Improvements in Woven Wire Cycle Saddles, and in the Manufacture of the same.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Woven Wire Cycle Saddles, and in the Manufacture
of the same.
I, ALFRED EDMUND WALE, of Dunstan House, Elmdon, near Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in woven wire cycle saddles
and in the manufacture of the same by which I weave or produce a fabric of
sufficient strength and fineness so as to enable me to dispense with the usual
outer cover and I also obtain a more correct shape than has hitherto been
possible in woven wire saddles.
In the construction of cycle-saddles having a spirally woven wire surface in
place of leather it has hitherto been found impossible to weave or produce a
fabric of sufficient strength without employing helices of such large diameter
and thickness of wire as to necessitate a cover of softer material thereby destroy-
ing the primary advantage of ventilation which prevents saddle soreness.
Now according to my invention I accomplish this object by first weaving a
cross woven wire fabric of sufficient fineness in the manner as described and
shewn in my prior Letters Patent No. 20826 of 1891 wherein two separate and
similar sets of helices are interwoven with one another at right angles and in
the same horizontal plane. I then interweave longitudinally upon one side of
this a single woven fabric (not a cross woven) of the same diameter and pitch
but of a stronger gauge of wire each, convolution of each helix engaging with the
corresponding longitudinal helix in the primary cross woven fabric.
I next interweave longitudinally upon the lower surface of this secondary or
stronger gauge wire fabric another fabric of a similar nature and in a like
manner as the secondary fabric and if necessary this process may be repeated
indefinitely.
In some cases the secondary or other additional fabrics instead of being formed
of single woven wire helices may be cross woven in like manner to the primary
fabric the same gauge of wire being used for each fabric in which case both
the longitudinal and transverse helices will engage with the corresponding
helices in the preceding fabric.
In order to obtain a more correct shape than has hitherto been possible in
this class of cycle saddle 1 flatten the helices at the edge of the fabric. The
effect of such flattening is to pucker and lengthen out the sides and cause them
to bulge inward out of the way of the rider's leg in which position they are
retained by the usual metal nose piece at pommel of the saddle.
For the purpose of more effectually binding together the compound fabrics
of the saddle and to increase the smoothness of the surface and also to protect
the wire from the effect of the atmosphere and to waterproof the leather border
when using this fabric in conjunction with the saddle as described in my prior
Letters Patent No. 16935 of 1897 I varnish or lacquer the saddle when completed

page_text: or I may varnish or lacquer the border and fabric separately. Or I may form
the border in two parts the upper portion being what is called patent or water-
proof leather and the lower of ordinary leather stitched together at their outer
edges, the inner edges between which the wire fabric is embraced being either
rivetted, stitched or otherwise secured together. Or I may form the leather border
in one piece the upper surface being prepared or made waterproof.
When applying this compound woven wire fabric to the saddle as described
and shewn in my prior Patent No. 169335 of 1897 I may employ either an unbroken
leather border such as would be produced by cutting out the centre of an ordin-
ary cycle saddle seat or I may form the border by bending and pressing a narrow
strip or strips of leather, celluloid or other suitable material or metal into the
required shape. The ends of such strip or strips may be united at the pommel
of the saddle or rivetted onto a U or other shaped nose piece in such a position
as to retain them any desired distance apart thus reducing the possibility of
perineal pressure. This U shaped nose piece may be strengthened by having a
swivelling piece fitted between in which the usual screw for adjusting the tension
of the saddle may fit.
17th
Dated this Jith day of June 1898.
Improvements in Woven Wire Cycle Saddles and in the Manufacture
of the same.
I, ALFRED EDMUND WALE, of Dunstan House, Elmdon, near Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and hy the following statement:
My invention has for its object improvements in woven wire cycle saddles
and in the manufacture of the same by which I weave or produce a fabric of
sufficient strength and fineness so as to enable me to dispense with the usual
outer cover and I also obtain a more correct shape than has hitherto been
possible in woven wire saddles.
