An Improved Detachable Mudguard.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 19th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1896
An Improved Detachable Mudguard.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM BRIGGS of 6 Matlock Villas, Chesterton Road
Sparkbrook, Birmingham, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
These mudguards are made either of leather, American cloth, canvas or any
suitable fabric or material. I take a strip of either of the above materials whichever
is necessary, and of suitable length and width according to the size of the wheel
I am to use the mudguard for, and down the centre I fix either by sewing, sticking,
or rivetting, a strip of steel or whalebone so as to give the necessary stiffness,
I also use stays of either steel or iron wire or anything strong and suitable, the ends
of these are bent so as to fix or drop into an eyelet, which is fixed to the centre of
the wheel, these stays are either sewn, riveted or run through slits in the mudguard,
and thus they hold the mudguard off the wheel, on the part of the mudguard which
runs up behind the backbone (or down tube) of a cycle, is a small spring fixed to
the mudguard which clutches the tube and keeps the mudguard in its place, as
also on the front mudguard there is a small spring at the top which clutches the
tubing at the fork crown, or I sometimes use a lace or string. On the axle, and
behind the nut of each side of the wheel, I put a plate of either steel, iron,
aluminium, or anything suitable, and this I call the eyelet, and is grooved out
so that the stays coming from the mudguard can drop in and thus be a fixture for
the time, this same plate or eyelet also forms a washer behind the nut, and need
not be removed when the mudguards are not in use, as the stays are made so that
they drop in and out easy.
The foregoing forms a very light mudguard and very simple and easy in
detachment.
Dated this 19th day of November 1895.
An Improved Detachable Mudguard.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM BRIGGS of 6 Matlock Villas, Chesterton Road,
Sparkbrook, Birmingham, Accountant Clerk, 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:-
This invention relates to the fittings or connection means of detachable mud-
guards, and has for its object, the making of the said fittings so that the guards
admit of being easily attached and detached without disarranging any of the parts
of a cycle.
The mud-guard consists of a strip of flexible material, such as leather stiffened
by a steel band or other insertion, celluloid, wood, papier mache, thin steel or any
other substance as may be desired with one end provided (in case of a front wheel
guard) with a clip or other equivalent attachment for taking over the neck of the

page_text: crown of the forks, and with the other end jointedly connected to the outer ends of
stays or branches, whose free inner ends are turned down hookwise and take or
engage within elongated tubular eyes or sockets of middle-pierced washers or plates
taking upon the wheel spindle inwards of the end nuts and there remaining as
permanent fittings.
In a back-wheel mud guard, the top side of the strip of material forming the
same is fitted with horse-shoe-shaped spring clips, one of which engages with the
bridging tie of the back. stays, and the other which may be sliding-adjustable
embraces the down or seat member of the framing whilst the free end of the
guard is fitted with like stays as described in connection with the front wheel
guard.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents a bicycle in which the
detachable mudguards are attached by fittings constructed in accordance with my
improvements.
Figure 2 represents, upon an enlarged scale, a front wheel mud-guard and its
attachment fittings, and
Figure 3 is an underside plan of the same, detached from a machine and laid out
straight.
Figure 4 is an elevation of the rear part of a cycle framing, fitted with the socket
connection of a rear wheel mud-guard.
Figure 5 is a sectional plan of Figure 4 on the dotted line a, showing how the
eyed washer is cranked so as to bring the socket part on the side of the forked
stay and
Figure 6 is an end view of Figures 4 and 5.
Figure 7 shows an edge view and a section of the eyed and socketted plate or
washer separately.
Figure 8 represents the socketted washer connection fitted to a front fork end
which is equally applicable to the back forks of a machine fitted with an ordinary
chain adjustment as shown in Figure 9.
Figure 10 is an edge view and a section of this form of socketted washer
separately.
Figure 11 is a plan of a rear wheel guard detached from a machine and laid
out flat.
Figure 12 shows a modified form of connection, in which the stay end is made
tubular and takes onto a peg carried by the eyed plate or washer.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 11.
a is the mudguard of the front wheel, with one end a', provided with a horse-shoe
shaped spring clip b, whose arms b¹, embrace the neck c¹, of the crown c, terminating
the upper end of the forks and the lower end of the steering pillar. The guard is
made of any suitable material capable of taking a cambered figure, but when made
of leather or like flexible material is stiffened by a thin sheet steel band a², whilst
the lower end a³, is connected hingewise to the outer ends of the wire or other
stays d, whose inner ends d², are preferably turned hookwise at d³, thus forming
stalks which take into sockets e', of eyed washer e, slipped onto the end parts f¹ of
the spindle, inwards of the screwed-on nuts g.
The tubular eyed sockets e', slightly yield or spring so that when the ends ď³, are
passed into them they are firmly clipped and chattering is prevented.
The sockets may be lined with rubber or other soft material to render them
noiseless.
When the mudguards are detached, these eyed washers remain on the ends of the
spindle and are always in place ready to receive the ends of the mudguard stays
when they require to be again put in use.
Thus, in fixing the mudguard, first spring the arms of the clip around the fleck
of the crown and place the terminations of the stays into the sockets of the
washers.
In the back wheel as represented in Figures 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7, a is the mudguard,
with the outer ends 6', of the stays b, connected hingewise to the end a³ of it whilst

page_text: the inner ends 6, of the said stays taking into the spring sockets e¹, of the eyed
washers e, which are cranked at ³, so as to bring round the sockets to the sides of
the back forks.
The middle part of the said guard has upon its outer side, a spring clip 6*, which
takes around the bridge tie h', of the back stays h³, whilst the inner end has a like
6, framing
clip &', which embraces the sent meritiers of the clips nor to the exact forms of the
Baid clips, which may be arranged to embrace different parts of the machine without
departing from the nature of my invention.
In Figure 11, e is an eyed washer or plate, carrying a stalk e', upon which
a tubular and preferably split end d³, of a mudguard stay d, takes.
Figure 13 represents an end of the mud guard showing how the attachment clip
can be made adjustable.
a is the mudguard, 6 the attachment clip whose position can be adjusted by
threading it under one or other of a series of loops a³, made by cross-slitting the
material.
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. A mudguard stay attachment, consisting of a socket or a spring socket of
the one part, receiving the stalk end of another part, substantially as described and
set forth.
Secondly. A mudguard stay attachment consisting of a pair of eyed and
socketted plates or washers, permanently fitted to the ends of a spindle, and
adapted to receive or have engaged with them, the ends of the stays supporting
the material constituting the mudguard, substantially as described and set forth.
Thirdly. The general construction, arrangement and combination of the parts of
detachable mudguards, substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 18th day of August 1896.
FREDERICK WILLIAM BRIGGS,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.