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

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th July, 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles and other Vehicles.
We, GEORGE WASHINGTON SMILEY, Gentleman, and FOREST WILLIAM
DUNLAP, Engineer, both of 26, Coventry Street, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
This invention relates to wheels for bicycles and other vehicles and has for its
object whilst constructing the wheel wholly on the tensional principle to obtain the
advantages of an inflated tyre without its liability to injury, by applying an inflated
elastic cushion between the hub of the wheel and the tyre which comes in contact
with the ground in such manner that whilst the whole of the strains are trans-
mitted through tensional spokes the construction and arrangement is such that the
cushion is free to absorb vibrations without affecting the lateral stiffness and
stability of the wheel by its elastic action.
The rigid frame of the wheel is constructed in the ordinary way so far as the
rim spokes and hub are concerned, but instead of a pneumatic or other tyre there
is received within the hollow of the rim a second rim to which a solid tyre is
applied, this second rim being free to move in the plane of the wheel between the
cheeks of the first but not otherwise, sufficient play being allowed between the two
rims, which are both of n-section, for this play of the outer rim.
The pneumatic cushion is of annular form and encircles the hub, the cushion
lying either immediately around the hub or around a seat surrounding the hub and
formed by a rim braced to the two flanges of the hub by tensional spokes. Upon
the outer circumference of this cushion is seated another rim hollowed in cross-
section to conform to the cushion and braced by tensional spokes to the outer
movable wheel rim above referred to, the said spokes passing through slots in the
rigid wheel rim so as to permit the play of the outer rim and its spokes necessary
to allow the cushion to absorb vibrations.
The tyre of the outer wheel rim is connected to the inner wheel rim by a strip
or sheath of rubber which may be cemented to the tyre and to the inner or fixed
wheel rim so as to cover the joint between the fixed and movable wheel rims, or
whose edges may be sprung into engagement with the flanged edges of the inner
wheel rim suitably formed for detachably retaining the sheath without the use
of cement.
Dated this 5th day of Datahar 1802
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles and other Vehicles.
We, GEORGE WASHINGTON SMILEY Gentleman and FOREST WILLIAM
DUNLAP Engineer both of 26 Coventry Street in the County of Middlesex, 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 wheels for bicycles and other vehicles and has for its

page_text: object whilst constructing the wheel wholly on the tensional principle to obtain the
advantages of an inflated tyre without its liability to injury by applying an inflated
elastic cushion between the hub of the wheel and the tyre which comes in contact
with the ground in such a manner that whilst the whole of the strains are trans-
mitted through tensional spokes the construction and arrangement are such that
the cushion is free to absorb vibrations without affecting the lateral stiffness and
stability of the wheel by its elastic action.
Upon the accompanying sheet of drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel constructed in accordance with our
invention
Figure 2 being a transverse section through the same and
Figure 3 an enlarged section through the rim.
The rigid frame of the wheel is constructed in the ordinary way so far as the
rim A, spokes B, and hub C are concerned but instead of a pneumatic or other
tyre there is received within the hollow of the rim A a second rim D to which a
solid tyre E is applied, this second rim D being free to move in the plane of the
wheel between the cheeks of the first but not otherwise, sufficient play being
allowed between the two rims A and D, which are both of U-section for this play
of the outer rim.
The pneumatic cushion F is of annular form and encircles the hub C, the cushion
lying either immediately around the hub or around a seat surrounding the hub and
formed by a rim G braced to the two flanges c c of the hub by tensional
spokes H.
Upon the outer circumference of this cushion F is seated another
rim hollowed in cross section to conform to the cushion and braced by tensional
spokes K to the outer movable wheel rim D above referred to, the said spokes
passing through slots a in the rigid wheel rim A, so as to permit the play of the
outer rim D and its spokes K necessary for the purpose of allowing the cushion F
to absorb vibrations.
The tyre E of the outer wheel rim D is connected to the inner wheel rim by a
strip or sheath of rubber L which may be cemented to the tyre, and to the inner
or fixed wheel rim A so as to cover the joint, between the fixed and movable wheel
rims A and D or whose edges may be sprung into engagement with the flanged
edges of the inner wheel rim suitably formed for detachably retaining the sheath
without the use of cement.
We may form the inner rim D of a U or channel section and we may arrange
for the rim I which bears upon the pneumatic cushion F to be made in two or
more sections, and enclose the same within an outer rim I¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a wheel for velocipedes and other vehicles the use of an independent
movable rim or tyre D supported within a fixed rim A by a series of movable
spokes K auxiliary to those which support the rim operating through openings or
slots a formed in the fixed rim A and supported upon a pneumatic or hollow elastic
cushion Fas and for the purposes described.
2. Wheels for velocipedes and other vehicles constructed combined and arranged
substantially as described and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Twenty-eighth day of July 1894.