Year: 1895

page_text: A communication by EMILE ANDRÉ DAUDRIEUX, of 60, Rue de Rébéval, Paris,
in the Republic of France, Toy Manufacturer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, and 31, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention is based on the following principle:-
The frame properly so called of a safety bicycle being considered as a rigid
construction, if it be connected in an elastic manner with the steering and driving
parts of the machine, the joltings due to the unevenness of the ground will produce
tension of these elastic parts, which, after stretching, resume their normal position
without giving the brusque and disagreeable shocks which a rigid form of
construction causes the rider.
In order to attain this object, various arrangements have been designed which
modify fundamentally the construction hitherto employed.
According to the present invention, the frame proper is modified at its attachment
to the pedal bracket, the tubes of the frame being terminated by narrowed or
flattened parts between which is gripped one of the extremities of a flat spring.
The other extremity of this spring is fixed in a groove cast or formed on the pedal
frame or bracket. This spring is held above and below on the narrowed parts of
the frame and on the pedal bracket by means of screws, bolts, rivets or the like.
The said spring may be replaced by three springs, the first vertical and the two,
others horizontal and not so strong as the first one, their common centre of action
being their point of crossing. They may be fixed by means of screws, bolts or the
like and held by counter plates.
A further modification consists in an arrangement for attaching the frame to the
pedal bracket without a spring. For this purpose a socket is cast on the said
bracket and surmounts it. A spindle which if desired may be provided with ball
bearings passes through the said socket and receives at the sides the ends of a
separate piece on which the tubes of the frame are fixed.
In these various arrangements it will be seen that the rear or horizontal fork
carrying the driving wheel may describe an arc of a circle, taking as a centre the
said spindle or the centre of action of the springs herein before mentioned.
The front fork is composed of two forked parts hinged or jointed together, one
part is arranged horizontally and receives the steering wheel, the other part is
composed of a piece of steel plate stamped in the form of a cross and ribbed, the
ends of which have four tubes connected in two pairs to form a fork whose ends
are jointed to the corresponding horizontal forked part. These oblique tubes are
held rigid by tie-rods some of which are provided with struts and carry above the
cross piece a pyramidal frame or camber.
The fork carrying the steering wheel is also composed of a cross piece rising in
the form of a pyramid of stamped sheet steel and ribbed like the preceding one.
It has four tubes connected in two pairs to form the fork, the ends of which carry

page_text: the spindle of the front wheel. Tie rods and struts consolidate the whole
arrangement which is triangulated.
The front horizontal fork may turn at one end on the point of its connection
with the vertical fork and the other extremity which carries the spindle of the
front wheel is connected to the front of the crosspiece of the steering fork by
means of compression springs, the form and arrangement of which may be varied.
A safety wheel or roller fixed at the front of the upper crosspiece prevents any
accident in case of breakage of the front springs.
The rear fork holding the driving wheel is composed as usual of two tubes or
grooved bars, but the spindle of this wheel is connected to the frame of the
machine by means of a compression spring jointed to the rear of the frame below
the saddle.
A safety wheel or roller is pivoted at the point of attachment of the spring
below the saddle for safety in case of the breaking of the rear springs.
The springs may be employed, singly or doubly, and may be of any suitable
form and be fixed, together or separately, according to the parts which they are
to unite, in a rigid manner or by means of pivots, hinges, or in other suitable
way.
These metallic springs may be made of wire or of blades or strips as desired.
In conjunction with this invention, the object of which is to do away with
joltings caused by roughness or inequalities of the ground, a solid tyre is preferably
employed, thus dispensing with the use of pneumatic tyres, which latter are
rendered unnecessary, and the drawbacks of which are consequently dispensed
with. For this purpose, the elastic tyres are replaced by a series of balls or plugs
in which the edges of the rim of the wheel are laterally embedded.
Two sets of balls or plugs may also be employed and be held ou the outside by
the edges of the rim of the wheel, and internally (that is between the two sets of
balls) by projections of a piece which is rivetted on the rim. The number of rows
of balls or plugs may be increased according to requirements. In order to
increase the solidity, the plugs or corks may be cemented on the tyre and they
may be surrounded by means of a metallic wire band embedded in the periphery of
the wheel.
Dated this 15th day of January 1895.
A communication by EMILE ANDRÉ DAUDRIEUX, of 60 Rue de Rébéval, Paris,
in the Republic of France, Toy Manufacturer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester
both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick and 31 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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:-
The present invention is based on the following principle-
The frame properly so called of a safety bicycle being considered as a rigid
construction, if it be connected in an elastic manuer with the steering and driving
parts of the machine, the joltings, due to the unevenness of the ground, will
produce tension of these elastic parts, which, after stretching, resume their normal

