Improved Pneumatic Suspension Rim for Cycles and other Vehioles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 26th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 14th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Pneumatic Suspension Rim for Cycles and other Vehioles.
1, EDWARD BRICE KILLEN of 38 Victoria Street, Belfast, Tea Dealer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
This invention is for the purpose of enabling cycles and other vehicles to be driven
over rough ground without cutting or injuring the tyre.
It consists of two rubber tubes of suitable shape filled with air placed side by
side round the rim of the wheel.
The tubes, which are separate in themselves, when blown up with air, lie close
together round the rim of the wheel which is made of a suitable shape to hold the
blown up tubes in their proper position.
In addition to above a protecting hoop, of suitable shape, made of metal or
other suitable substance, is put or fitted round the outside of the two inflated
tubes. This hoop is held in position by the blown up rubber tubes and by metal.
chains which are fixed in the inside of the hoop and run at right angles to it,
between the two inflated rubber tubes, being also secured to the inner rim of the
wheel.
The under rim of the wheel and the upper hoop along with the fixed chains keep
the two blown up tubes in their proper position.
The hoop prevents the rubber tubes being cut and gives with the rubber when it
comes. in. contact with the ground.
Instead of using chains, wires, strips of metal, or equivalent may be employed.
Dated this 25th day of Anril 1893
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Pneumatic Suspension Rim for Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, EDWARD BRICE KILLEN, of 38 Victoria Street, Belfast, Tea Dealer, 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 :-
This invention relates to a pneumatic rim or rather a pneumatic suspension rim
and it has the advantage of being very resilient and at the same time puncture
proof. Its construction is such that it can bear immense pressure and it can,
therefore, as a consequence, be applied to the wheels of heavy vehicles as well as
light ones.
This pneumatic rim can be easily attached to and detached from a wheel. Cycles
and other vehicles having the rim applied to them can be driven over rough ground
without risk of injury to the rim.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 shows, in side elevation, two hoops suspended one inside the other by
chains of equal length.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of Fig. 1 on line x-x.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the rim, showing the inflated tubes as filling up the
space between the suspended hoops.

page_text: Fig. 4 is a cross section showing a method of covering the tubes.
Fig. 5 shows in elevation a modified construction of rim having two suspended
rims fitted one inside the other.
Fig. 6 is a cross section showing the pneumatic tubes as they appear when fitted
in place in a rim of the construction shown at Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a cross section showing four inflated tubes inserted between the inner
and outer hoops and enclosed in one covering.
Fig. 8 is a cross section showing a different method of covering the four inflated
tubes.
As will be seen the sectional views are drawn to an enlarged scale.
On the drawings the same reference letters wherever repeated indicate the same
or similar parts.
My pneumatic suspension rim is constructed as follows
Two hoops a, b, with diameters differing, say, about 2 inches, are placed
concentrically one within the other, as shown at Fig. 1. These hoops are suspended,
one within the other, by means of a number of chains c, or their equivalent, which
are each of equal length. These suspension chains extend from the middle of the
rim of the inner hoop to the middle of the rim of the outer hoop.
Two rubber tubes or their equivalents d, d' which are enclosed in a suitable
unshrinkable covering e and inflated with air or gas, run, side by side, round the
entire rim, as shown at Fig. 3, filling up the space between the two suspended
hoops, which have flat surfaces for the covered tubes to rest on.
When pressure is
applied to the outer suspended hoop the covered inflated tubes are pressed on or
bear against these flat surfaces.
The covering e of the tubes is preferably made to fit round each inflated tube
separately (see Fig. 4) so as to retain them in their proper relative positions to
each other and to protect the rubber from being cut. or injured.. The cover may
be made into two enclosing tubes by sewing it down the middle, as ut r
Fig. 4.
The suspension chains c which extend between the two inflated covered tubes,
pass through that part of the unshrinkable covering e which holds the inflated
tubes close together and thereby keep the tubes in their proper position between
the hoops a, b.
The outer suspended hoop a protects the tubes d, d' from injury or puncture.
If desired, as shown at Fig. 3, both tubes d, d¹ may be enclosed side by side in
the covering materiale which would in this case form a circular bag of oval cross
section and be without sewing down the middle.
The chains can be fixed at both ends, or, if desired, they can be made to
screw up at one end for the purpose of tightening up the outer resilient suspended
hoop. a.
This combination of hoops, suspension chains, and inflated covered tubes when
properly put together, makes a pneumatic suspension rim which has great resiliency
and
puncture proof.
The outer resilient hoop used in the construction of this pneumatic rim can be
made of metal or a combination of metal, rubber and cork, or the equivalents of
these, having the desired strength, resiliency, lightness and durability. The inner
hoop, which may be a metal one, is, preferably, so constructed that when applied or
fitted to a wheel it remains rigid.
It is not necessary to make the inner hoop rigid of itself, if it is to be applied
to a rigid wheel which will give it the required rigidity when it is fitted in
position.
The outer hoop although resilient in itself receives its great resilient strength
and power by being suspended, as hereinbefore described, and from the inflated
covered tubes which, as aforesaid, lie well protected between the inner rigid hoop
and the outer resilient one. The pressure put on the outer suspended hoop, when
it is in contact with the ground, is distributed all over this pneumatic suspension
rim and is not confined to that part of the rim which is in immediate contact with
the ground.

page_text: Greater resiliency can be given to the pneumatic rim without altering its width
in the following manner.
(1.) By using, as shown at Figs. 5 and 6 two, or more, pneumatic rims instead of
one. In this case the outer rim which is of larger diameter is, if there are but two
rims, made to fit exactly on the inner rim, and the outer hoop a of the inner rim is
fastened to the inner hoop b', which in this case is not rigid, of the larger outer rim,
so that the two rims virtually form one large rim having a greatly increased
resiliency. If desired only three hoops b, a, a¹ may be used to construct the rim,
the intermediate and outer hoops a, a' being resilient and connected to each other
and to the inner hoop by the suspension chains, which, in this case, may pass
through the intermediate hoop
a.
(2.) By increasing the difference in the diameters of the two hoops a, b of the
pneumatic rim to about four inches, instead of two inches, and doubling the number
of pneumatic tubes as shown at Figs. 7 and 8. The two additional tubes, d³, d,
when inflated and enclosed in their unshrinkable covering e, rest exactly on
top of the other two and fill up the increased space between the suspended hoops.
In Fig. 7 the unshrinkable covering is shown as enclosing each tube separately
and retaining them in their proper relative positions. The unshrinkable covering
is connected throughout its length at the parts marked.c In Fig. 8 the unshrinkable
covering is shown as connected through its length at the part.
The suspension chains c, pass, as shown, between each pair of inflated tubes and
through the covering.
The width of my pneumatic suspension rim can be varied so as to suit
almost any wheel by simply changing the sizes of the covered inflated tubes and
making the difference in the diameters of the suspension hoops to suit the tubes
required.
If the noise of the rim when running on the ground is objectionable a covering of
rubber or other suitable material can be fitted tightly over the entire rim, or a part
of it. This covering, which serves as an additional protection to the rim, can be
easily replaced, at small expense, when worn out.
The pneumatic suspension rim can be attached or fitted to a vehicle wheel in any
suitable and well known manner.
Wires or strips of metal may be used in lieu of the chains.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
consider novel and desire to claim is :-
1. A rim for cycles and other vehicles consisting of two hoops between which
two inflated tubes or their equivalents are secured, said hoops being connected to
each other by means of chains or their equivalent, substantially as herein before
described with reference to the drawings annexed.
2. The modified construction of rim wherein more than two inflated tubes and
more than two hoops are used, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to the drawings annexed.
3. The combination with an inner hoop (b) of an outer resilient hoop which is
suspended from the inner hoop by means of chains or their equivalent, substantially
as hereinbefore set forth.
Dand thin 95th dow of La 1901
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.