CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by René. Olivier at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th July
1869.
I, RENÉ OLIVIER, of Paris, Boulevard de Strasbourg, No. 23, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES AND
OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in various parts of velocipedes,
viz., the suspensory parts, the spring on which the seat is placed, the
treddlc, and the steering apparatus.
My Invention consists, firstly, in employing an auxiliary compensating
forked rod which slides (preferably) in the interior of the ordinary
forked rod embracing the driving wheel. The two branches of this
auxiliary fork are fixed to the bearings on the axle of the wheel, their
oscillations being steadied by the equilibrium of suspension being per-
fectly maintained. The auxiliary fork has a rod passing into a socket in
the pillar of the main fork, and the two lower ends of this said fork have
attached thereto a bar or plate of metal serving as bearing plates for
two springs, the centres of which are fixed to the journals by means of two
small spindles passing through the said bars or plates, by which means the
interior fork is guided in its oscillatory movements. Thus the bearings

page_text: are kept perfectly parallel, and therefore the vertical movement of the
wheel exactly coincides with the direction of the axis of the fork. If
desirable the springs at the lower ends of the main fork may be
replaced by rings of india-rubber or other elastic material passing over
two horizontal bars below the bearings and two similar bars above.
Two small spindles from the bearings pass through holes formed in the
lower horizontal bars and serve as guides to prevent any deviation of the
interior fork; or the suspension may be effected by articulated or other
springs placed in a recess in the exterior fork above the bearings, or a
spiral spring may be placed in the socket of the main fork, in which
the spindle affixed to the auxiliary fork works. The bearings should be
in all cases provided with flanges to keep them exactly in position
while they slide in the principal fork, and they will in all cases also be
solidly fixed to the auxiliary fork, so that the action of the springs shall
be exactly regulated and the irregularities of travelling be avoided.
This mode of suspension may be also applied to the hind wheel of the
velocipede. The auxiliary fork may be dispensed with by utilizing, the
fork of the balance or double oblique rods of the velocipede for sup-
porting the suspensory springs.
Secondly. In substituting for the ordinary rectilinear spring a spring
which is bent and curved so that it may be fixed upon the backbone or
body of the velocipede, thus dispensing with the fork which actually
encloses the hind wheel.
Thirdly. In constructing the treddle I take a tube screwed at both
ends to receive a flange or cheek, between which said flanges is secured
a hollow treddle formed of a tube in the shape of an equilateral triangle
with curved sides, the said tube being soldered to the flanges or cheeks
by ordinary or other solder, or if desirable I construct the treddle of
india-rubber, gutta percha, or other similar material.
Fourthly. Instead of making the two arms of the steering apparatus
in one piece with the spindle of the fork I use bearings or collars having
a screwed pin passing through the arm of the steering apparatus and
secured therein, the rod to which the handles are affixed passing through
the said bearings or collars.