Improvements in and relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Aug., 1995
Complete Specification Left, 2nd June, 1896-Accepted, 1st Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 2nd June, 1896-Accepted, 1st Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
We, CHARLES WOOLLEY, of 19 Haycroft Road, Brixton Hill, in the County
of Loudon, Secretary to a Public Company, and THOMAS DUNN, of 83 Tierney
Road, Brixton Hill, aforesaid, Member of the Stock Exchange, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
For securing a pneumatic tyre on a wheel having a plain or nearly plain periphery
without having to make any alteration to the wheel except to drill a valve hole
therein, there is described in the Specification of another application for Letters
Patent dated 4th Aug. 1894 No. 149 3 filed by one of us, viz. the said Charles
Woolley, the use in conjunction with wire rings carried within the edges of the
tyre cover, of two sets of angle pieces adapted to catch or engage the sides or
edges of the wheel rim at opposite sides thereof, the arrangement being such that
on inflation of the tyre, the angle pieces will be caused to move apart laterally in
opposite directions and firmly grip the wheel rim between their inwardly turned
ends and will be locked in their fastening positions by the said wire rings, which
are extensible in length or diameter.
Now the object of this invention is to enable pneumatic tyres that are unprovided
with wire rings, for example tyres the outer covers of which have flexible and
extensible edges to be effectually secured to wheels having plain or nearly plain
peripheries.
For this purpose the tyre or tyre cover having flexible and extensible edges but
without continuous wires or rings, provided with two sets of angle pieces, as in
the said former specification, and with a circular self gripping strip of material
that is rigid transversely and flexible longitudinally but practically non-extensible
in length and which is arranged within the tyre between the air tube and the outer
canvas cover, or the edges thereof, at the inner side or periphery of the tyre so as
to be subjected to the pressure of the air within the said air tube, as in the
arrangements of tyres described in the Specifications of Letters Patent No. 23423
of 1892 and 6357 of 1894 granted to one of us viz. the said Thomas Dunn, the
arrangement being such that when the tyre is applied to a wheel rim and inflated,
the two sets of angle pieces will be automatically moved apart laterally in opposite
directions and firmly grip the wheel rim between their inwardly turned end, and
the said self gripping strip will be automatically contracted in diameter by the air
pressure so as to firmly clamp the tyre or the edges of its cover, and also the angle
pieces, around the wheel rim.
The edges of the tyre cover when a detachable cover is used, may advantageously
be stiffened by means of a strip of material for example metal, wood, or vulcanite
that, are rigid transversely but which do not form an endless inextensible ring, and
the angle pieces may, at their attached ends, be made of flattened tubular form so
as to fit more or less around such strips upon which may conveniently be threaded
through the angle pieces for the purpose of fixing them in position.
The self gripping strip, which may be of thin sheet steel, may be enclosed in a
sheath or channel arranged between the air tube and tyre cover, and has its ends,
which are or may be unconnected with external tightening attachments, free and
capable of endways movement relatively to the said sheath or channel. The ends

page_text: of the self gripping strip may, after the inflation of the tyre, be securely fixed in
place by the screwing up of a nut on the stem of the air valve, which passes
through such ends, or means may be provided whereby the said ends will become
fixed in place entirely automatically or only on the screwing up of the air-valve
nut, as described for example in the said prior Specifications No. 23 123 of 1892
and 6357 of 1894.
A tyre provided with a self gripping strip as herein described may be used in
conjunction with a separate and independent band of angle pieces of the kind
referred to, constructed it may be in either of the ways described in the said prior
Specification No. 14953 of 1894.
The self gripping strip may be provided with a filling strip adapted to enter
between the edges of the tyre cover when these are forced apart upon the inflation
of the tyre.
Or such filling strip may be separate from the self gripping strip.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1895.
We, CHARLES WOOLLEY, of 19 Haycroft Road, Brixton Hill, in the County
of London, Secretary to a Public Company, and THOMAS DUNN, of 83 Tierney
Road, Brixton Hill, aforesaid, Member of the Stock Exchange, 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 :-
For securing a pneumatic tyre on a wheel having a plain or nearly plain periphery
without having to make any alteration to the wheel except to provide a valve hole
therein, as may generally be done by merely removing a tyre rivet, there is
described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 14953 of 1894 granted to one
of us viz. the said Charles Woolley, the use in conjunction with wire rings carried
within the edges of the tyre cover, of two sets of angle pieces adapted to catch or
engage the sides or edges of the wheel at opposite sides thereof, the arrangement
being such that on inflation of the tyre, the angle pieces will be caused to move
laterally in opposite directions and firmly grip the wheel between their inwardly
turned ends and will be locked in their fastening positions by the said wire rings,
which are inextensible in length or diameter.
