Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tires.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1897
Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tires.
We, GEORGE JOHN STEVENS, of 95, Falmouth Road, West Newington, and
JAMES HIX, of 2, East Hill, Wandsworth, both in the County of London,
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to pneumatic tires and to a novel mode of fixing the same
to the rims of wheels.
According to our invention we combine with the jacket or cover of a tire
an inflatable tube or tubes which is or are quite independent of the usual air bag
of the tire and which when inflated forms a rib which fits within the wheel rim.
Our independent tube or tubes which for convenience of description we herein-
after refer to as the "fixing" tube or tubes may be formed in one with the jacket
or separate therefrom.
When the fixing tube is in one with the jacket a suitable construction is as
follows: The fixing tube is on one edge of the jacket and the other edge thereof
forms a flap adapted to lie against and practically cover the outer surface of the
rim so that the fixing tube when placed in position and inflated will produce
sufficient pressure to prevent the said flap from slipping. Or the fixing tube may
lie against the rim in which case the flap is against the outer surface of the fixing
tube two wire rings being arranged in connection with the flap to retain the latter
in its proper position relatively with the fixing tule, the said rings being preferably
of larger diameter than the outer periphery of the rim so as to pass freely over
the same.
When the fixing tube is separate from the jacket we make use of a ring of
flexible material having wire in its edges and which we may term a bridging piece.
The edges of the jacket are thickened so that they can be engaged behind the wires
of the bridging piece and will be tightly gripped as the rings of the bridging piece
are drawn together by the inflation of the fixing tube. This arrangement of a
separate fixing tube is of special advantage in connection with a flat or substantially
flat rim.
It is to be understood that the jacket may have a fixing tube in each edge the
two fixing tubes being both inflated to fix the jacket.
Dated the 15th der of Ma. 190
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tires.
We, GEORGE JOHN STEVENS, of 95, Falmouth Road, West Newington and
JAMES HIX, of 2, East Hill, Wandsworth, both in the County of London,
Engineers, 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:-
Our invention relates to pneumatic tires and to a novel mode of fixing the same
to the rims of wheels.

page_text: According to our invention the tire is generally provided with two or more
air-bags or tubes which are enclosed within the outer jacket and one of which
serves to distend the tread portion of the tire whilst another hereinafter referred
to as the fixing tube distends a gripping or bridge-piece which draws the edges
of the jacket or cover on to the rim and serves to retain the tire in position.
In some cases the edges of the jacket or cover can be drawn on to the rim by
the use of the ordinary air-bag only. The wheel-rim which we advantageously
use in combination with our tire is of novel construction being flangeless and
having the surface against which the tire rests more or less convex, that is to
say, having a portion between the edges of larger diameter than the edges.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a transverse section of a hollow rim and a tire wherein two
tubes are employed and wherein the bridge-piece is separate from the jacket or
cover.
Figure 2 is a sectional view illustrating a modification of this arrangement
wherein the bridge-piece is formed in one with the cover:
Figure 3 is a sectional view of a rim suitable for use upon carriages; and,,
Figure 4 is a sectional view of a wheel-rim and a tire with three air-tubes suitable
for heavy vehicles.
Figure 5 is a view illustrating a further modification.
a is the wheel-rim, b is the tire jacket, c is the tube for distending the tread
portion of the tire, and hereinafter referred to as the low pressure tube d, is the
bridging piece, and e is a tube, for distending this bridging piece, and hereinafter
referred to as the fixing tube.
In the arrangement of our invention shown in Figure 1 wherein the bridging
piece is separate from the cover, the edges of the cover are thickened as at f,f
and the edges of the bridging piece have endless wires 9, 9 inserted in them. The
bridging piece is of such width that when flattened out sufficient space is left
between the edges thereof and the wheel-rim to permit of inserting the thickened
edges of the cover but that when curved by inflating the fixing tube e the edges
thereof will clip the edges of the cover. The low pressure tube c can then be
inflated but it will be observed that the fixing of the cover is perfectly secure
without the inflation of the tube c.
In the modification of our invention shewn in Figure 2, the arrangement is
similar to that herein before described, except that the cover is attached to the
bridging piece at one edge so that only one edge of the said cover is thickened.
The bridging piece in this modification practically forms a flap on one edge of
the tire, the wire g, g retaining the flap in its proper position relatively with the
fixing tube.
In both of the before described arrangements, the wheel-rim is represented as
hollow and provided with bevelled edges. It will be obvious, however, that a rim
of the kind shewn in Figure 3 may be used, that is to say, a rim having two
rebates g, g in its edges to receive the edges of the jacket. The object of forming
the rim with a high centre is to provide a rib or abutment for retaining the tire
central upon the rim.
The above arrangement of bridging piece is very advantageously used in
connection with wheels for heavy vehicles wherein the tires are built up in sections
in such a manner that if the outer section is punctured there is still another
inflated section or sections which will support the weight. This is clearly shewn
in Figure 4 in which we have represented an intermediate tube A enclosed in
a jacket i having thickened edges at j, j similar to the thickened edges of the
cover b. The wheel-rim is of the kind shewn in Figure 3, that is to say, it is
arim provided with rebates in the edges to receive the thickened edges of the
jackets.
In applying this tire the fixing tube e with the bridging piece d is first placed
upon the rim, then the tube & with the jacket i is placed in position and then the

page_text: tube c with the jacket d is placed in position, the two jackets being then firmly
gripped by inflating the fixing tube e.
Our improved method of fixing tires is very advantageously used in connection
with the rims of ordinary wheels as by attaching a strip which forms the central
rib of the rim to a plain rim, for instance, as shewn in Figure 4 the ordinary rim of
the wheel may be used.
We sometimes slightly modify the construction of a hollow rim by making a
depression k in the middle of the projecting portion as shewn in Figure 5, into
which the bridging is forced by the pressure within the ordinary air-bag c, the
fixing tube e in this case not being required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In attaching pneumatic tires to the rims of wheels the use of a bridging piece
either in one with or separate from a jacket having a thickened edge or edges, in
combination with a fixing tube independent of the main tube, substantially as
described.
2. In a pneumatic tire a bridging piece constructed substantially as described
and adapted to engage with the thickened edges of the jacket or cover of the tire
as set forth.
3. The improvements in pneumatic tires hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawing.
4. The combination with a pneumatic tire constructed as herein before described
of a flangeless rim having a portion of its periphery between the edges of larger
diameter than the edges substantially as described and illustrated in the drawing.
Dated this 8th day of February 1897.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.