Improvements in Bicycles, Trioycles, and other Velocipedes and Wheel Carriages.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1892-Accepted, 9th July, 1892,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles, Trioycles, and other Velocipedes and
Wheel Carriages.
We RICHARD EDMUND KING, of No. 28 Guest Street Hockley, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick Brassfounder and Manufacturer and JAMES DIAMOND,
of No. 38 Catharine Street, Aston near Birmingham aforesaid Tool Maker do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The said invention has for its object to destroy or lessen the vibratory or
tremulous motion produced in bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes and' wheel
carriages by obstacles or asperities in the roads over which they travel. The said
invention is especially applicable to bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes but is
also applicable to wheel carriages. By the use of the said invention the cushion
and pneumatic tyres and the spring mechanism commonly employed between the
frame and the saddle of the velocipede for deadening vibration may be dispensed
with; but the said invention may be used in conjunction with either of the said
tyres and spring mechanism.
We will describe the said invention as applied to a safety bicycle having a front
steering wheel.
Instead of connecting the body of the bicycle to the axle of the front steering
wheel in the ordinary way we effect the said connection in the following manner.
To each branch of the fork we attach a rectangular frame in which frame a block
slides vertically. To this block the end of the axle on which the hub of the
steering wheel turns is fixed. The said block has at top a vertical rod terminating
in a disc or piston sliding in a tube or hollow cylinder surmounting the rectangular
frame carried by the fork. A strong coiled spring situated in the said tube or
cylinder bears at top against the closed top of the cylinder and at bottom on the
piston described. The said spring tends to keep the block to which the end of the
axle is affixed at the bottom of the rectangular frame in which it slides and this is
its normal position. When however the wheel passes over an obstacle the said
block is suddenly raised, but its rising motion is not communicated to the fork and
body of the bicycle as the spring by which the block is pressed down yields
momentarily and the shock which would otherwise be communicated to the rider is
wholly or in great part deadened. By a similar action the tremulous motion which
a rough road would give to the rider is prevented.
In order to give freedom and smoothness of motion to the block to which the end
of the axle is fixed the vertical slides of the frame in which the block works are
provided with anti-friction balls against which the said block bears during its
rising and falling motion. These balls are held in position by undercut holders
inserted in the rectangular frame. By means of set screws these holders can be
accurately adjusted.
The arrangement of parts described is applied to the back or driving wheel as
well as to the front steering wheel and may be applied to any of the wheels of
different kinds of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes and wheel carriages
the tremulous motion of which it is desired to deaden.
Although we have described and prefer to use a coiled steel spring for the
purpose of taking up or deadening the tremulous motion of the wheel yet we do
not limit ourselves to the use of that kind of springs as springs of other kinds may
be used with the same or nearly the same effect.
Dated the 29th day of August 1891.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
+
Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes and i
Wheel Carriages.
We RICHARD EDMUND KING of No. 28 Guest. Street, Hockley, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick Brassfounder and Manufacturer and JAMES DIAMOND
of No. 38 Catherine Street, Aston near Birmingham aforesaid, Tool Maker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner the saine
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained" in and by the
following statement :-
•
The said invention has for its object to destroy or lessen the vibratory, or
tremulous motion produced in bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes and wheel
carriages by obstacles or asperities in the roads over which they travel.
-
The said invention is especially applicable to bicycles, tricycles and other
yelocipedes but is also applicable to wheel carriages. By the use of the said
invention the cushion and pneumatic tyres and the spring mechanism commonly
employed between the frame and the saddle of the velocipede for deadening
vibration may be dispensed with; but the said invention may be used in conjunction
with either of the said tyres and spring mechanism.
We will describe the said invention as applied to a safety bicycle having a front
steering wheel:
Instead of connecting the body of the bicycle to the axle of the front steering
wheel in the ordinary way we effect the said connection in the following manner.
To each branch of the fork we attach a rectangular frame in which frame a block
slides vertically. This block is fixed on the end of the axle on which the hub of
the steering wheel turns.
i'
* 1
il
27.
The said block has at top a vertical rod terminating in a disc or pistou sliding in
& tube or hollow cylinder surmounting the rectangular frame carried by the fork.
A strong coiled spring situated in the said tube or cylinder bears at top against
the closed top of the cylinder and at bottom on the piston described. "Th
"The said
spring tends to keep the block to which the end of the axle is affixed at the bottom
of the rectangular fraine in which it slides and this is its normal position. When
however the wheel passes over an obstacle the said block is suddenly raised, but its
rising motion is not communicated to the fork and body of the bicycle is the spring
by which the block is pressed down yields, momentarily, and the shock which
would otherwise be communicated to the rider is wholly or in great part deadened.
By a similar action the tremulous motion which a rough road would give to the
rider is prevented.
14
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+3
its
In order to give freedom and smoothness of motion to the block to which the
end of the axle is fixed the vertical sides of the frame in which the block works
are provided with anti-friction balls against which the said block bears during
rising, and falling motion. These balls are held in position by undercut holders
inserted in the rectangular frame. "By means of set screws these holders can be
accurately adjusted. Or the sliding block may carry rollers, wh
which bear against
the sides of the frame.
