PROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Samuel Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th December 1877
JOHN SAMUEL SMITH, of Nos. 85 and 87, Blackman Street, Borough.
PROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in bicycles.
" IM-
In the construction of the driving wheel in order to combine stiffness with
lightness, I form the rim or felloe of the wheel which receives the india-rubber tiro
of two metal rings, each of trough-like section. The outer ring may be semicircular
in section and of suitable size to receive the india-rubber into its concavity; the
inner ring is considerably deeper in its concavity, and the spokes of the wheel pass
through its bottom, and are there secured. The two troughs are connected together
by their edges, so that they form when so connected a tubular ring or felloe, which
from its form and structure is very stiff and light.
I make the forks which embrace the wheels and carry the bearings for their axes
by splitting a tube which also serves to form the stem or portion of the frame of
which the fork is a prolongation; in this way I avoid the necessity for welding
or brazing in forming these parts, and produce them from one piece of metal.
In constructing the roller bearings in order to keep the antifriction bearings
parallel to the axis, I employ a honeycomb collar, this collar encircles the axis
loosely, and its thickness is less than the diameter of the rollers.
Cells are formed in the collar, and the rollers are inserted into them This collar
serves to keep the rollers parallel to the axis and parallel the one to the other
without interfering in any way with their rolling contact with the axis, and the
interior surface of the bearing.
In order to compensate for wear in the rollers and axis, I place within the outer
hell of the bearing two tubes or rings, fitting the one into the other, and coned in

page_text: opposite directions, or the surfaces are in contact. The inner ring is split in an
oblique direction, and as it is thrust into the outer ring its internal diameter is
diminished. It is upon the interior of this ring, that the antifriction rollers run.
The outer ring screws into the shell of the bearing, so that by turning it round it
can be made to traverse along the inner tube ring, which is prevented moving i
longitudinally within the shell by screw caps at the ends of the bearing
There are slotted holes in the sides of the shell to admit of the screw ring within
being turned round by the thumb and finger.
I sometimes form the frame of a bicycle in two sections which are jointed
together between the two wheels The leading section is a double or forked
triangular frame carrying the bearings of the main wheel, and also the bearings of
another axis in rear of the main wheel and below its centre. On this hinder axis
are the driving cranks, and motion is transmitted from it by bands or otherwise to
the axis of either of the wheels.
The rear end of the leading section of the frame is provided with two pivots, the 1
one vertically over the other; by these pivots the hinder section of the frame is
connected; above these pivots the leading section of the frame has the steering
handle fixed upon it, thus the steerage handle comes between the two wheels in
place of vertically above the centre of the leading wheel as is usual. This hinder
section of the frame consists of a fork passing from the upper pivot to the bearings 2
of the hinder wheel, and of two light ties passing from these bearings to the lower
pivot. The seat or saddle is upon this hinder section of the frame.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Samuel Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th June
1878
JOHN SAMUEL SMITH, of Nos. 85 and 87, Blackman Street, Borough. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in bicycles
In the construction of the driving wheel in order to combine stiffness with
lightness, I form the rim or felloe of the wheel which receives the india-rubber tiro
of two metal rings, each of trough-like section. The outer ring may be semicircular
in section and of suitable size to receive the india-rubber into its concavity; the
inner ring is considerably deeper in its concavity, and the spokes of the wheel pass
through its bottom, and are there secured. The two troughs are connected together
by their edges, so that they form when so connected a tubular ring or felloe, which
from its form and structure is very stiff and light.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shows a transverse section taken
through the rim or felloe of a wheel formed as above described.
A is the inner concave ring; B, the outer concave ring, into which is comented
the vulcanized india-rubber tyre C.
The edges of the ring B are as shown by the Drawing, bent over the edges of the
ring A, and are soldered to this ring. After the two rings have been united
together to form the run or felloe of a wheel, holes are bored in them where the
spokes are to be inserted, and after these have been put into their place, the outer
tyre of india-rubler is cemented on
The space between the inner and outer rings A and B may either be left hollow,
or be filled in with wood or other material.
I make the forks which embrace the wheels and carry the bearings for their axes
by splitting a tube which also serves to form the stem, or portion of the frame of
which the fork is a prolongation; in this way I avoid the necessity for welding or
brazing in forming these parts, and produce them from one piece of metal.
Figure 2 shows an elevation of a fork formed in this manner which embraces the
main driving wheel and carries its bearings.
Figure 3 shows on a larger scale a transverse section through one of the limbs or
prongs of this fork; it is formed by cutting a long tapering slot into a parallel sided
tube, and afterwards closing together the edges of each of the limbs so as to make
them approximately hemispherical in cross section at all parts of their length; the
hollow limbs so formed are then closed in by thin plates of steel, tin plate, or other
metal, which are made to overlap the edges of the hollow limbs, and are soldered or
brazed to them.
In place of the hollow tapering limbs of the forks being made from a parallel
sided tube by cutting a tapering alot in it, the limbs of the fork may be formed by
cutting a straight slit along the centre of a tapering tube.
After the limbs of the fork have been opened out to the required extent, as
shown at Figure 2, the cross piece B which receives the lower end of the vertical
pivot at the extremity of the backbone of the machine is rivetted and brazed in its
place The bearing for the upper end of the vertical pivot is in a screw cap which
screws into the upper end of the tube A; C, are the handles projecting from a
collar which is secured to the exterior of the tube A.
In the same way to that above described I form the fork at the lower end of the
tubular backbone of the machine, and which carries the bearings of the hinder or
small wheel.
Figure 4 shows an elevation of the fork at the lower end of the ordinary tubular
backbone, a portion only of the backbone is shown in the Drawing.
In constructing the roller bearings in order to keep the antifriction bearings
parallel to the axis, I employ a honeycomb collar; this collar oncircles the axis
loosely, and its thickness is less than the diameter of the rollers.

page_text: Cells are formed in the collar and the rollers are inserted into them; this collar
serves to keep the rollers parallel to the axis and parallel the one to the other with-
out interfering in any way with their rolling contact with the axis, and the interior
surface of the bearing.
In order to compensate for wear in the rollers and axis I place within the outer
shell of the bearing two tubes or rings, fitting the one into the other, and coned in
opposite directions, or the surfaces are in contact. The inner ring is split in an
oblique direction, and as it is thrust into the outer ring its internal diameter is
diminished; it is upon the interior of this ring that the antifriction rollers run.
The outer ring screws into the shell of the bearing, so that by turning it round it
can be made to traverse along the inner tube ring which is prevented moving
longitudinally within the shell by screw caps at the ends of the bearing.
There are slotted holes in the sides of the shell to admit of the screw ring within
being turned round by the thumb and finger.
Figure 5 shows an elevation, and Figure 6, a section of one of the bearings of the
main wheel of a bicycle formed in the manner above described.
Figuro 7 is a cross section through the antifriction rollers and the cellular collar
in which they lic.
A are the friction rollers; D, the cellular collar; C and D, the coned tubes or
rings fitting one within the other The inner ring C is split in an oblique direction
as shown at Figure 6, longitudinal grooves are also cut in its exterior to facilitate
ats being bent and compressed into a smaller diameter. The antifriction 1ollers rest
against the interior of this ring. The outer ring D screws into the shell E of the
bearing. The inner ring is provented from moving endwise by screw caps F which
screw on to the ends of the shell E; G, are slotted holes on opposite sides of the
shell E to allow of the outer tube being turned by the finger and thumb, and so
cause to move endwise in the shell, and consequently move inwards the antifriction
rollers as it diminishes in diameter.
I sometimes form the frame of a bicycle in two sections which are jointed
together between the two wheels. The leading section is a double or forked
triangular frame carrying the bearings of the main wheel, and also the bearings of
another axis in rear of the main wheel and below its centre. On this hinder axis
are the driving cranks, and motion is transmitted from it by bands or otherwise to
the axis of either of the wheels.
The rear end of the leading section of the frame is provided with two pivots, the
one vertically over the other; by these pivots the hinder section of the frame is
connected. Above these pivots the leading section of the frame has the steering
handle fixed upon it, thus the steerage bandle comes between the two wheels in place
of vertically above the centre of the leading wheel as is usual. This hinder section of
the frame consists of a fork passing from the upper pivot to the bearings of the
hinder wheel, and of two light ties passing from these bearings to the lower pivot.
The seat or saddle is upon this hinder section of the frame.
Figure 8 shows an elevation of a bicycle constructed as above described; A is the
main or driving wheel; B, a double forked triangular frame; one fork carries the
bearings for the axis of the main wheel, the other the bearings of an axis C, on
which are driving cranks to be worked by the feet of the rider. On the axis C and
on the axis of the main wheel are grooved pulleys, upon which is a driving band,
by which motion is transmitted from the axis C to the axis of the driving wheel;
D, D, are links by which the extremities of the two forks are linked together. The
upper end of the forked frame B' carries bearings to receive a vertical pivot at the
upper end of the backbone or hinder section E of the frame. This section carries
the seat F, and its lower end is forked to embrace the binder wheel and carry the
bearings for its axle. From the axle of the hind wheel is also lead a forked tic which
passes to a collar on the centre of the axis C; G are the steerage handles secured
to the top of the triangular frame B.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing

page_text: the same, I would have it understood that I claim as my improvements in
bicycles,―
First. The construction of the rim or felloe of the driving wheel of the two
rings of trough-like section united together at their edges, substantially as herein
described.
Second. The construction of the forks which embrace the wheels and carry the
bearings for their axis from split tubes, substantially as herein described.
Third. The construction of the roller bearings for the axis of the wheels, sub-
stantially in the manner herein-before described, in order to be able readily to
compensate for wear in the rollers and axis.
Fourth. The construction of bicycles, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated at Figure 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Samuel Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
TOTIN SUAT
214T
JOHN SAMUEL SMITH
(14.8.)