Improvements in Cycle Saddles, and in their Accessory Fittings.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 26th July, 1894-Accepted, 22nd Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. ·
Improvements in Cycle Saddles, and in their Accessory Fittings.
I, JOHN BOULTBEE BROOxs, of Great Charles Street, in the City of
Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates, in the one part, to improvements in pneumatic seatings
for cycle saddles, in another part, to the general framings of pneumatic saddle
seatings,, and in a further part, to the supporting and connection means of saddles
generally.
In carrying out the first and second parts of my invention, I support a leather
seating, which is pierced or open about its middle, upon the boundary edge, or upon
the flanged boundary edge, of a metallic and preferably dish-shaped body framing,
within the hollow of which, inflating or inflated air sacks lie, and with the leather
seating cushioning upon the top sides of them, hence a leather seating having a
pneumatic stuffing located and resting within a sunken metallic framing.
Thus, the leather seating, which is pierced about its middle for the introduction
of the inflating sacks within its interior, is stretched from the raised boundary edge
of the metallic framing, which may be dished or hollow, and between the bottom
walls of it, and the leather seating, two connected-together air sacks come, and fill
up the whole of the interior or part of the interior or inner framing.
The air sacks are independent of each other relative to the entrapped air, yet
are preferably connected by a web, and by a common inflating entrance or pipe,
which has a double branch leading to independent check valves to which the said
sacks are fitted.
By employing independent air sacks, the shifting of the air from one part of the
saddle to another, consequent upon the rocking action of a rider upon the seat, is
obviated.
Or the pneumatic stuffing may consist of one sack only separated possibly at the
rear, and with the same provided with a reserve pressure chamber, whereinto
superabundant air displaced by pressure, enters, and there locates itself until the
said pressure has been relieved, or equilibrium established when the same returns to
the body of the sack or sacks.
The ventilating holes in the metallic body have walls or flanges to confine the
sacks.
Fitted to the underside of the sheet metal body part, which may be more or less
flattened than that described, are frame rods, made preferably from a single length
of rod metal, folded staple-wise nearly upon itself, so as to form parallel members
running from fore to aft upon the underside of the seat of the saddle.
The middle parts of the said frame rod members are cranked or bent downwards,
so as to bring the same away from the underside of the sheet metal body part,
which is pierced about its middle for ventilation.
In carrying out the third part of my invention in connection with the fittings of
cycle saddles, I provide the underside of the saddle seat with a hollow saddle pin,
surmounted by a hollow and slotted head, having the crown part curved to a radius
struck from a connecting pin directed through the top of the saddle pin and the
neck of the head, which takes into the saddle pin end.
This connecting pin also passes through the eyed end of a radius pin working
within the slot in the head, (which slot is in the longer direction of the saddle)

page_text: and with its end being connected to and passing through the middle of a pair of
clamping plates, fitted with opposed grooves upon their inner faces, and adapted to
embrace and clip respectively the frame rod members of the saddle.
The underside face of the lower clamping plate is struck or curved to the radius
of the crown of the head of the saddle pin, so that by changing the position of
the saddle relative to the said pin, tilt is given to it, and when in its adjusted
position, the screwing up of the nut upon the outer end of the radius pin both
closes the clamping plates upon the saddle frame members, and also affixes the
saddle to its pin, which is made to take and vertically slide and be adjusted within
the open top end of the seat pillar of a safety bicycle or tricycle, and be there
affixed by a laterally directed screw pin passing through the one member and
impinging upon the other.
Instead of employing air under pressure as the elastic stuffing or the resilient
medium located between the leather seat and the general framing, I may use a
metallic resilient and distensible stuffing, composed either of wire fabric produced
by intercoiling spirals of wire one with another, and with spiral coils standing
from its surface, or of distensible and elastic wire fabric composed of spirals
intercoiled and blended one with another, forming a metallic stuffing or resilient
metallic open-work structure, and made from suitable fine spring wire, and adapted
to support the centre or other part of the saddle seat.
