A New or Improved Combined Pressure Gauge and Safety Valve for the Inflated Tyres of the Wheels of Bloyoles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes and Carriages.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Combined Pressure Gauge and Safety Valve for
the Inflated Tyres of the Wheels of Bloyoles, Tricycles, and
other Velocipedes and Carriages.
We JAMES ALFRED LAMPLUGH of No. 135 Great Colmore Street, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick Manufacturer and HENRY ARTHUR LAMPLUGH,
of No. 1 Charlotte Road, Birmingham aforesaid Machinist do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The said invention consists of the construction and combination of parts herein-
after described constituting a new or improved combined pressure gauge and safety
valve whereby the pressure of the air pumped into the inflated or pneumatic tyres
of bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes can be determined at pleasure and the
escape of air permitted if by accident or otherwise the pressure of the air in the
tyre momentarily exceeds the arranged pressure. The injury to the tyre which
sometimes occurs by the incautious introduction of an excess of air or by the
heating and consequent expansion of the air is thus prevented.
We make a valve somewhat resembling the ordinary valve that is having a
hollow stem to which the compressing pump is connected by a flexible pipe the
said hollow stem having a small side hole. The said stem is covered by a close
fitting india rubber tube which constitutes a valve opening inwards the india rubber
being raised from the said side hole and allowing air to pass by the pressure of the
air forced into the hollow stem by the pump. The said hollow stem is situated in
a chamber communicating with the interior of the tyre and the said chamber is
provided with a valve seat on which a conical valve carried by the hollow stem
seats itself, being pressed to its seat by a coiled spring around the said stem. By
means of a screw cap the said spring can be compressed to a greater or less degree
and the conical valve pressed to its seat with greater or less force.
The action of the parts is as follows. The india rubber tube constituting the
valve opening inwards when the parts are in their normal position, closes the
passage through which the compressed air passes to the tyre; the valve on
the hollow stem is pressed to its seat by the coiled spring. When air is pumped
into the tyre until it reaches the determined pressure any further introduction of
air produces an increased pressure which raises the conical valve from its seat and
permits the escape of the excess of air. If the air becomes heated or from any
cause exceeds the adjusted pressure it similarly escapes.
The pressure which it is wished the air in the tyre shall not exceed is determined
by screwing home more or less the cap which compresses the coiled spring holding
down the conical valve and the parts may be graduated so as to indicate the
adjusted pressure.
Dand thin orth 1 of 1002
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Combined Pressure Gauge and Safety Valve
for the Inflated Tyres of the Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles, and
other Velocipedes and Carriages.
We JAMES ALFRED LAMPLUGH of No. 135 Great Colmore Street, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer and HENRY ARTHUR LAMPLUGH, of
No. 1 Charlotte Road, Birmingham aforesaid, Machinist, do hereby declare the
Di

page_text: nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The said invention consists of the construction and combination of parts herein-
after described constituting a new or improved combined pressure gauge and safety
valve, whereby the pressure of the air pumped into the inflated or pneumatic tyres
of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes can be determined at pleasure and the
escape of air permitted if by accident or otherwise the pressure of the air in the
tyre momentarily exceeds the arranged pressure. The injury to the tyre which
sometimes occurs by the incautious introduction of an excess of air or by the
heating and consequent expansion of the air is thus prevented.
We make a valve somewhat resembling the ordinary valve, that is, having a
hollow stem to which the compressing pump is connected by a flexible pipe, the
said hollow stem having a small side hole. The said stem is covered by a close
fitting india rubber tube which constitutes an air admission valve opening inwards,
the india rubber being raised from the said side hole and allowing air to pass by
the pressure of the air forced into the hollow stem by the pump. The said hollow
stem is situated in a chamber or case communicating with the interior of the tyre
and the said chamber is provided with a valve seat on which a valve carried by the
hollow stem seats itself, being pressed to its seat by a coiled spring around the said
stem. By means of a screw cap the said spring can be compressed to a greater or
less degree and the valve pressed to its seat with greater or less force.
The action of the parts is as follows. The india rubber tube constituting a
valve opening inwards when the parts are in their normal position, closes the
passage through which the compressed air passes to the tyre; the valve on the
hollow stem is pressed to its seat by the coiled spring. When air is pumped into
the tyre until it reaches the determined pressure any further introduction of air
produces an increased pressure which raises the valve from its seat and permits
the escape of the excess of air. If the air becomes heated or from any cause
exceeds the adjusted pressure it similarly escapes.
The pressure which it is wished the air in the tyre shall not exceed is
determined by screwing home more or less the cap which compresses the coiled
spring holding down the valve and the parts may be graduated so as to indicate the
adjusted pressure.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in vertical section and
Figure 2 represents in plan our new or improved combined pressure gauge and
safety valve in conjunction with an air admission valve, the apparatus being applied
to the tyre of a wheel for inflating the same;
Figure 3 represents in elevation and Figure 4 in plan a modified arrangement in
which the hollow stem to which the compressing pump is connected is situated at
right angles to the axis of the case or chamber of the apparatus. The position of
the hollow stem represented in Figures 3 and 4 is more convenient for connecting
the compressing pump than that represented in Figures 1 and 2.
{'
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 represent, drawn to a larger scale, the apparatus
represented in Figures 1 and 2, Figure 5 representing a side elevation; Figure 6 a
vertical section and Figure 7 a horizontal section of the apparatus; Figure 8
represents in elevation and Figure 9 a horizontal section of the hollow stem and
safety valve carried by it; and Figure 10 represents a section and Figure 11 a
plan of the tubular case or chamber detached, for the purpose of the better
exhibiting the valve seat;
Figure 12 represents in elevation and Figure 13 in vertical section, drawn to a
larger scale, the apparatus represented in Figures 3 and 4, and
Figure 14 represents in plan the hollow stem detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
a is the tubular case or chamber of the apparatus screwed to the ordinary hollow
nipple 6 in connection with the air tube of the pneumatic or inflated tyre c of the

page_text: wheel; d is the hollow stem to the outer end of which the flexible tube of the
compressing pump is screwed as usual, the said outer end of the stem being covered
by the cape (see Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4). The hollow stem d has at its inner end
a small side hole d' which is covered by the air admission valve e opening inwards,
the said valve e consisting of a close fitting india rubber tube seating itself in a
ring like depression in the inner end of the hollow stem d (see Figures 6 and 13).
When air is forced into the hollow stem d by the compressing pump the valve or
tube e is raised from the side hole and air passes into the nipple band from
thence into the air tube of the tyre to be inflated. The air admission valve e con-
stitutes no part of this invention and air admission valves of other kinds may be
used in combination with this invention. In the case or chamber a, our combined
pressure gauge and safety valve is contained, the said combined gauge and valve,
consisting of a valve and screw cap h. The valve has its acting face covered
with an india rubber disc which is pressed to the valve seat in the case or
chamber a by the coiled spring g. In the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 and
in the enlarged views of the same, the valve f is carried by the hollow stem d but
in the modified apparatus Figures 3 and 4 and in the enlarged views of the same,
the valve is independent of the hollow stem d. The bottom of the case or
chamber a is closed by the screw cap h upon which one end of the coiled spring g
takes a bearing so that by screwing the said cap h more or less into the case, the
spring 9 can be compressed to a greater or less degree and the valve f pressed to its
seat with greater or less force. Thus, the pressure which it is wished the air in
the inflated tyre shall not exceed, is determined by screwing home more or less the
cap and compressing more or less the coiled spring y holding the valve to its seat.
In order to indicate the adjusted pressure, graduations may be made on the outside
of the case a and a pointer be fixed to the edge of the screw cap. By the rotation
of the cap in one or other direction its pointer can be brought to the required
graduation on the case so as to adjust the spring to the pressure which it is desired
the air in the tyre shall attain before the excess of air can escape. Other ways of
graduating may be employed. In place of the coiled spring represented for
pressing and holding the valve fto its seat other kinds of springs such as springs
consisting of rods or pieces of vulcanized india rubber may be employed and coiled
or other springs of varying or graduated strengths according to the pressure
required in the tyre may be used. In the case a are holes or vents i, i to permit
of the escape of air when the valve f is pressed from its seat.
Between the upper
part of the case a and the lower part in which the valve works is an air way or
passage k. In order that the india rubber disc or seating of the valve may make
as perfect an air tight joint as possible we formn on the face of the valve seat in the
case a a series of fine concentric ribs or ridges l. By the pressure of the coiled
spring g, the valve disc or seating is pressed forcibly into the depressions or sunken
parts between the said fine ribs or ridges and the passage of air between the
fixed seat in the case and the india rubber seating or disc of the valve thereby
effectually prevented.
When the parts of the apparatus are in their normal positions as represented
in Figures 6 and 13, the air admission valve e closes the passage through which
the compressed air passes to the tyre and the safety valve fis pressed to its
seat by the coiled spring g and communication between the compressed air
in the tyre and the lower part of the case or chamber in which the valve f
works cut off. When air is pumped into the tyre through the hollow stem d
and open valve e until the air reaches the determined pressure, any further
introduction of air produces an increased pressure which lifts the safety valve f
from its seat and permits of the escape of air by the passage k, open valve f
and vents or holes i, i in the case. On the pressure of the air within the
inflated tyre being in this way reduced to the arranged pressure the spring g
again closes the valve f. The air similarly escapes should it by becoming heated
exceed the adjusted pressure.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we
claim as the said invention;—
First. The arrangement or combination of the parts of a new or improved com-
bined pressure gauge and safety valve for the inflated tyres of the wheels of bicycles,
tricycles and other velocipedes and carriages hereinbefore described and illustrated
in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings; that is
to say arranging the air admission valve and its hollow stem and the spring pressed
combined safety valve and pressure gauge and the chamber or case of the same
and adjustable screw cap in line and making the seat of the said safety valve with
a series of concentric ribs or ridges on which the india rubber face of the said
- valve bears for ensuring a perfect airtight joint substantially as described and
illustrated.
Secondly. The modification of the parts herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 12, 13 and 14 of the accompanying drawings in which the hollow stem and
air admission valve are arranged at right angles to the axis of the case or chamber
containing the combined safety valve and pressure gauge.
Dated the Fourth day of November 1893.
JAMES ALFRED LAMPLUGH.
HENRY ARTHUR LAMPLUGH.