IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TYRES AND FELLOES OF WHEELS FOR VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER VEHICLES."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Bates, George Bidlake, and Hugh Faulkner,
all of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TYRES AND FELLOES OF WHEELS FOR
VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER VEHICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Bates, George
Bidlake, and Hugh Faulkner, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 12th July 1878:--
WILLIAM HENRY BATES, GEORGE BIDLAKE, and HUGH FAULKNER, all of Leicester,
in the County of Leicester. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
TYRES AND FELLOES OF WHEELS FOR VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER VEHICLES."
Our Invention has for its objects to effect an economy of the materials used for
the metal felloes and india-rubber tyres of the wheels of velocipedes and other
vehicles, and also to more effectually secure them to each other.
The india-rubber tyre in ordinary use for this purpose is circular in section, and
is fitted either into a half circular or a V shaped groove in the periphery of the
felloe. Instead of this, we propose to use an india-rubber tyre which is greater in
vertical depth than it is in lateral width. We prefer that the inner face of the tyre
should be made either flat or angular to fit the groove of the felloe, but if desired,
the tyre may be made of an oval section, in which case its inner face would be
curved or rounded. By reducing the width of the rubber tyre and metal felloe
without decreasing the depth of the former, the weight and cost of this part of the
machine will be diminished without injuriously affecting its strength or diminishing
its utility as a tyre.
Our next improvement consists in making the india-rubber tyre in two parts of
different degrees of elasticity. The outer part of the tyre which comes in contact
with the road will be of the usual character as regards elasticity, but the inner part
of the tyre or that which lies in the groove of the felloe will be made of a harder

page_text: compound, and such as will stretch only to a very moderate extent, just sufficient
in fact to admit of the tyre being stretched over the flange of the felloe, and then
cause it to spring back and fit tightly on to its seat in the groove of the felloe. By
this means the tyre may be secured in its place almost, if not entirely, without the
use of cement, and without stretching, or at any rate keeping at tension the outer
part or face of the tyre to such an extent as is at present the case. The consequence
of this will be that the tyre will last longer than heretofore, because when cut or
damaged by running over sharp stones, the cuts will not open or gape as they
inevitably would do if the tyre be kept stretched. The hard or only slightly elastic
part of the tyre may either form the base of the tyre as above mentioned, or it may
be wholly or partially embedded in the softer and more elastic part of the tyre, its
object being to impart a certain amount of rigidity longitudinally, without inter-
fering with the elasticity of the outer surface or face of the tyre. When the hard
and soft parts of the tyre are united; the compound piece may be vulcanized in the
ordinary way.
Another mode of making a neat and uniform elastic tyre consists in forming a
core by rolling up a flat slip or sheet of rubber into the form of a round core, which
is enclosed within another strip of thick sheet rubber which is rolled round it, and
the edges brought together to form a butt joint, and the tyre thus formed is then
vulcanized in the ordinary way.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Henry Bates, George Bidlake, and Hugh Faulkner in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th January 1879.
WILLIAM HENRY BATES, GEORGE BIDLAKE, and HUGH FAULKNER, all of Leicester,
in the County of Leicester. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
TYRES AND FELLOES OF WHEELS FOR VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER VEHICLES."
Our Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of the Tyres and Felloes of
Wheels for Velocipedes and other Vehicles," has for one of its objects to effect an
economy of the materials used for the construction of the metal felloes and india-
rubber tyres of the wheels of velocipedes and other vehicles, thereby reducing the
weight and economising the cost of the vehicle. A further object is to more
effectually secure the tyres and felloes to each other.
The india-rubber tyro in ordinary use for this purpose is usually circular in
section, and is fitted either into a half circular or a V shaped groove in the peri-
phery of the felloe. Instead of this form of tyre, our first improvement consists in
constructing an india-rubber tyre which is greater in vertical depth than it is in
lateral width. We prefer that the inner face of the tyre should be made either flat
or angular to fit the groove of the felloe, but if desired, the tyre may be made of an
oval section, in which case, its inner face would be curved or rounded. By reducing
the width of the rubber tyre and metal felloe without decreasing the depth of the
former, the weight and cost of this part of the machine will be diminished without
injuriously affecting its strength or diminishing its utility as a tyre.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents in cross section (and drawn
full size) one of our improved tyres and metal felloes. The metal felloe is shewn
at a, and the rubber tyre at b. It will be seen that the base of the latter is flat,
and the vertical sides of the felloe are slightly inclined inwards, so as the better to
secure the rubber tyre in place.