The said metallic open-work stuffing may be made from plain wire, or the same
may be made from strand wire, that is, the convolutions may be made of two or
more lengths of wire twisted together.
Or a resilient metallic stuffing may be used in combination with and placed upon
a cushion of air under pressure.
Dated this 25th day of October 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cycle Saddles, and in their Accessory Fittings.
I, JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS, of Great Charles Street, in the City of
Birmingham, 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 :-
My invention appertains, in one part, to pneumatic saddles or pneumatic-seated
saddles, and in a further part, to means for connecting cycle saddles generally to
their seat supports.
The first-named part of my invention has for its object, a soft seat, whilst the
object of the second part is a simple method of connection.
In the pneumatic saddle part of my invention, I employ in conjunction with a
restrained air sack or sacks, an unrestrained and elastic relief chamber, that is, a
redundant air-pressure reserve chamber, whereinto superabundant air displaced
from the sack or sacks by pressure applied to the seat, enters, and there locates
itself until the said pressure is relieved, when an equilibrium is again established
by the returning of the air to the sack or sacks.
In the connection part of my invention, the saddle framing is connected to the
seat support or pin by a hollow head, fitted with a radially adjusting and eyed
bolt, passing through the head, and having strung upon it, clamping plates or
cheeks.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in longitudinal vertical
section, a pneumatic-seated cycle saddle, with the air sack of the same having or

page_text: the super-
being provided with an air-pressure relief chamber, for taking up
abundant air which may be displaced within the said primary sack on pressure
being applied to the seat, and with the saddle framing connected to the seat pin
or rest pillar in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 represents an underside plan of the seat of the saddle, with nearly the
whole of the metallic underframings and connection parts removed, and with the
rest part of the sack of the pneumatic seating or stuffing partly broken away, and
with the primary pneumatic sack itself broken into, and with part of the relief
chamber in section.
Figure 3 represents a vertical section of the connection part of my invention,
and Figure 4 is an underside plan of the same.
Figure 5 represents a transverse vertical section of the pneumatic seating upon
the dotted lines - Figure 1, whilst Figure 6 represents a like section upon the
dotted lines A A Figure 1.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 6.
a is the seat of a saddle, made preferably of leather, and being supported and
cushioned upon a confined elastic and inflating air sack b, located between the said
seat or top a, and a rest c, which forms with the said part a, a restraining chamber,
wherein the said air sack b, is confined. Now this air sack b, has an unrestrained
elastic air pressure relief chamber d, preferably made of india-rubber, suspended
from its rear underside, which chamber is designed to receive the redundant air
displaced from the primary sack on pressure being applied to the seat.
Thus, assuming pressure to be applied to a seat by a rider, by his motion the
air confined within the primary sack is shifted, and would, if no relief was
provided, create hardness in parts, but, by employing the relief chamber, the
redundant air not required in the sack rushes into the said relief chamber, which,
being unrestrained and elastic expands proportionally to the pressure, thereby
obviating hardness and allowing the seat to remain soft under all conditions.
Immediately pressure is relieved, the air in the dilated relief chamber recedes
and returns to the primary sack, and the india-rubber walls of the chamber
contract, and resume their normal condition.
It will be seen that by the employment of a relief or reserve air pressure
chamber, softness in the seat is ensured.
The middle of the seat of the saddle is left open at e, and the inside walls b³, of
the inflating air sack are confined and prevented from filling up the ventilating
passage, by inside lacings f (see Figure 5) whilst parts of the air sack have
vertical passages, through them. The inflating air sack is also fitted with a
neck d', terminated by a check vaive d³.
Figure 7 represents a modified form of my invention, in which two inflating air
sacks are located and confined within portions of the end of the seat, with an
unrestrained and elastic relief chamber coming between them.
a is the saddle seating, made preferably of leather, cushioning itself upon
inflated or inflating air sacks b, b, confined within the space a', located between the
underside of the seating a, and the rest c, which may be of leather, metal, or
other suitable material and which said sacks b, b', are united by a common relief
chamber d, lying within the open underside of the saddle. The air-inflating sacks
may, if necessary, be restrained by a canvas covering 2.