ITE
7411
The arrangement of parts described is applied to the back or driving wheel as
well as to the front steering wheel and may be applied to any of the wheels of
different kinds of bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes and wheel carriages the
tremulous motion of which it is desired to deaden.
"
.1
T
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings
the manner in which the said invention is to be performed.
OF THE
Figure 1. represents in side elevation and Figure 2. in end elevation a safety
bicycle having a front steering wheel, the said bicycle being provided with
mechanism constructed and arranged according to the said invention for deadening
or lessening vibration and shocks during the travelling of the vehicle.

page_text: Figure 3. represents in side elevation and Figure 4. in vertical section the anti-
vibration mechanism situated at each end of the axles of the wheels drawn to a
larger scale and Figure 5. represents partly in end elevation and partly in vertical
section,, a portion of one of the wheels its axle and the anti-vibration mechanism at
each end' of 'the axle of the wheel, the sectional part of Figure 5, being taken in
a plane at right angles to that in which the section Figure 4. is taken; Figure 6.
represents the sliding block its rod and disc or piston detached drawn to the same
scale as Figures 3, 4, and 5; Figure 7. represents in section and Figure 8. in plan
an arrangement for preserving the vertical motion of the piston rod.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
:
Од
a. is the front steering wheel and b. the driving wheel of the safety bioycle; a' is
the fork supporting the steering wheel a. and is the fork supporting the driving
wheel b. Each of the branches of the supporting forks at the side of the wheel
carries a rectangular frame c. in which a block d. slides vertically, the said frame
and its contents being covered by the cap c' secured in its place by screws; e. is
the hub of the wheel and f. the fixed axle of the same on which it turns.
each end of the said fixed axle fa sliding block d. is fixed so that as the wheel
rises and falls on passing over obstructions in the road, the blocks dad similarly
rise and fall in their frames c. c.; d in a vertical rod connected to the top of the .
sliding block d, the said rod passing through a hole in the top of the frame c. and
terminating in the disc or piston d sliding in the tube or hollow cylinder g.
Burmounting and screwed to the frame c.
In the said tube or cylinder 9. is 'a strong coiled spring h. which bears at top
against the closed top of the cylinder g and at bottom on the piston or disc d³.
By means of the spring h. the sliding block d. is pressed down nearly to the
bottom of its frame which position is its normal position. When however the
rider mounts the bicycle his weight carries down the frames c. and cylinders g.
and the coiled springs h. are consequently compressed.
For giving smoothness of motion to the sliding block d. in its frame c. it is
provided with rollers as represented which rollers slightly project from its vertical
edges and bear against the adjustable plates c³ at the sides of the frame c. Or the
block d. in its motion may bear against anti-friction balls placed in holders secured
to the vertical sides of the frame c. We prefer however to use the arrangement of
parts represented.
For the purpose of ensuring the accurate vertical motion of the piston rod d. it
may bear against adjustable rollers at the top of the frame as represented in section
in Figure 7. and a plan of underside in Figure 8. where the rollers are marked i.
These rollers turn in and are carried by the boxes k. which are adjustable, and
work in the guiding frame 1. fixed to or made in one piece with either the bottom
of the cylinder g. or top of the frame c. The boxes k. carrying the rollers are
adjustable by the set screws m. m.
From the foregoing description and by reference to the accompanying drawings
it will be understood that when the wheels of the bicycle, to which the said
invention is applied, pass over an obstacle in the road, the blocks on the axles of
the wheels are suddenly raised, but their rising motion is not communicated to the
forks and body of the bicycle as the springs h. h. by which the blocks are pressed
down yield momentarily and the shock which would otherwise be communicated to
the rider is wholly or in great part.deadened.
The same action prevents the tremulous motion communicated to the wheels on
passing over a rough road from being transmitted to the body of the vehicle.
Although we have described and prefer to use coiled steel springs for the
purpose of taking up or deadening the tremulous motion of the wheels, yet we do
not limit ourselves to the use of that kind of springs, as springs of other kinds may
be used with the same or nearly the same effect.
The improvements described and shown may be applied to velocipedes generally
and to wheel carriages. In applying the said invention to wheel carriages, the
'

page_text: frames in which the sliding blocks work are 'secured to the sides or fixed body of
the carriage instead of being carried by.the forks of the frame as in the case of
velocipedes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of. the said
invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we
claim as the said invention of "Improvements in bicycles, tricycles and other
velocipedes and wheel carriages
37
The combination with the axles of the wheels of velocipedes and wheel
carriages and the supporting forks or bodies of the same of the arrangement of
parts hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings for
destroying or lessening the vibratory or tremulous motion produced in the said
velocipedes and carriages by obstacles or asperities in the road over which they
travel, the said combination of parts consisting of blocks fixed on the ends of the
axle of the wheel and sliding vertically in frames on the forks or body of the
vehicle, the said sliding blocks being pressed down by coiled springs, or other
springs acting on pistons or discs carried by rods on the said blocks, the said blocks
rising in their frames as the wheels pass over obstacles, thereby compressing the
coiled or other springs which by their action absorb, destroy or lessen the shock
or vibratory or tremulous motion which would otherwise be transmitted to the
velocipede or carriage substantially as heroinbefore described and illustrated.
Dated the 27th day of May 1892.
RICHARD EDMUND KING.
JAMES DIAMOND.