Improvements in Saddles for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1896-Accepted, 30th May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Saddles for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other
Velocipedes.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED LAMPLUGH of No. 13 Rue Descombes, Courcelles,
Paris, in the Republic of France, Cycle Saddle and Accoutrement Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The saddles of bicycles, tricycles, and other velocipedes as ordinarily constructed
frequently give rise to a sense of pressure and discomfort to the rider in conse-
quence of the weight of the rider being mainly borne by that part of the saddle
immediately under the ischia of the pelvis. A further sense of discomfort is
occasioned by the pressure of the pommel of the saddle on the perinæum of the
rider.
The principal object of my invention is so to construct the saddles of bicycles,
tricycles and other velocipedes that the pressure on the ischia shall be reduced to
a minimum and that on the perinæum altogether obviated.
I will describe my invention in connection with the saddle of a bicycle.
I make the foundation of the saddle preferably of a flat plate of sheet iron or
steel having the general configuration of the saddle in plan, but having perforations
under that part of the finished saddle on which the ischia of the rider bear in
riding. The said perforations are formed by making slits or incisions having
nearly the figure of two sides of an equilateral triangle. The tongues thus formed
are turned down at right angles to the plate from which they are formed. These
turned down parts are fashioned so as to form the supports and washers for the
socket. I fit on the said metallic foundation two cushions one on each side of the
middle line of the saddle. These cushions are made of soft leather and the space
between the said leather and the foundation plate is filled preferably by india
rubber sponge. Horse hair or other elastic stuffing material may however be
employed. The stuffing described does not extend to the parts of the cushions on
which the ischia of the rider bear, the soft leather of the cushions being unsupported
at those parts. The cushions described do not meet, at the middle line of the
saddle, a trough like space being left between them of nearly an inch in breadth.
The bottom of this trough is strengthened by a strip of iron or steel being riveted
thereto. The ordinary pommel I dispense with altogether, so that the finished
saddle has in plan the configuration of an ordinary bicycle saddle without a pommel
and having a trough or longitudinal depression extending along its middle from front
to back.
I prefer to cover the underside of the metallic foundation with leather, circular
perforations being made in the leather covering at the parts of the said covering
immediately under the unsupported parts of the leather seat.
Dated this First day of August 1895
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Saddles for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other
Velocipedes.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED LAMPLUGH of No. 13 Rue Descombes, Courcelles,
Paris, in the Republic of France, Cycle Saddle and Accoutrement Manufacturer
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:―
The saddles of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes as ordinarily constructed
. frequently give rise to a sense of pressure and discomfort to the rider in conse-
sequence of the weight of the rider being mainly borne by that part of the saddle
immediately under the ischia of the pelvis. A further sense of discomfort is
occasioned by the pressure of the pommel of the saddle on the perinæum of the
"rider.
The principal object of my invention is so to construct the saddles of bicycles,
tricycles and other velocipedes that the pressure on the ischia shall be reduced to
a minimum and that on the perinæum altogether obviated.
I will describe my invention in connection with the saddle of a bicycle.
I make the foundation of the saddle preferably of a flat plate of sheet iron or
steel having the general configuration of the saddle in plan but having perforations
under those parts of the finished saddle on which the ischia of the rider bear in
riding. The said perforations are formed by making slits.or incisions having
nearly the figure of two sides of an equilateral triangle. The tongues thus formed
are turned down at right angles to the plate from which they are formed. These
turned down parts are fashioned so as to form the supports and washers for the
socket. I fit on the said metallic foundation two cushions one on each side of the
middle line of the saddle. These cushions are made of a soft leather covering and
the space between the said leather covering and the foundation plate is filled
-preferably-by-india rubber-sponge. Horse_hair_or_other_elastic stuffing material
may however be employed. The stuffing described does not extend to the parts
of the cushions on which the ischia of the rider bear, the soft leather of the
cushions being unsupported at those parts. The cushions described do not meet
at the middle line of the saddle, a trough like space being left between them of
nearly an inch in breadth. The bottom of this trough is strengthened by a strip
of iron or steel being rivetted thereto. The ordinary pommel I dispense with
altogether so that the finished saddle has in plan the configuration of an ordinary
bicycle saddle without a pommel and having a trough or longitudinal depression
extending along its middle from front to back.