Figure 8 represents another form of my invention, in which is the sack, made
of the shape of the saddle, and being provided with a supplementary relief
chamber or sack d, united to the primary sack b, by a neck d'.
The primary sack b, is confined all round by a restraining medium such as leather,
canvas or the like, whilst the chamber d, is left unrestrained.
Figure 9 represents a still further form of my invention.
is a saddle-shaped single sack, having a supplementary expanding and con-
tracting air relief chamber or sack d, with a neck d, and a check valve d'.
Figure 10 represents in longitudinal vertical section, a modified form of my
improvements, and Figure 11 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

page_text: 18 the air sack, Com
Jutside end parts 6, made to locate themselves within
a, hence air-cushioned or pneumatic flaps and bodies.
de sack are prevented from filling up the ventilating hole or
ftly by flaps a', cut alternately from the leather of the seat,
g of the middle piercing, and with the said flaps taking through
made through the blocked arch or inverted sinking c³, of the rest c,
the opening e, and having its top side c', pierced with ventilating
The parts are united together, before inflation, by cross ties g. d is the
entary and elastic relief chamber or sack for receiving and relieving the
ant air pressure from the primary sack.
wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the number of primary
sacks cr supplementary unrestrained chambers, and further, it is obvious that if
the rest c, or the confining walls of the enclosure formned by the seat a, and rest c,
be provided with large piercings, and that if the primary sack b, be made of india-
rubber, which is preferably the case, then the said sack b, will form its own relief
chambers by the rubber at those parts of the sack covering or being presented to
the piercings forming relief areas, and becoming dilated and being forced through
the openings, thereby forming relief chambers, through the said rubber covering
such pierced parts being unrestrained.
Figure 12 represents, in cross section, such a saddle seat, and the dotted lines
represent positions which the unrestrained parts of the inflating elastic air sack
may take, on pressure being applied to seat, hence self-formed relief chambers.
a is the seat of the saddle, cushioning itself upon the inflated air sack b, enclosed
within the confining sides of the enclosure formed by the said part a and the
rest c, but with those parts b', of the sack lying over the openings c, being
unrestrained, so that on pressure being put upon the seat, the redundant air forces
the said parts 61, into such relief chambers as d, marked in dotted lines.
It is obvious that the amount of distension would entirely depend upon the
pressure exerted.
In the connection part of my invention represented in Figure 1, 3 and 4, h is a
seat pillar or pin, surmounted at top by a slotted head, or a hollow and slotted
head i, with the crown i¹, curved to a radius struck from the centre of a connecting
cross pin or bolt j, directed through the upper end of the seat pillar, and also
through the eye k', of an upright eyed bolt k, taking upwardly through the middle
of the said head, and with the upper and screwed end 2, having threaded upon it,
clamping plates or washers m, n, having keep grooves m', n', within which double
frame rods o, come, and are gripped between the said plates or washers on the
screwing up of a nut p.
The underside of the washer n, is curved to the same radius as the opposed face
of the crown i¹, of the head i, so as to admit of the saddle making an angular
adjustment.
To disconnect the saddle from the connection, remove the nut b, when the
washer m, comes away and the rods o, become free. To adjust the tilt of the
saddle, loosen the nut p, when the curved face of the washer n, can then slide upon
the opposed crown face it, of the head i, and with the said washer the eyed pink,
and top washer m, move.
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:
First. In pneumatic cycle saddles, or pneumatic-seated cycle saddles, providing
the same with unrestrained and elastic or dilating relief chambers or relief areas,
the latter forming, when dilated, redundant air chambers, substantially as and for the
purpose as described and set forth.
Secondly. A cycle saddle connection, consisting of a seat pillar or pin head
having a curved crown, and being fitted with an angularly adjustable pin passing

page_text: through the said head, and with clamping washers or plates and a nut threaded
upon the upper end thereof, substantially as and for the purpose as described and
set forth.
22
1
ST. 1001
JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.