In the construction of cycle-saddles having a spirally woven wire surface in
place of leather it has hitherto been found impossible to weave or produce a
fabric of sufficient strength without employing helices of such large diameter
and thickness of wire as to necessitate a cover of softer material thereby destroy-
ing the primary advantage of ventilation which prevents saddle soreness.
Now according to my invention I accomplish this object by first weaving a
cross woven wire fabric of sufficient fineness in the manner as described and
shewn in my prior Letters Patent No. 20826 of 1891 wherein two separate and
similar sets of helices are interwoven with one another at right angles and in
the same horizontal plane. I then interweave longitudinally upon one side of
this fabric a single woven fabric (not a cross woven) of the same diameter and
pitch but of a stronger gauge of wire each convolution of each helix engaging
with the corresponding longitudinal helix in the primary cross woven fabric.
I next interweave longitudinally upon the lower surface of this secondary or
stronger gauge wire fabric another fabric of a similar nature and in a like

page_text: manner as the secondary fabric and if necessary this process may be repeated
indefinitely.
In some cases the secondary or other additional fabrics instead of being formed
of single woven wire helices may be cross woven in like manner to the primary
fabric the same gauge of wire, being used for each fabric in which case both
the longitudinal and transverse helices will engage with the corresponding
helices in the preceding fabric.
In order to obtain a more correct shape than has hitherto been possible in
this class of cycle saddle I flatten the helices at the edge of the fabric. The
effect of such fattening is to pucker and lengthen out the sides and cause them
to bulge inward out of the way of the rider's leg in which position they are
retained by the usual metal nose piece at pommel of the saddle.
For the purpose of more effectually binding together the compound fabrics
of the saddle and to increase the smoothness of the surface and also to protect
the wire from the effects of the atmosphere and to water proof the leather border
when using this fabric in conjunction with the saddle as described in my prior
Letters Patent No. 16935 of 1897 I varnish or lacquer the saddle when completed
or I may varnish or lacquer the border and fabric separately. Or I may form
the border in two parts the upper portion being what is called patent or water-
proof leather and the lower of ordinary leather stitched together at their outer
edges, the inner edges between which the wire fabric is embraced being either
riveted, stitched or otherwise secured together. Or I may form the leather border
in one piece the upper surface being prepared or made water proof.
When applying this compound woven wire fabric to the saddle as described
and shewn in my prior Patent No. 169:35 of 1897 I may employ either an unbroken
leather border such as would be produced by cutting out the centre of an ordin-
ary cycle saddle seat or I may form the border by bending and pressing a narrow
strip or strips of leather celluloid or other suitable material or metal into the
required shape. The ends of such strip or strips may be united at the pommel
of the saddle or rivetted onto a U or other shaped nose piece in such a position
as to retain them any desired distance apart thus reducing the possibility of
perineal pressure. This U shaped nose piece may be strengthened by having
swivelling piece fitted between in which the usual screw for adjusting the tension
of the saddle may fit.
a
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood and easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto two double sized sheets of draw-
ings upon which I have illustrated examples of my improvements in cycle saddles.
Figure 1 is an enlarged plan view shewing a portion of the primary or cross
woven wire fabric as described and shewn in iny prior Patent No. 20826 of 1891.
Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view shewing the primary or cross woven fabric
with a secondary and third single woven fabric of a stronger gauge of wire
interwoven longitudinally upon it.
Figure 3 is an end view of the interwoven primary secondary and third fabrics.
Figure 4 is an end view shewing the helices of the fabrics flattened at the
edge.
Figure 5 is a plan view of a cycle saddle made according to my invention.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the U shaped nose piece F.
In carrying my invention into practice I first weave the cross woven wire
fabric A. of sufficient fineness in the manner as described and shewn in my prior
Patent No. 20826 of A.D. 1891. This fabric A which I term the primary fabric
consists of two separate and similar sets of helices and a interwoven one
with the other at right angles and in the same horizontal plane as clearly shewn
at Figure 1. I then interweave longitudinally upon one side of this primary
fabric A the single woven fabric B which is of the same diameter and pitch as
the primary fabric but preferably of a stronger gauge of wire. Each convolution
of each helix b of this fabric B engages with the corresponding longitudinal
helix a¹ in the primary fabric A as clearly shewn at the lower portion of Figure 2.

