Improved Means for Securing Elastic or Flexible Tyres upon the Wheels of Velocipedes and other Vehicles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 28th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Securing Elastic or Flexible Tyres upon the
Wheels of Velocipedes and other Vehicles.
We THOMAS WILSON ROBERTSON, Mechanical Engineer, and HARVEY DU CROS,
Chairman of the Pneumatic Tyre and Booth's Cycle Company, Limited, both of
Oriel House, Westland Row, Dublin, in the County of Dublin, Ireland, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improved means for securing elastic or flexible tyres
upon the wheels of velocipedes and other vehicles.
An important feature of our said invention consists in securing the tyre upon the
rim of the wheel by means of two bands or wires, one at or near each edge of the
said rim.
For this purpose we provide a separate cover which is formed of india-rubber
cloth or other suitable material and is of such shape and dimensions that it will fold
over the tyre entirely around the same, or a pipe, passage or channel for the
reception of a band, wire cord or the like whereby the said cover when placed over
the tyre is secured upon the wheel in such a manner that it will hold the tyre
thereon in a very efficient manner. Or in place of the separate cover, we form on
the tyre or attached thereto suitable projections or wings, each of which has formed
at the outer edge thereof a tubular enlargement or a pipe, passage or channel for
the reception of a band wire or cord for the purpose above specified.
We find it advantageous to provide at each side of the rim of the wheel suitable
seats to receive and support the tubular or channeled portions of the said cover or
wings through which the bands are passed. These seats may be extensions of the
edges of the rim of the wheel, or they may be secured to the said rim in any
convenient manner. They are suitably shaped in transverse section to fit the said
tubular portions of the cover or wings. The said tubular or channeled portions of
the cover or wings may be either above or below the ring formed with the seats as
above mentioned. The improved rim above mentioned may be used, if desired,
with other methods of securing the tyre upon the same.
Our said invention is applicable to various forms of tyres, whether made of india-
rubber or other elastic or flexible material. Our said invention is very advan-
tageously applicable for hollow tyres such, for example, as pneumatic and cushioned
tyres for securing the same upon the wheels of velocipedes, and other vehicles.
In some instances, we construct the wheel with an ordinary rim and make the
said cover or wings so that the tubular or channeled portions thereof extend inward
beyond the said rim, and we provide hooks or clips which engage with the said
tubular or channeled portions of the cover or wings and securely retain the same in
place upon the rim.
Dated this 29th day of November 1890.

page_text: Improved Means for Securing Elastic or Flexible Tyres upon the
Wheels of Velocipedes and other Vehicles.
We,THOMAS WILSON ROBERTSON, Mechanical Engineer, and HARVEY DU CROS
Chairman of the Pneumatic Tyre and Booth's Cycle Agency Limited, both of
Oriel House, Westland Row, in the City and County of Dublin, Ireland, 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 improved means for securing elastic or flexible tyre
upon the wheels of velocipedes and other vehicles, and is more particularly
applicable for securing pneumatic tyres, that is to say tyres which comprise au
inflatable inner tube and an outer protective layer or cover of india-rubber or other
suitable material.
According to this invention we form in the rim of the wheel two deep circum-
ferential grooves one near each edge thereof, and we employ for enclosing the
inflatable tube a protecting cover which has at each edge a tubular channel for the
reception of a band, wire, cord, or the like, whereby the said cover when placed
over the inner tube with its tubular portions resting in the aforesaid grooves in the
rim, is very securely held upon the wheel.
In order that the nature of our said invention may be readily understood we will
now describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates
how our invention may be carried into effect.
The said drawing shows in cross section the rim A of a velocipede wheel, and a
cover B for enclosing the inflatable tube applied thereto.
The said cover is made of india-rubber preferably thickened at the
part C which comes into contact with the ground in travelling as shown in the
Specification of Letters Patent No. 4116 A.D. 1889 and has embedded therein a
layer D of canvas. Two tubular passages E are formed in the cover one at each
side or edge thereof. Through these passages are passed wires F for securing the
cover to the rim.
The ends of the wires F emerge from the tubular channels E through holes in the
walls thereof and pass through holes provided in the rim A and are secured to the
rim in any convenient manner which permits of suitable tension being set up in
them. One method is to screw-thread the ends of the wires and after passing them
through the said holes in the rim to tighten them by screwing nuts on them against
'the inner surfaces of the rim. We may employ a single wire on each side of the
cover, each said wire passing entirely around the rim, but we prefer to employ two
or more wires on each side, each wire passing only around a portion of the rim.
This arrangement allows of more uniform adjustment of the tension.
We provide at each side of the rim of the wheel a deep channel or groove G,
shaped to receive and support the tubular portions of the cover B, when the latter
is placed in position on the wheel. The said grooves are made sufficiently deep to
prevent lateral displacement of the cover when the tyre is in use, that is to say the
grooves must be so constructed that not only are the tubular portions of the cover
prevented from being forced outward over the edge of the rim, but they are also
prevented from being forced inward 'by the -pressure to which such tyres are
subjected when running. This is a very important feature of our invention and is
essential to the successful working of the same.
H is the inflatable tube which is securely retained in position by the cover B.
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 we do not
claim broadly securing an elastic or flexible tyre upon the rim of a wheel by means
1

page_text: of wires nor do we claim securing such tyres by wires placed one on each side of the
rim irrespective of our present improvements, but what we claim is :-
Securing a pneumatic tyre upon the rim or felloe of a velocipede or other vehicle
wheel by means of a wire or wires or the like occupying a tubular channel formed
at each side or edge of the cover of the inflatable tube and tightened so as to hold
the said tubular portions of the cover in grooves formed near each edge of the rim,
said grooves being sufficiently deep to prevent lateral displacement of the cover in
either direction, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 28th day of September 1891
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.