Improvements in or relating to Rims and Tyres for the Wheels of Bicycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 10th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Rims and Tyres for the Wheels of
Bicycles and other Vehicles.
I HENRY FORBES JULIAN of The Ness Shaldon in the County of Devon, Consulting
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in wheels of vehicles, more particularly to
bicycle wheels, but it may also be applied to road carriages and other like vehicles.
Its objects are, greater ease to riders or occupants, greater duribility, readier
facilities for repairs and less liability to side slip than heretofore.
The principle feature of this invention may be said to consist in closing and
securing the joint or split of a tyre by means of an inflated tube covering the said
joint.
In the following description reference is made to the accompanying drawings which
represent cross sections of the rim and tyre of the wheel, and like parts are marked
with like letters of reference.
A is a cross section of a tubular tyre which may be formed with a cavity running
round its inner circumference, that is, the circumference facing, or on the side of, the
nave or hub of the wheel, Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6, or may be without the cavity, Figs. 4
and 5. B is a loose ring of metal, wood or other like material. C is an inflated tube
of rubber and canvas or other flexible material and D is a ring attached to the
spokes, of metal, wood or other rigid material which form together the rim of the
wheel.
The tubular tyre A is split on its inner circulinference in order that the inside of
the imbe may be got at for the purpose of facilitating repairs, and this split is closed
aud secured to the rim by means of an inflated tube C. The edges of the tyre are
made to meet, or are brought within a suitable distance of each other, and placed
between the rings B. D. The tube C is also inserted between the rings B. D. and
when inflated covers the joint and secures the edges of the tyre. The tube C may
be on the exterior or interior of the tyre A.
The tyre is preferably made of rubber and canvas, but it may be made of any other
suitable material, and at the edges or near the edges of the split the material is
thickened, or ribs or projections are formed which may fit into hollows in the ring B.
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, and may press into the inflated tube C. Figs. 3, 4 and 5. These
projections may be of rubber or rubber and canvas, twine, rope or metal or other
suitable materials. They may be extensible or non-extensible, contractable or
non-contractable as found most desirable..
The inner circumference of the tyre is preferably curved inwards towards its cross
sectional centre to form a cavity and the joint is closed and the edges secured within
the cavity, Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6. The tyre may however be formed without the cavity,
Figs. 4 and 5.
The circumference of the tyre is sometimes stiffened by attaching to, or securing
within the material, layers of canvas, twine rope, metal or other strong material to
prevent stretching or contracting of any part or parts in order to give any desired
cross sectional shape to the type when inflated.

page_text: The tyre may be inflated with air or any other suitable fluid and it may also contain
solid elastic material, such as, cork, rubber and like substances.
The ring B may be made of any desirable cross section and is held in position by
the pressure of the inflated tube Č. For convenience one edge of the tyre may be
left detachable while the other edge is cemented or otherwise secured. The ring B
may have sides extending to support the inner circumference of the tyre, or the part
within the cavity, Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
The tube C may be inflated with air, water or other suitable fluid.
The edges of the tyre may be scarfed, Fig. 1, or may be made to meet or nearly
meet, Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 or may be brought within any suitable distance of each
other.
In Fig. 6, which represents a modification of this invention, the spokes are
attached to the ring E which is inside the tyre A while the ring on the outside may
be loose, or may also be attached to the spokes. The inflated tube C is shown in this
case with radial tubes H intersecting it at intervals for the spokes to pass through.
The tubes C may be formed of one, two or more parts.
In all cases the inflated tube A is shown without a separate inner inflated tube such
ás is in common use, but if desired the inner inflated tube may also be employed in
any modification of this invention and this tube may be in one continuous length or
may be divided into any number of parallel tubes or segmental parts.
The inflated tube A inay be protected by covering its tread and sides with a tyre of
any suitable cross section of iron, steel or other suitable material.
Dated this 10th day of November 1896.
Improvements in or relating to Rims and Tyres for the Wheels of
Bicycles and other Vehicles.
I, HENRY FORBES JULIAN of The Ness, Shaldon, in the County of Devon, Consulting
Engineer, 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 improvements in wheels of vehicles and is particularly
applicable to such wheels as are used on bicycles, but it may also be applied to the
wheels of road carriages and other like vehicles.
Its objects are greater ease to riders or occupants of the vehicle, greater durability,
readier facilities for repairs and less liability to side slip than heretofore.
The principal feature of this invention may be said to consist in closing and securing
the joint or split of an inflated tyre by means of an independent inflated tube covering
the said joint and forming a portion of the rim of the wheel independent of its
pressure of inflation.
Heretofore it has been usual to employ a tube inside the tyre in order that the said
tyre may be inflated, or otherwise to depend on the pressure of air within the tyre
itself in order to secure the said tyre to the wheel. In both methods the security of
the tyre depends wholly or partly on its inflation and when deflated cannot be used
without danger of detachment from the rim or injury to the inflated tube or tyre.
I have now discovered a method by which the tyre may be inflated without the use
of the said tube and may be secured to the wheel quite independent of the pressure
inflating the tyre and by which the tyre can be used after deflation with little or no
danger of injury.
In the following description reference is made to the drawings left with the