page_text: I next interweave longitudinally upon the outer surface of the fabric B the
fabric D which is of a similar nature. Each convolution of each helix d
engages with the corresponding helix of the fabric B as clearly shewn at the
upper portion of Figure 2 and at Figure 3. This process of interweaving one
fabric upon the other may be repeated indefinitely if necessary.
In some cases the fabric B and D) and any additional fabrics instead of being
formed of single woven wire helices may be cross woven in a like manner to
the primary fabric A the same gauge of wire being used for each fabric. In
this case the longitudinal and transverse helices would engage with the corre-
sponding helices in the preceding fabric. The edges of the fabric are finished
with the interwoven helix H as shown at Figure 1.
For the purpose of obtaining a more correct shape than has hitherto been
possible in this class of cycle saddle I flatten the helices a, a, b and at the
edges of the fabric as shewn at Figure 4. This I preferably accomplish by press
tools the dies being preferably formed with a wavy or uneven surface so that
the edges of the fabric are puckered and lengthened out which causes the sides
to bulge inward out of the way of the riders leg in which position they are retained
by the usual metal nose piece at the pommel of the saddle.
For the purpose of more effectually binding together the compound fabrics A B
and D of the saddle and to increase the smoothness of the surface and also to
protect the wire from the effects of the atmosphere and to waterproof the leather
border E when using this fabric in conjunction with the saddle as described in
my prior Letters Patent No. 16,935 of 1897 I varnish or lacquer the saddle when
completed. Or I may varnish or lacquer the border and the fabrics separately.
Or the border may be formed in two parts, the upper portion being of what
is called patent or water proof leather and the lower of ordinary leather stitched
together at their outer edges, the inner edges between which the wire fabric is
embraced being either rivetted stitched or otherwise secured together. Or in
some cases I may form the border E in one piece the upper surface being
prepared or made water proof.
When applying my compound woven fabric to cycle saddles as described and
shewn in my prior Patent No. 16,935 of 1897 I may employ either an unbroken
leather border such as would be produced by cutting out the centre of an
ordinary cycle saddle seat or I ma form the border E by bending and pressing
a narrow strip or strips of leather, celluloid, or other suitable material or metal
into the required shape. The ends e¹ of such strips may be rivetted or otherwise
connected at the pommel end of the saddle to the U shaped nose piece F or its
equivalent so as to retain them any desired distance apart thus reducing the
possibility of perineal pressure. This U shaped nose piece F is formed with
the wings or side pieces fl to which the ends of the border E are rivetted
as shewn at Figure 6 and it may be strengthened by the swivelling piece f
which is fitted between. The usual screws for adjusting the tension of the
saddle may be fitted to this swivelling piece f as shown at Figure 5.
In some cases such for instance as light racing saddles I may use only the
primary fabric A for forming the seats of cycle saddles or the primary fabric A
in conjunction with the secondary fabric B if desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
:-
CLAIMS.
First The improvements in woven wire cycle saddles and in the manufacture
of the same consisting essentially in forming the seat of a primary cross woven
fabric such as A having interwoven longitudinally upon one side a fabric such
as B and D the helices of the fabric B engaging with the longitudinal helices
of the primary fabric and the helices of the fabric I engaging with the helices

page_text: of the fabric B in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set
forth and as shewn upon the accompanying sheets of drawings.
Second-In cycle saddles forming the seat portion of a cross woven wire
fabric such as A having interwoven upon one side one or more single woven
wire fabrics such as B in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein
set forth and as shewn upon the accompanying sheets of drawings.
Third: In cycle saddles forming the seat portion of a cross woven wire fabric
such as A having interwoven upon one side one or more similar cross woven
fabrics in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 15th day of March 1899.
ALFRED EDMUND WALE.
By George Barker,
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
Agent for Applicant, 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham.