Improvements in Spring Wheels for Velocipedes, Carriages, and other Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1900-Accepted, 12th May, 1900
Improvements in Spring Wheels for Velocipedes, Carriages,
and other Vehicles.
I, GEORGE BALLETT FLETCHER, of 12, Great St. Helen's, in the City of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to wheels of the kind wherein the hub or boss is capable
of slight movement relatively with the tyre or felloe, the object of my invention
being to simplify the construction and increase the efficiency of this class of
wheel.
According to my invention the spokes are of spring metal and bent to a semi-
circular or C-shape so that as each spoke comes beneath the hub the weight
upon the same will have a tendency to increase the curvature of such spring
spoke and at the same time the tension upon the diametrically opposite spoke
above the hub will tend to straighten such spoke.
In order to give lateral rigidity to the wheel I prefer that the spokes should be
attached to two flanges upon the hub and that the spokes attached to one hub
should be curved in an opposite direction to those attached to the other hub.
Any suitable means may be provided for uniting the spokes to the hub and
rim. In practice, however, I find it advantageous to provide sockets into which
the ends of the said spokes can be introduced the flanges of the hub being made
with detachable side plates the removal of which permits the ready introduction
and removal of the spokes into and from the said sockets in a lateral direction.
Dated the 13th day of July 1800
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Spring Wheels for Velocipedes, Carriages,
and other Vehicles.
I, ROLAND SMITH, of Maitland House, 165, Lower Clapton Road, in the County
of London, Surgeon, Executor of the late George Ballett Fletcher, of 12, Great
St. Helen's in the City of London, Merchant, 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:—
My invention relates to wheels of the kind wherein the hub or boss is capable
of slight movement relatively with the tyre or felloe, the object of my invention
being to simplify the construction and increase the efficiency of this class of
wheel.

page_text: According to my invention the spokes are of spring metal and bent to a semi-
circular or C-shape so that as each spoke comes beneath the hub the weight
upon the same will have a tendency to increase the curvature of such spring
spoke and at the same time the tension upon the diametrically opposite spoke
above the hub will tend to straighten such spoke.
In order to give lateral rigidity to the wheel I prefer that the spokes should be
attached to two flanges upon the hub and that the spokes attached to one flange
should be curved in an opposite direction to those attached to the other flange.
Any suitable means may be provided for uniting the spokes to the hub and
rim. In practice, however, I find it advantageous in the case of the hub to pro-
vide sockets into which the ends of the said spokes can be introduced, the flanges
of the hub being made with detachable side plates the renioval of which permits
the ready introduction and removal of the spokes into and from the said sockets
in a lateral direction.
To enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawing, in which:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a spring wheel constructed according
to the invention:
Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation of the hub:
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 Figure 2:
Figure 4 is an elevation of a portion of the rim and tyre shewing the method
of securing the spokes to the rim :
Figure 5 is a section on the line 5--5 Figure 4:
Figure 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the rim shewing the socket arrange-
ment for the spoke:
Figure 7 is a transverse section shewing the socket in end elevation:
Figure 8 is an elevation of the rim-end of the spoke:
Figure 9 is a plan thereof:
Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 4 shewing a modified form of spoke
connection:
Figure 11 is a transverse section on the line 11-11 Figure 10:
Figure 12 is an underside view of the rim shewn in Figure 10; and
Figures 13, 14 and 15 are a side elevation, an end view and a plan of the
modified construction of spoke end.
Figures 2 and 3 are drawn to a larger scale than Figure 1 and Figures 4 to 15
to a larger scale than Figures 2 and 3.
a is the tyre of the wheel, b the rim thereof and c the hub. d, are my
spring spokes which, as clearly shewn in Figure 1, are bent to a semi-circular or
C-shape and are secured at their two ends to the inside of the rim and to lateral
flanges c¹, c upon the hub c, the spokes secured to one flange being curved in the
opposite direction to those upon the other flange as clearly shewn in Figure 1.
As above mentioned any suitable means may be employed for securing the
ends of the spokes d to the flanges c¹ of the hub e.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing shew a suitable mode of detachably securing
the spokes to the said hub flanges c¹, that is to say, the spokes d, are formed
with flat wedge-shaped inner ends, the said ends being adapted to take into
similarly shaped recesses e, e formed in the flanges c¹ on the hub c,. the said
wedge-shaped spoke ends d¹ being retained in position in these recesses e by the
end plates f, f which are secured to the flanges by suitable means such as by
the bolts and nuts f¹, f.
A suitable mode of securing the spokes to the rim is illustrated in Figures 1,
4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. In this arrangement socket pieces are riveted or otherwise
suitably secured to the inner periphery of the rim b, the said socket pièces con-
sisting of the curved plates g, g upon the underside of each of which is formed or
secured a tubular socket g', one end of which is fully opened whilst the
other end is partially closed leaving an elongated or flattened opening or
slot g². The spoke end is made with a cylindrical portion of a size to fit the

page_text: i
tubular socket gl and upon the end of this cylindrical portion h there is formed a
flat tongue having a neck , the tongue being of such a thickness that it can
just pass through the flattened slot or opening in the end of the socket g',
and the length of the neck being about equal to the thickness of the metal partially
closing the end of the said socket. With this arrangement by turning the
spoke d so that the tongue is in the same plane as the slot g the said tongue
can be passed through the slot and the spoke turned into the position indicated in
Figures 1, 4 and 5, the neck i then holding the spoke securely in the socket g¹.
In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 10 to 15 the socket pieces are dis-
pensed with and in lieu thereof holes are formed in the rim. The ends of the
spokes in this case are made similarly to those above described with the exception
that the cylindrical portions are done away with. The width of the head i is
about equal to that of the holes so that by twisting the spoke d at right angles
to its normal position the said heads can be passed into the holes; by then turn-
ing the spoke into its normal position the, head i securely holds it in the rim b.
Projections formed upon the spoke bear against one end of the hole whilst
the head bears against the other end thereof thus preventing the head moving
in the hole. With this construction the tyre must be formed with an inner
peripheral groove or recess to receive the said transverse heads.
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. In a spring wheel, the combination with the rim and hub of spring spokes
of an approximately semi-circular or C-shape, the said spokes being detachably
secured to the rim and to the hub, substantially in the manner hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
2. In a spring wheel of the kind described in Claim 1 securing the spokes to
flanges upon the hub by means of flattened wedge-shaped ends upon the spokes
which take into corresponding recesses in the flanges and are held therein by
side plates secured to the said flanges, substantially as herein before described
and illustrated.
3. In a spring wheel of the kind described in Claim 1 securing the spokes to
the rim by means of the socket pieces g, g', with which the ends h, i of the
spokes engage as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 4 to 9 of the
accompanying drawing.
4. In a spring wheel of the kind described in Claim 1, securing the spokes to
the rim by forming holes in the said rim with which transverse projections or
heads upon the spokes are adapted to engage as herein before described and illus-
trated in Figures 10 to 15 of the accompanying drawing.
5. Spring wheels constructed substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.