Figures 2, 3, and 4 show in cross section other forms of felloes which may be
used for the purposes of this Invention.
It is proposed that the rubber tyres (shewn in the Drawing) shall take the place
of the ordinary cylindrical tyres of one inch in diameter as indicated by the dotted
circle in Fig. 1, and as the base of the tyre is only two-thirds of its depth, it will
be seen that there will be a considerable saving in material, and consequently in
weight of both the tyre and the felloe.
Our next improvement consists in making india-rubber tyres of different degrees
of elasticity in different parts. The outer part of the tyre which comes in contact
with the road will be of the usual character as regards elasticity, that is, of soft and
elastic vulcanized india-rubber, but the inner part of the tyre or that which lies in
the groove of the metal felloe will be made of a harder compound, and such as will
stretch only to a very moderate extent, just sufficient in fact to admit of the tyre
being stretched over the flange of the felloe, and then cause it to spring back and
fit tightly on to its seat in the groove of the felloe. By this means the tyre may
be secured in its place almost, if not entirely, without the use of cement, and
without stretching, or at any rate keeping at tension the softer and more elastic
The con-
outer part or face of the tyre to such an extent as is at present the case.
sequence of this will be that the tyre will last longer than heretofore, because, when
the tread of the tyre is cut or damaged by running over sharp stones, the cuts will
not open or gape as they inevitably would do if the soft and elastic part of the tyre
be kept stretched as is now the case. The hard or only slightly elastic part of the
tyre may either form the base of the tyre, as above mentioned, or it may be wholly
or partially embedded in the softer and more elastic part of the tyre, its object
being to impart a certain amount of rigidity longitudinally, without interfering
with the elasticity of the outer surface or face of the tyre. When the hard or soft
parts of the tyre are united, the compound piece may be vulcanized in the ordinary
way.

page_text: Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 represent in section, drawn full size, various ways of
carrying out this improvement.
In Figures 5 and 6, the hard rubber base part 6* of the tyre b is made flat, and
the felloe will correspond thereto in form..
Fig. 7 represents a tyre, the hard rubber base b of which is shaped.
This improvement may be adapted to the ordinary construction of felloes, that is
to say, to felloes with grooves of semicircular form or V shaped, and the hard
rubber part 6* of the tyre may if desired be placed inside, and be perfectly sur-
rounded by the highly elastic soft rubber part b, b, as shewn at Fig. 8. The
slightly elastic hard part 6* of the tyre will limit the elasticity of the softer part, as
in the other instances.
Another form of tyre suitable for a semicircular felloe, is that shewn at Fig. 9.
Another mode of making a neat and uniform elastic tyre is shewn at Fig. 10,
and consists in forming a core by rolling up a flat strip or sheet of rubber so as to
form a round or cylindrical core c which is enclosed within another strip of thick
sheet rubber d, which is rolled round it, the edges of the latter being brought
together to form a butt joint. The tyre thus formed is then vulcanized in the
ordinary way, and may (like the tyre shewn at Fig. 8) be adapted to felloes of the
ordinary form, with semicircular or shaped grooves.
Having now described our Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of
the Tyres and Felloes of Wheels for Velocipedes and other Vehicles," and having
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we would here remark that
we do not claim the combination of an elastic rubber tyre with a grooved metal
felloe, except when constructed as herein set forth, but that which we consider to
be new, and therefore desire to claim as the Invention secured to us by Letters
Patent as aforesaid is,-
First. Constructing rubber tyres and metal felloes of wheels for velocipedes and
other vehicles as herein set forth, whereby an economy of material used in the con-
struction of the same will be obtained.
Second. Constructing the tyres of wheels for velocipedes and other vehicles of
two kinds of rubber of different degrees of elasticity, but firmly combined together,
as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Third. Constructing a cylindrical rubber tyre as herein set forth with reference
to Fig. 10 of the Drawings, so that it may be adapted to the ordinary metal felloes
of velocipedes, provided with semicircular or V shaped grooves, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Bates, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
W. H. BATES. (L.S.)