Improvements in and connected with Resilient Tyres for the Wheels of Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan.,
1898
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 10th Dec., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Resilient Tyres for the Wheels
of Vehicles.
We, CHARLES GEORGE ROBERTON, of 44, Lansdowne Crescent, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, and JAMES JACKSON ROBERTON, of
27, Sholebrooke View, Chapeltown Road, Leeds, in the County of York, Com-
mercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, to be aș.
follows:
This invention consists in providing resilient tyres for bicycles and other
vehicles, each tyre consisting of a ring of metal of a resilient nature such as
spring tempered steel or a number of such rings arranged side by side and which
may be secured by sewing, cementing or otherwise, to a cover of canvas, leather or
other suitable material which may be coated with suitable water-proof material. The
said rings may be wholly or only partially enclosed in the said cover and the said rings
and cover be enclosed in an outer cover, say of canvas or leather provided with a
rubber or other wear resisting tread. The said outer cover may be secured to the
rim of the wheel by lacing, or in any other convenient way. To prevent too much
side play of the tyre strips of canvas or or other material or springs may be
arranged diagonally alternately in opposite directions at suitable distances apart
round the rim of the wheel to form guys or stays between the tyre and the rim
of the wheel to prevent lateral displacement of the tyre. Instead of enclosing the
whole of the rings in a canvas binding or cover each ring may be separately
enclosed or partially enclosed in a cover secured by strong cords to the rim of
the wheel, the said cords being situated in tubes formed in the edges of the cover
and tightened so as to give to the cover the required initial tension. Instead of
the rings being covered throughout their circumference by the inner cover they
may be merely supported or bound at suitable distances apart by strips provided
at their ends with loops so as to engage, at each end, one of the rings, or the said
strips may be constructed to engage two adjacent rings so that each two adjacent
strips can secure in position, to one part of the circumference of the rim of the
wheel, eight rings by means of a U shaped washer between which washer and
the outer covering the strips may be held by bolts and nuts by which also the
initial tension of the springs can be regulated as required. The rings may be of
increasing diameter from the outside ones to the centre one so that the outer
surface of the tread will be curved transversely. The strips may be attached to
the rings by providing in the ends of the strips, loops or holes to receive a small
wire or tube, U shaped clips or portions of split tubes being forced onto the
exterior of the rings so as to press the edges of the rings inwards and retain the
ends of the strips with the inserted wire therein within the U shaped ring.
The strips may be connected alternately, to rings on opposite sides of the tyre
so as to form stays or guys to resist side forces or strains. Beneath the U shaped
washer by which the tyre is attached to the rim of the wheel there may be pro-
vided a soft pad of any suitable material such for instance as cork or rubber to

page_text: keep the washer and adjusting screw in place when the tension of the strip
is released.
The rings may be attached to the Tim by means of annular strips of flexible
material such as canvas and rubber or leather, the outer circumference of each
strip being attached to a ring in any suitable manner and the inner circumference
of the said rings being secured to loops or hooks attached to the rim of the wheel
by screw and tightening nut.
The rim of the wheel may be dispensed with if desired and the spokes of the
wheel be secured to nipples carried by U shaped washers the connecting strips
may also be dispensed with and the rings be connected to the U shaped washers
by the outer cover. To construct a more resilient tyre, U shaped rings of the
character hereinbefore described may be connected by strips of canvas, rubber or
other suitable material in the manner herein before described to other similar
U shaped rings of small diameter arranged with their open sides facing the open
sides of other rings and these rings of smaller diameter may be connected by
flexible strips to the rim of the wheel either by U shaped washer and screws and
nuts as hereinbefore described or in any other convenient manner. Instead of
Ushaped resilient rings as described, rings of any other suitable section may, be
employed such as semi-circular or circular or T or Z shape.
Instead of making the tyre of several separate rings connected together as
hereinbefore described the said tyre may be formed of a single ring made in one
piece or of several pieces connected together by brazing or otherwise, the said
ring being corrugated transversely so as to form circumferential grooves or ridge
and furrow surface. The ring thus formed may be provided with a tread of rubber
or other suitable material and may be connected to the rim of the wheel by a
number of short pieces of tube attached to the said ring by bands or straps passing
round the short tubes the said short tubes having transverse holes therein, through
which holes are passed, the prongs of staples, the said prongs being screw threaded
and onto which are screwed nipples passed through holes in the rim of the wheel
the said nipples having heads which bear against the rim so that by screwing
these nipples onto the prongs of the staples the bands or strips connected to the
ring tyre can be drawn tight to prevent lateral displacement of the tyre.
