Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Oct.. 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 17th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles and other Vehicles.
1, DANIEL BAIRD WESSON, of Springfield, County of Hampden and State of
Massachusetts. United States of America. Manufacturer, residing at 132 High Street
in said Springfield, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to wheels for vehicles, and more particularly to those for
bicycles, velocipedes etc., the object being to provide a vehicle wheel of improved
construction as regards the felly, and the rim or tire thereof, whereby a wheel is pro-
uced having a yielding or spring tire, and the invention consists in the peculiar
construction and arrangement of the felly and tire of the wheel, and intermediately
operating spring-devices, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the
claims.
The said vehicle wheel consists of a suitable hub of metal, preferably, a felly con-
sisting of metallic strips secured side by side by rivets or suitable fastenings, having
formed there between a series of circular openings or sockets separated from each
other according to the separation of the ends of the spokes at the felly.
In each of said sockets in the felly is placed a metallic cup of light sheet-metal
construction, having a rim around its open end which bears against the outer edge of
the felly and serves to hold the cup in its socket. The bottom of each of said cups
is perforated to receive a hollow nut the head of which rests on the bottom of the
cup and its opposite end projects through said bottom towards the hub of the wheel.
One end of the spokes of the wheel which consist of metal rods are engaged with
said hollow nuts, and the opposite ends of the spokes are secured to the hub of the
wheel in any well-known, suitable manner.
In each of said cups is placed a spiral spring resting on the bottom thereof and
extending considerably beyond the open end of the cup.
An inverted metallic cup is placed over the end of each one of said springs, and its
open end enters the cup in the felly whereby said second-mentioned cup has a piston-
like motion within the cup in the felly against the spring enclosed by the two cups.
A tire for the wheel is made preferably from sheet steel of substantially inverted
U-shape in cross-section, or nearly semicircular, and it conforms to the curvature of
the outer ends of said cups which have said piston-like movement within the cups in
the felly, upon which said tiro has its sole bearing.
The borders of said tire thus extend towards the outer edge of the felly, but care
is taken that there shall be left an opening between the felly and the tire entirely
around the wheel and continuous excepting where it is interrupted by the cups against
which the tire rests, the purpose of said opening, or clear space between the felly and
the tire, being to prevent the accumulation of dirt there between so that if any should
temporarily lodge there it would quickly be shaken out by the rotation of the wheel
and the constant movement of the tire towards and from the felly under the action of
the load on the wheel, and of said springs.
The force of the springs above named, is so graduated to the load which the wheel
is to support that a maximum load will not bring the borders of the tire quite to the
edge of the felly, and thereby the tire is constantly held in suspension on said spring
actuated caps, and the latter support the tire against any lateral movement.
The above construction provides a vehicle wheel which is entirely free from the
constant shock and vibrations pertaining to a wheel having a rigid tire or one of
ordinary rubber secured to the rim of a bicycle, or other wheel.
Dated this 14th day of October 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles and other Vehicles.
I, DANIEL BAIRD WESSON, of 132 High Street in the City of Springfield,
Hampden County and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer,
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 vehicles, and more particularly to those for
bicycles, velocipedes, etc., the object being to provide a vehicle wheel of improve.i
construction as regards the felly, and the rim or tire thereof, whereby a wheel is pr
duced having a yielding or spring tire, and the invention consists in the peculiar
construction and arrangement of the felly and tire of the wheel, and intermediately
operating spring-devices, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the
claims.
In the drawing forming part of this Specification,
Figure is a side elevation of a vehicle wheel, partly in section and having
portion of the tire broken away constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a section of the folly and the tire of the
wheel, and other detail parts thereof hereinafter fully described.
Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating a section of the felly and detail parts of
the wheel which are fully described below.
In the drawing, A is the hub of the wheel, of any ordinary suitable metallic con-
struction, and c, are the spokes of the wheel, preferably of metallic construction and
in the form of cylindrical rods, the inner ends of which are rigidly connected to the
hub in any suitable manner.
B indicates the felly of the wheel, consisting of two metallic strips, 3, 3, (sec
Figures 2 and 3) said strips being secured side by side by rivets 4, passing there-
through or by other similar suitable means, and having formed there between a series
of circular openings, or sockets, 5. The preferable way of constructing said felly is,
to make each of the strips, 3, with its requisite half-round portions therein which
constitute the sides of said openings, and bend said strip to the proper circular form,
and then secure said strips side by side as shown, and finally unite the ends
thereof by securing a metal strap or straps, 6, on one or both sides of the said
ends by rivets or screws passing therethrough, or the ends of the felly may be
united by welding or brazing.
