Improvements in and relating to Tyres for Vehicle Wheels.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Feb., 1395
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1895
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH EDWIN DAVIS, of Lynn, in the
County of Essex and State of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Gentleman.]
"
Improvements in and relating to Tyres for Vehicle Wheels.
I, HENRY HARris Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do; hereby
declare the nature, of this invention to be as follows:-
+
This invention relates to a wheel-tire.composed of, a rim or felly, a clamping-
band located inside of the tire and pressing the edges thereof into, the felly, and
means for tightening said band, the arrangement being such that the band.can,be
tightened or contracted to bind the edges of the tire firmly to the felly and
expanded to permit "the ready. removal of the tire. The invention, relates to the
construction of the band and to the means for adjusting, the same, and. has for its
object to provide a strong, and durable band and to provide simple, strong, and
durable means for exerting a contracting force upon the band.
In carrying out the invention,.ai wheel-rim or felly is.used, of the pattern, usually
constructed of wood, concave on its outer-surface.and having, a tire, substantially
U-shaped in-cross-section; that is to say, the tire, has free edges, which, may be
secured to the felly. at points more or less widely, separated. Said stire when
secured by the clamping-band hereinafter described may constitute, in. itself a
covering for the air-
complete tire, but it is preferably usedsins a,:sheath. or.
cushioned tube or inner tire usually employed in pneumatic tires. The clamping-
band is composed of a flexible metal strip, or if desired of two, or..more sections
riveted together to form a strip of sufficient. lengths to constitute: a continuous
circular band adapted to encircle the fellyand compress the edges of the tire,into
the concave surface of the felly, the edges of the tire.being thickened or provided
with beads or welts andithe, band being formed to engage said bendsor, welts..
provide improved means for adjusting the band, comprising a nut,affixed to
the band at or near one of. its ends, airotatable, adjusting-screw, journalled in a
bearing or socket affixed to the band at or near, the opposite end thereof, said
screw being formed to engage the nut and having at one end a head, in which is
formed a socket adapted to engage a screw-driver; and in the most approved form
of my invention, a flexible screw-operating, rod permanently engaged, with the
screw and extending therefrom to the exterior of the wheel, where it may be
grasped by the operator and rotated to rotate the screw and thus adjust the band.
The operating-rod is preferably a length of slender-and-flexible wire baving one of
its ends bent outwardly to form a lug or projection which is formed to engage a
slot in the head above mentioned, the rod being longitudinally movable, so that it
may be pushed inwardly and thus disengaged from the-screw-head and practically
concealed between the felly and the tire, and, its-outer end, bejug at all times
accessible so that it may be grasped and drawn outwardly to engage the rod with
the screw-head. The rod passes between one of the edges of the tire-and the
corresponding surface of the felly, the tire yielding sufficiently to accommodate the
rod, the outer end of which is provided with a suitably formed-handle which when
the rod is pushed in is nearly or quite concealed between the tire-and-felly but is
adapted to be grasped and pulled outwardly as above stated. The adjusting-screw
is tubular, the rod passing through it and being freely movable end wise in it..

page_text: It will be seen that the nut, adjusting-screw, and operating-rod constitute a
simple and convenient means for adjusting the clamping-band, said means being
always accessible and ready for use without the employment of a separable device
such as a screw-driver."
The edges of the band are preferably provided with projecting flanges, which
are engaged with thickened beads or welts formed on the edges of the tire, the edges
of the tire being thus held sufficiently far apart to accommodate the band-adjusting
devices between them.
The band and its flanges so unite or lock together the edges of the tire that they
cannot exert a lateral or spreading pressure on the felly-tending to split the latter
longitudinally-as they would be liable to do if not thus locked together.
I prefer to provide the band with transverse corrugations between the flanges,
said corrugations stiffening the band and preventing it from yielding or sinking
under the pressure exerted on it by the tire.
The adjusting-screw may be operated by a removable flexible screw-driver of
sufficient length to be inserted in an orifice formed for its reception in a suitable
part of the wheel, preferably the tire, said orifice being formed at such distance
from the head of the screw as to enable the screw-driver to be conveniently
inserted in said head, the flexibility of the screw-driver enabling it to extend in a
curved line from the screw-head to the receiving orifice in the external part.