The herein before described U shaped rings may be bound together to form a
tyre by means of hands passed alternately over and under the adjacent rings the
adjacent bands being passed in opposite directions so as to bind the rings
together. The U shaped rings may be arranged side by side and fixed by wires
to thick straps of leather or like material as herein before described, such strap
passing round a pad or washer provided with nipples to which the spokes of the
wheel are attached. The leather bands may be surrounded by metal or other
straps by means of which the tension on the tyre may be regulated as required.
A tyre made according to this invention may comprise a single ring of springy
steel or other metal enclosed in an outer covering of canvas or other suitable
material. secured to the rim or felloe of the wheel in any convenient manner the
edges of the said metal ring being turned or curved inwards towards the rim of
the wheel more or less as desired to prevent the covering being damaged by the
edges of the said ring and the inwardly turned or curved edges may be split at
suitable distances apart throughout the circumference so as to ensure the resiliency
of the said rings. Instead of a complete ring with turned in edges as described
a number of strips of springy metal may be secured to a resilient endless metal
band or its equivalent, of a diameter to form a tyre, the said metal strips being
arranged transversely on the band and having their ends turned or curved inwards
towards the rim of the wheel to prevent the canvas or other covering being injured.
Two or more rings such as described may be arranged side by side so as to form
a broad tread the adjacent turned down edges of the inside rings and the inside
edges of two outside rings instead of being curved inwards as described may be
straight so as to prevent one ring from riding onto an adjacent ring, the outside
edges of the outside rings being curved or rounded, as before described, so as to

page_text: prevent damage to the outer covering and to provide rounded edges to the tyre.
A number of small tubular rings or wires may be arranged side by side to form a
tyre with a flat tread the said rings or wires being enclosed in or covered by canvas
or other suitable material so as to keep the said rings in position side by side but
admit of them yielding separately under pressure and the rings may be connected
together in pairs and to the rim of a wheel by bands of canvas or other suitable
material to form guys or struts to prevent lateral displacement and the whole be
enclosed in an outer covering which may be of india rubber or provided with
an india rubber tread. Each ring may be divided at one or more places in the
circumference and the adjacent ends of the divided parts be connected together by
a spring tending to expand the ring against the outer cover. The outer covers
of pneumatic or other resilient tyres may be secured to the rims of wheels, accord-
ing to this invention, by means of wires or partial rings of metal inserted in the
two edges of the cover, the ends of the wire or partial ring being connected
together by a spring or springs to form a ring of such diameter that when the ring
is stretched over the edge into recesses formed on the rim of the wheel the
strength of the spring or springs will be sufficient to hold the cover in position.
The rings which constitute the tread of the tyre may be retained in position by
the outer covering or if desired they may be provided with means for attaching
them to the rim of the wheel independently of the outer covering.
Dated this 14th day of January 1898
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in and connected with Resilient Tyres for the Wheels
of Vehicles.
We, CHARLES GEORGE ROBERTON, of 44, Lansdowne Crescent, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, and JAMES JACKSON ROBERTON, of
27, Sholebrook View, Chapeltown Road, Leeds, in the County of York, Com-
mercial Traveller, 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 resilient tyres for the wheels of velocipedes and other
vehicles, each tyre consisting of a ring of metal of a resilient nature such as spring
tempered steel and of greater diameter than the rim of the wheel, or of a number
of such rings arranged side by side, and the resiliency of which ring or rings is
distributed throughout the whole circumference of the wheel. The ring or rings
may be enclosed or partially enclosed in a cover of flexible material which may be
secured to the ring or rings by sewing, cementing or otherwise, which cover may
be coated with suitable water-proof material and the whole may be enclosed in
an outer cover, say of canvas or leather provided with a rubber or other wear
resisting tread. The said outer cover may be secured to the rim of the wheel
by lacing, or in any other convenient way. To prevent too much side play of
the tyre, strips of canvas or other material or springs may be arranged diagonally
alternately in opposite directions at suitable distances apart round the rim of
the wheel to form guys or stays between the tyre and the rim of the wheel to
prevent lateral displacement of the tyre.
