Improvements in or relating to Means for Inflating Wheel Tyres.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Means for Inflating Wheel Tyres.
I, EUGEN SANDOW, of Sackville Street, Piccadilly, London, Athlete, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to means for automatically inflating pneumatic tyres,
whereby the use of the ordinary detachable air pumps is dispensed with and the
tyre can be inflated, and if punctured kept sufficiently inflated, in most cases, by
the motion of the wheel to which it is applied.
The invention consists of an air tight cylinder, ball, or other suitably formed
chamber fitted so as to be enclosed and air tight in the pneumatic tube, and
provided with a back pressure valve projecting from or opening outside the said
tube, and a second valve forming a back pressure inlet into the said tube, the
sides of the said chamber being prevented by a coiled spring, or otherwise, from
collapsing under pressure of the air in the pneumatic tube, but yielding to the
pressure of the weight of the wheel and the vehicle and rider, or passenger, every
time that the valve comes near the ground and recovering its normal shape or
form as such pressure is removed by the further revolution of the wheels.
This recovery of the form of the collapsible chamber may be assisted by the
action of the spring aforesaid; and the action of this chamber and the two valves
will be as follows:-
Every time the chamber collapses, the air therein which cannot escape outside
the tyre owing to the first named back pressure valve, will escape through the.
valve second above named into the pneumatic tube, and as the chamber recovers
its normal form air from outside the tyre will be drawn or sucked thereinto and
so on until the tyre is so completely distended that the chamber cannot collapse.
I prefer to use valves made of tubular india rubber flattened and if desired
twisted also at the inner end which resists the backward pressure of the air.
I prefer also to make use of a cap with a screw down valve closing the open
end of the valve first above named and provided with an air opening above the
screw down valve, so that when the tyre has been sufficiently inflated the inlet to
the collapsible chamber can be hermetically closed. In this way the tyre need
not be inflated so much as to make it too hard and all leakage when the inlet is
not in use will be avoided.
I also propose if desired to provide means for deflating the pneumatic tube
either by an independent valve used only for deflation, or by providing a small
opening at or so near to the joint of the chamber and the pneumatic tube that
it can be closed by the nut or ring which tightens the said chamber on the tube,
or which fixes the inlet valve of the chamber to the rim of the wheel.
The chamber may be made in form like a photographic camera bellows.
The inner end of the collapsible chamber is or may be fitted or fixed to the
inside of the outer side of the pneumatic tube.
The advantages of this two valved collapsible chamber in the tyre are that the

page_text: tyre can be inflated without a removable air pump (the collapsible chamber
being in fact an air pump) by wheeling the machine; in case of a puncture of
any ordinary size the machine if ridden or driven or drawn quickly over the
ground will keep the tyre sufficiently inflated; the pump will not tend to wear
the pneumatic tube and having no piston nor valve spindle needs no oil.
Dated this 1st day of September 1897.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
Agents for the Applicant, 4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.
Improvements in or relating to Means for Inflating Wheel Tyres.
I, EUGEN SANDOW, formerly of Sackville Street, now of 32, St. James's Street,
Piccadilly, London, Athlete, 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 means for automatically inflating pneumatic tyres,
whereby the use of the ordinary detachable air pumps is or may be dispensed
with and the tyre can be inflated, and if punctured kept sufficiently inflated, in
most cases, by the motion of the wheel to which it is applied.
The invention will be readily understood on reference to the annexed drawings,
of which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a transverse section of a
pneumatic tyre with one of my automatic inflators attached thereto.
The invention consists of an air tight cylinder, ball, or other suitably forme.!
chamber a fitted so as to be enclosed and air tight in the pneumatic tube b, and
provided with a back pressure valve c projecting from or opening outside the sai]
tube b, and a second valve (or valves) forming a back pressure inlet or inlets d
into the said tube b, the sides of the said chamber a being prevented by a coiled
spring shewn dotted at e or otherwise, from collapsing under pressure of the air
in the pneumatic tube 6 but yielding as indicated by dotted lines to the pressure
of the weight of the wheel and the vehicle and rider, or passenger, every time
that the valve c comes near the ground and recovering its normal shape or form
as such pressure is removed by the further revolution of the wheel.
This recovery of the form of the collapsible chamber a may be assisted by the
action of the spring e aforesaid; and the action of this chamber a and the
valves c and d will be as follows: -
Every time the chamber a collapses, the air therein which cannot escape outside
the tyre owing to the first named back pressure valve c, will escape through the
valve or valves d second above named into the pneumatic tube b, and as the
chamber a recovers its normal form air from outside the tyre will be drawn or
sucked thereinto and so on until the tyre is so completely distended that the
chamber a cannot collapse.
I prefer to use valves as shown made of tubular india rubber flattened and if
desired twisted also at the inner end which resists the backward pressure of the
air, such as those described by Letters Patent No. 3638 of 1896 granted to
Warwick Brookes.
I may use a cap screwed upon and closing the open end of the valve c, so that
when the tyre has been sufficiently inflated the inlet c to the collapsible chamber a
can be hermetically closed. In this way the tyre b need not be inflated so much
as to make it too hard and all leakage when the inlet c is not in use will be
avoided.

page_text: I also propose if desired to provide means for deflating the pneumatic tube
either by an independent valve used only for deflation, or by providing a small
opening or openings at or so near to the joint of the chamber a and the
pneumatic tube b' (see Fig. 1) that it can be closed by the nut or ring c³ which
tightens the said chamber a in the tube b, or which fixes the inlet valve of the
chamber a to the rim of the wheel.
In
The chamber may be made in form like a photographic camera bellows.
some cases the chamber a may be fixed all round or partly all round to the inside
of the tube 6 (see Fig. 2) or the inner end only of the collapsible chamber a may
be fitted or fixed to the inside of the outer side of the pneumatic tube b, or I
may make it separate therefrom and provide it with a small opening as at a³,
Fig. 1.
This opening a will allow of the deflation of the tube 6 without interfering
with its inflation; it serves also to prevent collapsing of the chamber a as when
the said chamber has been filled with air by the valve c the opening a will just
has been uncovered by leaving the side of the tube b and the pressure
equalized in b and a.
is
The advantages of this two valved collapsible chamber a in the tyre are that
the tyre can be inflated without a removable air pump (the collapsible chamber
being in fact an air pump) by wheeling the machine, I prefer however to provide
the valve with the usual screw or other means for inflation by an air pump if
desired as shewn on the drawings; in case of a puncture of any ordinary size
the machine if ridden or driven or drawn quickly over the ground will keep the
tyre sufficiently inflated; the pump will not tend to wear the pneumatic tube and
having no piston nor valve spindle needs no oil.
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. A collapsible chamber enclosed and fitted air tight in the pneumatic tube
and provided with a valve admitting air from outside the tube and a valve or
valves admitting air from the chamber into the said tube thus forming an auto-
matic inflator substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A collapsible chamber enclosed and fitted air tight in the pneumatic tube
and provided with a spring or equivalent device to prevent it from collapsing
under the pressure in the tube and a valve admitting air from outside the tube,
and a valve or valves admitting air from the chamber into the said tube, substan-
tially as herein before described.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
Agents for the Applicant, 4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.