Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 2nd July 1897-Accepted, 28th Aug., 1897
I, JOHN CHAPLIN WILLSHER 16 The Parade, Forest Hill S.E. Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in bicycles, tricycles and the like the
object being to reduce the shock or jar to the rider and also to provide a means
of driving the machine through the medium of an intermediate inflated or pneumatic
friction wheel or wheels, and the same is carried out as follows:-
In one form of my invention I support the saddle upon an intermediate inflated
or pneumatic friction wheel or wheels which bears upon the tyre or periphery of
the driving wheel, or upon a path provided on the road wheel at a lesser diameter
than the road tyre; said intermediate, inflated or pneumatic friction wheel or
wheels being carried in a support or frame hinged to or attached by any suitable
means such as a spring arm to a suitable part of the frame of the machine. By
this means greater resilliency is obtained." If desired I may gear the intermediate
inflated or pneumatic wheel to the pedal crank by any suitable means preferably by
gear wheels and in this case I sometimes find it convenient to employ a saddle
which is independently attached to the machine frame. The pressure of the
intermediate inflated or pneumatic friction wheel upon the driving wheel, tyre or
other path at a lesser diameter may be regulated by any convenient means. If
desired I may employ one or more intermediate inflated, or pneumatic friction
wheels bearing upon the driving or ground wheels and carrying the said saddle, or
for driving the driving wheel of the machine without in any way departing from
the principle of my invention which consists in the employment of intermediate
inflated or pneumatic friction wheels for carrying the saddle or for driving purposes,
said intermediate wheels bearing upon the tyre or rim of the wheel which supports
the machine.
I sometimes find it convenient to dispense with the inflation of the intermediate
wheel and employ a wheel of wood or other suitable material.
This invention is particularly applicable to machines having pneumatic tyres as
the double cushioning thus obtained when the saddle is supported upon the same
gives greater resilliency and also greatly reduces the vibration and jar when riding
and takes the weight of the rider off the frame to a large extent, the thrust falling
principally upon the driving wheel.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1896.

page_text: I, JOHN CHAPLIN WILLSHER 16 The Parade Forest Hill London S.E. Engineer
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 improvements in bicycles, tricycles, and the like, the
object being to reduce the shock or jar to the rider and also to provide a means of
driving the machine through the medium of an intermediate inflated or pneumatic
and friction wheel or wheels and the same is carried out as follows:-
In one form of my invention I support the saddle upon an intermediate inflated
or pneumatic friction wheel or wheels which bear upon the tyre or periphery of the
driving wheel or upon a path provided upon the road wheel at a lesser diameter
than the road tyre, said intermediate inflated or pneumatic friction wheel, or wheels
being carried in a support or frame hinged to or attached by any suitable means
such as a spring arm to a suitable part of the frame of the machine. By this means
greater resiliency is obtained. If desired I may gear the intermediate inflated or
pneumatic wheel to the pedal crank by any suitable means, preferably by gear
wheels and in this case I sometimes find it convenient to employ a saddle which is
independently attached to the machine frame. The pressure of the intermediate
inflated or pneumatic friction wheel upon the driving wheel tyre or other path at a
lesser diameter may be regulated by any convenient means. If desired I may
employ one or more intermediate inflated, or pneumatic friction wheels bearing
upon the driving or ground wheels and carrying the said saddle, or for driving
the driving wheel of the machine without in any way departing from the principle
of my invention which consists in the employment of intermediate inflated or
pneumatic friction wheels for carrying the saddle or for driving purposes, said
intermediate wheels bearing upon the tyre or rim or other path of the wheel which
supports the machine.
I sometimes find it convenient to dispense with the inflation of the intermediate
wheel and employ a wheel of wood or other suitable material.
This invention is particularly applicable to machines having pneumatic tyres as
the double cushioning thus obtained when the saddle is supported upon the same
gives greater resiliency and also greatly reduces the vibration and jar when riding,
and takes the weight of the rider off the frame to a large extent, the thrust falling
principally upon the driving wheel.
In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will now refer to the
annexed drawings in which :-
Figure 1. Side elevation shewing my invention applied to a velocipede.
Figure 2. Enlarged view of clutch arrangement for the movable gear wheel.
a is a wheel which is carried on the support which carries the saddle, this support
being movably secured at or about the point b. This wheel bears upon the tyre c
and it is driven through the medium of the gear wheels d and e, the gear wheel d
being driven by means of the pedals through the medium of the mitre
wheelf, b being a connecting spindle. The wheel e is free to move down the
spindle b through the medium of a key g engaging in a slot inside the wheel.
The wheel e is caused to move upon the spindle through the medium of the fork
or clutch which is carried upon the support which carries the saddle thus
providing for the differences of distance between the wheels d & e. It will be seen
that the velocipede is driven by means of the wheel a which bears upon the tyre.
This wheel a may either be provided with an inflated bearing surface or may be

page_text: solid and the rear wheel may be provided in the same way with an inflated surface
or may have a solid tyre.
Although I have shewn one way in which I gear wheel a to the driving pedals
it will be readily seen that there are various other well-known and convenient
arrangements by which this object could be carried out and I do not confine
myself to the particular arrangement shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The combined construction and arrangement of the various parts substantially
as described and illustrated herein.
2. In velocipedes: an intermediate wheel placed between the saddle or support
carrying the rider and the bearing upon the driving wheel, said wheel and saddle
being movably or pivotally attached to the frame of the machine at a convenient
part thereof, said intermediate wheel being operated by means of gear wheels
carried upon a spindle, which gear wheels are driven by means of the foot pedals
for the purpose described in combination substantially as described.