Now the object of this invention is to enable pneumatic tyres that are unprovided
with wire rings, for example tyres the outer covers of which have flexible and
extensible edges to be effectually secured to wheels having plain or nearly plain
peripheries.
For this purpose the tyre or tyre cover having flexible and extensible edges and
without continuous wires or rings, is provided with two sets of angle-pieces as in
the arrangements of tyres described in the said former specification, and with a
circular self-gripping strip of material that is rigid transversely and flexible
longitudinally but practically non-extensible in length and which is arranged
within the tyre between the air tube and the edges of the outer canvas cover, at
the inner side or periphery of the tyre so as to be subjected to the pressure of the
air within the said air tube, as in the arrangements of tyres described in the
Specifications of Letters Patents No. 23423 of 1892 and 'No. 6357 of 1894 granted
to one of us viz. the said Thomas Dunn, the arrangement being such that when the
tyre is applied to a wheel and inflated, the two sets of angle-pieces will be

page_text: automatically moved laterally opposite directions and hrmly grip the wheel
between their inwardly turned ends, and the said self-gripping strip (hereinafter
called the self gripping band) will be automatically contracted in diameter by the
air pressure so as to firmly clamp the edges of the tyre cover, and also the angle
pieces, around the wheel.
The edges of the tyre cover may in order that the parts thereof between the
angle-pieces shall not be forced outward in a lateral direction by the internal air
pressure, be strengthened or stiffened by means of strips of material. for example
metal, celluloid, wood, or vulcanite that are rigid transversely but which do not
form an endless inextensible ring. Also the angle-pieces may, at their attached
ends, be made of flattened tubular form so as to fit more or less around such strips
which may conveniently be threaded through the angle-pieces for the purpose of
fixing them in positior.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a cross section showing a pneumatic tyre constructed according to this
invention in position on an ordinary vehicle wheel having a plain or approximately
plain periphery.
Fig. 2 is a part longitudinal section of the tyre alone through the air valve.
Fig. 3 is a view of part of the inner periphery of the tyre.
Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 1 showing the tyre with a thickened tread.
Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view showing a modification.
is the inner air tube, and 2 the outer cover of the tyre, the latter having
tubular edges 3, 3ª each of which is stiffened by a circular discontinuous strip 4
or 4 of celluloid which is rigid transversely so that each edge of the tyre although
stiffened is both flexible longitudinally and extensible in length. 5, 5ª are angle-
picces of metal alternately arranged in two sets, one set viz. 5, being attached to
the edge 3 of the tyre cover and the other set viz. 5, to the other edge 3 of the
tyre. Each angle-piece consists of a piece of plain sheet metal, preferably steel,
having each end bent approximately at a right angle to the intermediate portion,
and that end which is to be secured to an edge of the tyre cover, wrapped round
with fine canvas or gauze that is cemented to the said edge of the tyre cover, it
may be between the layers of material composing the cover as shown, one bent end
of each angle-piece bearing against the outer side of the corresponding edge of
the tyre cover and the other bent end being adapted, on the inflation of the tyre,
to bear against or engage with one side of the wheel to which the tyre is applied
as shown in Fig. 2. It will be obvious however that the angle-pieces can be
attached in various other ways to the edges of the tyre cover, some of which are
described and illustrated in the said prior Specification No. 14953 of 1894. Thus
the fixed ends of the angle-pieces may be made in the form of a flattened tube'
that can be threaded on one or other of the stiffening strips 4, 4ª as shown'in
Fig. 5.
