Improvements in and relating to Elastic Tyres and Rims for Wheels.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Elastic Tyres and Rims for Wheels.
I, PIERRE AMBJORN COMTE DE SPARRE, of 42, Brockley Road, New Cross, in
the County of Kent, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to clastic tyres and rims for the wheels of bicycles,
tricycles and other velocipedes or vehicles such as carriages, motor cars, etc., the
object of the invention being to provide improved means for rendering tyres
elastie and yielding without the use of an inflated air chamber.
According to my invention I form or mould tyres of a vertically oblong shape
and adapted to stand freely upon the inner bottom of a wheel rim and sup-
ported on each side by the edges of the said rim which are turned horizontally
With this
inwards and engage around lateral ribs formed round the tyre.
arrangement the tyre is prevented from slipping out of the rim and the lateral
ribs thereof can move freely up and down within the rim according to the pressure
exerted on the tyre by the rider.
The sectional form of the tyre above and below the lateral ribs can be of any
suitable shape provided that the inner part is so much narrower than the inside
breadth of the rim as to allow it to expand laterally. within the rim when the
wheel passes over an obstacle. However, I prefer to give these upper and lower
parts a conical form, and sometimes I enlarge the tread in order that the wheel
shall run more easily on sandy and muddy roads.
The outer cone is formed in such a manner that it expands under the pressure
on the tread in the same proportion as it sinks into the inner part of the rim in
order that the distance between the horizontal edges of the rim shall always
remain closed up, thus preventing dust and water from entering the hollow part
of the rim.
As the tyre once clutched by the horizontal edges of the rim cannot be taken
out for the repair of broken spokes, I provide exterior extensions at the bottom of
the rim and I bore the holes for the spoke nipples in the horizontal flanges
formed by these extensions.
It is evident that this latter construction is not necessary with carriage wheels
having the spokes fixed to an inner wood rim and that it can be applied to wheel
rims fitted with pneumatic tyres.
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Elastic Tyres and Rims for Wheels.
I, PIERRE AMBJORN COMTE DE SPARRE, of 42, Brockley Road, New Cross, in
the County of Kent, Civil Engineer, 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 elastic tyres and rims for the wheels of bicycles,
tricycles and other velocipedes or vehicles such as carriages, motor cars, etc., the
object of the invention being to provide improved means for rendering tyres
elastic and yielding without the use of an inflated air chamber.
According to my invention I form or mould tyres of a vertically oblong shape
adapted to stand freely upon the inside of the bottom of a wheel rim and sup-
ported on each side by the edges of the said rim which are turned horizontally
inwards and engage around lateral ribs formed round the tyre. With this
arrangement the tyre is prevented from slipping out of the rim and the lateral
ribs thereof can move freely up and down within the rim according to the pressure
exerted on the tyre by the rider.
The sectional form of the tyre above and below the lateral ribs can be of any
suitable shape provided that the inner part is so much narrower than the inside
breadth of the rim as to allow it to expand laterally within the rim when the
wheel passes over an obstacle. However, I prefer to give these outer and inner
parts a conical form and sometimes I enlarge the tread in order that the wheel
shall run more easily on sandy and muddy roads.
The outer cone is formed in such a manner that it expands under the pressure
on the tread in the same proportion as it sinks into the inner part of the rim in
order that the distance between the horizontal edges of the rim shall always
remain closed up, thus preventing dust and water from entering the hollow part
of the rim.
As the tyre once clutched by the horizontal edges of the rim cannot be taken
out for the repair of broken spokes, I provide lateral extensions at the bottom of
the rim and I bore the holes for the spoke nipples in the horizontal flanges
formed by these extensions.
It is evident that this latter construction is not necessary with carriage wheels
having the spokes fixed to an inner wood rim.
To enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figures 1 and 2 are sections through bicycle tyres and rims made according
to the invention:
Figure 3 is a similar view through a vehicle wheel having an inner wood rim.
My solid rubber tyre is moulded or formed, as shewn, of a vertically oblong
shape divided into upper and lower cone-shaped portions a and b respectively by
lateral ribs c, c which pass completely round the tyre. d is the rim which is
formed hollow and has its edges e, e inturned as clearly shewn, the said inturned
edges e, e passing around the lateral ribs c, c of the tyre so as to clutch the said
tyre in the rim in such a manner that the outer face of the inner cone rests upon
the inside of the bottom of the rim.
With this arrangement the tyre is permanently held in the rim by the inturned
edges e, e of the rim & and the lateral ribs c, c of the tyre, the said tyre, however,
being free to move up and down within the rim according as the pressure exerted
on the tyre by the rider varies. As above mentioned, the inner part a of the
tyre is narrower than the inside breadth of the rim so that it can expand laterally
within the rim when the wheel passes over an obstacle. The outer cone 6 also

page_text: expands under the pressure on the tread so that the distance between the inturned
edges of the rim is always closed thereby preventing dust and water entering
the rim.
In Figures 1 and 2, which, as above mentioned, are cycle wheels, provision is
made for repairing a broken spoke without removing the tyre from the rim, which,
as above stated, are permanently secured together. In the arrangement shewn in
Figure 1 the bottom or back of the rim d is provided with a vertical web or
flange f, the said web or flange being formed at its free end with lateral exten-
sions f, f provided with holes to receive the nipples g, g for the spokes. In
Figure 2 the rim is shewn formed with lateral extensions h, h extending directly
from the bottom of the rim d, that is to say, without the employment of the web
or flange. With both these constructions it is obvious that if a spoke break it can
be renewed by removing its nipple from the extension and screwing in a fresh
spoke. In these figures the tread of the tyre is shewn enlarged for the purpose
as above mentioned of enabling the wheel to run more easily on sandy and
muddy roads.
Figure 3 illustrates a vehicle wheel provided with an inner wood rim, the
metal rim d being secured to it by ordinary means. With this arrangement it is
obviously unnecessary to provide lateral extensions to the rim of the kind above
described.
It will be obvious that the arrangement above described for enabling spokes
to be renewed without removing the tyre from the rim can be applied to wheel
rims fitted with pneumatic tyres.
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. A wheel tyre moulded or formed of a vertically oblong shape and provided
on each side with a rib, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
2. The combination with an elastic tyre of the kind described in the pre-
ceding claiming clause, of a rim with inturned horizontal edges leaving a space
inside for the expansion of the inner part of the tyre, and having exterior
extensions or projections upon the bottom for receiving the spoke nipples sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In a wheel rim providing the bottom with exterior extensions or projections
for receiving the spoke nipples, substantially as, and for the purpose, herein before
described and as illustrated:
$5.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.