I prefer to cover the underside of the metallic foundation with leather, circular
perforations being made in the leather covering at the parts of the said covering
immediately under the unsupported parts of the leather seat.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings represent vertical sections, taken
in planes at right angles to one another of a cycle saddle constructed according to
my invention; Figure 3 is a plan of the upper side and Figure 4 a plan of the
underside of the saddle. In Figure 4 a portion of the leather covering of the
foundation plate is removed.
The section Figure 1 is taken on the dotted line a, a Figure 3, and the section
Figure 2 is taken on the dotted line b, 6 Figure 4.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
c is the foundation of the saddle consisting of a flat plate of iron or steel with
the flanged or turned down edge, the said plate having the general figure of a
saddle in plan but without the ordinary pommel. The said foundation plate c is

page_text: perforated at d, d under that part of the saddle on which the ischia of the rider
bear in riding. The said perforations are formed by making incisions or slits
having nearly the figure of two sides of an equilateral triangle so as to form.
partly detached tongues. These tongues are turned down at right angles to the
plate and are slotted and fashioned so as to form the supports and washers e, e for
the socket or saddle clip. The slotted supports and washers e, e are best seen in
Figures and 2 and the saddle clip or socket carried by the said supports is
marked f The saddle clip or socket represented constitutes no part of my
invention as other kind of saddle clips may be used with the supports e, e.
.
On the metallic foundation plate c, the cushions g, y, are cemented or otherwise
fixed, the said cushions being arranged on either side the middle line of the saddle
so as to form a trough like space or depression between them as best seen in
Figure 2, the said trough extending from back to front (see Figure 3). The
bottom of the said trough his strengthened by the rivetted strip of iron or steel i.
The said cushions g, g consist of a soft leather covering enclosing a stuffing of
india rubber sponge or of horse hair or of other slightly yielding stuffing material;
or the soft leather covering may enclose an elastic or yielding material as herein-
after described. The underside of the metallic foundation plate c and its flange c²
are covered with leather and the edges of the leather coverings of the cushions g, g
and foundation plate c, c² are sewn together at their junctions with the edge of the.
flange c. In the stuffing of the cushions 9, 9 and opposite the perforations d, d in.
the foundation plate c, openings k, k of a conoidal (or other) shape are left so that
those parts of the soft leather covering of the cushions 9, 9 ou which the ischia of
the rider bear are unsupported as seen in Figure 2. The leather covering of the
foundation plate c has circular perforations made in it at 1, under the unsupported.
parts of the saddle.
In my improved saddle the ordinary pommel is dispensed with, the pommel-less-
saddle having a trough or longitudinal depression extending along its middle from.
front to back. By the use of this construction of saddle in combination with the
longitudinal trough h, pressure on the perinæum of the rider is altogether obviated
and by constructing the unsupported parts of the seat in the manner described
and represented, the pressure on the ischia of the rider is reduced to a minimum.
Figure 5 represents in cross section and Figure 6 in plan of underside a
modified saddle in which the slightly yielding stuffing of the cushions g, g is.
replaced by a yielding reticulated structure of vulcanized india rubber marked m,.
the perforations d, d in the foundation plate c being left uncovered by the leather
covering of the said plate (see Figure 6). I do not limit myself to the reticulated.
elastic structure m of the cushions g, g as other elastic material or packing may be
employed. By this modified construction of the saddle it is made capable of
yielding when pressure is put upon it especially at the unsupported parts opposite.
the perforations d, d, at which parts the ischia of the rider bear. In other respects.
this modified saddle is the same as that first described and corresponding parts are
marked with the same letters of reference.
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 saddles for bicycles, tricycles and other
velocipedes."
First. Constructing the said saddles of a perforated sheet metal foundation
having in plan the configuration of an ordinary velocipede saddle without a
pommel and of two cushions fitted one on each side of the middle line of the
said foundation so as to leave between the said cushions a trough or longitudinal
depression extending along the middle of the finished saddle from front to back,
the stuffing of the said cushions above the perforated parts of the foundation plate
being omitted at those parts so that the parts of the soft leather on which the
ischia of the rider bear are unsupported, the saddle thus constructed being without
the ordinary pommel substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the

page_text: accompanying drawings; also the modification described and illustrated in which
the stuffing of the cushions of the saddle consists of a reticulated or other elastic
support.
Secondly. Making the supports and washers of the saddle socket or clip by
slitting the foundation plate where the perforations, under the unsupported parts of
the saddle are required and turning down at right angles the partly detached
tongue pieces thus formed and fashioning the said tongue pieces into the supports
and washers of the saddle socket or clip substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Second day of April 1896.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.