6 is a self-gripping band of the kind hereinbefore referred to and having its ends
overlapping one another as shewn. This band, which may be of thin sheet steel,
or celluloid, or steel coated with vulcanite, is preferably enclosed in a sheath 7 of
woven material, for example canvas, arranged between the air tube 1 and tyre
cover 2, and which may advantageously be cemented to the inner side of one of
the edge portions of the tyre cover so as to prevent it becoming displaced. The
overlapping ends 6 of the band, which are or may be unconnected with external
tightening attachments, are free and capable of endways movement relatively to
the said sheath 7. Suitable means tray be provided for securing the ends of the
band in place, after the inflation of the tyre, so that should the tyre become
accidentally deflated, it will not leave 'the wheel. For this purpose, after the
inflation of the tyre, the said band ends may advantageously be securely fixed in
place by the screwing up of a nut 8 on the stem 9 of the air valve, which passes
through such ends which are slotted for the purpose, as shown in Fig. 2; or means
may be provided whereby the said ends will become fixed in place entirely

page_text: automatically, or only on the screwing up of the air-valve nut, as described for
example in the said prior Specifications No. 23423 of 1892 and 6357 of 1894.
To attach a pneumatic tyre of the kind described to an ordinary carriage wheel,
it is simply necessary to lay the tyre around the wheel as far as this can be
conveniently done, without stretching the tyre, the stem of the air valve being
first passed through the wheel, and then to simply pull the remaining portion of
the tyre onto the wheel this being easily done owing to the edges of the tyre
cover being extensible in length. The tyre is then inflated whereby the edges of
the tyre cover are pressed slightly apart and the outer ends of the two series of
angle-pieres caused to tightly grip the wheel between them, and the said angle-
pieces and edges of the ty re-cover are tightly clamped around the periphery of
the wheel by the automatic contraction in diameter of the self-gripping band the
ends of which are then secured in place by the tightening up of the nut on the
stem of the air valve. The tyre can be as easily removed from the wheel by
reversing the above mentioned operations.
Beneath the self-gripping band is preferably provided a filling strip 10 (Fig. 1)
of material such as cork-carpet adapted to enter between the edges 3 3ª of the
tyre cover and keep them the required distance apart. This filling strip may be
cemented to the sheath 7, or be separate therefrom as desired. Instead of a filling
strip, a number of distance pieces or blocks of the necessary breadth and thickness
may be strung together in any convenient manner, as for example by cementing
them to a strip of canvas.
it
A tyre having stiffened but flexible and extensible edges and provided with a
self-gripping band 6 as hereinbefore described may be used in conjunction with a
separate and independent band of angle-pieces of the kind referred to, constructed
may be in either of the ways described in the said prior Specification No. 14953
of 1894. Fig. 4 shows an arrangement of this kind wherein the two sets of angle-
pieces 5, 5 are enclosed in a covering 5* of material such as canvas the inner and
outer portions of which may be stitched together between the angle-pieces, or
cemented to the angle-pieces, so as to form a band of angle-pieces that is separate
or independent of the pneumatic tyre. The gaps or spaces between the bent ends
of the adjacent angle pieces on each side of the band may be filled by filling
pieces as fully described in the said prior Specification No. 14953 of 1894.
The tread of the tyre cover shewn in Fig. 2 is of the ordinary kind, while that
shown in Fig. 4 is thickened as for instance by building it up of alternate layers
of canvas and india-rubber, so as to form a transversely inflexible and practically
unpuncturable tread without impairing its flexibility and elasticity longitudinally.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. For securing a pneumatic tyre on a wheel, the combination with the air tube
and a tyre cover having stiffened but longitudinally flexible and extensible edges,
of two sets of angle-pieces adapted to engage the edges of the tyre-cover and also
the exterior of the wheel at opposite sides thereof and to be pressed tightly against
the latter on the inflation of the tyre, and a self-gripping band of the kind herein
set forth, located between the air tube and the edges of the tyre cover and adapted
on the inflation of the tyre to hold both edges of the tyre-cover and the angle-
pieces firmly and closely around the wheel, substantially as described.
2. A pneumatic tyre of the kind referred to in the preceding claim in which the
longitudinally flexible and extensible edges of the tyre cover are strengthened or
stiffened by strips of material of the kind mentioned that are rigid transversely
but which do not form endless inextensible rings, substantially as described for
the purpose specified.
3. Our improved pneumatic tyres each provided with a cover having stiffened
but extensible edges, a self-gripping band, two sets of angle-pieces and means for

page_text: securing the ends of the band in position, the whole constructed and arranged
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference respectively to and shown in
Figs. 1, 2 and 3; and in Fig. 4 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1896
THOMAS DUNN.
For the Applicants,
W. Lloyd Wise,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent..