IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SEATS OR SADDLES OF BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES."
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Edwards, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Saddler, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SEATS OR
SADDLES OF BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Edwards at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st February 1882.
CHARLES EDWARDS of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Saddler
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SEATS OR SADDLES OF BICYCLES AND OTHER
VELOCIPEDES."
My Invention has for its object to give to the seats of bicycles and other
velocipedes greater elasticity than that possessed by the said seats as ordinarily
constructed, and thereby to prevent the discomfort to the rider complained of in the
use of seats of the ordinary kind.
Instead of giving to the metallic foundation plate the same configuration as the
seat, I employ a foundation plate extending only along the middle of the saddle
leaving those parts of the seat called the bellies without internal metallic support.
The foundation plate is sewn in the seat in the usual way and the bellies are stuffed
with flock or other like material. In order to give an olastic support to the bellies
of the seat I fix on the underside of the seat, a spring of thin sheet steel having a
figure somewhat resembling a horse shoe. This spring is fixed to the foundation by
means of screwed bolts and screw nuts. The part of the spring of greatest diameter
is situated under and gives an elastic support to the bellies of the seat. Or instead
of the horse shoe shaped spring described fixed to the foundation plate, a sheet
steel spring having a figure somewhat resembling the numeral 8 may be used. In
this case the spring crosses and is fixed in the case of bicycles, to the underside of
the wedge by which the seat is fixed to the backbone of the bicycle. The spring
crosses the wedge and affords elastic support to the bellies of the seat.
In applying my Invention to the seats of velocipedes other than bicycles such
modifications are made as are necessary to adapt it to the particular kind of
velocipedes to which it is applied, but the application of my Invention to the seats
of velocipedes other than bicycles, differs in no essential respect from its application
to the seats of bicycles as herein before explained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION. in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Edwards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th August
1882.
_CHARLES EDWARDS of Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Saddler
** IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SEATS OR SADDLES OF BICYCLES AND OTHER
VELOCIPEDES."
My Invention has for its object to give to the seats of bicycles and other
velocipedes, greater elasticity than that possessed by the said seats as ordinarily
constructed and thereby to prevent the discomfort to the rider complained of in the
use of seats of the ordinary kind.
Instead of giving to the metallic foundation plate the same configuration as the
seat, I employ a foundation plate extending only along the middle of the saddle
leaving those parts of the seat called the bellies without internal metallic support.
The foundation plate is sewn in the seat in the usual way and the bellies are stuffed
with flock or other like material. In order to give an elastic support to the bellies
of the seat, I fix on the underside of the seat, a spring of thin sheet steel having
a figure somewhat resembling a horse-shoe. This spring is fixed to the foundation
by means of screwed bolts and screw nuts. The part of the spring of greatest
diameter is situated under and gives an elastic support to the bellies of the seat.
Or instead of the horse shoe shaped spring described fixed to the foundation
plate, a sheet steel spring having a figure somewhat resembling the numeral 8 may
be used. In this arrangement the spring crossos and is fixed, in the case of
bicycles, to the underside of the wedge by which the seat is fixed to the backbone
of the bicycle. The spring crosses the wedge and affords elastic support to the
bellies of the seat.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the acompanying Drawings, the
manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents a plan of underside and Figure 2 a longitudinal vertical section
and Figure 3 a cross section of the seat or saddle of a bicycle constructed according
to my Invention; Figure 4 represents a plan of underside of the seat or saddle
without the borse shoe shaped spring; Figure 5 represents the horse shoe shaped
spring detached and Figure 6 represents the metallic foundation plate detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the samo parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
and 6.
a is the metallic foundation plate to which the screwed bolts b, b, c are affixed,
the said foundation plate a being sewn between the leather & forming the underside
of the seat and the underpiece of leather e having the figure of the said foundation
plate. The space between the upper and lower sides of the seat is stuffed with
flock or other like material f in the ordinary way. It will be seen by an
examination of Figure 4 that the foundation plate a extends only along the middle
of the seat or saddle leaving the parts g, g, called the bellies, without internal
metallic support from the said foundation plate a; h, h² is the horse shoe shaped
spring of thin sheet steel by which an elastic support is given to the belly parts g, g
of the seat. The said spring h, h³ is made by preference in three pieces rivetted
together as seen in Figure 5, the heel or arm parts h², h² having in them elliptical
holes i, i and the middle of of the toe part h having in it a similar hole k. The
spring h, h³ is fixed to the foundation plate a by means of the screwed bolts b, b, c,
the toe part h of the spring being secured by the bolt c and the screw nut c³ and
the heel or arm parts h², h of the spring by the two bolts b, b and screw nuts b², b²,
the said bolts and nuts b, b 62, 62 also serving to fasten the seat to the back bone of

page_text: the bicycle by means of the usual wedge and the cross bar m. When the
spring h, h² has been fixed to the foundation plate a it occupies the position at the
back of the seat represented in Figures 1, 2 and 3. From an examination of the
said Figures 1, 2 and 3 it will be seen that the part of the spring of greatest
diameter is situated under and gives an elastic support to the belly parts g, g of the
seat, the change of figure of the said spring, when pressure is put upon it, being
permitted by the long slots i, i, k in it through which the screwed bolts b, b, c
pass.
By this construction of seat or saddle the seat possesses considerable elasticity
and yields readily to the pressure of the thighs of the rider. The discomfort to
the rider which attends the use of the ordinary seat is thereby prevented.
Figure 7 represents the underside of a bicycle seat or saddle in which a cross
spring is used for giving the elasticity to the belly parts of the seat; Figure 8
represents the same with the cross spring removed; Figure 9 represents the
foundation plate detached and Figure 10 represents the spring attached to tho
wedge. In this modification the foundation plate a is expanded at the head to
follow the outline of the seat and the steel spring n is expanded at its ends. The
said spring n is fixed to the upper side of the wedge and when the said wedge is
secured in its place on the underside of the seat the expanded ends of the said
spring n afford elastic support to the belly parts g g of the seat as illustrated in
Figure 7. The seat is fixed to the back bone of the bicycle by the ordinary screw
bolts b, b on the foundation plate and the cross bar m as represented in Figure 7.
In applying my Invention to the seats of velocipedes other than bicycles, such
modifications are made as are necessary to adapt it to the particular kind of
velocipede to which it is applied, but the application of my Invention to the seats
of velocipedes other than bicycles, differ in no essential respect from its application
to the seats of bicycles as hereinbefore explained and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention:-
First The improvements in the seats or saddles of bicycles and other velocipedes
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the
accompanying Drawings; that is to say, the construction of the horse shoc shaped
spring for giving elasticity to the belly parts of the seat and the combination with
the said spring of a foundation plate of the kind described and illustrated.
Secondly The modification hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 7,
8, 9 and 10 of the accompanying Drawings in which a cross spring is used in
combination with a foundation plate having an expanded head.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Edwards have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Eighth day of August in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
Witness
GEORGE SHAW.
CHARLES EDWARDS. (L.S.)