IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Parkin and David Davis both of
Blackman Street in the Borough of Southwark Engineers for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES "
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Parkin and
David Davis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th October
1888.
WILLIAM HENRY PARKIN and DAVID DAVIS both of Blackman Street in the
Borough of Southwark Engineers "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
In Bicycles of the ordinary construction the rider is obliged to employ a wheel
proportioned to his length of leg and much space is necessarily, occupied by the
Backbone and saddle spring in order to obtain a proper amount of play for the
saddle which space might be more advantageously made use of to admit of a wheel
of larger diameter being employed.
Now the object of the present invention is so to modify the form of the backbone
as to allow of the saddle being lowered some two or three inches by which means
the diameter of the wheel may be correspondingly increased.
•
In carrying out our invention as applied to a Stanley" or other head we form
the backbone into a fork some 10 inches from the centres of the head and crank
the prongs of the fork downwards about 2 inches, curving them to about the same
radius as the rim or felloe of the wheel.
The forward ends of the prongs are attached by brazing or otherwise to down-
wardly forked projections from the neck of the machine. The prongs are wider
apart at the rear, or that part where they join the backbone than at their forward
ends, to allow space for the movement of the wheel for balancing and guiding
purposes. We mount the saddle upon a steel spring, which is carried at its forward
end by a hinged joint formed on the neck. This spring is bent downward into the
space formerly occupied by the back-bone, then backward, following the carve of
the wheel, the tail entering the back-bone in which it is allowed to slide or in any
convenient manner the saddle is thus brought to a level with the backbone, or even
below it.
"
It. will be evident that these improvements are applicable to all classes of
velocipedes in which the rider sits astride a backbone above the wheels.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Henry Parkin and David Davis in the Patent Office on
the 19th April 1884.
WILLIAM HENRY PARKIN and DAVID DAVIS both of Blackman Street in the
Borough of Southwark, Engineers "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
"
In bicycles of the ordinary construction the rider is obliged to employ a wheel
limited in diameter to suit his length of leg, and as much space is occupied by the
backbone and saddle spring it is manifest that if the saddle could be brought
⚫ nearer to the periphery of the wheel a wheel of larger diameter than was hitherto
available for a given rider might be used:
Now the object of the present Invention is so to modify the form of the backbone
as to allow of the saddle being lowered some two or three inches and thereby to
allow of the diameter of the wheel being correspondingly increased.
In the accompanying drawing Fig 1 shews, in side elevation, so much of a
"Stanley Head" bicycle constructed according to our Invention as will clearly
indicate our improvement, and Fig 2 is a plan view of the same.
In these Figures A represents a portion of the backbone, B a portion of the
driving wheel, C the fork, D the handle bar and E the saddle.
The backbone A takes the form of a fork as at A¹ for some ten inches from the
centres of the head, the prongs being cranked downwards about two or three inches
and curved to about the same radius as the rim or felloe of the wheel.
The prongs serve to carry at their forward ends the neck As of the Machine, to
which they are made fast by brazing or equivalent mears. To allow space for the
movement of the wheel for balancing and guiding purposes the prongs are made
wider apart at their rear, or that part where they join the back-bone than at the
forward ends where they connect with the neck.
The saddle E is carried upon a steel spring F which is secured at its forward end
by a hinged joint formed on the neck. The spring is bent downward into the
space formerly occupied by the back-bone, and continuing backwards takes the
curve of the wheel and then curls over and is made fast by a clamping screw to
the back bone.
The saddle is thus brought to a level with, or rather below, the line which the
back bone would ordinarily take, leaving a "clearance" of the usual amount for the
driving wheel.
It will be evident that our Invention is applicable to all classes of Velocipedes in
which the Rider sits astride a backbone above the wheels,
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in
Velocipedes" and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect We wish
it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent We claim.
The means above described for connecting the neck and backbone of Velocipedes
and thereby providing for a close approximation of the Saddle to the periphery of
the driving wheel for the púrpose above set forth.
In witness whereof I the said David Davis have hereunto set my hand and
seal the eighteenth day of April in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty four.