The said openings, 5, through the felly consist of a number corresponding to
that of the number of spokes in the wheel, and into each of said openings or
sockets, 5, is placed a metallic cup, 7, preferably of light sheet metal construction,
having a laterally projecting rim, 8, thereon which bears on the outer edge of the
felly on the border of the opening 5. The bottom of said cup, 7, is perforated
to allow of passing therethrough the end of a tubular nut, 9, having a bead
thereon, as shown in Figure 2, which engages with the inner side of the bottom
of said cup, said nut, 9, having a screw engagement with the outer end of the
spoke, c, whereby the requisite tensile strain is imparted to each spoke and the
cup is drawn toward the hub of the wheel, and tightly against the felly, thereby
putting the requisite strain upon the wheel, between the hub A, and the felly.
In each of said cups, 7, is placed a spiral spring, 10, of a length considerably in
excess of the depth of said cup, 7, and over said spring is placed a second cup, 12,
whose open end enters the said cup 7, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2. Thus the
said cup 12, has a telescopic connection with said cup, 7, and is adapted to have a
movement into said latter named cup against the resistance of said spring, 10, and to
be thrown outwardly from said cup, 7, by the reaction of said spring.
A tire, D, for the within described wheel, is made preferably from sheet steel in the
form clearly shown in Figure 2, that is to say, its outward portion is substantially
semicircular in. cross-section, and conforms to the curvature of the outer ends of

page_text: said cups, 12, and is adapted to have its bearing solely thereon. The borders, o, of said
tire extend towards the felly B, but care is taken that there shall be left an opening, =,
between the felly B, and the tire D, all around the wheel, said opening being con-
tinuous, excepting where it is interrupted by the said cups, 12. The purpose of said
opening,, or clear space between the felly and tire is, to prevent the accumulation of
dirt therebetween, it being obvious that if any should temporarily lodge there it would
almost immediately be shaken out by reason of the rotation of the wheel and the
constant movement of the tire towards and from the felly under the action of the load
on the wheel and of said springs.
Said tire, B, is made continuous for the whole of its circumference, and is produced,
preferably, by drawing a strip of metal through properly shaped dies to give it the
proper form, (or by other suitable means,) and then bending it to circular form and
brazing the meeting ends thereof.
The said cups, 12, are thrown outward to their normal position, as shown in
Figures 1 and 2, and held against the tire, D, by the action of the springs, 10, therein,
and a pressure upon the wheel-tire forces the latter against the ends of certain of said
cups, 12, forcing them endwise into the cups, 7, and against the springs, 10, the
latter re-acting as soon as the pressure upon that part of the tire ceases and throwing
the tire from the felly.
In practice, the force of the springs, 10, is so graduated to the load which the wheel
is to support, that the maximum load will not so far move the tire towards the felly
as to bring the borders of the tire to a line with the outer edge of the latter, and
thereby the tire is constantly held in suspension on said spring-actuated cups, 12,
and the latter have such a firm engagement with the cups, 7, in the felly, that
they provide ample support against any lateral movement of the tire relative to the
felly.
The wheel thus constructed comprises mechanism as described, whereby that portion
of the tire which hears upon the ground and upon which the weight of the load
acts, is spring-supported, for it acts constantly against certain of the springs, 10,
which are contained within the said cups of the felly, B. By this construction a
wheel having a yielding, or spring-tire is provided which renders the vehicle on
which the wheel may be used an easy riding one and entirely free from the con-
stant shocks and vibrations pertaining to a wheel having either a tire rigid upon
the felly, or an ordinary rubber tire secured to the rim or felly of a wheel, in
the usual manner of constructing the wheels of bicycles and similar vehicles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A vehicle wheel having a felly provided with a series of cup-sockets therein,
a pair of cups in each of said sockets, one cup having a fixed engagement with
the felly and with one of the spokes of the wheel, and the other having a telescopic
movement within said first named cup, a spring within said cups acting to move
one thereof outwardly, and a tire encircling said felly and cups and engaged by
said movable cups, combined and operating substantially as set forth.
2. A vehicle wheel having spoke-connections with the tire thereof consisting of
cups placed in sockets in said tire, having rims thereon engaging with the outer edge
of said tire, and beaded tubular nuts engaging the bottom of said cups and the outer
ends of the wheel-spokes, combined with springs inserted in said cups, other cups
receiving the outer ends of said springs and having spring-restrained telescopic move-
ments within said first named cups, and a tire encircling said felly and engaged by
said telescopically moving cups, substantially as set forth.
3. A vehicle wheel having a felly in which is formed a series of cup-sockets, a cup
resting in each of said sockets having its open end outward, a cup having its open end
entering each of first named cups and having a telescopic movement therein, a spring
interposed between each pair of said cups, and a tire encircling said cups and

page_text: engaged by said telescopically moving ones, combined and operating substantially
as set forth.
Dated this 16th day of December 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings. London, W.C.. Agents for the Applicant.