page_text: construction causes the rider.
In order to attain this object, various arrangements have been designed which
modify fundamentally the construction hitherto employed.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle fitted with this improved elastic
suspension.
Figure 2 is a view in perspective of the front steering fork.
Figure 3 is a view in perspective of the horizontal fork which holds the front
wheel,
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are detail views showing the mode of attaching the rear
fork to the frame.
Figures 8 & 9 show the arrangement of the springs.
Figures 10 & 11 are sections of the tyre.
According to the present invention, the frame proper is modified at its attach-
ment to the pedal bracket. A, Figure 1 shows one of the methods of elastic
attachment. The tubes B B¹ of the frame being terminated by narrowed or
flattened parts CC between which is gripped one of the extremities of a flat
spring D. The other extremity of this spring is fixed in a groove El cast or
formed on the pedal frame or bracket E. This spring is held above and below. on
the narrowed parts of the fraine and on the pedal bracket by means of screws,
bolts, rivets or the like. Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are respectively side and front
views of modifications of this attachment. The said spring may be replaced as
shown in Figures 4 and 5 by three springs D' D2 D3, the first vertical and the
two others horizontal and not so strong as the first one, their common centre of
action being their point of crossing. They may be fixed by means of screws,
bolts or the like and held by counter plates d, d. A further modification shown
in Figures 6 and 7 consists in an arrangement for attaching the frame to the pedal
bracket without a spring. For this purpose a socket E is cast on the said bracket
and surmounts it. A spindle E, which if desired may be provided with ball
bearings, passes through the said socket and receives at the sides the, ends of a
separate piece on which the tubes B B of the frame are fixed.
In these various arrangements it will be seen that the rear or horizontal fork F
carrying the driving wheel may describe an arc of a circle taking as a centre the
said spindle E¹ or the centre of action of the springs hereinbefore mentioned.
The front fork Figures 1, 2 and 3 is composed of two forked parts hinged or
jointed together at a, one part is arranged horizontally and receives the steering
wheel M, the other part is composed of a piece of steel plate stamped in the form
of a cross e e¹ e²e and ribbed, the ends of which have four tubes h h h² h³
connected in two pairs to form a fork at a whose ends are jointed to the corre-
sponding horizontal forked part. These oblique tubes are held rigid by tie-rods
and struts and carry above the cross piece a pyramidal frame or camber N
formed of the parts y g¹ g³ g³.
The fork carrying the steering wheel M is also composed of a crosspiece e e e e
rising in the form of a pyramid 9 g g g of stamped sheet steel and ribbed like
the preceding one. It has four tubes hhh connected in two pairs at a¹ to
form the fork, the ends of which carry the spindle of the front wheel M. Tie rods
and struts 13 consolidate the whole arrangement, which is triangulated.
The front horizontal fork may turn at one end on the point a of its connection
with the vertical fork, and the other extremity at which. carries the spindle of the
front wheel is connected to the front of the cross piece of the steering fork by
means of compression springs P¹, the form and arrangement of which may be
varied. A wheel or roller may be mounted at L at the front of the upper cross-
piece to prevent any accident in case of breakage of the front springs, as this
wheel would then ride on the front wheel of the machine & thus support the
frame.
The rear fork F holling the driving wheel is composed as usual of two tubes or

page_text: grooved bars, but the spindle a² of this wheel is connected to the frame of the
machine by means of a compression spring P jointed at m to the rear of the frame
below the saddle.
The springs shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10 may be employed, singly or doubly,
and may be of any suitable form and be fixed, together or separately, according
to the parts which they are to unite, in a rigid manner or by means of pivots,
hinges or in other suitable way.
These metallic springs may be made of wire or of blades or strips as desired.
In conjunction with this invention, the object of which is to do away with
joltings caused by roughness or inequalities of the ground, a solid tyre of cork,
wood or solid india rubber is preferably employed, thus dispensing with the use of
pneumatic tyres, which latter are rendered unnecessary, and the drawbacks of
which are consequently dispensed with, Figures 11 and 12 show the arrangement
employed. For this purpose, the elastic tyres are replaced by a series of balls or
plugs R, Figure 11 in which the edges R¹ of the rim of the wheel are laterally
embedded.
Two sets of balls or plugs R2 R³ Figure 12, may also he employed and be held
on the outside by the edges R¹ of the rim of the wheel, and internally (that is
between the two sets of balls) by projections T of a piece which is rivetted on the
rim. The number of rows of balls or plugs may be increased according to
requirements. In order to increase the solidity, the plugs or corks may be
cemented on the tyre and they may be surrounded by means of a metallic wire
band embedded in the periphery of the wheel.
The whole arrangement may be modified as regards form and dimensions
according to the applications to which it is intended.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is-
1. In a frame for bicycles and the like, a front fork for the steering wheel
comprising two parts hinged together and connected by a compression spring
substantially as set forth.
2. In a frame for bicycles and the like, a rear fork elastically connected by a
spring or pivot with the frame proper so as to be capable of oscillation on its point
of connection, and having a compression spring attached below the saddle to
the rear of the frame and to the axle of the driving wheel substantially as set
forth.
3. In a frame for bicycles and the like, a front fork formed of cross bars of
stamped and ribbed sheet steel rising in the form of a pyramid and having tubes
connected two by two to form forked supports substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
4. The improvement in bicycles and the like, consisting in connecting the
spindles of the wheels to the frame in an elastic manner by means of compression
springs of wire or of blades or strips for the purpose of preventing jolting of the
frame substantially as described.
5. In a frame for bicycles and the like, the spring or pivoted connection of the
pedal bracket to the rigid frame, substantially as described.
6. The construction and combination of parts taken as a whole forming the
improved frame for bicycles and the like, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 15th day of October 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.