US551478A - William rundquist - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

W. RUNDQUIST BIUYGLB SADDLE.

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CO 35766 sea Lil ' UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE.

\VILLIAM RUNDQUIST, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO IVILLIAM F. HUNTER, OF SAME PLACE.

BICYCLE-SADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,478, dated December 1'7, 1895.

Application filed. August 1'7, 1895. Serial No. 559,673. (No model.)

To all whom, 2125 may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM RUNDQUIST, a citizen of the United States, residing at El gin, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BicyCleSaddIes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in saddles for bicycles and other like machines, and the object in view is to provide a simple and inexpensive construction in which the slack in the leather or top may be easily and quickly taken up and the leather put under proper tension by the simple adjustment of a tension-bar.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple form of clamp by which the saddle-spring and the clamp itself may be securely held on the saddle post or pillar by a single screw.

IVith these ends in view my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand my invention I have illustrated it in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a bottom or inverted plan view of my improved saddle. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 00 a; of Fig. 1. Fig, 4 is a detail perspective view of the cantle-bar. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the horn or pomlnel plate. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the-clamp.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings, referring to which A designates the top or leather. B is the eantle-bar, C the ponimel or horn plate, and D the spring which is fastened at its front end to the pommel-plate O and has its rear ends loosely fittedthat is, uncon fined by set screws-in lugs on the cantle-bar.

The leather A is shaped. and proportioned as shown in Fig. 1. This style of saddle I find is advantageous in the following particulars: It is light, yet suiiiciently strong. It is smaller than the ordinary saddle as regards length, while its rear end is nearly as broad as the ordinary saddle, and the leather affords sufficient support for the rider, while it, to a large extent, prevents rubbing and chafing the legs of the rider.

The cantle-bar B is east in a single piece of the proper longitudinal curvature and of angular form in cross-section to enable it to be fitted inside of the leather to give the proper shape to the hind thereof, said cantlebar being rigidly fastened to the leather by rivets or other suitable means. Said eantlebar is further provided with three lugs or ears Z) I) b, which are integral with the bar and which depend a suitable distance below the same. The lug Z) is situated between the two lugs 1) and in about the central median line of the saddle. Said lug Z) is provided with a tapped or threaded opening, while the other side lugs b b have plain smooth open- 1ngs.

Theipommel-plate O is curved, as shown, to fit the horn of the saddle, to which it is fastened by rivets or otherwise; and said plate 0 is enlarged on its rear central edge to form the boss 0, in which is provided the smooth socket-opening c, said plate being further provided with a vertical threaded opening to receive the screw (1, which fastens the front end of the springD to the pommel-plate. This spring D is preferably made from a rod or wire, of appropriate size and circular in crosssection, although the spring may be made of flat metal or a spring-plate. In the embodiment of the spring herein shown, it is made by bending the rod or wire upon itself to form the two branches D D, the front end of said rod being fashioned to form the loop or eye 6, while the rear ends of the branches D are bent upwardly and diverge as at e, the branches D being parallel to each other between the loop 6 and the bent rear ends a. (See Fig. 1.)

' The front end of the spring D is fitted against the lower side of and rigidly fastened by the screw (Z to the pommehplate C, while the rear bent ends cof the spring branches D are loosely or slidably fitted in the plain smooth openings in the lugs b l) on the cantlebar B, so that the can tie-bar may readily slide ing 0' formed in the rear side of the boss 0 on the pommel-plate C; but the rearend of said tension-bar is screw-threaded for a portion. of its length and notched'or squared for the accommodation of a screwdriver, wrench, or other implement for conveniently rotating the bar E. It will be noted that this tensionbar has its threaded portion fitted to engage with the threads in the opening of the central l ng b on'thc cantlo-bar,and this tensionbar is wholly independent of an d disconnected springbranches D, thereby straining the from the spring whichsustains the leather or top A.- In order to: put the leatheror top A under proper tension, and to 'takeup any, slack or looseness in the leathen'it is only necessary to apply an instrument to the rear end of the tension-bar and turn the latter in the proper direction, the result of which-is that the front end of the tension-rod turns loosely in its step bearing in the pommeh plate, while its rear threaded end operates in the screw-threaded lug I) to force the cantlebar away from thepommehplate, the cant-lebar lugs I) Z) sliding on the rear ends of the leather or top A and giving it the desired tension.

