Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes and Motor Carriages.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 4th June, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes and
Motor Carriages.
I, HENRY ARTHUR LAMPLUGH, of No. 61, Wellington Road, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
My invention has for its object to prevent or largely diminish the jerking pro-
duced in bicycles, tricycles, and other velocipedes and motor carriages, when the
wheels of the same pass over pebbles or obstructions.
I will describe my invention in connection with a bicycle.
Instead of connecting the frame of the bicycle directly to the spindles of the
driving and steering wheels, I connect the said parts in the following manner.
To the spindles of the driving and steering wheels and at each end thereof I con-
nect by one of its ends a short link, say of from one to two inches in length.
These links are free to turn on the said spindles and may be connected thereto by
ball bearings. The lower ends of the two forks are connected to the other ends
respectively of the said links. These connections may also have ball bearings.
By the arrangement of parts described it will be understood that the frame of the
bicycle is so suspended on the wheels that it is capable of a limited longitudinal
rocking or oscillatory motion in a vertical plane, the said framme being capable
of oscillating on the centre of the spindles of the driving and steering wheels.
The action of the parts is as follows. When the bicycle is travelling and
encounters an obstacle say, a pebble, the wheels in passing over the obstacle
ascend to a height dependent on the size of the obstacle and on clearing the obstacle
descend to their normal level. During the travelling of the wheels over the
obstacle their motion has been slightly retarded but the momentum of the frame.
of the bicycle and of the rider maintains their advancing motion for a time, the
frame of the bicycle and the rider slightly ascending. As the wheels after passing
the obstacle descend and regain their original speed the frame of the bicycle and
with it the rider also descend to their original level the ascending and descending
motion being very gentle and the advancing motion of the frame of the bicycle
having been practically unaffected the rider is unconscious of the obstacle over
which he has passed; and the action described occuring at each obstacle over
which the bicycle passes the jerking or tremulous motion usually produced by
asperities in the road is so completely prevented that the rider is unconscious
of them unless they are such as are not met with in a well kept road.
The application of my invention to tricycles and other velocipedes and motor
carriages differs in no essential respect from its application to a bicycle as herein-
before described.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes and
Motor Carriages.
I, HENRY ARTHUR LAMPlugi, of No. 61, Wellington Road, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
my 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 has for its object to prevent or largely diminish the jerking pro-
duced in bicycles, tricycles, and other velocipedes and motor carriages, when the
wheels of the same pass over pebbles or other obstructions.
I will describe my invention in connection with a bicycle.
Instead of connecting the frame of the bicycle directly to the spindles of the
driving and steering wheels I connect the said parts in the following manner.
To the spindles of the driving and steering wheels-and at each end thereof I con-
nect by one of its ends a short link, say of from one to two inches in length.
These links are free to turn on the said spindles and may be connected thereto by
ball bearings. The lower ends of the two forks are connected to the other ends
respectively of the said links. These connections may also have ball bearings.
By the arrangement of parts described it will be understood that the frame of the
bicycle is so suspended on the wheels that it is capable of a limited longitudinal
rocking or oscillatory motion in a vertical plane, the said frame being capable
of oscillating on the centre of the spindles of the driving and steering wheels.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When the bicycle is travelling and
encounters. an obstacle, say a pebble, the wheels in passing over the obstacle
ascend to a height dependent on the size of the obstacle and on clearing the obstacle
descend to their normal level. During the travelling of the wheels over the
obstacle their motion has been slightly retarded, but the momentum of the frame
of the bicycle and of the rider maintains their advancing motion for a time, the
frame of the bicycle and the rider slightly ascending. As the wheels after passing
the obstacle descend and regain their original speed the frame of the bicycle and
with it the rider also descend to their original level, the ascending and descending
notion being very gentle and the advancing motion of the frame of the bicycle
having been practically unaffected, the rider is unconscious of the obstacle over
which he has passed; and the action described occurring at each obstacle over
which the bicycle passes the jerking or tremulous motion usually produced by
asperities in the road, is so completely prevented that the rider is unconscious
of them unless they are such as are not met with in a well kept road..
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in section a portion of a wheel
containing my improvements; Figures 2 and 3 represent in section and side eleva-
tion one end only of a modified arrangement of parts, and Figure 4 represents a
modified detail which may be applied either to the arrangement Figure 1 or the
arrangement Figures 2 and 3.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
According to the arrangement represented in Figure 1 I connect to the ends of
the spindle a of the wheel, depending links a, a to the lower ends of which are
jointed, by pins f, f, the branches d, d of the wheel forks.. The spindle a is sup-
ported axially within the hub c by the bearing discs b, b which permit the links to
partake of a free rocking motion with respect to the said hub."
According to the arrangement Figures 2 and 3 the spindle a of the wheel has
no bearing within the hub c but takes into the branches d, d of the wheel fork to

page_text: which it is rigidly connected. The ends of the wheel fork extend beyond the
spindle a and perform the function of the links a² of the arrangement Figure 1
being jointed by pins f, f to bearing rings or collars e, e on the ends of the hub c.
In both the arrangements represented in the drawing the pins f, f of the fork
end d (Figure 1) and 2 (Figures 2 and 3) are provided with plain bearings but I
wish it to be understood that the said pins f, f may be provided with ball bearings
as represented in Figure 4.
From the description hereinbefore given and from an examination of the draw-
ings it will be seen that the frame of the bicycle is practically suspended so as to
be free to partake of a rocking motion, the said frame turning on the spindle a
in the arrangement Figure 1, and turning on the pins f, f in the arrangement
Figures 2 and 3. Consequently the said wheels, on encountering obstacles, say
pebbles on the road, are momentarily arrested but the momentum of the bicycle
carrying the frame forward the said wheels rise and pass over the obstacles with-
out or practically without affecting the smooth travelling of the frame of the
bicycle as herein before particularly explained.
The application of my invention to tricycles and other velocipedes and motor
carriages differs in no essential respect from its application to a bicycle as herein-
before described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention of "Improvements in bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes and motor
carriages":-
:
:-
First Supporting the frame of the velocipede upon pins carried by links
depending from the spindles of the wheels and capable of a rocking or oscillating
motion with respect to the links of the wheels substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing..
Secondly:The modified arrangement in which the frame of the velocipede is
supported upon pins turning in bearings at the bottom of a collar or ring in which
the hub of the wheel rotates the spindle of the wheel being rigidly connected to
the branches of the wheel fork at a point above the supporting pins substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying
drawing.
Dated the Sixth date of Auril 1898.
HENRY ARTHUR LAMPLUGH.