Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tyres for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Road Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tyres for Bicycles,
Tricycles, and other Road Vehicles.
I, EDWARD AYEARST REEVES, of The Royal Geographical Society, No. 1 Savile Row,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in pneumatic tyres for bicycles, tricycles
and other road vehicles whereby the mere revolution of the wheel on the ground
when running will cause the tyre to be inflated and kept full automatically.
The tyre is provided with a valve which will under ordinary circumstances allow of
the entry but not the exit of air and connected to this is a tube which goes right
round or partly round the tread of the tyre, being open at the other end, sufficient to
allow of the entry of air, but not of more dust or foreign matter than can be helped.
In fact it will, under some circumstances, be advantageous to provide the open end of
the tube with a filter. The open end of the tube is preferably carried up above the
level of the rim when it is in its lowest position. When the wheel is revolved the
weight of the rider and the vehicle or the weight of the vehicle alone will be
sufficient to compress the tube aforesaid and cause its sides to form a joint and as
the wheel continues to revolve the parts of the tube meeting all along its length
will cause the air therein to be forced forward into the tyre past the valve.
The tube aforesaid may be enclosed in or form part of an outer cover, and instead
of having one tube, there may be more than one, so that even if one be punctured
the other or others will operate. The tyre may if desired be provided with an
ordinary valve as usual in addition to the valve connected to the tube. Under some
circumstances the tyre may be provided with a safety valve which will prevent
bursting of the same if the pressure within should become too great.
1121
CT 1000
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tyres for Bicycles,
Tricycles, and other Road Vehicles.
I, EDWARD AYEARST REEVES of The Royal Geographical Society No. 1 Savile Row
in the County of Middlesex 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 improvements in pneumatic tyres for bicycles, tricycles

page_text: and other road vehicles whereby the mere revolution of the wheel on the ground
when running will cause the tyre to be inflated and kept full automatically.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a tyre constructed according
to my invention in part sectional elevation.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the whole tyre.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of same on the line a. b. Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows a similar view with the tyre enclosed in an outer cover secured to a
rim in transverse section.
Figure 4 is a similar view of a slightly modified form of tyre.
Figure 5 represents another modified form of tyre in part sectional elevation at
the upper part of tyre.
Figure 6 is a transverse section thereof but at the lower part of tyre.
Figure 7 is a part sectional elevation of yet another form and
Figure 8 is a transverse section thereof.
The tyre or usual air tube g is as shown in Figures 1 and 2 provided with a valve
of any convenient construction which will under ordinary circumstances allow of
the entry but not the exit of air and connected to this by a short pipe g' is one end of
a tube which goes right round (as shown) or partly round outside the tread of the
tyre so as to be exposed to the weight of the rider or of the vehicle or of both, and
being open at the other end i sufficient to allow of the entry of air, but not of more
dust or foreign matter than can be helped. In fact it will under some circumstances
be advantageous to provide the open end of the tube with a short length of pipe or
extension surmounted by a filter k of any suitable construction. The extension i²
is as shown preferably carried out above the level of the rim when in its lowest
position.
When the wheel is revolved, the weight of the rider and of the vehicle or the
weight of the vehicle alone will be sufficient to compress the tube i at the point of
contact with the ground and cause its sides, as indicated for instance in Figure 1^, to
form a joint and as the wheel continues to revolve the parts of the tube i meeting all
along its length, will cause the air therein to be forced or pumped forward into the
tyre g past the valve h. It is not essential that there should be a valve h if there be
a valve m in the pipe , but it is preferable to have both valves. The pumping tube i
is made of thinner or softer rubber than the air tube g so as to ensure the meeting
of the sides of the pumping tube rather than those of the air tube. The pumping
tube i may be enclosed in an outer cover to protect it from puncture or as shown in
Figure 3 there may be an outer cover enclosing both the pumping tube i and the
air tube g, n representing the rim of the wheel.
Instead of providing the tyre with only one pumping tube i, there may be more
than one as illustrated in Figure 4, so that even if one be punctured, the other or
others will operate.
Referring to Figures 5 and 6 the tyre or usual air tube g is provided with a valve h
of any convenient construction which will under ordinary circumstances allow of the
entry but not the exit of, air and connected to this by a short pipe g' is a pumping
tube i which goes right round or partly round the wheel, being open at the other
end similarly to ' (Fig. 1) sufficient to allow of the entry of air but not of more dust
or foreign matter than can be helped. In fact it will under some circumstances be
advantageous to provide the open end of the pumping tube i with a short length of
pipe or extension like 2 and a filter k of any suitable construction. There may also
be a valve m to prevent the exit of air in all cases. This valve m may be of any
convenient construction and when the tyre is pumped up hard enough the said valve
may be permanently closed. z Figure 6 is intended to represent the rim of the
wheel.
In the modification shown in Figures 7 and 8 the tyre g is provided with a suitable
valve à for instance of the "lip" kind made of india rubber which will under ordinary
circunstances allow of the entry but not the exit of air and directly communicating
with the said air tube g is a pumping tube i which goes right round or partly round
the wheel, being open at the other end or preferably as shown provided with a

page_text: valve m of any convenient construction. There may also be a filter as before
described.
The tube g is enclosed in or may form part of an outer cover and I prefer to
make holes in the tube 7 so that air under pressure completely fills the cover
instead of leaving the sides slack.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. In a tyre for the wheels of bicycles tricycles and other road vehicles the
application and use of a tube going wholly or partly round the wheel, which tube is
capable of receiving and containing a certain amount of air and on the revolution of
the wheel is caused to be flattened at the point of contact with the ground either
by the weight of the rider and the vehicle or by the weight of the vehicle alone
whereby on the continued revolution of the wheel the whole or some of the air
contained in said tube is forced into the air tube or the like of the tyre if the same
be not full of air and is prevented from escaping by means of a back pressure
valve.
2. In a tyre for the wheels of bicyeles tricycles and other road vehicles the
application and use of a tube i going round the wheel one end of the said tube
communicating with a valve m or an opening provided or not with a filter, the other
end of the said tube communicating through a back pressure valve with an air tube g
substantially as described and shown in Figures 1, 14, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the
drawings.
3. A tyre for the wheels of bicycles, tricycles and other vehicles consisting of a
tube i going round the wheel, one end of said tube communicating with a valve m or
an opening provided or not with a filter, the other end of the said tube communicating
through a back pressure valve with an air tube g having holes ", both tubes being
contained in a cover substantially as described and shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the
drawings.