Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 10th June, 1896-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
We, CHARLES WOOLLEY, of 19 Haycroft Road, Brixton Hill, in the County of
London, Secretary to a Public Company, and THOMAS DUNN, of 83 Tierney Road,
Brixton Hill, aforesaid, Member of the Stock Exchange, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to an improved construction of pneumatic tyre
designed to admit of ready removal from a wheel rim and separation of the outer
cover to permit of inspection or repair of the inner air tube, and of being quickly
replaced upon and firmly secured to the wheel rim for re-use.
cover
For this purpose the edges of the tyre-cover are thickened or provided with
projecting parts adapted to engage and become interlocked with each other, but which
are not rendered inextensible in length as is the case when wires or other similarly
inextensible bodies are inserted in them, and in conjunction with such a
there is provided between its interlocked edges and the inner air tube, so as
to be subject to the air pressure in the latter, a circular strip of material, for
example steel, celluloid, or vulcanite or steel coated with vulcanite, that is
practically rigid transversely, and flexible longitudinally but is not extensible in
length, the arrangement being such that upon placing the cover around the air tube
and strip, its edges can be readily hooked or interlocked with each other and upon
then placing the tyre upon an ordinary concave wheel rim and inflating it. the
circular strip will automatically contract in diameter and securely lock the edges of
the tyre together, and fix the tyre upon the wheel rim. Upon deflating the tyre,
whereby the strip is relieved of air pressure, the tyre can be readily pulled off the
wheel rim, whereupon the tyre cover can be immediately opened all round so as to
at once completely expose the air tube. A tyre constructed as described should be
made of such a diameter as to so fit the rim of the wheel with which it is to be used,
that it will not be liable to come off the rim when deflated, but so that it can be easily
pulled off.
The material for forming the thickened edges of the tyre cover may conveniently
consist of prepared cork, such as is used in the manufacture of cork carpet, around
which the fabric employed in forming the tyre cover is cemented so as to form wedge-
shaped edges the thick ends or bases of which abut against each other when the tyre
is in use.
The circular strip (bereinafter called the self-gripping band) is preferably enclosed
in a sheath of woven material that may advantageously be secured to the inner side
of the innermost of the two portions of the outer cover and within which the self-
gripping band can readily expand and contract in diameter when the tyre is applied
to and removed from a wheel.
The self-gripping band should be slightly narrower than the rim of the wheel to
which the tyre is to be fixed, and the wheel rim should be of such a channel or
concave section as to receive the tyre and prevent it being pushed off laterally. The
thickened edges of the tyre cover should be so formed as to nearly fill the concavity
in the wheel rim so that the self gripping band may lie just within the edges of the
concavity.
The ends of the self-gripping band, which are unconnected with external drawing-up
devices and are free and capable of end ways movement relatively to each other and to

page_text: the said sheath or channel, may, after the inflation of the tyre, be securely fixed in
place by the screwing up of a nut on the stem of the air valve which passes through
longitudinal slats in the ends of the band and through a guide plate against which
one of said ends slides; or means may be provided whereby the said ends will become
fixed in place entirely automatically or only on the screwing up of the air valve nut,
as described for example in the Specifications of Letters Patent No. 23423 of 1892 and
6357 of 1894, granted to one of us, namely the said Thomas Dunn.
D
O
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
We, CHARLES WOOLLEY, of 19 Haycroft Road, Brixton Hill, in the County of
London, Secretary to a Public Company, and THOMAS DUNN, of 83 Tierney Road,
Brixton Hill, aforesaid, Member of the Stock Exchange, 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 has reference to an improved construction of pneumatic tyre
designed to admit of ready removal from a wheel rim and separation of the outer
cover to permit of inspection or repair of the inner air tube, and of being quickly
replaced upon and firmly secured to the wheel rim for re-use.
For this purpose the edges of the tyre cover are thickened or provided with
projecting parts adapted to engage with each other and become interlocked, but which
are not rendered inextensible in length as is the case when wires or other similarly
inextensible bodies are inserted in them, and in conjunction with such a cover there is
provided between its engaged edges and the inner air tube, so as to be subject to the
air pressure in the latter, a circularly bent strip of flexible material, for example steel,
celluloid, or vulcanite, or steel coated with vulcanite, that at the highest pressure it is
liable to be subjected to is practically rigid transversely, and is practically not
extensible in length, the arrangement being such that the air tube and flexible strip
being enclosed in the cover, the edges of the cover hooked or engaged with each other
(which can be readily done) and the tyre placed around an ordinary concave wheel
rim, on then inflating the tyre, the flexible strip will be automatically caused by the
air pressure to contract in diameter and securely lock the edges of the cover together
and fix the tyre upon the wheel rim. Upon deflating the tyre, whereby the flexible
strip (hereinafter called the self gripping band) is relieved of air pressure, the tyre
can be readily pulled off the wheel rim, whereupon the tyre cover can be immediately
opened all round so as to at once completely expose the air tube.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a cross section showing, to an enlarged scale, a pneumatic tyre according
to this invention, the edges of the tyre cover being disconnected.
Fig. 2 is a cross section showing the pneumatic tyre applied to the concave rim of
a cycle wheel.
Fig. 3 is a part central section in the plane of the wheel.
Fig. 4 is a developed cross section of the tyre cover and self gripping band.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of one end of the said band.
1 is the inner air tube; 2 the outer cover having the thickened edges 3, 3ª adapted
to hook or engage with each other where they overlap and to become interlocked as
aforesaid, and 4 the self-gripping band formed of suitable flexible material as already
mentioned and which is straight or flat in cross section and is bent to a circular form
with its ends overlapping one another as shown!