page_text: Provisional Specification which represent cross-sections of the rim and tyre of the
wheel, and like parts are marked with like letters of reference.
A is a cross-section of a tubular tyre which may be formed with a cavity around
its inner circumference, that is, the circumference facing or on the side of the nave or
hub of the wheel, Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6 or may be formed without the cavity, Figs. 4
and 5. B is a loose ring of metal, wood, or other like material. C is an inflated tube
of rubber and canvas or other flexible material, and D is a ring attached to the spokes
of metal wood or other rigid and suitable material. The three parts B, C and D form
together the rim of the wheel.
The tubular tyre A is split on its inner circumference in order to be able to open it
and get at its inside for the purpose of facilitating the closing of punctures and
repairs generally. This split is closed to make the tyre air tight, and at the same.
time to secure it to the rim, by placing a flexible tabe C and the edges of the tyre A
between a non-contractible ring D and a non-extensible ring B and then inflating the
tube C with air or other suitable fluid to a high pressure. The tube C passes the
whole way round the split forming a ring and when inflated the pressure becomes
equally distributed over the said aplit, or against the edges of the tyre, making an air
tight tube of the tyre and by the same operation secure to the wheel. The tube C
thus covers or fills up the gap between the edges of the split and should be capable of
completely filling the space into which it is inserted, in order to allow it to press
tightly over the joint when inflated. The tabe C inay be connected with any ordinary
inflation valve passing through ring D and inflated in the usual way of inflating tyres.
The tyre may be inflated by attaching an inflation valve to the ring B and passing it
through a radial tube in C and thence through D. This radial tube may be of the same
material as C.
The manner of attaching the tyre to the wheel is as follows:-The tube C being
deflated and the valve open the edges of the tyre are easily inserted into their places
and the tube C is then inflated until it reaches a pressure of 25 to 100 lbs. per square
inch, more or less, when it will be found to have made an air tight tube of the tyre
and at the same time to have secured it to the wheel. The tyre is next inflated to any
desirable pressure of, say, from 10 to 60 lbs. per square inch according to the purpose
for which it is required.
The tyre is preferably made of rubber and canvas or other fibrous material, but it
may be made of any other suitable material and at the edges, or near the edges of
the split, the material may be thickened or ribs or projections may be formed to more
firmly secure the tyre to the rim and these projections may fit into corresponding
hollows in the rings of the rim and may also press into tube C, as shown in the
various figures. These projections may be of rubber or rabber and canvas, twine, or
metal or other suitable material. They may be extensible or non-extensible, con-
tractible or non-contractible as found most desirable and according to the form
selected and the purpose for which the tyre is to be used.
The tyre may have its two edges curved inwards towards its cross-sectional centre
forming a cavity on its inner circumference, and within this cavity the joint or split
is closed and secured by means of the inflated tube C. This method enables the lower
portion of the tyre at its inner circumference to become contracted, Fig. 2, and thus
allows the rim to swing slightly or move laterally without altering the normal position
of the tread of the tyre on the ground, whereby the risk of side slips when turning
the wheel on a curve is greatly diminished. Also the rim of the wheel forming an
elastic cushion independent of the tyre gives greater ease to the riders or occupants
of the vehicle than when the rim is of rigid material.
In some cases it may be preferable to employ the tyre without a cavity, or the edges
of the tyre may be made to project outwards towards the centre of the wheel, as shown
in Figs. 4 and 5.
The tyre may be stiffened at any part by attaching to or securing within the
material layers of canvas, twine, metal or other strong material to prevent stretching
or contracting of any part or parts of its circumference in order to give any desired
cross-sectional shape to the tyre when inflated.

page_text: The tyre may be inflated with air or any other suitable fluid. It may contain solid
elastic material, such as cork, fibre, rubber and the like, in order that the tyre may
be more safely used after puncture or injury or without inflating. When the tyre
contains solid elastic material it is preferably employed without the cavity, as shown
in Figs. 4 and 5. The tube C may be inflated with air or other suitable fluid.
For convenience the ring D may be attached to the tube C by cementing or other-
wise or may be simply held in position by the pressure of the tube C, and also one
edge of the tyre may be left detachable while the other edge is cemented or otherwise
secured.
The edges of the tyre may be made to lap one over the other and may be scarfed,
as shown in Fig. 1, or may he made to meet or nearly meet, Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 or
may be brought within any suitable distance of each other.
In Fig. 6, which represents a modification of this invention, the spokes are
attached to the ring E which is inside the tyre A, while the ring F on the outside
may be loose or may also be attached to the spokes. The inflated tube C is shown,
in this case, with radial tubes H intersecting it at intervals for the spokes to pass
through. The tube C may be formed in one, two or more parts.
In all modifications the inflated tyre A is shown without a separate inner inflating
tube as I find this unnecessary.
The tubular tyre A may be protected by covering its tread and sides with a shield
or tyre of suitable cross-section of iron, steel or other suitable material, such as is
described in Specification 24,2018³.
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. The improvement in or relating to wheels of bicycles and other vehicles
consisting in employing an inextensible ring in contact with the interior surface of
the tyre and against which the edges of the said tyre are supported and secured to
the wheel, substantially as described.
2. The improvement in or relating to wheels of bicycles and other vehicles
consisting in the combination of an inflated tube applied externally covering the
joint or split of a tyre and between non-extensible and non-contractible rings,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The improvement in or relating to wheels of bicycles and other vehicles
consisting in the tyre having its edges turned inwards towards its cross-sectional
centre to form a cavity and with a split or joint secured within the said cavity by an
inflated tube, substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. The improvement in or relating to wheels of bicycles and other vehicles
consisting in the combination of a tyre containing solid elastic material secured by
ineans of an inflated tube to non-extensible and non-contractible rings, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
5. The improvement in or relating to wheels of bicycles and other vehicles
consisting in attaching the spokes to the ring inside the tyre and interposing an
inflated tube between the said ring and the ring outside the tyre; substantially as
and for the purpose described.
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