After the band and tire have been placed upon the felly, the screw-driver is
inserted and engaged with the orifice in the adjusting-screw and rotated until the
band is sufficiently tightened, the inner tube being at this time preferably inflated,
so that it may be readily displaced by the screw-driver. The screw-driver is then
removed, and the inner tube inflated, the tire being then ready for use.
The clamping-band may be provided with longitudinal seats or cavities formed
to bear on the inner sides of the beads or welts on the tire and to hold said beads
close together or in contact with each other, the nut and adjusting-screw being in
this case on the outer side of the band, there being no room for them between the
beads of the tire.
When the detachable screw-driver is used in connection with a band having edge-
flanges formed to hold the beads of the tire at a distance from each other, leaving
room between them for the location of the nut and screw on the inner side of the
band between the beads, I provide an opening in the band adjacent to the socketed.
head of the screw to receive the screw-driver. Said opening is preferably formed
by cutting a short transverse slit in the band and striking up a portion of the
material to form an elongated rib or guide which facilitates the insertion of the
screw-driver into the orifice in the band, said rib or guide being located over
the end of the band to which the nut is affixed, said end overlapping the end on
which the screw is journalled.
..
The orifice for the screw-driver may. be. made in the wheel rim or felly instead
of in the tire.
,
„COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Tyres for Vehicle Wheels.
I, HENRY, HARRIS. LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be 5
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to a wheel-tire composed of a rim or felly, a clamping--

page_text: band located inside of the tire and pressing the edges thereof into the felly, and
means for tightening said hand, the arrangement being such that the band can be
tightened or contracted to bind the edges of the tire firmly to the felly and
expanded to permit the ready removal of the tire. The invention relates to the.
construction of the band and to the means for adjusting the same, and has for its
object to provide a strong and durable band and to provide simple, strong, and
durable means for exerting a contracting force upon the band.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification,-
Figure 1 represents a combined perspective and sectional view of a portion of a
wheel-rim or felly and its tire, provided with a tightening-band embɔdying my¨¨
invention.
Figure 2 represents a plan view of a portion of the band, showing the improved
means for adjusting the same.
Figure 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 represents perspective view of a portion of the band.
Figure 5 represents a sectional view of a modification.
Figure 6 represents a section on line 6-6, Figure 5.
Figure 7 represents a section on line 7-7, Figure 5.
Figure 8 represents a plan view, showing another form of band.
Figure 9 represents a section on line 9-9, Figure 8.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In carrying out the invention, a wheel-rim or felly a is used, of the pattern
usually constructed of wood, concave on its outer surface and having a tire b
substantially U-shaped in cross-section; that is to say, the tire has free edges,
which may be secured to the felly at points more or less widely separated. Said
tire when secured by the clamping-band d hereinafter described may constitute in
itself a complete tire, but it is preferably used as a sheath or covering for the air-
cushioned tube or inner tire c usually employed in pneumatic tires. The
clamping-band d is composed of a flexible metal strip, or if desired, of two or more
sections riveted together to form a strip of sufficient length to constitute a
continuous circular band adapted to encircle the felly and compress the edges of
the tire into the concave surface of the felly; the edges of the tire being thickened
or provided with beads or welts &¹¹, and the band being formed to engage said
beads or welts.
The
I provide improved means for adjusting the band, comprising a nut e affixed to
the band at or near one of its ends, a rotatable adjusting-screw journalled in a
bearing or socket f affixed to the band at or near the opposite end thereof, said
screw being formed to engage the nut and having at one end a head in which is
formed a socket adapted to engage a screw-driver, which, in the most approved
form of my invention, is a flexible rod f³ permanently engaged with the screw and
extending therefrom to the exterior of the wheel, where it may be grasped by
the operator and rotated to rotate the screw and thus adjust the band.
operating-rod or screw-driver is preferably a length of slender and flexible wire
having one of its ends bent outwardly to form a lug or projection f, which is
formed to engage a slot f5 in the head 12, the rod being longitudinally movable,
so that it may be pushed inwardly and thus disengaged from the screw-head
and practically concealed between the felly and the tire, and its outer end
being at all times accessible so that it may be grasped and drawn outwardly
to engage the rod with the screw-head. The rod passes between one of the
edges of the tire and the corresponding surface of the felly, the tire yielding.
sufficiently to accommodate the rod, the outer end of which is provided with a
suitably formed handle, which when the rod is pushed in is nearly or quite
concealed between the tire and felly, but is adapted to be grasped and pulled:
outwardly, as above stated. The adjusting-screw is tubular in this case, the rod.
passing through it and being freely movable endwise in it.
It will be seen that the nut, adjusting-screw, and the operating rod or screw-
driver permanently engaged with the screw, constitute a simple and convenient

page_text: means for adjusting the clamping-band, said means being always accessible and
ready for use.
The edges of the band are preferably provided with projecting flanges d'd;
which are engaged with the thickened beads or welts 61 61 formed on the edges of
the tire, the said edges being thus held sufficiently far apart to accommodate the
band-adjusting devices between them.
The band and its flanges so unite or lock together the edges of the tire that
they cannot exert a lateral or spreading pressure on the felly-tending to split
the latter longitudinally-as they would be liable to do if not thus locked
together.
I prefer to provide the band with transverse corrugations d³ between the flanges,
said corrugations stiffening the band and preventing it from yielding or sinking
under the pressure exerted on it by the tire.
9
In Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, I show how the adjusting-screw may be operated by
a removable flexible screw-driver g of sufficient length to be inserted in an orifice /
formed for its reception in a suitable part of the wheel, preferably the tire, said
orifice being formed at such distance from the head of the screw as to enable the
screw-driver to be conveniently inserted in said head, the flexibility of the screw-
driver enabling it to extend in a curved line from the screw-head to the receiving
orifice in the external part. After the band and tire have been placed upon the
felly, the screw-driver is inserted and engaged with the socket in the adjusting-
screw and rotated until the band is sufficiently tightened, the inner tube being at
this time preferably deflated, so that it may be readily displaced by the screw-
driver. The screw-driver is then removed, and the inner tube inflated, the tire
being then ready for use.
The clamping-band may be provided with longitudinal seats or cavities d' d¹
formed to bear on the inner sides of the beads or welts ¹¹ on the tire, and to
hold said beads close together or in contact with each other, the nut and adjusting-
screw being in this case on the outer side of the band, there being no room for
them between the beads of the tire.
When the detachable screw-driver is used in connection with a band having
edge-flanges formed to hold the beads of the tire at a distance from each other,
leaving room between them for the location of the nut and screw on the inner side
of the band between the beads, I provide an opening de in the band adjacent to the
socketed head of the screw to receive the screw-driver. Said opening is preferably
formed by cutting a short transverse slit in the band and striking up a portion of
the material to form an elongated rib or guide d' which facilitates the insertion of
the screw-driver into the orifice in the band, said rib or guide being located over the
end of the band to which the nut is affixed, said end overlapping the end on which
the screw is journalled.
The orifice for the screw-driver may be made in the wheel-rim or felly instead of
in the tire.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination with the wheel-rim and its U-shaped tire, of a contractible
clamping-band engaged with the edge portions of the tire and provided with a
fixed nut, a nut-engaging adjusting-screw having a socket, and a flexible operating-
rod or screw-driver formed to extend from the screw to the exterior of the wheel.
2. A flexible clamping-band formed to engage the marginal portions of a tire
and provided with a fixed nut, a tubular adjusting-screw engaged with said nut,
and a flexible operating-rod or screw-driver longitudinally movable in said
tubular screw and provided with a head formed to engage and rotate the screw.
3. The combination with the wheel-rim or felly and its U-shaped tire having
marginal lips or beads, of the clamping-band having flanges engaged with said lips,
and transverse corrugations between said flanges.

page_text: 4. The combination with a wheel-rim or felly and U-shaped tire whose marginal
portions seat on the same, of a contractible clamping-band embracing the marginal
portions of the tire on the interior, a nut fastened to the band at or near one end
thereof, a bearing fastened to the band at or near the other end thereof, and a
screw journalled in said bearing and engaging said nut and having its head formed
for engagement of a driver, the nut, bearing, and screw being all on the outer or
tread side of the wheel-rim and thus wholly concealed, and there being provision
for insertion and removal of the screw-driver, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of November 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.