Certain Improvements in and connected with Elastic Tyres for Road Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 14th May, 1897-Accepted, 14th Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Certain Improvements in and connected with Elastic Tyres for Road
Vehicles.
1,
We, EDWIN HENRY SIMPSON, of Rushton Street North, in the City of Bir-
mingham, Engineer, and CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY, of 128, Colmore Row, in
the City of Birmingham, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to elastic tyres of that kind which are arranged to
be applied over the ordinary metal tyres of road vehicle wheels and which
consist of a suitable number of metal links embracing the ordinary tyre and
connected together and cach carrying one or more indiarubber or like elastic
blocks forming the elastic tread of the tyre. An elastic tyre of this kind is
described in the Specification of James Tonks' Patent No. 13670/94. Heretofore
each of the said metal links has usually been made with a pair of side hooks at
one end which fit over corresponding studs on the sides of the rear of the next
link. These studs and hooks have a very unsightly appearance round the wheel
rim and moreover the metal links made in this way are comparatively expensive.
The objects of this Invention are to so construct the said metal links that they
will have a better appearance and finish than heretofore, be cheaper to manu-
facture, more readily applied to the wheel rim and (if desired) form a neat bead
round each side of the tyre to come in contact with the curb of the roadway to
prevent scratching of the felloes of the wheel.
In carrying out this Invention we dispense entirely with the said side hooks
and studs of the metal links and we connect the links together by each link being
formed at each end as a broad hook extending across or partly across the link
from side to side the hooks of the links being adapted to engage with the hooks
of the adjacent links so that the links will hook together round the ordinary
metal tyre of the wheel rim. Each of the said links is by preference raised from
a sheet steel blank in suitable dies and the sides of the links, which are turned
down to embrace the wheel tyre, are bulged outwardly and rounded so that these
bulged sides of the links will together form a bead around the tyre to come against
the curb of the roadway and prevent scratching of the wheel. Instead of the
sides of the links being bulged out as above described they may be left flat or
otherwise shaped.
It is to be understood that each of the links carries one or more indiarubber
or other elastic blocks which engages or engage in a corresponding hole or holes
pierced in the link and is or are made with a flange to fit between the underside
of the link and the face of the tyre.
In applying the tyre above described round an ordinary metal tyred wheel, a
sufficient number of the links (fitted with the rubber or like blocks) are taken

page_text: to reach nearly all round the wheel and these are hooked together thus forming
a chain of links. The front hook of the first link and the back hook of the last
link have to be a short distance apart so that when the end links have been drawn
together (which can be done by a screw clamp or other means) the rubber flanges
of the blocks will be compressed between the links and the metal tyre of the
wheel and allow of the first and last links being hooked together and when this
has been done and the clamp is removed the slight expansion of the indiarubber
flanges will force the links outwardly again and thus make them secure round
the wheel.
To enable the links to readily make up the proper lengths for wheels of various
diameters, we make some of the links about a quarter of an inch more or less
shorter than the standard lengths so that one two or more of these shorter links
can be inserted with the longer links to make the tyre of the required length.
Instead of each of the said links being made with a hook at both ends as above
described each of the said links may be made with a hook at one end and an eye
at the other end, or all of the links may be made with eyes like those of a butt
hinge so as to fit together and be secured by cross pins passing through the eyes.
Dated this 10th day of July 1896.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Certain Improvements in and connected with Elastic Tyres for Road
Vehicles.
We, EDWIN HENRY SIMPSON, of Rushton Street North, in the City of Bir-
mingham, Engineer, and CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY, of 128, Colmore Row, in
the City of Birmingham, Patent Agent, 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 elastic tyres of that kind which are arranged to
be applied over the ordinary metal tyres of road vehicle wheels and which
consist of a suitable number of metal links embracing the ordinary tyre and
connected together and each carrying one or more indiarubber or like elastic
blocks forming the elastic tread of the tyre. An elastic tyre of this kind is
described in the Specification of James Tonks' Patent No. 13670/94. Heretofore
each of the said metal links has usually been made with a pair of side hooks at
one end which fit over corresponding studs on the sides of the rear of the next
link. These studs and hooks have a very unsightly appearance round the wheel
rim and moreover the metal links made in this way are comparatively expensive.
The objects of this Invention are to so construct the said metal links that they
will have a better appearance and finish than heretofore, be cheaper to manu-
facture, more readily applied to the wheel rim and (if desired) form a neat bead
round each side of the tyre to come in contact with the curb of the roadway to
prevent scratching of the felloes of the wheel.
In carrying out this Invention we dispense entirely with the said side hooks
and studs of the metal links which carry the indiarubber or other like elastic
biccks and we connect the links together by each link being formed at each end
as a broad hook extending across or partly across the link from side to side the
hooks of the links being adapted to engage with the hooks of the adjacent links
so that the links will hook together round the ordinary metal tyre of the wheel.

page_text: Or instead of each of the said links being made with a hook at both ends to
enga with corresponding hooks on the next link as above described each of the
sad tinks may be made at one end with a hook and with an eye at the other end
So that the hooked end of each link will engage with the eye of the next link
al! round the periphery of the wheel.
This Invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawing on which Fig. 1 is
a side elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan of a part of a road vehicle wheel with our
improved tyre applied thereto; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the same; Fig. 4 shews
one of the metal links of the said tyre separately; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section
of the said link; Fig. 6 shews a slightly modified form of the said link; Fig. 7
is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a part of a wheel rim with our imrpoved
tyre illustrating a further modification of the same and Fig. 8 shews separately
one of the metal links of the tyre illustrated by Fig. 7.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
A is the felloe of the wheel and B is the ordinary metal tyre fixed round the
same; the metal links of our improved tyre are marked C and the indiarubber
blocks which fit in and are carried by the said links are marked D
Referring firstly more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 which illustrate
that example of our Invention in which the said links are made with hooks at
hoth ends, it will be seen that each of the links C (which is by preference raised
from a sheet steel blank in suitable dies) has its sides cl 2 turned down to embrace
the wheel tyre B and is pierced with an elongated hole e in which fits the elastic
block 1) which forms a section of the tread of the tyre and which is by preference
moulded in the link C and made with a flange d which fills in the underside
of the link C and fits between the underside of the said link and the periphery
of the metal tyre B. The other part de of the elastic block D projects for a
certain distance beyond the face of the link C and is made of an elongated rounded
form as heretofore so as to form a portion of the elastic tread of the tyre. At
one end of the link C there is formed across the top of the same an upwardly
and backwardly projecting broad hook and at the other end of the link there
is formed a downwardly projecting hook e so that the hooked end of any one
link will hook on to and engage with the hooked end of the next link and thus
the links will be hooked together as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 the hooks ce being
situated on the periphery of the metal tyre instead of (as in Tonks' Patent above
referred to) being on the sides of the same.
In applying the tyre above described round the ordinary metal tyre of a road
vehicle wheel a sufficient number of links C fitted with the rubber or like blocks D
are taken to reach nearly all round the wheel and these are hooked together thus
forming a chain of links. The front hook of the first link and the back hook c³
of the last link have to be a short distance apart so that when the end links have
been drawn together (which can be done by a screw clamp or other means forming
no part of our Invention) the rubber flanges d of the blocks D will he compressed
between the links C and the metal tyre B of the wheel and allow of the first and
last links being hooked together and when this has been done and the clamp is
removed the expansion of the indiarubber flanges d will force the links outwardly
again so that the hooks will engage tightly together and thus the links will be
effectually secured round the wheel rim.
To enable the links to readily make up the exact lengths for wheels of various
diameters we make some of the links about one quarter of an inch more or less
shorter than the standard links so that one two or more of these short links can be
inserted with the longer links to make the tyre of the required length.
In the modification of our Invention shewn by Figs. 7 and 8, the upwardly
projecting hook of the link C is elongated so as to engage in the hole or eye e
of the next link, and the hook is set down at so as to pass underneath the
end portion of the next link and engage with the hole or eye e as shewn in
Fig. 7. The flange part d' of the indiarubber block is extended at underneath

page_text: the hook so as to give a firm bearing on the metal tyre B and there is a
recess d* in the flange d¹ at the other end of the link C'so as to enable the hook
to pass under and properly engage with the hole or eye c³. This end of the link C
may if desired have an upwardly projecting hook part formed with it to engage
with the end of the indiarubber block D and help to support the same as shewn
in Figs. 7 and 8.
The sides c c of the links C may instead of being left flat as shewn in
Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 be bulged outwardly and rounded at cc as shewn in
Fig. 6 so as to form a bead round the sides of the tyre to come against the curb
of the roadway and prevent scratching of the wheel.
It will be evident that instead of making each of the links C of a sufficient
length to take only one of the indiarubber blocks the said metal links may be
made long enough to take two or more of the said indiarubber blocks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. An elastic tyre for the wheels of common road vehicles formed of a series
of metallic links shaped so as to embrace the ordinary metallic tyre and the
wooden felloes and made with hooks at both ends so as to hook together at the
periphery of the metal tyre and each link provided with one or more indiarubber
blocks which together form the wheel tread and fit in corresponding perforations
in the metallic links and extend between the insides of the metallic links and the
periphery of the ordinary metal tyre of the wheel, all substantially as described.
2. An elastic tyre for the wheels of common road vehicles formed of a series
of metallic links shaped so as to embrace the ordinary metallic tyre and each made
with a hook at one end and with an eye or perforation at the other end so as to
hook together at the periphery of the metallic tyre and each provided with one
or more indiarubber blocks which together form the wheel tread and fit in corre-
sponding perforations in the metallic links and extend between the insides of the
metallic links and the periphery of the ordinary metal tyre of the wheel, all
substantially as described.
3. In an elastic tyre such as denoted under Claims 1 and 2 making the metallic
sections with their depending sides cl 2 bulged outwardly and rounded as at c c
so as to form a bead round the sides of the tyre for the purpose and substantially
as described.
4. The combined metallic and rubber links for forming an elastic tyre for the
wheels of common road vehicles each of the said links consisting of a metallic
part shaped so as to embrace the sides of the ordinary metallic tyre and wooden
felloes and made with hooks at both ends so as to hook to the next links at the
periphery of the metallic tyre and provided with one or more indiarubber blocks
to form a portion of the wheel tread, the said indiarubber block or blocks fitting
in a corresponding perforation or perforations in the metallic link and provided
with an enlarged base fitting inside the metallic link to bear against the ordinary
metallic tyre of the wheel, all substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The combined metallic and rubber links for forming an elastic tyre for the
wheels of common road vehicles each of the said links consisting of a metallic
part shaped so as to embrace the sides of the ordinary metallic tyre and wooden
felloes and made with a hook at one end and an eye or perforation at the other
end so as to hook together at the periphery of the metallic tyre and provided with
one or more indiarubber blocks to form a portion of the wheel tread, the
said indiarubber block or blocks fitting in a corresponding perforation
or perforations in the metal link and provided with an enlarged base fitting inside
the metallic link to bear against the ordinary metallic tyre of the wheel, all

page_text: substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 7 and 8 of the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this 12th day of May 1897
EDWIN HENRY SIMPSON.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY.