Year: 1895

page_text: We FREDERICK WESTWOOD Manager and THOMAS GROVES Engineer both
of Starley Road Coventry do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention relates to an improved method of covering or finishing the top
and plate edges of the crowns,-plate,-or otherwise, of the front forks of
velocipedes.
Usually, after brazing the forks in the crown, the top is unsightly, and requires
a large amount of cleaning up, so as to prepare for polishing and plating.
Moreover, there is a difficulty in nickel-plating, as most, if not all of the
complete fork, has to be immersed in the nickel solution.
By our improved method, there is no necessity to clean up the forks at all, or to
immerse them in the nickel solution.
We first of all take a thin sheet or blank of metal, & with suitable tools, raise it
with edges something like the lid of an ordinary tin box lid, but made the same
shape as the fork crown.
In the centre we pierce a hole, so that it may slide over the centre stem of the
fork. This then after polishing or plating separately, is put down over the stem
of the ball-head tube, covering the top, & edges of the crown of the fork, exactly
the same as if the plate had been finished by the ordinary methods as before
described.
The second portion of our invention relates to the method of making the tubular
portion of the bicycle.
We sometines make special liners and ferrules which may be serrated or
perforated at the ends, and turned up so as to get the grain of the metal in the
opposite way to the grain of the tube, such ferrules or liners may then be joined
by a brazed lap joint. These ferrules or liners may be made in other ways, as by
pressing into "
thimble" shape with the ends pierced and serrated or perforated.
And in this our invention, we construct a tube, from a sheet of steel, coiled in
circular form, with a lapped or butted joint, and using such similar liners, as
herein & above described, to strengthen and hold various parts of the said tubes
together, during the process of brazing up the joints, by this process, we get.
exceedingly strong, & rigid tubes, which supercede those from weldless steel in
tenacity and strength.
Dated 20th Mon 1005
FREDERICK WESTWOOD.
THOMAS GROVES.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Velocipedes.
We, FREDERICK WESTWOOD, Manager and THOMAS GROVES Engineer, both
of Starley Road in the City of Coventry and County of Warwick, 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 :-
The first part of our invention relates to the portion of velocipedes generally
known as front fork crowns.
Usually, after brazing forks into a crown the top portion requires much labor in
preparing for the process of electro plating.
By means of our invention such labor is greatly reduced.
We cut out a piece of sheet metal similar in shape to the top of a fork crown,
and turn up the edges all round at right angles with the main portion of the metal,
and in the centre of this we bore a hole for the purpose of passing same over
what is generally known as the fork column.
This plate, after being electro-plated is then placed on the fork crown and held
there by means of a sleeve of metal fastened to the fork column or in any other
suitable way.
The second portion of our invention we abandon.
Our invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings.
The reference letters indicate the same parts in all the drawings.
Figure 1. is a side elevation of a velocipede shewing our invention.
a being the
fork column, b one of the fork crown plates, c one of the fork sides, and a the
plate covering the top plate e as described.
Figure 2. is the top plate e in plan shewing same without covering.
Figure 3. is an elevation of same.
Figure 4. is a plan of the covering d when in position.
Figure 5. is a section of the covering d.
Figure 6. is a section of the crown plates b and e, and the column a and the fork
sides c. c. with the covering d in position and fixed by the sleeve when pressed
down over the tube a which is left slightly larger in that position than the internal
diameter of the sleeve ƒ for that purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
In velocipedes, covering the front fork crowns of same with one piece of metal
substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this Twentieth day of March 1896.
FREDERICK WESTWOOD,
THOMAS GROVES,
Applicants.