IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES AND WHEELS, SUCH WHEELS BEING APPLICABLE TO BICYCLES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry James Grout, of Watson Street,
'
Stoke Newington Green, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and:
Bicycle Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BICYCLES AND WHEELS, SUCH WHEELS BEING APPLICABLE TO BICYCLES,
Jealed the 2nd October 1874, and dated the 4th April 1874.
"
39+
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry James
Grout at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition; on the 4th April 1874.
3 I, WILLIAM HENRY JAMES GROUT, of Watson Street, Stoke Newing:
ton Green, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and Bicycle Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES AND WHEELS, SUCH -WHEELS BEING APPLICABLE TO

page_text: bicycles and wheels, whereby the front fork of the bicycle is made of
iron or steel or other suitable metal; the lower end of the fork is fitted
with a cylindrical box and forms the bearings which carrys the front or
driving wheel; the upper end of the fork I make to work through a steel
or other metal socket fitted to the iron frame of the bicycle; the steering
or guide handle being fixed on the top part of the fork, the axle of the
front or driving wheel rotates on small rollers fitted to the inside of the
cylindrical box, filling up the space between the axle and the inner sides
of the box; these rolls are held in their position by means of metal plates
or covers fitted to box. The hind wheel of the bicycle is made to fit the
back fork; this fork is connected to the. iron frame and carrys the nave
of the wheel, which forms the cylindrical box to receive the small rolls.
On these rolls the axle revolves. Metal plates or covers are fitted to the
nave to keep the rolls in their position.
:
The spring I shall make of steel, one end being connected to the front
part of the iron frame by means of a knuckle joint; the other end is
fitted with a small roll which has its bearing on the back part of the iron
frame, that when the rider is seated in the saddle gives motion to the
roll,. thereby rendering riding more easy.
::
I shall also construct a brake made of iron or steel and fit the same to
the fork of the driving wheel; this brake is provided with a small wood
or metal roller and made suitable to the shape of the rubber tyre; the
brake is worked by the steering or guiding handle; the action produced
compresses the brake against the rubber tyre of wheel. I shall also
apply the brake to the hind wheel or to both wheels to lessen or diminish
the speed going down sharp inclines.
I make a foot rest by fixing two round jointed peices of metal on the
sides of the front fork, which may be press'd down by the rider's foot
when required, and made to return into its former position by means of
elastic rings.
I make the india-rubber tyre for bicycle wheels in small, blocks or
sections leaving spaces or apertures between each block suitable to the
weight the wheel has to carry, and when making the rubber tyre för
carriage and other wheels, then I shall make the rubber tyre in blocks or
sections on a larger scale, forming nearly one continuous band, which I

page_text: fix permanently by a process of junction rubber, whereby the tyre,
becomes united in a solid manner to the rim or felloe of the wheel.
The rim or felloe of wheels for bicycles, carriages, and other vehicles I
shall make of iron or steel roll'd to a semicircle shape to receive the:
india-rubber tyre, the rim or felloe is drill'd, countersunk, and fitted.
with brass or iron nuts forming projections on the inner circle of wheel
and screw'd to fit the end of spoke. The nuts are made to revolvė:
round in the rim of the wheel to admit of being screwd on the end of
the spoke. The spokes I make of iron or steel rods; the size may be
according to the diameter of the wheel; one end of the spoke is.
screw'd to fit the nut in the rim of wheel, the other end of the spoke is:
made with an oval or oblong head which fits in the nave of the wheel,
and by turning the nuts screws up the spokes to any desired point of
tightness, thereby holding the wheel in tension. The nave of the wheel
I make of brass or iron, hollow at tlie ends, forming a flange to receive.
the oval or oblong heads of the spokes; holes are drill'd in the flange of
the nave for the spokes to pass through, and are held securely in their
position. Metal plates or covers are fitted to each end of the nave; by:
this means the spokes can be easily replaced without disturbing other
parts of the wheel; the number of spokes in each wheel will be regulated
according to the size and weight the wheel has to carry; the groove in
the rim or felloc of the wheel I make of a semicircular shape to receive
the india-rubber tyre, which is permanently united to the rim or felloe
of the wheel for the purposes required:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Henry James Grout in the Great Seal.
Patent Office on the 2nd October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY JAMES GROUT, of Watson Street, Stoke Newington Green, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer and Bicycle Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of
1

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
year of Her reign, did; for Herself; Her heirs and successors;
give and grant unto me; the said William Henry James Grout, Her
special licence that I, the said William Henry James Grout, my.
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Henry James Grout, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYLES AND WHEELS, SUCH
WHEELS BEING APPLICABLE TO BICYCLES, CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES," upon.
the condition (amongt others) that I; the said William Henry James;
Grout, my executors ör administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Henry James Grout, 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 by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing,
hereto annexed and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that
is to say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the arrangement and con-
struction of bicycles and wheels (known by the name of tension wheels)
for the same, such wheels being also applicable to other carriages and
vehicles for common roads. To the lower ends of the front fork at cacli
side of the wheel I fit a cylindrical box, such boxes forming the bearings
of the spindle or axle of the front or driving wheel. The interior
diameter of these boxes is greater than that of the spindle or axle of the
front wheel, and in the space thus left between the inner circumference
of the boxes and the circumference of the spindle or axle I place a
number of cylindrical rollers on which the axle rotates. The said rollers
are held in their position by means of metal covers formed in two parts.

