Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 26th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 25th Oct.. 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
1, SYDNEY LEE, of 9 Furnival Street, in the City of London, Auctioneer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to pneumatic tyres and has particular reference to means
of drawing together the edges of the cover inside which is the air-tube.
So long as the edges of the cover are drawn firmly together the fixing of the
tyre upon the rim may be accomplished in various ways either such as are
subsequently mentioned in this Specification or otherwise and I will first describe
the means I employ for drawing together the edges of the cover. The cover may
be made of any ordinary materials say rubber lined with canvas or threads, and
the edges may be strengthened or not, and enlarged or not and may be stretchable
or non-stretchable and may be wired if desired. If the edges be connected by a
cord of suitable length crossing transversely from edge to edge extending inside
the cover in the form of a loop with its ends crossed and the air-tube passed
through this loop and be blown up, it would be readily appreciated that the size of
the loop will be increased so far as the dimensions of the cover will allow, and as
the size of the loop increases the ends of the cord will be drawn in and with them
will draw together the edges of the cover; this is roughly the principle upon
which I work.
I employ any number of these loops whether made of cord wire tapes or other
suitable materials, but to obtain an even pull upon the edges of the cover I prefer
to place these cords near together and they would thus form as it were an
intermediate cover, between the air-tube and the outer cover of the tyre already
described. Preferably this intermediate cover or threads would be formed as a
fabric in the form of a hoop or ring with the threads lying parallel and transversely
across the fabric, their ends being connected together in any convenient manner
as by a few longitudinal threads extending around the hoop or they may all be
connected to longitudinal cords or equivalent at the edges of the hoop or they
may be connected direct to the edges of the outer cover itself. To insert the
air-tube in this fabric the tube is taken before its ends are joined and one of the
threads is twisted so as to form a loop and the air-tube passed through that,
the other threads being treated in a similar manner so that the tube is thus
threaded through all the loops of the fabric or intermediate cover.
One way in which I have made a suitable fabric was by taking a cylinder or
core and winding upon it spirally the thread until the cylinder for the length
sufficient to form the complete hoop or cover was wound when the ends were
secured. I then solutioned on to this spiral winding a strip of canvas tape or
equivalent or two strips side by side and after this had dried I cut the strip in two
and severed all the threads so that the cover could be then opened out in the form
of the fabric above described. However this fabric may be woven with proper
edges or selvedges.
Another way of carrying out the same idea is to take a strip of canvas or other
suitable material and notch its edges alternately so as to "break joint"; the
projecting tongues may then be placed between the opposing spaces upon the
opposite sides and the tongue solutioned or secured upon the edges of the outer

page_text: cover thus forming a sort of tube with overlapping edges inside which the air-tube
would be placed and when inflated would expand this canvas or equivalent tube
and thus draw the edges of the cover together as before explained. If desired
the outer cover may be provided with parallel threads set diagonally to the
circumferential line and the threads in the intermediate cover may be also placed
diagonally but so as to cross those of the cover.
The threads or equivalent of the intermediate cover may be placed as already
described transversely across the fabric or at any desired angle and at any desired
distances apart and they may be connected with or formed in or upon either the
outer cove. or the air-tube itself.
As previously explained any suitable means may be employed for securing this
cover or tyre to the rim of the wheel. For example, the rim may be slightly
dished or crescent-shaped and provided with one or more circumferential ribs or
projections upon or into which the edges would be pressed when the tyre was
inflated the rib or ribs being if desired grooved corrugated or otherwise dealt with
to prevent the slipping or creeping of the tyre and if necessary to accommodate
the previously described threads. The ridges may be undercut or recessed if
required and they may be a portion of the felloe or the rim of the wheel itself
whether of metal wood or other material or they may be separate from the rim
and secured thereto in any required manner, and may be of different material from
the rim say for example cork. The rim may be formed with grooves at its edges
or elsewhere into which the edges of the cover would be pressed or drawn when
the tyre was inflated. Any convenient means may be employed to prevent this
tyre from coming off in case of 'deflation.
100
improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
I, SYDNEY LEE, of 9 Furnival Street, in the City of London, Auctioneer, 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 pneumatic tyres and has particular.reference to means
of drawing together the edges of the cover inside which is the. air tube.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a transverse section through a tyre constructed according to this
invention' and in the deflated state.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the tyre cover used in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows a modification with the air tube in position in the deflated state.
Figure 4 is a transverse section of one form of this tyre when inflated and in
position on the rim.
In the construction of tyre shown in Figures 1 and 2 a number of cords threads
or tapes A are attached to the edges B B of the cover B, and are of such a
length that they may be looped and the air tube passed through these loops. If
now the air tube be inflated, its expansion by enlarging the loops will necessarily
draw the edges of the cover together. By these loops being placed sufficiently
close together, the edges are connected all round, is however possible to get at
the air tube when deflated for repairing or other purposes as the cords A are then
slack and can readily be separated.

page_text: In Figure 2 the cords A are shown as passing from edge to edge of the cover B
before the loops are formed which encircle the air tube. To insert the air-tube
in this fabric the tube is taken before its ends are joined and one of the threads A
is twisted so as to form a loop and the air-tube passed through that, the other
threads being twisted in a similar manner so that the tube is thus threaded through
all the loops of the fabric or intermediate cover.
One way in which I have made a suitable fabric was by taking a cylinder core
and winding upon it spirally the thread until the cylinder for the length sufficient
to form the complete hoop or cover was wound when the ends were secured. I then
solutioned on to this spiral winding a strip of canvas, tape or equivalent or two
strips side by side and after this has dried I cut the strip in two and severed all
the threads so that the cover could be then opened out in the form of the fabric
above described. However this fabric may be woven with proper edges or
selvedges.
Figure 3 shows a modification in which an inner cover D is employed; this
inner cover may be formed of a strip of canvas or other suitable material with its
edges notched alternately so as to break joint"; the projecting tongues A are
placed in the spaces between the opposing tongues upon the opposite sides and
solutioned or otherwise secured upon the edges of the outer cover B, in the manner
clearly shown in Figure 3.
On inflation of the air tube C the inner cover D is expanded and consequently
by means of the tongues or tapes A the edges of the cover B are drawn together
as before.
A form of rim which may conveniently be employed with the before described
tyres is shown in Figure 4. This is a hollow metal rim E a raised portion or
platform F being formed on its periphery of dovetail or similar shape in cross
section. This platform is provided with externally facing and preferably undercut
or bevelled surfaces G G against which the thickened or stiffened edges B¹ B' of
the cover B grip, when the tyre is inflated and the edges of the cover are drawn
together as above described.
The thickening or stiffening at the edges of the cover extends beyond the points
of attachment of the cords A so that the latter are able to pass straight across the
rim as shown in Figure 4.
If desired the edges H H of the rim E may be extended so as to form grooves
in which the thickened edges B' B' may.lie.
The platform F may be grooved transversely in which case the cords A may be
attached nearer to the edges of the cover B and lie in those transverse grooves
when the tyre is inflated.
Any suitable means other than that above described may be employed for
securing the cover to the rim of the wheel.
My improved cover may be made of any ordinary materials as for example
rubber lined with canvas or threads, the edges being strengthened or not, and
enlarged or not as desired, and made stretchable or non-stretchable, and wired if
preferred.
The intercalating cords or equivalent of the intermediate cover may be placed
as already described transversely across the fabric or at any desired angle or
distance apart and they may be connected with or formed in or upon either the
outer cover or the air-tube itself.
I am aware that it has already been proposed to cause the cover to contract
upon the rim by expansion of the air-tube inside threads arranged in or upon the
cover, but in all such cases the threads have been passed from edge to edge over
the tread of the cover, none so far as I am aware passing as in the present case
from edge to edge across the opening of the cover. I am also aware that it has
been proposed to unite the edges of the tyre cover by lacing, the tendency upon
inflation being for the edges to separate, and I make no claim to such arrangements,
inasmuch as none of them had the effect which I produce of automatically drawing
together the divided edges of the cover.

page_text: '
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. In a pneumatic tyre drawing together the edges of the tyre or cover by the
inflation.
2. In a pneumatic tyre a cover having its edges connected by transverse cords
or ties forming loops around the air-tube substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a pneumatic tyre a cover having its edges connected by transverse cords
or ties forming loops around the air-tube so arranged that upon the inflation of
the air-tube the loops are expanded and the edges of the cover drawn together.
4. In a pneumatic tyre a cover having intercalating cords or ties connecting its
edges with the opposing edges of the outer cover.
5. In a pneumatic tyre the combination with the air-tube of encircling loops
expanded thereby for the purpose of securing the cover around the air tube.
6. In a pneumatic tyre the combination with the air-tube of a cover surrounding
it and so connected with the outer cover of the tyre that when the inner cover is
expanded by the inflation of the air-tube the outer cover is drawn more closely
around it.
7. In a pneumatic tyre the combination with an air-tube of an inner and an
outer cover the opposing edges of each cover being connected so that when the
inner cover is expanded by the inflation of the air tube the edges of the outer
cover are drawn together.
8. Securing a pneumatic tyre or its cover upon a wheel rim by the automatic
approach of the edges towards each other upon inflation.
9. A rim for a pneumatic tyre having outwardly facing gripping surfaces such
as G G¹ to which the edges of the cover are automatically drawn upon inflation of
the tyre substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
10. A pneumatic tyre which is held to the rim by the edges of the cover being
drawn towards each other upon the inflation of the tyre and gripping external or
externally facing surfaces such as G G¹ of the rim substantially as described and
illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of August 1895:
SIDNEY LEE.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant."