Improvements in Wheels for Velocipedes.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH PETER LAVIGNE, Manufacturer, of
No. 63, Garden Street, and WILBUR FISK DAY, Banker, of No. 310, York
Street, both of New Haven, in the County of New Haven, and State of
Connecticut, United States of America.]
Improvements in Wheels for Velocipedes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, 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 :-
This invention relates to an improvement in bicycle wheels and particularly to
that portion connected with the tire, the object and purpose of the improvement
being to increase the longevity of the tire in general, and particularly the pneumatic
tube, which by means of this peculiar arrangement is not only fully protected, but
it is also readily and easily removed for the purpose of making repairs or inserting
a new one.
To this end the invention consists in cementing or otherwise attaching to the
metal rim of the wheel an elastic reinforce holder for the pneumatic tube, which is
preferably thicker and heavier than said tube, especially at or near its outer
circumferential surface, which is also open at that point for the insertion of the
pneumatic tube, and, when such tube is placed therein, the said reinforce holder is
surmounted by a circumferential clamping shoe, which shoe not only exerts a
closing tendency on the open mouth of the reinforce holder, but it is also the
treading surface for the wheel, or in other words, that surface which engages with
the ground. This shoe is made of an elastic substance, preferably rubber, and is
made sufficiently thick to stand the necessary wear as well as to perform the
functions of a clamp for the reinforce holder and a compressor for the pneumatic
tube. To further strengthen this shoe as well as to protect the pneumatic tube
against puncture, short steel sections are vulcanized within the body of the said
shoe, whose edges are not firmly connected together but simply lapped so as to
break joint, thereby preventing intrusion of objects that would puncture the
pneumatic tube and yet not interfere with the elasticity of the said shoe. All of
which improvements will be more fully described in the following Specification,
and such characteristic features as are believed to be novel and new particularly
pointed out in the claims to follow.
To enable others to understand the said invention. reference is had to the accom-
panying drawing, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon, in
which―
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a bicycle wheel with my improvement
mounted thereon.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of the outer circumferential portion of the wheel through
line to of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a detail cross section of the reinforce pneumatic tube holder;
Fig. 4 a detail cross section of the pneumatic tube.
Fig. 5, is a detail cross section of the combined clamping and treading shoe and
one of the steel sections through line of Fig. 10.
Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of one of the blanks from which the steel sections
are formed.

page_text: Fig. 7 is a detail side elevation of one of the steel sections bent into the proper
shape and in readiness to be vulcanized into the rubber shoe.
Fig. 8 is a detail and longitudinal cross section of two of the steel sections as
they will
appear when in position, said view being on the line y of Fig. 7, looking
in the direction of arrow a.
Fig. 9 is a detail plan view of two steel sections with their projecting ends
lapped together, looking in the direction of arrow b, Fig. 7.
Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the shoe detached from the reinforce pneumatic
tube holder.
Its construction and operation are as follows: 1 represents the metal felly or rim
of the wheel, 2 the reinforce pneumatic tube holder cemented or otherwise attached
thereto, as shown at Figs. 1 and 2. The upper end of said holder is open as shown
in Fig. 3, so that the two sides thereof may be sprung apart to admit the round
pneumatic tube 3, shown at Fig. 4. 4 (see Fig. 6) is one of the steel sections,
which are about one inch in length, and, as before mentioned, are blanked from
thin sheet metal. We prefer to provide the kerfs c, so that the ends d, which are
the lapping ends, will come within the curve or circle formed by the ends e,
when such ends are turned over as shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 7. These short steel
sections 4 are arranged as shown in Fig. 8, with their ends lapped, so that when
vulcanized in the rubber shoe 5 such ends may slide upon each other and not
interfere with the elasticity of said shoe when arranged in a circular form, as
shown in Fig. 10. It will be observed that the steel sections are fully covered
by the rubber shoe, so that the edges of said shoe will conform to the shape
or curve of such curved ends of the steel sections, thus strengthening and
enhancing the clamping effect of the shoe when it is attached to the tube holder 2,
for which purpose the grooves gare provided in each of the outer side walls of
the holder to receive the edges f of the clamping shoe 5, in a manner presently
to be described. The outer surface of the shoe may be corrugated as shown,
thus giving it better traction facilities.
As before mentioned, and observed at Figs. 1 and 2, the U-shaped holder 2 is
the only one of the several parts comprising the tire proper that is attached to
the metal rim or felly of the wheel. This leaves the sides of such holder free
to be expanded so as to receive the pneumatic tube, which may be inflated
either before or after it is inserted into the cavity i of the holder, which cavity is
seen at Fig. 3, or, it may be partially inflated before inserting into the holder and
the operation completed when the shoe is in place, which is effected as follows:
After the pneumatic tube is in place-before mentioned-the shoe 5 which will
form the circular construction shown in. Fig. 10 is expanded over the open mouth j
of the holder 2,-Fig. 3-until the edges of said shoe are brought into the
grooves g thereof. The grasping effect of the shoe will be to draw the sides of
the holder 2 toward each other and, by so doing compress the pneumatic tube,
causing it to conform to the interior shape of such holder, touching all parts
thereof, and also the inner surface of the shoe 5, as shown at Fig. 2, so that the
whole construction will give under the weight of the rider or exhibit the same
elasticity as the ordinary single pneumatic tire. The ordinary tube must necessarily
be made sufficiently strong to sustain the compressed air within, and the wear and
tear incidental to traction, and is for that purpose generally constructed with
alternate layers of canvas or other like material to protect the traction surface
against puncture from sharp objects with which it is liable to be brought into
contact, and is therefore a very expensive construction, while the pneumatic tube
we employ is the ordinary rubber tubing of equal thickness in all of its parts and
thereby less expensive than the specially constructed pneumatic tubes above
mentioned. The holder 2 is made strong enough to support the pneumatic tube 3
when such tube is inflated, and the beavy rubber shoe will fully meet the require-
ments for "tracking," that is to say, the following of the rear wheel in the exact
path of the front one, and combined with the steel sections, will effectually prevent
the intrusion of sharp objects that might injure the pneumatic tube, and these steel

