IMPROVE. MENTS IN OR RELATING TO SADDLES FOR VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM WOOLLEY, of 18 Saint Martins Street, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Saddler do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE.
MENTS IN OR RELATING TO SADDLES FOR VELOCIPEDES to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in or applicable to saddles for
velocipedes.
The especial objects of the improvements are to impart elasticity to the seat and
to afford ease to the rider; and these objects are attained according to the present
improvements by adapting a series of springs preferably consisting of strips or
skelps of steel or other suitable substance to the seat of the saddle by longitudinally
setting and securing them thereupon; and also by imparting a concurrent action
to a web or webs formed of any suitable material and located in the foundation of
the saddle the web or webs being connected with and adjusted by means of a
spiral spring or its equivalent retained in position and sliding upon a bolt or pin
or any similar arrangement.
The web or webs may be tightened or released as may be required by a screw
arrangement consisting of or comprising a screwed bolt or bolts suitably connected
with the webs and an internally screwed head or cap moving freely upon the
bolts.

page_text: I WILLIAM WOOLLEY of 18 St Martins Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Saddler do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR RELATING TO SADDLES FOR VELOCIPEDES" and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My invention has reference to the improvements hereinafter described, in the
saddles of Tricycles, Bicycles and other Velocipodes; and my said invention has
especial reference to the seats of saddles which are suspended at a distance from
the metallic framing, so as to constitute a yielding seat; and also in device or
mechanism for giving the necessary tension to the skin or covering of the said
saddle or for taking up the slack produced by use.
In constructing a saddle according to my invention, I take a metallic framing
with turned up ends, upon the summits of which, the skin of the saddle is
supported; and underneath the said skin or covering, webbing or other suitable
material is stretched; that is, webbing or other suitable material is affixed
to the cantle end of the saddle, while the other or free end is attached
to a leather loop, within which the end and shank of a screw bolt passes.
The end of this screw bolt is made into a turn or thumb piece. The bolt passes
through the pummel end of the metal framing, and through the end of the
suspension loop-A screw nut or box having flat or angular sides is screwed upon
the screw bolt or axis, and between the screw nut or box and the front inner end
of the loop, a coiled spring encircles around the said bolt or axis. A washer is
placed between the abuting end of the spring and the end of the loop, so that when
the saddle is in use, no rigid parts are presented to the seat of the rider.
When it is required that the skin of the saddle should be tightened, it is only
Decessary to rotate the turn on the pummel end of the saddle, when by such
rotation, the screw nut or box is made to approach the end of the suspension loop
and thereby compress the coils of the spring into a less compass-The contraction
of the spring necessarily tightens the band or webbing supporting the skin―The
said webbing runs preferably inclined with respect to the saddle seat.
Saddles constructed as herein before described have yielding or pliable seats,
which give great ease and comfort in riding.
Having now described the nature of my invention I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which the same is to
be performed.
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal vertical section a velocipede saddle
constructed according to my invention-Figure 2 is a plan of the same partly in
horizontal section, with a portion of the saddle skin removed, in order to better
exhibit the tightening mechanism by which any degree of tension may be
imparted thereto-Figure 3 is the framing showing the mode in which the
supporting webbing or other material is arranged; the tightening mechanism, is
shown in dotted lines through the suspension loop-Figure 4 shows the tightening
parts separately-Figure 5 is a modification of figure 1; in this arrangement the
coiled tension spring encircles the plain end of the bolt, the tightening of which is
effected by a nut on the protruding screwed end of the bolt-Figure 6 shows a
plan of figure 5 partly in section.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the Drawing.

page_text: a is the metallic framing, the ends a³, a³ support the skin and tension parts of
the saddle b is the skin or outer covering which is stretched between the back
and front of the framing of the said saddle, which is held and attached to the
ends of the framing by rivetting-c is the tension webbing or other material upon
which the seat of the saddle is supported-c is a leather suspension loop attached
to the end of the webbing c, and between the upper and lower sides thereof, the
back part of the tightening bolt d is situated, the front part passes through the
end of the loop c³, and through the metal framing a², the protruding end
terminating in a turn or thumb piece d³, is a screw nut or box incapable of
rotating, which travels upon the worm of the screw d on rotation being imparted
theretof is the yielding coiled spring which allows the seat of the saddle to yield
on pressure being applied-g is a washer threaded on the bolt for the spring to
abut against.
When the desired tension is required to be put upon the seat of the saddle, it is
only necessary to rotate the screw d by means of the turn d in the proper
direction, the screw nut e is made to traverse along the bolt, either for compressing
or tightening up the spring or for relaxing its tension. If the screw is rotated for
tightening, then the screw nut travels towards the front of the saddle and
compresses the coiled spring between itself and the end of the suspension loop, by
such contraction the spring presses forcibly upon the end of the loop and so
tightens up the supporting webbing or other material situated under the skin of
the seat of the saddle; thereby imparting great elasticity to the said seat, the
whole pressure of the seat being exerted directly upon the end of the tension
spring, by the pulling of the webbing on being depressed by the weight of the
rider.
In figures 5 and 6 the coiled spring is threaded upon the plain end of a bolt,
the screwed end d³ protrudes through the front end of the metal framing. A screw
nut h regulates the shortening or lengthening of the rod, and consequently the
compression or elongation of the spring. The ends of the coiled spring f abuts
against the head d' of the bolt d and against the washer on the inside of the loop,
so that by rotating the nut h, the required tightness or tension is put upon the
webbing c supporting the seat b.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is, "Improvements in or relating to the saddles for velocipedes."
First Constructing and arranging the yielding seats of saddles herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings; whereby the yielding or
downward pressure of the seat of the saddle compresses a coiled spring by its
change of figure, the supporting tension band or bands marked c being the
recipient, which allows the seat of the saddle to yield equal to the spring's
compression; so that the pulling action of the supporting band or bands never
impairs the elasticity of the spring, the parts being combined, arranged, and
operating in the way and for the purpose as described and illustrated in the several
figures of the Drawings.
Secondly-The improvements in adjusting the tension of the yielding seats of
saddles herein before described, by means of a screw pin, the rotation of which,
compels a screw nut or abutment to advance or retire within the loop or at the end
of the supporting tension band or bands, the tension spring being adjusted to the
required tension between the travelling nut and the end of the supporting band or
bands, the several parts operating substantially as described and illustrated in
figures 1. 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly: The improvements in adjusting the requisite tension to the yielding
seats of saddles hereinbefore described and illustrated in figures 5 and 6 of the
accompanying Drawings; that is to say, pulling up the supporting band or bands
marked c by means of a nut on the end of a screw bolt, the requisite yielding
being allowed by the state of tension of the spring, resting between the moveable
end of the said supporting band or bands, and the fixed end of the bolt.

page_text: Fourthly: The general arrangement and combination of the parts of the yielding
seats of saddles, for the adjustment thereof, or the taking up of the slack as
hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the several figures of the Drawings.
Dated this twenty-fifth day of September 1994.
WILLIAM WOOLLEY.
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham,
Agent to the Applicant.