Improvements in Pneumatic Tires.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1894
Improvements in Pneumatic Tires.
GEORGE HOSTEL CHINNOCK, of No. 199 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn in the
County of Kings and State of New York, United States of America, Gentleman,
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 pneumatic tires for vehicle wheels, and has special
reference to the means for securing the same in the rim or felly of the wheel. One
of the most popular methods of securing the tire to the wheel is by means of two
continuous wires or bands applied respectively to the edges of the tire and provided
with means for shortening or tightening them upon the wheel. The wires hold the
edges or sides of the tire in grooves or seats in the rim of the wheel, and the con-
struction is such that the greater the air pressure inside of the tire, the stronger
will the tire be held in the rim, for the tendency of the air pressure is to force the
wires into their seats in the rim.
My invention is a general improvement upon this method of securing the tire in
place, and it consists in substituting for the continuous wire or band, a discontinuous
or sectional wire or band. These sections are placed in line with each other in the
same positions which they would occupy if connected into a continuous band, but
their function is to simply form a spring flange which is capable of being forced up
and under a ledge or shoulder formed in the rim of the wheel by the air pressure
within the tire.
This engagement between the sides of the tire and the shoulder on the rim is an
interlocking connection which holds the strongest when the pressure of air is the
greatest. By making the flange or band, if it may be so called, in sections which
are entirely independent of each other the sides of the tire are more accurately
set against the rim, because each section will go to its seat independent of the
others and any inaccuracy in the rim will be closely followed by the wire section
and thus hold the tire in intimate contact with the rim throughout the entire circle
of the wheel. My invention also comprehends the use of fixed stops in the rim
which are located between the abutting or adjacent ends of the section of the wire.
These stops receive the thrust of the wire whenever there is a tendency to creep,
and thus overcome all such tendencies and maintain the parts constantly in their
proper position with respect to each other.
My invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a detail view of a portion of the rim.
Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the wheel tire complete taken on line x x of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a section of the same part taken on line y y of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a sectional perspective of part of the wheel rim showing one of the
stops therein.
Fig. 5 illustrates one method of securing the wire sections to the tire.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of stop;
Fig. 7 is a section thereof, showing how it is applied to the rim.
Referring to the drawing by letter, a represents the rim or felly of a wheel; it
is provided on each edge with an inwardly turned ledge or shoulder a¹, forming a
lateral, under-cut groove a³. In these grooves, at regular intervals around the
entire rim, I place stops b, consisting of short blocks or lugs of metal which
entirely fill the groove. These stops are preferably made in pairs, the mates of
each pair being located in opposite grooves and connected together by a thin web o¹,

page_text: which follows the bottom of the felly. I do not confine myself to this manner of
making the stops, however, as those on one side may be made entirely separate from
those on the other. For instance, the stop may consist of a cylindrical block set
in the groove.
Whatever form the stops may have, they are to be fixed rigidly
and permanently in the rim of the wheel in some manner. They may be soldered
in place, or they may have short lugs 63, as shown in Fig. 6, which project through
openings in the rim: soldering may be used in connection with the latter method
also. The object is to prevent their movement after they are attached to the rim.
I prefer, although it is not absolutely necessary, that the opposite sides of the stops
shall be provided with a cavity, and, if necessary, a lateral opening 64, Fig. 6
made in the stop, for the purposes which will hereinafter appear.