page_text: sections as before mentioned are so short, combined with the loose lapped feature
of their edges that the expansible feature of the shoe is attaching it to the
holder, or its compressibility due to traction is not in the least interfered with.
It is generally supposed that the fractures which occur in pneumatic tubes are.
entirely due to sharp objects with which the tire is brought in contact. On the
contrary, and in a majority of cases these fractures take place at the corners or
angles formed between the flat surface of the tire when compressed and the side
walls. As soon as the slightest split or rupture appears in the outer surface of
the tire dust will enter, which, combined with its gritty nature and the continual
opening and closing of the crack, however slight, will soon cut through, and the
patches which are usually cemented over these fractures are short lived in their
effect owing to this counteracting influence of the dust. In this construction, the
pneumatic tube, owing to the heavy nature of the overlying clamping shoe, will
not be subject to the same degree of compression. Besides, the tube being separate
from the holder, will not be as liable to form those acute angles that produce
fracture. When, however, from whatever cause, a leakage is discovered, the rider
can, anywhere on the road, remove the clamping shoe and pneumatic tube, repair
the rupture, re-inflate the tube, by means of the hand pump, replace the tube and
shoe with a loss of only a few moments of time, feeling assured that the repair thus
made, is securely protected against the counteracting influence of the dust.
necessary, on very long journeys, an extra tube could be rolled up into a small
compass and easily carried.
If
We do not wish to be confined to the exact construction which we show of the.
steel sections that are inserted in the flexible clamping shoe. The main feature in
their construction is that they be short so as to readily conform to the flexible
movements of the shoe, and, that their joints shall be broken so as to form a shield
or protector against sharp objects, and these joints can be lapped as shown, or
linked together in any suitable manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to us by
our foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A bicycle or other wheel of like character comprising in combination with
the felly or rim, a holder attached thereto and arranged circumferentially about
said rim; a chamber in said holder to receive the pneumatic tube; an opening or
mouth therein, a flexible shoe for closing said opening and compressing the sides of
said holder toward each other, as set forth.
2. The combination with the rim or felly of a wheel, of a hollow flexible holder
arranged circumferentially about the same, an opening in the periphery of said holder
which separates that portion projecting from the felly into two parts, a pneumatic-
tube chamber therein combined with a pneumatic tube arranged to be inserted into.
such chamber through the open mouth of the holder, and a circumferentially
arranged clamping shoe to close the open mouth of the said holder, compressing
the sides thereof firmly against the pneumatic tube, and means whereby said shoe-
is maintained in place, as described.
3. As an improvement in wheels of the character described a pneumatic tube-
holder, means for attaching it to the wheel, said holder constructed of a tubular
form, with an opening at its outer periphery and extending entirely around the
same, so that said opening may be expanded to admit a pneumatic tube, and a
chamber within said holder to receive said tube, as shown.
4. The combination with the wheel, its rim or felly; pneumatic tube holder and
pneumatic tube arranged as shown, of a flexible circumferentially arranged clamping-
and treading shoe; said shoe carrying short metal sections whose edges are lapped
or otherwise engaged so as not to interfere with the flexibility of the said shoe,.
said shoe arranged to span the open mouth of the tube holder compressing the sides
thereof against the said pneumatic tube, and means substantially as shown for
maintaining said shoe in place.

page_text: 5. In combination with the wheel, the pneumatic tube and its holder arranged
substantially as shown and for the purpose described, of the elastic combined
clamping and traction shoe, arranged to be readily attached and detached from
said holder and means for firmly securing them together, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 15th day of March 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.