Improvements in Elastic Tyres for Wheels of Bicycles and other Road Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 24th Oct., 1892-Accepted; 13th May,
1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elastic Tyres for Wheels of Bicycles and other
Road Vehicles.
I, JOSEPH JOHN STATHAM of 10, New Church Road, Camberwell, in the
County of Surrey, Amateur Cyclist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the elastic tyres of bicycle or tricycle wheels and may
also be used on the wheels of any other road vehicles for which it may be
applicable.
My present invention is as follows:-
Instead of having a complete band or tube of rubber or other elastic material as
heretofore with the ordinary solid or pneumatic (or cushion) tyres as at present in
use I construct my tyre of a series of elastic balls or spheres or bodies of elastic
material of a spherical oval or other similar suitable shape but for the sake of
"balls."
brevity I will refer to such various shaped elastic bodies as
These "balls." I place and mount all round the metal tyre or felloe and either
touching each other or more or less closely adjacent to each other.
These "balls" are mounted and held in or on to the metal tyre or felloe in any
of the now well-known methods of holding elastic tyres on the wheels of road
vehicles and suitable for my purpose-for instance by overhanging edges of the
metal tyre so as to form an undercut channel or dovetail shape in cross section or in
any other suitable manner.
Instead of using complete "balls" (or spheres) I
hemispheres or "balls" divided in half.
may with advantage use
These half-balls may be cemented or otherwise suitably attached to a rubber band
which band is thereafter secured on the wheel in any suitable manner.
"
.
The said "balls or half "balls" may be either solid or of a spongy material or
a combination of same may
hollow or any other suitable construction or
be used.
""
A modification of my invention of thus using elastic balls consists in using wooden
"balls
or "balls" of other material placed all round and secured in any suitable
manner to any suitable pneumatic tyre or the like on the outside thereof so that
while these "balls" form the wearing surface (& resist puncture or if punctured it is
harmless to the action of the pueumatic or other tyre beneath) the said pneumatic
or other tyre beneath gives the desired cushion action and yet is not nearly so liable
to puncture as heretofore.
10
1000
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elastic Tyres for Wheels of Bicycles and other
Road Vehicles.
I, JOSEPH JOHN STATHAM of 10 New Church Road, Camberwell, in the
County of Surrey, Amateur Cyclist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what mauner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to the elastic tyres of bicycle or tricycle wheels and may

page_text: Referring to Figures 1 to 6 :—
"9
The balls a are formed integrally with the connecting band and the continuous
under part c-by moulding or otherwise forming same altogether of rubber or the
like elastic material and the "balls may be solid as in Fig. 5 or hollow as in
Fig. 6 and secured onto the felloe d by cementing banding lacing or any other
suitable means.
The distance of each ball a from the next may be as in Fig. 1 or they may be
closer together or wider apart as desired according to the purposes for which they
are required.
Referring to Figs. 7 to 9:-
Instead of the continuous under part e as in Figs. 1 to 6-the under side of the
tyre may be formed as shown in Figs. 7 to 9 viz.: of the parts eb and fall moulded
together or otherwise suitably formed of rubber or such like material and secured
in the felloe in any suitable manner.
Figs. 10 to 12 show the hollow "balls" g attached to or moulded with a flat
band 6 (formed plain on its back) to be attached and secured on the metal felloe
direct or with any suitable elastic or other cushion or padding interposed therein
between.
Figs. 13 to 15 show the construction of an elastic tyre from separate balls /
which are each independently held in position in the metal tyre or felloei in any
suitable and well known manner for securing continuous elastic tyres of similar shape
in cross section to the "balls" h.
Or the shape of the separate "balls" h may be other than spherical or oval or
the like for instance the outermost part or wearing surface may be spherical or
rounded while the under part thereof may be of a dovetail or other undercut form
so as to be thereby secured in the undercut metal tyre or felloe.
Similarly with regard to the other construction such as Figs. 1 to 9-the under
part thereof may be formed of any well known or suitable dovetail or undercut form
to be received in and held by a correspondingly undercut shaped metal tyre or
felloe on the rim of the wheel.
The operation of my improved tyre is as follows:-
The "balls" such as a or e or g or h come in contact with the ground in quick
succession as the wheel is revolved the action being smooth and not vibratory the
weight being transferred from each ball to the next in a smooth and gradual manner
and a further great advantage gained is perfect ease in turning a cycle (or other
vehicle) fitted with my tyres and a non-liability to slip as in many of the pneumatic
or "cushion" tyres now in use.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
A tyre for the wheels of road vehicles constructed of a series of spherical oval
or the like rounded surfaces which successively come in contact with the ground-
arranged mounted and secured on the rim of the wheel substantially in the manner
and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
Dated this 4th than 1000
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.