page_text: and fitted to each end of the boxes. The bearings of the hind or guiding.
wheel are arranged in a simpler manner. The steel spring carrying the
saddle is connected to the front part of the iron frame by a knuckle
joint as usual, the other end or tail of the spring is provided with a clip.
passing from the ends of the small bolt on which the roller rotates round
the under side of the iron frame or backbone of the bicycle, so as to
allow the free movement of the roller and spring along the iron frame
but preventing side movement. I also form the spring with a bend at a
short distance in front of the socket in which the upper end of the front
fork-works, the part of the spring on which the saddle is fixed is thereby.
brought nearer the iron frame, thus enabling a person to use a bicycle,
having the front wheel of à larger diameter than hitherto; I form the.
handle with a knob at each end so as to allow of its being grasped end-
wise by the hands instead of flatwise as heretofore, and instead of the
usual projecting bow, to which the end of the break cord is attached, I
employ a small cye cast on the ring fitted on the spindle of the handle.
I prefer to make the india-rubber tyre of a corrugated form ön its
periphery. For this purpose a number of moulds of the required form.
are fitted round the iron rim or felloe of the wheel junction, rubber is
then placed in the moulds and the tyre is thus cast or moulded on the
felloc so as to form an endless band firmly fixed on the felloe. For
small tyres the corrugations may be formed by cutting. I make the
lower ends of the spokes with an oval shaped head instead of a T. shape.
as hitherto.
AL
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention I will now
proceed to moré particularly describe the same, and the best means with
which I am acquainted for carrying it into effect by reference to the
accompanying Drawing in which Figure 1 is an elevation-half in section of
the axle and part of the wheel of a tension bicycle shewing my improved.
bearings applied thereto; Figure 2, section on line A, B, of Figure 1;
Figure 3, part elevation of a bicycle spring made with my improve-
ments; Figure 4, a plan shewing my improvements in the handles of
bicycles; Figure 5, elevation of part of a bicycle wheel with my
improved tyre applied thereto; Figure 6, view of part of a felloe of a
wheel with the moulds applied thereto for forming my improved tyre;
Figure 7, end elevation of one of the moulds detaclied; Figure 8, trans-
verse section of same; Figures 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8. are drawn full size;
.

page_text: and Figures 3 and 4 to a smaller scale. Similar letters are used in all
the Figures to represent similar parts.
In Figures 1 and 2, a, a, are the lower ends of the front fork, and b, b,
are the cylindrical boxes formed with arms 6', 6', and rivetted to the
fork by the rivets c, c; d is the axle of the wheel, and e, e, e, e, are the
cylindrical rollers placed between the axle d and the inner circumference
of the boxes b, b; f,f, are the metal covers fitted to each end of the boxes,
the other ends of the covers fit over the bosses B of the nave and the
cranks C respectively, each of these covers is formed in two parts and are
cast with lugs g, g, through which pass the screws h, h, by which they
are held together. The covers serve to keep the rollers e, e, e, in their
places and also serve to keep out the dust. By employing these
improved roller bearings the working of the bicycle is rendered more
casy, a rolling motion of the axle in its bearings being substituted for
the usual sliding motion.
i
In Figure 3 i is the spring of a bicycle which I form with a bend at
j, thereby bringing the saddle nearer the iron frame or backbone k of the
bicycle; is the clip on the tail of the spring to prevent side action.
Figure 4 is a plan of my improved bicycle handle formed with a knob
m at each end; n is the small eye which I employ in place of the
ordinary bow to which the end of the break cord is attached; this eye is
cast in one piece with the ring o which turns with the handle when
operating the break.
Figure 5 shews my improved india-rubber tyre A, made of a corrugated
form on its periphery; I preferably form this tyre by wedging round the
felloe or rim Ρ of the wheel a number of moulds q, Figure 6 (two only
being shewn in the Figure); junction rubber is then placed in thin moulds:
and the tyre is thus moulded in its place on the felloe itself.
Figures 7 and 8, shew an end elevation and a transverse section
respectively of one of the moulds q; 8, 8, holes through which the
wedges are passed for fixing the moulds on the felloe p; u, Figure 5,
shews the oval head at the lower end of each spoke.
Having thus described my said Invention and the best means I am
acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, what I claim is, the
improvements in the arrangement and construction of bicycles and

page_text: bicycle wheels, such wheels being also applicable to carriages and other
vehicles, substantially as herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry James Grout, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Second day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
J. SAWYER,
Consulting Engineer.
W. H. J. GROUT. (L.S.)