The invention will be clearly understood from the following description with
reference to the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is a transverse section
of a resilient tyre constructed according to this invention and Figure 2 is a

page_text: side elevation of a bicycle wheel fitted with the said tyre. The rest of the figures
illustrate modifications of the tyre and our improved means for attaching the outer
cover of resilient tyres to the rims of wheels.
In Figure 1 twelve rings 1 of U section are arranged side by side and enclosed
in a cover 2 of canvas leather or other suitable material to which the rings may
be attached by means of wire or cement or by sewing and the said cover may be
coated with waterproof material. 3 are strips of canvas, leather or like material
attached to the cover 2 at suitable intervals round the tyre as shewn in Figure 2
the said strips being connected to the rim of the wheel diagonally alternately in
opposite directions, as shewn, so as to form guys or stays to prevent the tyre from
having too much lateral movement. The whole is enclosed in an outer cover 4
of suitable material say canvas or leather provided with a tread 5 of rubber fibre,
or other suitable wear resisting material. In the arrangement illustrated by
Figure 3 the rings 1 are separately encased or partially enclosed in a cover 2 in
which loops 2 are formed for the reception of wires or strong cords by which the
said cover is secured to the rim 6 of the wheel, two of the said wires or cords being
placed in tubes formed in the edges of the cover and tightened so as to give to the
cover the required initial tension. The rings 1 and cover 2 are enclosed in an
outer cover 4 as in Figure 1 the said outer cover being shewn as cemented at 7
to the rim of the wheel but it may be secured to the said rim, 6 by lacing as
shewn at 7, Figure 1, or otherwise. Instead of the rings 1 being covered through-
out their circumference by the inner cover 2 they may be merely supported at
suitable distances apart by strips 3 as shewn in Figures 4 and 5 the said strips
being provided at their ends with loops, or having their end split as shewn at 3*
so that one end of each strip may be secured to two adjacent rings 1 so that two
strips can secure eight rings to one portion of the circumference of the rim 6 of
the wheel. The strips 3 are secured to the rim 6 by U-shaped washers 8 between
which washers and the outer covering 4 the strips are held by bolts and nuts 9
by means of which also the initial tension of the rings can be regulated as
required. The rings 1 are shewn as being of increasing diameter from the outside
ones to the centre ones so that the outer surface of the tread will be curved
transversely. The outer cover 4 may be passed beneath the U-shaped washers 8
as shewn, or the said cover may be cemented to the rim 6 or be otherwise attached
thereto. Figure 6 illustrates an arrangement similar to Figure 4 but instead
of eight rings 1, only four rings of larger sectional area are combined and the
rim 6 of the wheel is of smaller section.
In the arrangement shewn in Figures 7 and 8 the strips 3 are attached to the
rings 1 by forming in each end of the strips, a loop or hole 3* to receive a small
wire or tube 10, the ends of the strips with the wire therein, being inserted in
the U-shaped rings. The strips are preferably connected alternately to rings on
opposite sides of the tyre so as to form stays or guys to resist side forces or strains.
The strips 3 are secured to the rim 6 by U-shaped washers or nuts 8 and screws 9
and beneath the said U-shaped washer or nut there is provided a pad 11 of any
suitable yielding material, such for instance as cork or rubber, to keep the
washer and adjusting screw in place when the tension of the strips is relaxed.
In the modification illustrated by Figure 9 rings 1 are attached to the rim 6 by
means of rings or endless strips 3 of flexible material such as
canvas and
rubber, or leather, which surround wires 10 inserted in the U-shaped rings 1 and
other wires 10* which are engaged by screw hooks or screw eyes 8 connected to the
rim 6 by nuts 9, by means of which the tension on the rings or strips 3 can be
adjusted as required.
