Improvements in Ball-stuffed Cushions for Velocipedes and other Saddles, and for Seats, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1897-Accepted, 27th Nov., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball-stuffed Cushions for Velocipedes and other
Saddles, and for Seats, and the like.
I, DR. ACHILLE BARTHELEMY BOYER, of 25 Rue de Madrid, Paris, in the
Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
The different descriptions of cushions employed in the seats and more particularly
in saddles for velocípedes present various disadvantages; some offer too great
a resistance and are not sufficiently deformable, forcing the body to conform to
their shape, whilst others, inflated with air under pressure, are too readily deform-
able and form a seat which is not sufficiently stable for comfort.
For oycling especially, saddles of this latter kind do not afford the cyclist the
point of support which he requires in order to produce the best result but cause
him to shift about upon his saddle, thus ineffectively expending considerable
force.
The subject of my invention is a ball-stuffed cushion which remedies these
defects and which is formed by means of pellets or marbles which are hard and
not capable of deformation made of glass, crystal, aluminium and so forth which
are capable of being displaced under the influence of the weight of the body, in
such a manner as to assume the shape of the parts supported and their movements,
and to take a stable position for each separate position of such parts.
I place these marbles in cushions on pockets of some flexible material, and,
whilst the velocipede is being driven, these marbles or balls roll one upon the other
under the thrust of the body during the movements of the latter, and rapidly
assume their position of equilibrium, for which they offer the necessary resistance.
The balls are of appropriate sizes and densities and the pockets of flexible
material which contain them are usually themselves covered, especially in the
case of saddles, with an envelope or covering of leather, rubber, fabric, or the
like.
In the accompanying drawings I have represented, by way of example, the
application of my invention to saddles for velocipedes, in which
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the saddle, the action being taken upon
the line 1-2 of Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1, and
Figure 3 is a cross section upon the line 3-4 of Fig. 2.
The saddle may be constructed either with a single cushion or pocket or with two
distinct pockets as desired. The drawing illustrates a saddle having two in-
dependent pockets.
The saddle consists essentially of a metal frame or body a, serving to connect
two compartments a¹, a³ which are separated by a channel or passage a³.
Upon this metal support are fixed one in each compartment two pockets m and n

page_text: of fabric or other flexible material and the whole is covered with a leather part b
which is fixed externally on the metal support.
The peak of the saddle being unnecessary, since the point of support is furnished
by the balls themselves, it is entirely omitted. The balls d are introduced into each
of the pockets m and n through a filling tube as shewn for example at c, c³, which
passes through the metal flange and the leather 6 and which is closed by means of
a small screw-threaded cap or plug.
These balls may vary in diameter, but such diameter will usually range from
two to five millimetres. The balls may be of any suitable hard substance so as not
to be capable of deformation. Aluminium may advantageously be employed owing
to its small density.
Each pocket filled with balls forms a cushion in which the portion in contact
with the fleshy parts of the body is constantly mobile and deformable, in such
a manner as to mould itself to these parts. The balls roll one upon the other and
as soon as the body has assumed a fixed position they reach a position of instable
equilibrium which gives to the pelvic-bones the point of support required for the
transmission of the effort of the legs.
The saddle is mounted in the ordinary manner upon a metal suspension or
spring which is provided with the socket g serving to fix the saddle in position
upon the saddle pin.
It will be understood as above indicated that I may form my saddle with a single
cushion occupying the whole of its surface, or with two cushions either independent
or communicating one with the other, preferably towards the rear portion.
Saddles for ladies and ordinary saddles are both formed in a similar manner
the balls being placed either in a single-pocket or in several.
Cushions for seats of all kinds will have a single compartment which may be
square, round or in the form of a torus.
Cushions for seats are provided with an external covering of some elastic or
flexible material, which may, itself, if desired, be covered by more or less rich
fabrics or stuffs. A tube should be provided at a suitable point for the intro-
duction of the balls or pellets.
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:-
1. A. ball-stuffed cushion for saddles or seats formed by spherical pellets or
marbles or the like which are hard and not capable of deformation and of
appropriate dimensions made of glass, crystal, aluminium and the like placed
in an envelope.or cover which is essentially flexible in such a manner that the balls
are displaced under the influence of the weight and movements of the body,
rolling one upon the other and becoming moulded to the shape of the parts
supported and assuming a stable position for each different position of such parts,
substantially as described.
2. A saddle for velocipedes' with one or more ball-stuffed cushions as described
in Claim 1, formed by hard balls and capable of deformation placed in a flexible
pocket, such pockets being fixed upon a metal support having up-turned edges
and the whole being covered above with a piece of leather fixed to the circum-
ference of this support.
3. A saddle for velocipedes with a metal support a connecting two compart-
ments a¹ and a separated by an intermediate passage a³, and a flexible pocket
filled with balls not capable of deformation placed in each compartment, the whole
being covered with a piece of leather 6 which is fixed externally upon the metal
support, substantially as described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
4. A ladies saddle formed by one or more ball-stuffed cushions in accordance
with Claim 1.
5. An ordinary saddle for men formed by one or more ball-stuffed cushions in
accordance with Claim 1.

page_text: 6. A seat formed by a cushion in accordance with Claim 1 which may if desired
be covered with a second flexible and ornamental covering, substantially as
described.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1897.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.