Improvements in Cycle Pedals.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left. 8th June, 1897-Accepted. 24th July, 1897
Date of Appre
Complete Specification Left. 8th June. 1897-Accepted. 24th July. 1897
Improvements in Cycle Pedals.
I, HARRY DE MONTFORT WELLBORNE, 17 Duke Street, Southwark, S.E., Solicitor,
de hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
To avoid liability of the feet being jerked off the pedal in consequence of the
wheel of the machine coming in contact with obstructions in the road, some
bicycles are provided with pedals known as the "rat-trap" in which the cross rods
of the rectangular frame constituting the pedal and which are ordinarily sheathed
with india rubber are replaced by narrow bars having serrated edges. These
pedals however are not universally approved of as the sharp edges are apt to
damage the sole of the cyclist's boot or shoe and they possess other objections;
moreover by constant use the teeth are worn and the advantages they should
afford are lost.
The pedal of my invention is designed to afford the advantages of the rat trap
type without the above objections, to render riding easier, and to provide the
resistance to the forward thrust of the foot for which toe clips are sometimes
employed.
According to my invention I replace the india rubber covered cross bars or
rods of the ordinary pedal or the serrated cross bars of the rat trap type by pairs
of leather covered spring plates whose wearing surface or tread is furnished with
strips of leather secured at intervals diagonally or otherwise to the leather covered
plates. The sole of the cyclist's boot or shoe may be provided with corresponding
diagonally or otherwise arranged strips suitably spaced so as to positively engage
with the tread of the pedal. The plates would preferably be of spring steel. The
extremities of the plates are bent at right angles and overlapped and bolted or
otherwise securely attached to the ends or heads of the pedal.
Dated this 7th day of September 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
ICATION.
Improvements in Cycle Pedals.
I, HARRY DE MONTFORT WELLBORNE of 17, Duke Street, Southwark, London,
S.E. Solcitor; do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner
the same to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My Invention consists in making the treads of cycle pedals of plates of spring
I, HARRY DE MONTFORT WELLBORNE of 17, Duke Street, Southwark, London,
S.E. Solcitor; do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner
the same to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My Invention consists in making the treads of cycle pedals of plates of spring

page_text: steel which may be covered or not with strips of rubber, leather or felt, the object
of the spring plates being to afford a degree of elasticity not attainable with the
ordinary rubber treads.
:
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1
is a perspective view of the pedal, Figure 2 a cross-section of one of the spring
plates, and Figure 3 a part detail view illustrating the spring action of the tread.
The pedal is constructed in the ordinary way except that instead of the usual
rigid rat-trap toothed bars or rubler-covered cross bolts usually forming the
tread, I use plates a of spring steel having serrated upturned flanges the teeth
alone standing up at right angles to the plane of the plate so as to form the
equivalent of a channelled cross-section for the reception of the rubber, leather
or felt covering strips without however interfering with the resiliency of the steel
plates by imparting such rigidity as would be caused by continuous flanges.
These spring plates are connected to the end plates 6 of the pedal by the ends c
of the plates a passing freely through slots in the end plates & the ends c being
of slightly reduced width so as to form shoulders el fitting between the end plates
and the secure connection of the spring plates a with the end plates being
obtained by the said ends projecting beyond the end plates on the outside and
being bent to about right angles to the plane of the plate so as to prevent the
plate ends drawing out from the slots & when the plate becomes curved as shewn
in Figure by the pressure of the foot upon the pedal. To facilitate the easy
play of the ends e in the slots d the ends are preferably bent up at right angles
preferably with a gentle curvature, as shewn, but they might be bent more
sharply provided sufficient provision is made for the inward draught or play due
to curvature under pressure.
In the channel formed by the serrated flanges of the plates, cover strips e of
leather, felt, or rubber may be removably fitted so as to be securely retained in
place against forward pressure and to stand up above the points of the teeth when
the rat-trap effect is not desired, and these cover strips if of leather may be
rughened by having diagonal or other extra thickness pieces rivetted to them,
as shewn by dotted lines at c'. The attachment of these cover strips c to the
plates a may be conveniently effected by means of spring clips f affixed across
the ends of the strips e and adapted to be sprung into engagement with the plates,
as shewn. Or the spring plates a may be stamped out with lateral extensions
which would be curved upwards and inwards, so as to form clips adapted to embrace
the edges of, and partially bridge over, the covering strips of soft material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The construction of the tread portion of a cycle pedal of spring plates adapted
to play in slots in the end plates of the frame and to yield under pressure of the
foot upon them substantially as described.
2. The construction of the tread portion of a cycle pedal of spring plates of
channelled section with serrated flanges so as to be adapted to receive cover trips
ef soft material and yet be adapted to yield under pressure, the ends of the plates
being fitted to play in slots in the end plates of the pedals substantially as specified.
Dated this 8th day of June 1897.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.