In the arrangement illustrated in Figure 10 the rings 1 are enclosed in a tube 2
of flexible material the said rings 1 being of gradually reduced diameter from
the central ones towards the outside ones so as to give a curved shape transversely
to the tread of the tyre, the tube 2 containing the rings 1 being secured to the rim
of the wheel by bolts and nuts 9, by which the initial tension of the tyre can be
adjusted as required. The outer diameter of each ring although of less diameter

page_text: than the next adjacent ring nearer the side of the tyre is of larger diameter than
the interior diameter of the said adjacent ring so that the said rings cannot be
displaced laterally. The U-shaped rings 1, arranged side by side, may be fixed
by wires to thick straps 3 of leather or like material, such straps passing round
pads or washers 8 (Figures 11 and 12) and secured to the rim 6 of the wheel by
nipples 18 to which the spokes of the wheel are attached.
The leather straps 3 are surrounded by metal or other bands 19 by means of
which the tension on the tyre may be regulated as required. Instead of U-shaped
resilient rings as described, rings of any other suitable section may be employed
such for example as shewn in Figure 13.
Instead of making a tyre of several separate rings 1 as herein before described
the said tyre may be formed of a single ring made in one piece or of several
pieces connected together by brazing or otherwise, the said ring being corrugated
so as to form circumferential grooves or a ridge and furrow surface. Figure 14
shews in plan a portion of a blank from which such a tyre is formed. The ring
may be formed by spinning or otherwise in one solid piece or it may be slotted
as shewn at 12 so as to form when corrugated a series of rings connected together
by the bridge pieces 13. The tyre thus formed as shewn in Figures 15 and 16
will preferably be provided with a tread 5 of rubber or other suitable material
which may be connected to the rim of the wheel by a number of short pieces of
tube 14 attached to the said ring by bands or straps 3 passing round the said short
tubes and made fast to the tread. The tubes 14 have transverse holes 15 therein,
through which holes, are passed the prongs 16 of staples 17, the said prongs being
screw threaded and onto which are screwed nipples 18 passed through holes in
the rim 6 of the wheel, the said nipples having heads which bear against the rim
so that by screwing these nipples onto the prongs of the staples the bands or
strips connected to the tread can be drawn tight to prevent lateral displace-
ment of the tyre.
The herein before described U-shaped rings may be bound together to form a
tyre by means of bands passed alternately over and under the adjacent rings the
adjacent bands being passed in opposite directions so as to bind the rings together.
According to another modification of this invention as illustrated by Figure 17
the tyre comprises a single ring 1 of springy metal such as steel enclosed in an
outer covering 4 of canvas or other suitable material secured to the rim or fellóe
of the wheel in any convenient manner, the edges of the said metal ring being
turned or curved inwards towards the rim of the wheel more or less as shewn 'in
Figures 17, 18 and 19 to prevent the covering being damaged by the edges of the
said ring, and the inwardly turned or curved edges may be split at suitable
distances apart throughout the circumference as shewn in Figures 20 and 21 so
as to increase the resiliency of the said rings.
Two or more such rings as last described may be arranged side by side as shewn
in Figures 22 and 23 so as to form a broad tread, in which case the adjacent
sides of the rings are not curved inwards and are of such depth as to prevent one
ring from riding upon another the outer sides of the outside rings being curved
as before described to prevent damage to the cover. Instead of a ring with
turned in edges as described a resilient endless metal band 1, as shewn in Figure 24
may have strips 1 of resilient metal arranged transversely on the band and secured
thereto by rivets or otherwise the ends of the strips which extend on each side of
the band 1 being turned or curved inwards towards the rim of the wheel to prevent
the canvas or other covering being injured.
Each metal ring 1 herein before described may be divided at one or more places
in the circumference, the adjacent ends of the divided parts lapping one over
the other and being connected together as shewn in Figure 25 by a spring 20
tending to expand the ring against the outer cover.
Figures 26 and 27 illustrate means according to our invention for securing the
outer covers of resilient tyres to the rims of wheels by means of partial rings of
wire or metallic cord 20* inserted in pockets or tubes formed in the two edges of

page_text: the cover 4, the ends of each partial ring being connected together by a spring or
springs 21 to form with the wire or cord a complete ring of such diameter that
when the rings are stretched over the edges into a recess or into recesses formed in
the rim of the wheel the strength of the spring or springs will be sufficient to hold
the cover in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In combination with a wheel, a resilient tyre of greater diameter than the
rim of the wheel body, two or more rings intermediate of said tyre and wheel
body and, closely encircling said rim, and flexible means for connecting said tyre
to said rings.