I am aware that it is not new to have the rear ends of the saddle-sprin gs fitted in sockets on the cantle-bar, and to provide setscrews for holding the springs and cantle-bar rigidly and adj ustably together; and I am also aware that it is old to use a threaded tensionbar connected to a cantle-bar and provided with holding-nuts which may be operated to stretch the leather. My improvement, however, materially simplifies and cheapens the construction, entirely dispenses with setscrcws or nuts, which are liable to work loose and get lost, and provides a simple and easy method for putting the top or leather under tension by the application of a wrench, screwdriver or tool to the tension-bar.

G designates an ordinary pillar or saddlepost. The saddle is fastened to said post G by the clamp H, the plate Land a single setscrew K. The clamp H is provided with the lateral grooved ears forming the enlarged head 72, the horizontal opening h for the reception of the arm on the pillar or post G, and with a vertical threaded opening 7b, in

head of the clamp and the plateL.

and the spring. J, it binds against the lower sideof the pilwhich is screwed the bindingscrew J that bears'against the under side of the arm on the pillar G The platel has an oblong slot 5 formed therein to enable said plate to be fitted around the clamp H, and in the upper of the spring and its grooved head it bears down or rests upon said spring branches.

"The plate I is fitted around the bodyand against the lowerside of the spring branches D so that the latter are confined between the on the saddle-pillar passes through the opening it in the clamp H, and therplate I rests upon the arm of the saddle-pillar, said plate I being disposed between the saddle-pillar By tightening up the screw lar' or post G and draws down the head it of the clamp so that theplate Iamlhead h operate to hold the spring 1) firmly and the plate I and screw Jsecure the clamp on the saddle-pilla1n The operation and advantagesof my improved saddle willbe readily understood from the foregoing description taken in con nection with the drawings. 7

One of the salient features of my improved saddle 'residesin the fact that the 7 spring is free to perform'its office of furnishing a yielding support for the saddle leather or top, in: which respect it is essentially different from any other well-known types of saddles in which the spring is rigidly secured or clamped to the saddle top andthereby made to serve the purposes of a stretcher to keep the saddle taut. While the stretcherbar and spring form the frame of the saddle,

they are entirely independent of each other.

the stretcher serving its primary purpose of keeping the leather or top in a taut condition, while the rear end of the spring is unconfined and free to play in the cantle-bar so as to secure the desired elasticity and form. a resilient support for the leather or top, which support is unhampered in its actions by the independent stretcher-bar.

Having thus fully described my invention.

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a saddle leather. of a pommel plate having a smooth. step bearing, the cantle bar provided with an interi orly threaded bearing in line with the step bearing, a spring having its rear unconfined and slidably fitted in the cantle bar, and a central longitudinal tension-bar fitted in the step bearing to turn freely in the pommel plate and having a rear threaded end which engages with the threads in the bearing of the cantle bar, substantially as described.

2. In a bicycle saddle, the combination The arm 7 with a saddle leather, 5 pommel plate, and a and spring being entirelyindependent of each 10 eantle bar, of a stretcher bar connecting the other to perform their proper offiees, as set pommel plate and oantle bar and operating forth. to adjust the same away from one another to In testimony whereof I affix my signature stretch the saddle leather, and a supporting in presence of two Witnesses.

spring fastened to the pommel plate and hav- WILLIAM RUND QUIST. ing its unconfined rear end slidebly fitted in Vitnesses:

the centle bar to play freely therein under H. L. GIVEN,

the weight of the rider; said stretcher bar G. H. MCDONALD.

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