IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I JAMES DAVIES of Meeting Street Engine Works Wednesbury in the County
of Stafford Mechanical Engineer and Ironfounder do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
to be as follows:-
"
My invention consists in constructing in the manner hereinafter described an
elastic support for the seats or saddles of tricycles and other velocipedes.
I will describe my invention as applied to a tricycle.
On the frame of the tricycle I fix a cylindrical vertical rod or spindle on which
a strong tube capable of a sliding motion works. To the head of this strong tube
a horizontal arm or saddle bar is fixed carrying the seat or saddle. Around this
tubular part of the support and the lower part of the fixed rod or spindle a strong
coiled spring is situated the bottom of the said spring taking an abutment against
a collar on the fixed rod or spindle and the top of the said spring taking an
abutment against a ring like part of the saddle bar. By means of the strong coiled
spring described the saddle bar and parts carried by it are supported. On the
rider mounting the seat the tubular part of the support slides upon the fixed rod
or spindle and the coiled spring is compressed between the two abutments and a
yielding or elastic support for the seat is thus obtained. The collar or abutment
on the fixed rod or spindle is made capable of adjustment to regulate the strength
of the coiled spring to the rider's weight. The friction between the interior of the
tubular part of the support and the fixed rod or spindle is reduced by the use of
one or more anti-friction rollers carried by the said rod or spindle and the tubular
part of the support is guided and its motion limited upon the said rod or spindle
by means of a peg or stop on the said tubular part working in a vertical slot in
the said fixed rod or spindle. The slot described is so wide that the peg or stop
has a little play therein. By this means a small angular or lateral motion is
permitted in the saddle bar or arm carrying the seat or saddle so that the said
saddle bar and seat or saddle can readily follow or respond to the slight vibratory
motion of the body of the rider. Thus the support for the seat or saddle is made
yielding or elastic vertically and is also capable of a slight motion horizontally
whereby great comfort to the rider is obtained.
Dated this Faustoonth deve of Mamh 1984

page_text: "
I JAMES DAVIES of Meeting Street Engine Works, Wednesbury in the County
of Stafford, Mechanical Engineer and Ironfounder do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER 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 consists in constructing in the manner herein after described an
elastic support for the seats or saddles of tricycles and other velocipedes.
I will describe my invention as applied to a tricycle.
On the frame of the tricycle I fix a cylindrical vertical rod or spindle on which a
strong tube capable of a sliding motion works. To the head of this strong tube
a horizontal arm or saddle bar is fixed carrying the seat or saddle. Around this
tubular part of the support and the lower part of the fixed rod or spindle, a strong
coiled spring is situated, the bottom of the said spring taking an abutment against
a collar on the fixed rod or spindle and the top of the said spring taking an
abutment against a ring like part of the saddle bar. By means of the strong
coiled spring described the saddle bar and parts carried by it are supported. On
the rider mounting the seat the tubular part of the support slides upon the fixed
rod or spindle and the coiled'spring is compressed between the two abutments and
a yielding or elastic support for the seat is thus obtained. The collar or abutment
on the fixed rod or spindle is madė capable of adjustment to regulate the strength
of the coiled spring to the rider's weight. The friction between the interior of the
tubular part of the support and the fixed rod or spindle is reduced by the use of
one or more anti-friction rollers carried by the said rod or spindle; and the tubular
part of the support is guided and its motion limited upon the said rod or spindle
by means of a peg or stop on the said tubular part working in a vertical slot in the
said fixed rod or spindle. The slot described is so wide that the peg or stop has a
little play therein. By this means a small angular or lateral motion is permitted
in the saddle bar or arm carrying the seat or saddle so that the said saddle bar and
seat or saddle can readily follow or respond to the slight vibratory motion of the
body of the rider. Thus, the support for the seat or saddle is made yielding or
elastic vertically and is also capable of a slight motion horizontally whereby great
comfort to the rider is obtained.
Figure 1 represents in elevation and Figure 2 in vertical section an elastic
support for the seats or saddles of tricycles and other velocipedes, the said support
being constructed according to my invention; Figure 3 represents a portion of the
support partly in plan and partly in cross section.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
a is the cylindrical rod or spindle fixed on the frame of the tricycle or velocipede
and b is a strong tube sliding on the upper part of the said rod a; c is the
horizontal arm or saddle bar carrying the seat or saddle d; e is a strong coiled
steel spring around the tubular part 6 of the support and rod a the bottom of the
said spring taking an abutment against the collar f on the fixed rod a and the top
of the said spring taking an abutment against the ring like part 9 of the saddle
bar c. The coiled spring e supports the saddle bar c and parts carried by it. On
the rider mounting to his seat the tube b descends upon the rod a and the coiled
spring e is compressed between the two abutments and g as will be understood
by an examination of the Drawing. The lower abutment fis made capable of
adjustment on the rod a by means of the fixing screw pin h for the purpose of
g

page_text: regulating the strength of the coiled spring e to the rider's weight; i is an anti-
friction roller at the top of the fixed rod b for reducing the friction between the
sliding tube b and rod a. Two or more anti-friction rollers of the kind represented
at i may be used at different parts of the fixed rod a for reducing the friction.
The tubular part 6 of the support is guided and its motion limited by the peg or
stop k on the said tubular part b working in the vertical slot in the fixed rod a.
It will be seen by an examination of Figure 3 that the slot is so wide that the
peg or stop k has a little play in it hence a small angular or lateral motion is
permitted in the saddle bar or arm c and the latter can readily follow or respond to
the slight vibratory motion of the body of the rider.
By the construction and combination of the parts described and represented of
the seat or saddle support, it is made capable of yielding vertically and is also
capable of a slight horizontal movement, thereby ensuring great comfort to the
rider.
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 The construction and combination of the parts of elastic supports for
the seats or saddles of tricycles and other velocipedes herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing; that is to say, the combination of the
tubular support b and coiled spring e situated between the abutments fand g with
the fixed rod a on the frame of the tricycle or velocipede; also the slot 7 and peg
or stop k for guiding the yielding support and for permitting of a slight motion
horizontally in the saddle bar for the purpose and substantially as described and
illustrated,
Dated this Eleventh day of November 1884.