2. In combination with the rim of a wheel, a resilient metallic tyre of sufficiently
greater diameter than the rim of the wheel body to provide a free space between
said tyre and rim, two or more rings intermediate of said- tyre and rim and closely
encircling said rim and flexible textile means for connecting said metallic tyre
to said rings.
3. In combination with the rim of a wheel, a resilient metallic wheel tyre of
sufficiently greater diameter than the rim of the wheel body to provide a free
complete circumferential space between said tyre and rim; two or more rings
intermediate of said tyre and rim and closely encircling said rim, guy strips
formed of single strips of canvas, or the like, extending transversely of said tyre
and connecting same to said rings.
4. In combination with the rim of a wheel, a resilient metallic wheel tyre of
sufficiently greater diameter than the rim of the wheel body to provide a free
complete circumferential space between said tyre and rim; two or more rings
intermediate of said tyre and rim and closely encircling said rim, guy strips
formed of single strips of canvas or the like extending transversely of said tyre and
connecting same to said rings; and an independent tension device adapted to act
upon each of said guy strips substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described,
5. A wheel tyre composed of a number of resilient rings arranged side by side
and concentric with the wheel hub, a flexible binding or cover for the rings; guy
strips extending from the tyre to the rim of the wheel and formed of single strips
of canvas or the like slitted to allow portions thereof to extend in different direc-
tions, an outer cover for the whole and a tread of rubber or the like secured to such
outer cover substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
6. A wheel tyre composed of a number of resilient rings of semi-tubular cross
section arranged side by side and concentric with the wheel hub, a flexible bind-
ing or cover for the rings; guy strips extending from the tyre to the rim of the
wheel, and formed of single strips of canvas or the like, slitted to allow portions
thereof to extend in different directions an outer cover for the whole, and a tread
of rubber or the like secured to such outer cover for the purpose set forth.
7. A wheel tyre comprising a series of rings connected together at their adjacent
edges the said rings and connections being formed integral with one another,
and connected to the rim of the wheel by means of a series of tubular sections, a
staple having its legs screw threaded and taking through perforations in each of
said tubular sections, a pair of interiorly screw-threaded nipples taking through
the rim of the wheel and adapted to receive the ends of said screw-threaded
legs, for the purpose set forth.
8. In combination with the rim and spokes of a wheel, a tyre comprising a series
of rings, a nipple and washer mounted adjustably upon the said spokes, a strap
taking over and connected to the said rings and connected to said washer, for
the purpose set forth.
9. In combination with the rim of a wheel a resilient metallic wheel tyre of
greater diameter than the rim of the wheel the said tyre comprising a resilient

page_text: metal ring having the sides curved inwards towards the rim of the wheel, a cover
of flexible material enclosing the said ring and means for attaching the cover to
the rim of the wheel, substantially as herein described.
10. In combination with the rim of a wheel a resilient tyre of greater diameter
than the rim to leave a free complete circumferential space between the tyre and
the rim, the said tyre comprising a flat band or ring of resilient metal and
strips of resilient metal fixed transversely on the band or ring the ends of the
strips being curved inwards towards the rim of the wheel, a cover of flexible
material enclosing the tyre and means for connecting the cover to the rim of
the wheel, substantially as hereinbefore described.
11. In combination with the rim of a wheel a resilient tyre of greater diameter
than the rim of the wheel the said tyre comprising one or more rings of resilient
metal of partial tubular section each ring being divided transversely in one or
more places round the circumference the adjacent ends being lapped one over
the other or inserted one within the other and connected together by springs, a
cover enclosing the said ring or rings and means for attaching the cover to the
rim of the wheel, substantially as hereinbefore described.
12. In combination with the rim of a wheel a resilient tyre, a cover to enclose
the tyre, tubes formed in the edges of the cover, wires or metal cords inserted in
the tubes a spring connecting together the ends of each wire or cord and a recess
or recesses in the rim of the wheel to receive the edges of the cover and the wires
or cords and connecting springs, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 4th day of November 1898.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.