C represents the wheel tire; it is sometimes called a cover or tread and may
itself constitute an air chamber, but it is preferred to use a separate air chamber or
inflation tube C¹ located within it. The tire is provided on its outer side near each
edge with a spring flange c, made in sections which are defined by short spaces
about equal in length to the length of the stops in the rim of the wheel. These
spring flanges may be formed in various ways. In the construction shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, the flanges are formed by lengths of steel, or other suitable wire,
covered by a sheathing of rubber or other material, and secured to the outer sides
of the tire by vulcanizing it thereto. The sheathing of rubber or other material
prevents the corrosion of the wire. The flange may also be put on by folding the
material of the tire around it. In Fig. 5 I have shown still another method of
securing the flange to the tire, which consists in first covering the wire with a
rubber tube d' and then sewing or strapping it to the side of the tire by passing a
continuous cord or thread spirally around it and through the walls of the tire, as
shown. Therefore, my invention is not confined to any special manner of forming
or attaching the spring flange upon the sides or edges of the tire. It is preferable
that in whatever way the flange is formed, it should have a core of strong, flexible
material, such as a steel wire, as described. The sections of wire when put in place
will be straight, so that when they are bent to conform to the rim of the wheel they
will press and hug the upper side of the groove which receives them. When the
tire is adjusted to the wheel, these flanges occupy the side grooves in the rim, and
when the tire is inflated, the pressure from within forces the Hanges into the grooves
and under the ledges a¹ thus holding the tire in place.
66
When the tire is adjusted to the rim it is set so that the spaces between the
adjacent ends of the flanges will be occupied by the stops b in the rim, and the ends
of the wires of the sections will, therefore, abut squarely against these stops and
will be prevented from partaking of a longitudinal movement, or, as it is called,
"creeping or cropping." It is preferred that the ends of the wires shall project
from the rubber covering slightly and that these portions shall enter the sockets or
cavities in the opposite sides of the stops. This prevents the wires from flying out
of the groove when the tire is deflated. It may also be desirable to cut a notch in
the side of the stops a little below the center, as shown in Fig. 6, to admit the end
of the wire into the cavity of the stop from the side.
A tire of this construction is easily and conveniently fitted to the wheel. If
each of the flanges is made up of eight sections, then one-eighth of the tire will be
first inserted; this will be followed by the next section, and so on all around until
the tire is completely in the rim. This will be an easy operation, because the wire
sections are movable independent of each other, and the tire is more flexible and
can be bent into the positions required to set the flanges in their seats. When
once the flanges are passed under the ledges a', they will jump into the seats of
themselves and their tendency is always in an outward direction. So far as
known to me, all continuous wire fastenings have held the tire in place by a
radial pressure upon the rim towards the center of the wheel, while in this case
the tire is held by an outward radial pressure, which tends to hold the spring
flange under the ledge.
In the drawings I have shown the sectional flange located some distance from

page_text: the edge of the tire and the flaps which are thus formed are caused to overlap
each other on the bottom of the rim. This protects the air chamber from injury
due to rubbing on the heads of the spokes or other projecting portions in the
rim; but as the rim of the wheel is of less circumference than the outer side
of the tire, the flaps will be likely to wrinkle and this wrinkling is nicely taken
up by the double stops shown in Fig. 4. The flaps will lie in the bottom of the
rim between the stops and the slack will be partly taken up in passing over
the stops.
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
claim is :-
1. The combination with a wheel rim having inwardly turned side ledges, of a
pneumatic tire having sectional flanges at or adjacent to its edges adapted to
engage with the ledges to hold the tire in the rim, and abutting points against
which the ends of the flange impinge, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a wheel rim having inwardly turned side ledges, of a
pneumatic tire having sectional flanges at or adjacent to its edges adapted to
engage with the ledges to hold the tire in the rim, and stops in said rim to prevent
the longitudinal movement of the flange sections.
3. The combination with a wheel rim provided with retaining ledges, of a
pneumatic tire having imbedded or otherwise attached to it, a wire which forms a
bead or flange thereon, said wire being divided into a plurality of separate and
independent sections or lengths, for the purpose set forth.
4. A wheel rim provided with an inwardly turned side ledge forming a groove, a
plurality of stops located at intervals in said groove around the rim, in combination
with a pneumatic tire provided with a sectional or discontinuous flange, the sections
of which occupy the groove between the stops and abut against the stops to
prevent their longitudinal movement.
5. The combination with a wheel rim having inwardly turned side ledges, of a
pneumatic tire having independent or sectional flanges at or adjacent to its side
edges adapted to engage with the ledges to hold the tire in the rim, said flanges
being formed of material which tends to spring outward for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 30th day of December A.D. 1893.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.