Improvements in or connected with Air Tubes, Tyres, and Wheel Rims for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 29th July. 1897-Accepted, 25th Sept., 1897
Improvements in or connected with Air Tubes, Tyres, and Wheel
Rims for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Vehicles.
I, LEWIS GEORGE LYON of 122 Camberwell Road London S.E. in the County of
Surrey Pianoforte and Harmonium Maker do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
That whereas the hollow rubber tyres inflated with air & known as pneumatic
tyres constantly become punctured & broke through contact with stones, glass,
iron, nails & such like, thus allowing the compressed air to escape & the tyro
becomes useless until repaired & the rim of the wheel cutting the outside covering
or tyre through being wheeled when the tyre is down also causing accidents to the
riders through the bursting of the air tubo which causes the air tube to collapse
suddenly.
My invention is a contrivance to remedy these defects, to prevent the air tube
from bursting & completely collapsing & to protect it from being cut or punctured
& at the same time not to interfere with its power to absorb vibration, or the
resiliency of the tyre, -the tyre may be either of the single tube or inner tube &
outer covering.
In one arrangement I provide an air tube in two or three compartments or
chambers (or may be more) or may be two three or more separate tubes, each being
supplied with a separate valve. In another arrangement I purpose to use pieces or
strips of caue, whalebone, artificial whaleboue or patent whalebone, horn, xylonite,
celluloid, or the same sort of material under whatever name it is made & used with
beveled edges that they may lap or lay one over the other & conform themselves to
the shape of the tyre & wheel these to be fixed to a band of leather or other material
& then to have a covering of leather or rubber this to be an outer covering or tyre.
In another arrangement I purpose to use one long piece of the same material
made the required width to go almost round the air tube leaving a space underneath
but to be longer than the air tube, that the ends may lap one over the other (being
beveled) this piece to be made & curled the shape of the air tube, to be a guard,
shield or protector of the air tube & to be used over the air tube & under the
outside covering or tyre & may be enveloped in other material or not.
In another arrangement I purpose to make the rim of the wheel with flanges,
straight or curled, with slots or holes cut round them, then to fix a metal band
round the edges of the outside tyre or covering & to be fitted with buttons or bolts
the size of the slots that they may drop through the slots in rim of wheel then turn
& so lock or fasten the tyre onto rim, or to use eyelets to drop through slots &
have a fitted wire to pass through them & so secure the tyre in that fashion or may
be secured with hooks or arrangement as better devised.
Dated this 29th day of Octahan 190

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Air Tubes, Tyres, and Wheel
Rims for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Vehicles.
I LEWIS GEORGE LYON of 122 Camberwell Road in the County of London
Pianoforte Maker 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:-
That whereas the hollow rubber tyres inflated with air & known as pneumatic
tyres constantly become punctured & broken through sharp contact with stones,
glass, nails, iron & such like thus allowing the compressed air to escape & the tyre
becomes useless until repaired also causing accidents to riders through the bursting
of the air tube which causes the tyre to collapse suddenly. Also the existing
mode of fixing the tyres to the wheels is very difficult for an uninitiated person
to understand if they should require to detach the tyre as in the case of puncture
or otherwise.
This invention is a contrivance or contrivances to remedy these defects to prevent
the tyre becoming punctured & at the same time not to interfere with the resiliency
of the tyre & to enable a tyre to be detached & refixed in an easy way that a simple
person may understand.
In one arrangement I provide an air tube made with two or three compartments
or chambers cach compartment being supplied with a separate valve in Figures 1
& 2 in the accompanying drawings, I show an end view or transverse section of air
tubes made in manner described, a. a. a. being the air chambers or compartments
& B. B. B. being the valves, C. being the line of rim; by this arrangement a
greater amount of resiliency is obtained & the strain upon the air tube is divided &
if one chamber becomes punctured the other or others will hold out & not allow
the tyre to collapse suddenly.
In another arrangement I purpose to make a guard or protector. Thus-by using
long strips or pieces of cane whalebone, artificial whalebone, horn, xylonite or
celluloid (or the same material under whatever name it is made). These long strips
to go round the circumference of the tyre & to have the sides or edges bevelled that
the edge of one may lap or lay over the other without standing up, in Figure 3 of
drawings I show an end view of pieces so arranged, these long strips to be fixed to
a band or strip of canvas or other material by having a small hole bored through them
& then sewn on to the canvas with fine wire or hemp or other material or they may
be fixed on with cement. But I prefer to sew them that they may be somewhat
free & have play or movement one against the other. In Figure 4 I show a short
section of these pieces sewn on to the strip of canvas, a. being the celluloid B
the canvas, C. the wire or hemp used, or I would use short wide pieces of this same
material to have the sides or edges bevelled to lay or lap over each other, made the
required length & shape to cross the tread of the air tube & these pieces to be
bored & sewn on to a strip or band of canvas or other material to go round the
entire circumference of the air tube or tyre & in both of these cases to be used
between the air tube & outside tyre, or they may be fixed to the inside of the tyre
without an additional strip or belt of canvas or other material, these to act as a
guard or protector to prevent any sharp substance which might penetrate the
outside tyre or cover of rubber & canvas reaching the air tube & puncturing it-
in Figure 5 I show a short section of a tyre, with these short pieces or plates of
celluloid being fixed to the canvas belt & laying over the air tube & under the
outside tyre in this figure. a. is the air tube, B. is the canvas or other material to
which the plates are fixed. C. is the plates & D. is the outside tyre or covering, in

page_text: Figure 6 I show these short pieces or plates with bevelled edges, but I do not
confine myself to this shape as they may be circular oval or any other shape, or in
another arrangement I would use one long piece of the same material named
(celluloid & such like) bent & shaped to go round the entire circumference of
the tyre with the ends bevelled & left free that they may give play or movement
one end over the other. In Figure 7 I show this design it may be clothed with
other soft material or not, & this is to be used in between the air tube & tyre
or outer covering. I also purpose to make a rim for wheels with a square flange as
Figure 8 or curled flanges as in Figure 9 these flanges to have small openings or
slots as section shown in Figure 10 the tyres to be fitted with a metal band or
wire having studs or eyelets or shaped buttons fixed to it as shown in Figure 11.
a. being the studs & B. being with eyelets or buttons. The studs are to catch in
the slots on the edge of flange as shown & marked a. in Figure 10 & the
eyelets or buttons are to pass through the slots in flange as marked B in Figure 10.
An adjustable wire may then be passed through the eyelets under the flange, or if
buttons they are turned across the slots under the flange as shown in Figure 12.
a. being wire through eyelets & B. being buttons turned across the slots or openings.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
(1) An air tube or single tube tyre made with two or three compartments or
chambers each supplied with a separate valve.
(2) The use of the materials named cane, horn, whalebone artificial whalebone,
xylonite, celluloid under whatever name it is made & used-to be used in the
manner herein described to act as a shield or protector to the air tube or chamber
of pneumatic tyres.
(3) A rim for wheels with flanges straight or curled & the mode & manner of
fitting or attaching the tyre to same by a band or wire with studs, eyelets or
buttons as herein described & shown.
Dated this 29h day of July 1897.