Improvements in Wheels for Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 14th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Cycles and other Vehicles.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of No. 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of
Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has
been communicated to me from abroad by Jacques Silbermann of 58 bis Chausée
d'Antin, Paris in the Republic of France) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to wheels for cycles and other vehicles and consists in an
improved construction of the tyres and rims as hereinafter explained.
According to this invention the wheels are provided with tyres of rubber or a
combination of rubber and canvas or any other suitable elastic material made in the
form of a semi-circle or U shape in transverse section and the rim of the wheel is
made with two circumferential grooves or channels for the reception of the two
edges of the Ushaped tyre. The tyre is sprung into position on the rim of the
wheel and is prevented from slipping or coming off by means of projections
preferably of triangular form provided in the side of the circumferential recesses in
the rim and engaging with corresponding depressions in the tyre.
The tyre is provided with a spring formed by a ring or hoop of steel or other
flexible material placed inside the tyre being retained in position by projections
formed in the inner surface of the latter. The form of this ring in transverse
section is preferably curved to correspond with the curve of the inner surface of the
tyre. Hollow spaces or cavities arranged at equal distances apart may be provided
in the tyre in order to diminish the mass of rubber and increase the resiliency and
oblique or other ribs or ridges may be formed upon the periphery or tread of
the tyre.
The recesses or grooves in the rim for the reception of the tyre are preferably
formed by folding each edge of the rim first inwards and then outwards so as to
form in transverse section two U shaped curves into which the two edges of the
U shaped tyre are inserted.
Dated the 8th day of July 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Cycles and other Vehicles.
1, JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has been com-
municated to me from abroad by Jacques Silbermann of 58 bis Chausée d'Antin
Paris in the Republic of France 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 wheels for cycles and other vehicles and consists in an
improved construction of the tyres and rims as hereinafter explained.
According to this invention the wheels are provided with tyres of rubber or a
combination of rubber and canvas or any other suitable elastic material made in
the form of a semicircle or U shape in transverse section, and the rim of the wheel
is made with two circumferential grooves or channels for the reception of the two
edges of the U-shaped tyre. The tyre is sprung into position on the rim of the

page_text: wheel and may be prevented from slipping or coming off by means of projections
preferably of triangular form provided in the sides of the circumferential channels
in the rim and engaging with corresponding depressions in the tyre.
The tyre is provided with a spring formed by a ring or hoop of steel or other
flexible material placed inside the tyre, being retained in position by projections
formed in the inner surface of the latter as will be hereinafter more fully
described.
The grooves or channels in the rim for the reception of the tyre are preferably
formed by folding each edge of the rim, first inwards and then outwards, so as to
form in transverse section two U-shaped curves into which the two edges of the
U-shaped tyre are inserted.
And in order that this invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the drawings represents a transverse section of one form of the wheel
rim and tyre constructed according to this invention;
Figure 2 shews a longitudinal section of part of the same along the line A. B
(Figure 1) and Figure 3 is a similar view of the tyre only shewing the recesses
which may be provided for securing it to the rim.
Figure 4 is a part side elevation of the rim and tyre and Figure 5 a diagrammatic
view of a bicycle, one of the wheels of which is made in accordance with the
present invention.
Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the drawings represent transverse sections of four forms
of the improved tyre, but the invention is not confined exclusively to the forms
here shewn.
The essential feature of the present invention consists in the employment of a
hollow tyre 1 of rubber, or a combination of rubber and canvas, or any other
suitable material, semi-circular or U shaped in transverse section as herein before
stated, and of any suitable thickness, inside which tyre is provided a spring 2
formed of a hoop of steel or other elastic material placed in the outer portion of
the space enclosed by the tyre. This construction involves neither the employment
of an air tube or chamber nor multiple casings or envelopes but consists simply of a
hollow tyre 1 having two internal annular projections 3 which serve to support the
spring ring 2.
As shewn in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings the edges of the tyre are
sprung into the circumferential grooves or cavities formed in the rim and may be
secured in position therein to prevent slipping by projections 5 formed on the rim
preferably of triangular shape, the said projections being caused to fit into corre-
sponding depressions 6 (Figure 3) formed alternately on the internal and external
surfaces of the tyre. In Figures 6 and 7 the spring ring 2 instead of having a
curved form in transverse section as in Figure 1 is made rectangular or flat and
instead of being firmly held in contact with the inside of the periphery of the tyre
by projections as shewn in Figure 1 is capable of being deflected to a certain extent
before coming in contact with the projections 3. 3. In this manner the spring
ring 2 bends more freely under the influence of slight shocks or concussions due to
unevenness of the roads, and with shocks of a more violent nature the ring is
sufficiently bent to come in contact with the projections 3. 3 formed on the inner
surface of the tyre and thus transmits the shocks to the side walls of the tyre;
which are made sufficiently thick to resist or absorb the concussions. The tyre so
constructed has, therefore, two degrees of elasticity one for relatively feeble shocks
and the other for more violent ones. In order to prevent the edges of the rim 4 of
the wheel coming in contact with the ground owing to the flattening or compression
of the tyre and the inclination of the wheel when passing around curves, this tyre
is made deep compared with its breadth. The tyre is secured to the rim either by
forcing the free ends into the circumferential grooves as in Figure 6 or by providing
in addition a number of holes in the inner wall of each of the grooves in which

page_text: holes the material of the tyre penetrates thereby forming studs 6 which prevent
the tyre slipping around the rim.
The tyre may also be secured to the rim 4 by giving the latter one of the
transverse profiles shewn in Figures 8 and 9 in which cases the edges of the tyre
are firmly held either by continuous projections or flanges 6 (Figure 8) or by a
beading 6 (Figure 9) of circular section which exactly fills the circumferential
grooves in the rim.
Hollow spaces or cavities arranged at equal distances apart may be provided in
the tyre in order to diminish the mass of rubber and increase the resiliency and
oblique or other ribs or ridges may be formed upon the periphery or tread of
the tyre.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
An elastic tyre for wheels of velocipedes or other vehicles consisting essentially
of a bollow casing of rubber, or a combination of rubber and canvas, or any other
suitable elastic material, provided internally with a spring consisting of a ring or
hoop of steel or other flexible material of curved or flat section and supported or
not on internal projections on the tyre, the said hollow casing or tyre being secured
to the metal rim of the wheel by means substantially as described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of February 1894.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.