the steering socket and under the tube which
connects steering socket with crank axle bracket.
Both sides of the front fork are brazed at the top to a bridge, which is hinged to
the eyes of crossbar at bottom of steering socket, by means of a ball, cone, or
parallel bearing.
On each side of the fork is fixed an eye, to which is attached one end of a helical
spring, the other end of the spring being connected by an adjusting screw to the
arm behind crossbar at bottom of centre tube of steering socket.
At the front & back at head of fork are two stoppers to prevent too much
movement of fork either backward or forward.
The springs when in use are in tension.
A spring may also be fixed to work in compression by an arm being forged to
centre of bridge at top of fork & carried in front of steering socket, to which one
end of a helical spring would be fixed & the other end attached to the top of centre
tube of steering socket.
A spring may also be fixed to work in tension by an arm forged to each side of
bridge at top of fork & continued by the sides of steering socket above tube from
steering socket to seat pillar, & then bent backwards at right angles, both arms
being joined at the top. At the end of arms would be attached one end of a helical
spring, and the other end of spring would be connected to top of centre tube of
steering socket.
The above invention is also applicable to the back fork of ordinary bicycles.
The tubes of the fork from crank axle bracket to centre of hind wheel of Safety
bicycle are brazed to a bridge, which is hinged at the crank axle bearing by means
of a parallel, cone, or ball bearing.
The seat pillar ends of the tubes of fork from hind wheel of Safety bicycle are
brazed to a bridge, in the centre of which is forged at a right angle to crank axle,
a guide bar of a right angled triangular section & is curved to a radius equal to the
distance from crank axle to guide bar.
Fixed to the frame under seat pillar and at right angles to crank axle, is a guide
with a loose block of triangular section, with one side tapered, & curved same
radius as guide bar; through which the curved guide bar works. The guide bar
is adjusted by means of a set screw at each end of loose tapered block which keeps
the bevilled face of loose block against bevilled face of guide bar, or the loose
block may be made parallel & adjusted by two set screws at one side.
The above guide bar may also be made of a round section & adjusted by a bush
in three sections, the outer diameter of bush being tapered, over which would pass
a ring, tapered on the inside & screwed on the outside into a case.
To the end of guide bar is fixed a crossbar & to each end of the crossbar is
attached by means of an adjusting screw, one end of a helical spring, the other end
of the spring being connected to the frame by an eye or hook.
The springs when in use are in tension & parallel to the faces of guide bar.

page_text: The bridges at end of forks are connected together by a tube being brazed
between them.
The foregoing arrangement is also applicable to a spring in compression at the
end of guide bar, & a spring in tension, or compression connected at one end to an
arm from bridge at end of bottom fork & attached at the other end to frame.
Dated this 16th day of March 1892.
GEORGE WILLIAM GARDINER,
15, Albert Hill, Bishop Auckland, Engineer.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Arrangement of Springs for Absorbing the Vibration
in Safety Bicycles, Tricycles, and Ordinary Bicycles.
1, GEORGE WILLIAM GARDINER, Engineer, of 15 Albert Hill, Bishop
Auckland in the County of Durham 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 arrangement of springs for absorbing the
vibration in Safety bicycles tricycles and Ordinary bicycles.
I will fully describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1 shows a side view of part of the front fork and steering socket of a
safety bicycle, Figure 2 showing a front view of the essential parts of the same
required in this description.
Figure 3 shows a side view of the framing of a Safety bicycle at the crank axle
bracket and at the seat pillar ends of the fork tubes from the hind wheel,
Figure 4 showing a plan of apparatus at the said seat pillar ends.
These views embrace the essential features of my invention.
Figure 5 is a section on line in Figures 3 and 4, Figure 6 being a plan of the
hinge at the crank axle bracket and throughout the following description like
marks or letters of reference designate like parts.
Referring to the drawings (Figs. 1 and 2), it will be observed that to the lower
end of the centre tube of the steering socket a is brazed a crossbar a' with two
eyes a. To the centre of this crossbar and at right angles to the axis of the
eyes aforesaid an arm a³ is forged which projects behind the steering socket and
underneath the tube t which connects the steering socket with the crank axle
bracket (see Fig. 3).
Both sides of the front fork are brazed at the top to a bridge 4 which is hinged
to the eyes a³ of the crossbar a².
The jointing is clearly shown having cone bearings 5 though other means of
jointing might be substituted. On each arm of the fork is secured an eye 6 to each
of which eyes is attached one end of certain spiral springs s, the other ends of these
springs being connected by adjusting screws to the ends of the cross arm 7 formed
on the arm a³, or the cross arm 7 may be secured on the arm a³ between nuts so
that both the springs s may be adjusted at the same time by one operation by
simply adjusting the arm 7 on its bar a as shown in Fig. 3 hereinafter described.
The terminal faces of the eyes a' of the crossbar a are forged at an angle to
form stops 8 to prevent too much movement of the fork either backward or
forward. The stops are designed to abut, when in action, against corresponding
surfaces on the bridge 4.
Thus when the cycle wheel is tilted up by an inequality of the road, the fork
assumes a forward angle to the centre tube of the steering socket, radiating from
the axis of the eyes a³ as a centre of motion. This angular motion of the forks is
in part controlled by the springs & coming into tension and in no case can the

page_text: angular motion exceed that provided for by the angle of the stops 8 aforesaid.
The springs have the effect of returning the fork to its normal position with regard
to the steering socket and thus any vibrations of the machine are in great part
absorbed without being felt by the rider.
Modifications of this arrangement for absorbing the vibration may be effected as
follows. (a) An arm 9 may be forged to the bridge 4 as shown in dotted lines; a
spring placed between the end of this arm and a suitable stop or point of
abutment 10 at or near the upper end of centre tube of steering socket will act in
compression in absorbing vibrations, or (3) a pair of arms 11 may be forged to the
bridge 4 and carried up alongside steering socket and then bent backwards and
jointed together; a spring placed between the bridge connecting these arm ends
and a suitable point of attachment 12 at or near the upper end of centre tube of
steering socket will act in tension in absorbing the vibrations. In (a) and in (ẞß)
the action of the springs is of course controlled by the angular movement formed
as above described between the fork and the steering socket.
Referring now to Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 it will be seen that the tubes of the fork
from crank axle bracket c to centre of hind wheel of the Safety bicycle are brazed
to a bridge 13 which is hinged at the crank axle bracket (see Fig 6) as described
in reference to bridge 4 (Figs. 1 and 2). The seat pillar ends of the hind wheel
tubes are brazed to a bridge 14 provided with lateral lugs 15 to take the ends of
certain springs 16 the other ends of which are hooked or attached to the ends of
an adjustable crossbar 17 on an arm 18 projecting behind and attached to the seat
pillar socket. In the centre of bridge 14 is formed a guide 19 adapted to slide on
a guide bar 20 of a right angled triangular section which is secured at one end to
the seat pillar socket and at the other end to tube t as shown in the drawing.
Both the guide bar and the guide are curved to a radius equal to the distance
from centre of joint at crank axle bracket to guide bar.
In encountering inequalities on the track or road, the hind wheel in tilting thus
causes the guide to slide along the guide bar in opposition to the tension of the
springs 16, the triangular frame formed between the guide, centre of hind wheel,
and crank axle bearing thus radiating on the hinged joint 21.
The guide 19, for the purpose of taking up slack through wear by friction on the
guide bar, is fitted with a loose block 22 of triangular section, having one side
tapered.
This block may be held in position in the guide by a cover piece 23 the over-
lapping lugs 24 of the latter being screwed to the guide. The taper block may
have tapped holes in it in which stud bolts 25 may work. These bolts may
pass through slotted holes 26 in the cover 23 so that as the guide wears, the loose
block can be pushed further in and then be tightened up by the stud bolts in their
new position in the slots aforesaid. All the working surfaces in connection
with the guide must be of a radius corresponding to the aforesaid radius of the
guide bar.
An obvious modification of this arrangement would be to have a fixed guide and
forge the guide bar to the bridge 14 of the seat pillar ends of tubes from hind
wheel so that the guide bar would slide to and fro in the fixed guide with the
vibrations caused by the inequalities of the road. In this case a crossbar would be
fixed on the guide bar, to take the ends of the springs, corresponding to the lugs 15
but I prefer the device as illustrated.
Instead of the springs 16 being placed as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 a similar result
might evidently be obtained by forging a lever 27 to the bridge 13 and by placing
a compression spring 28 as indicated in dotted lines or a tension spring might be
used as shown at 29, the lever 30 (shown dotted) forged on the bridge 13 putting
the spring secured at 31 in tension when the cycle wheel encounters an obstruction
or inequality on the road.
Further instead of the tension springs 16, a compression spring might obviously
be placed so that the guide 19 should compress it as it slides forward.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood
that I am aware that spring mechanisms of various designs have been already
applied to certain parts of cycle frames in a variety of manners as instances of
which might quote Asbury's Patent No. 5141 Martin's Patent No. 41565,
Hillman and Powell's Patent No. 435884 and Gittens' Patent No. 12138, but in
none of these Specifications are the specific arrangements or combinations of parts
hereinabove described shown or set forth and therefore I declare that what I
claim is.
1. For absorbing the vibration in Safety cycles, the specific combination or
arrangement of parts consisting in the provision of a hinged joint in the framework
of front steering machines, the said joint being controlled as to the extent of its
angular motion by angular reverse stops and by the provision of certain springs, so
that when the wheel encounters an obstruction or inequality on the road or track
the tilting action caused thereby shall cause the parts of the framing on opposite
sides of the hinged joint to form or tend to form a certain angle with each other,
this tendency being in part counteracted by the action of the springs which are
arranged to be put into tension or compression by certain arrangements of levers
formed on or secured to the one or other of the crossbars or bridges at the said
hinged joint the several parts being arranged and adapted to operate substantially
as and for the purposes hereinabove described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
2. For absorbing the vibration in Safety cycles, the combination with the hind
wheel of a triangular or other equivalent system of framing the said framing being
hinged at or near the crank axle bracket and adapted to radiate on the said hinge
in such a manner as that when the wheel encounters an obstruction or inequality
on the road or track the tilting action caused thereby shall cause the said triangular
or other equivalent system of framing to radiate on its hinge while the apex or
upper corner of the framing, to which is secured a guide fitted with a wedge
mechanism for taking up wear, at the same time slides forward, on a guide bar in
opposition to the pressure of certain springs arranged to act in any of the four ways
herein specified but preferentially in the manner illustrated in the drawings
Figures 3 and 4 the several parts being arranged and adapted to operate
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinabove described and
illustrated.
Dated this 17th day of December 1899
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agents.