page_text: A pneumatic tyre constructed as described should be made of such a diameter as to
so fit the rim 5 of the wheel with which it is to be used, that it will not be liable to
coine off the rim when deflated, but so that it can be easily pulled off.
The material for forming the thickened edges 3, 3ª of the tyre cover may conveni-
ently consist of prepared cork, such as is used in the manufacture of cork carpet,
around which the fabric employed in forming the tyre cover is cemented, as shown,
so as to form edges of wedge shape in cross section the thick ends or bases 3b of which abut
against each other when the tyre is in use, those sides which are next the self-gripping
band forming a plain annular surface practically straight in cross section to receive
the self-gripping band 4. The flat surface of the welge shaped edge 3 and the
surface of the tyre cover against which it abuts at 3 are preferably rendered adhesive
by the application to the said surfaces of a solution of rubber so that they will adhere
to each other and enable the tyre to preserve its form when removed from the wheel
but so that the said surfaces can be readily pulled apart when it is desired to open
the cover.
The self-gripping band 4 is preferably enclosed in a sheath 6 of woven material,
such as canvas, secured to the inner side of the cover next that edge which is the
inner one when the cover is in use, and within the said sheath the self-gripping band
can readily contract and expand in diameter under the influence of such changes in
pressure as result from inflation and deflation of the tyre. The marginal portion 2°
of the outer layer of material composing the tyre cover is preferably left free as
shown so that it can be folded under the overlapped edges of the tyre and clamped
between them and the wheel rim.
To ensure that the two free ends of the self-gripping band shall move simultaneously
and to an equal extent it is advantageous to secure the band at about the centre of its
length, that is at a point diametrically opposit. the air valve, to the sheath 6. This
may conveniently be done by a device such as a paper fastened 4* (Fig. 4), or by
a rivet.
The self-gripping band preferably corresponds in breadth with the rim of the
wheel to which the tyre is to be fixed, and the wheel rim should be of such a
channel or concave section as to receive the tyre and prevent it being pushed off
laterally. The thickened edges 3, 3ª of the tyre cover are preferably so formed as
to fill the concavity in the wheel rim so that the edges of the self-gripping band
may lie just over the edges of the concavity, and thereby protect the latter edges
from damage by striking against stones or other obstacles on the road.
The ends 4 of, the self gripping band, which are unconnected with external
drawing-up devices and are free and capable of end ways movement relatively to
each other and to the said sheath or channel, may, after the inflation of the tyre,
be securely fixed in place on the wheel rim. This may be done by the screwing
up of a nut 7 on the stem 8 of the air valve which is secured to the air tube 1
in the ordinary way and passes through longitudinal slots 4b in the ends 4" of
the band and through a guide plate 9 against which one of the said ends slides ;
or means may be provided whereby the said ends will become fixed in place
entirely automatically, or only on the screwing up of the air valve nut, as described
for example in the Specifications of Letters Patent No. 23423 of 1892 and 6357
of 1894, granted to one of us, namely, the said Thomas Dunn.
As will be obvious the form of the edges 3, 3ª of the tyre cover can be varied
so long as they are adapted to be interlocked with each other as by this means
liability to their slipping out from between the self-gripping band and the wheel
at the commencement of the inflation of the tyre is obviated. Also it is to be
understood that we do not limit ourselves to a self-gripping band that is straight
or flat in cross section, as the band, and that surface of the cover against which
the band bears, may be of other shape, though we consider that shown advan-
tageous in practice. Furthermore tyres according to this invention may be applied
to wheels having peripheries of other forms than that illustrated.
A pneumatic tyre wherein the cover has its edges constructed as set forth to
engage with one another and held interlocked by means of a self gripping band

page_text: as herein before described, besides possessing the advantage of protecting the edges
of the wheel rim against damage by stones or other obstacles in the road, as
already mentioned, possesses the further advantages that the pressure of the air
in the air tube is prevented from exerting a lateral strain in opposite directions
against the sides of the concave wheel rim with which it is used such as takes
place with other constructions of detachably open covered pneumatic tyres, and
whereas neither wires nor cement which have hitherto been generally used to
secure tyres to the rims add anything to the strength of the construction, taking
tyre and rim together, the self gripping band when clamped between the wheel
rim and the inflated air tube has great stiffness in a lateral direction which
powerfully assists in strengthening the wheel and keeping it true in one plane.
As a result, weight for weight, a cycle wheel fitted with our tyre is considerably
stronger than any previous construction of cycle wheel with a pneumatic tyre, and
much more so than with other detachable tyres, and that strength for strength a
cycle wheel fitted with our pneumatic tyre can be made much lighter than corre-
sponding wheels as heretofore constructed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we do
not claim broadly and separately the combination of an air chamber so constructed as
to tighten on the rim with an outer cover the overlapping edges of which are
compressed and interlocked between the air chamber and the rim, but what we do
claim is :-
1. A pneumatic tyre in which the edges of the cover are thickened or provided
with projections that engage with each other and are locked or held together by
means of a steel or other flexible band of the kind referred to acted upon by the
air pressure in the tyre when the tyre is inflated and whereby also the tyre is
held in place on the wheel rim, substantially as described.
2. The improved pneumatic tyre constructed and applied to a wheel rim as
hereinabove described and illustrated.
3. A pneumatic tyre cover having its edges thickened or provided with projec-
tions adapted to engage with one another in combination with a flexible band in
a sheath secured to the cover near one edge thereof substantially as described with
reference to the example illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings.
Dated this 9th day of June 1896.