Improvements in and connected with Elastic Tyres for the Wheels of Bicycles and other Velocipedes and Road Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 12th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 12th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Elastic Tyres for the Wheels
of Bicycles and other Velocipedes and Road Vehicles.
We, GEORGE ERNEST LANCELOTT, of 49, Tenby Street North, Birmingham,
Warwickshire, Manufacturer, and ALFRED CHARLES THOMAS, of 58, Lodge
Road, Birmingham, aforesaid, Designer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed Improvements in and connected
with Elastic Tyres for the Wheels of Bicycles and other Velocipedes and Road
Vehicles.
According to one method of constructing an elastic tyre according to this
invention we stretch and fix across the hollow trough of the wheel rim a number
of stout india rubber rings or strips of india rubber close or almost close together
side by side all round the wheel rim thus forming an elastic surface stretched
across the trough of the wheel rim. Stretched around the wheel and resting on
the elastic surface thus formed is the india rubber tyre proper either solid or
hollow and of round, oval or other convenient shape in cross section that surface
of the tyre proper which comes in contact with the elastic surface being by
preference made flat to bear upon the elastic surface. To keep the tyre proper in
position on the elastic surface there may be loops formed of tape vulcanized in the
tyre proper or there may be holes therein through which some of the said india
rubber rings or strips forming the elastic surface are threaded or the india rubber
tyre proper may be laced or cemented or otherwise fixed or attached to the said
elastic surface. It will be seen that the tyre proper is as it were suspended by
the elastic surface from the sides of the trough of the rim thus making the tyre
very resilient.
Various means may be adopted for fixing the said elastic surface to the trough
of the wheel rim for instance when we form the said elastic surface of india rubber
rings as above described these rings are by preference fixed to the trough of the
wheel rim by being stretched on to buttons or studs fixed to and projecting from
the outside of the rim at each side thereof, the outer edges of the trough being
well rounded off so as not to cut the rubber; or the rubber rings may be secured
by lacing round the rim; or when the elastic surface is formed of strips of rubber
these may be threaded through holes in the rim or laced round the said studs.
When any of the india rubber rings or other portions forming the elastic surface
become worn or damaged they can readily be removed and replaced by new ones
without disturbing the others or removing the tyre proper from the wheel. Instead
of the elastic surface being stretched across the outer portion or mouth of the
trough of the rim as above described the elastic surface may be stretched across
within the trough when the sides of the trough will then serve to hold the tyre
proper in place.
Or instead of constructing the tyre as above described we may make the elastic
surface of a thin india rubber membrane which is stretched over the trough of the
rim all round the wheel and there secured by lacing or by side wires or by other
meaus, the india rubber tyre proper resting on this elastic surface as above
described; or the tyre proper may be formed in a piece with the said membrane
which latter then forms flanges at each side; or the elastic surface on which the
india rubber tyre proper rests may be formed of coiled wire springs stretched across
D

page_text: the trough of the wheel rim either diagonally or at right angles to the same and
fixed thereto as above described.
Dated this 9th day of June 1893.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Elastic Tyres for the Wheels
of Bicycles and other Velocipedes and Road Vehicles.
We, GEORGE ERNEST LANCELOTT, of 49, Tenby Street North, Birmingham,
Warwickshire, Manufacturer, and ALFRED CHARLES THOMAS, of 58 Lodge
Road, Birmingham, aforesaid, Designer, 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 consists of the hereindescribed Improvements in and connected
with Elastic Tyres for the Wheels of Bicycles and other Velocipedes and Road
Vehicles. According to this invention the tyre proper is as hereinafter described
suspended by an elastic surface from the sides of the trough section wheel rim
thus making a very resilient tyre which will maintain its resiliency in wear and as
it does not require to be inflated it cannot be damaged by puncture.
We will describe this invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a wheel rim and elastic tyre constructed
according to this invention; Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of the same; Fig. 3 is a
cross section of the same;
Fig. 4 is a cross section of the same shewing the behaviour of the tyre when the
wheel is supporting a weight;
Fig. 5 shews separately one of the fastenings for the indiarubber rings forming
the elastic surface of the tyre as hereinafter described;
Fig. 6 is a side elevation and Fig. 7 is a cross section of a modified form of our
invention;
Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 each represent in cross section a further modification of our
invention and
Fig. 12 shews the tyre Fig. 11 when detached from the wheel rim.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
By one method of constructing an elastic tyre according to this invention as
illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, we stretch and fix across the hollow trough of
the wheel rim A a number of stout indiarubber rings marked B close or almost
close together side by side all round the wheel rim A thus forming an elastic
surface stretched across the trough of the wheel rim These elastic rings B are by
preference attached to the wheel rim A by means of wire loops C which are
threaded through the elastic rings B and made with angularly bent ends c' which
engage in grooves or channels a¹ a² formed in the sides of the trough section wheel
rim A as shewn and running all round the wheel rim so that the wire loops C
supporting any of the rings B can readily be removed and replaced when the
rings B or one or more of them have to be renewed. This method of attaching
the indiarubber rings B to the trough section wheel rim A is what we find to
answer best in practice but it will be evident that the indiarubber rings might be
attached to the trough section wheel rim A by other means without departing
from the nature of our invention. Stretched around the wheel rim A and resting
on the elastic surfaces formed by the indiarubber rings B we fix the indiarubber
tyre proper D which may be either solid, as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, or hollow
and of round oval or other convenient shape in cross section, that surface d' of the
tyre proper which comes in contact with the elastic surface formed by the rings B

page_text: being by preference made flat as shewn so as to bear upon the elastic surface and
afford a large area against the rings B for fixing the tyre D thereto which is by
preference done with cement.
It will be seen that the tyre proper D is as it were suspended by the elastic
surface formed by the rings B from the sides of the trough of the rim A thus
making the tyre very resilient. When any of the indiarubber rings B forming the
elastic surface become worn or damaged they can, by disconnecting the wire
loops C from the grooves a¹ a², readily be removed and replaced by new ones
without disturbing the other rings B or removing the tyre proper D from the
wheel.
Instead of making the elastic surface of the tyre by indiarubber rings B as
above described and shewn by Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 the said elastic surface may be
formed of a thin indiarubber membrane which is stretched over the trough of the
rim all round the wheel and there secured by lacing or by side wires or by other
means the indiarubber tyre proper D resting on and being secured to this elastic
surface as above described. Or the tyre proper may be formed in a piece with the
said membrane which latter then forms flanges at each side for securing to the
wheel rim. Various forms of tyres made in this way with an elastic membrane
stretched across the trough section wheel rim and to which the tyre proper is fixed
or formed are illustrated on the accompanying drawings by Figs. 6, 7, 8 9 10, 11
and 12. In the form shewn by Figs. 6 and 7 d² is the elastic membrane to which
the tyre proper D is fixed. It will be seen that this elastic membrane d² is rather
wider than the trough section rim A and is made with eyelet holes d³ at certain
distances apart through which laces E are threaded and laced round the rim A
and pulled up tight so as to stretch the membrane d³ tightly across the trough A.
The tyre proper D is either made separate from the membrane d' and fixed thereto
by cement or by other means or and this is what we prefer the tyre proper D is.
formed in a piece with the membrane d². In those portions of the membrane d²
where the eyelets are canvas may be inserted in the rubber so as to strengthen the
same as this will not affect the resiliency of the portion of the membrane 2 which
is stretched across the wheel rim.
The arrangement shewn by Fig. 8 is similar to that shewn by Figs. 6 and 7
except that the tyre proper D is made hollow with a small hole running all
through the same so as to lighten the tyre proper D and add somewhat to its.
resiliency.
In the modification shewn by Fig. 9 the membrane d' is formed in a piece with
the tyre proper D and is made with a groove & running all round the tyre so that
the canvas insertion de can be carried right across the membrane from side to side
and round the groove as shewn. It will be seen that by arranging the canvas de
in a loop in this way it does not affect the resiliency of the membrane d².
Fig. 10 shews the membrane d2 with its tyre proper D secured to the trough
section wheel rim A by wires FF' inserted in the edges of the membrane d
which edges are thickened and fit in channels a³ a' formed round the sides of the
trough section wheel rim A. This form of wheel rim A is well known and this
method of securing the membrane d² to the wheel rim by the wires F1 F2 is similar
to the method at present employed for securing the outer covering of a pneumatic
tyre to the wheel rim. It is to be understood that the membrane d' is made some-
what narrower than will reach from the groove a³ to the groove a' so that when
the wires FF' are pulled up tight round the wheel rim and their ends fastened
by any of the well known methods the elastic membrane d2 will be stretched tightly
across the trough of the wheel rim A.
In the arrangement shewn by Figs. 11 and 12 the membrane d² with which the
tyre proper D is formed is made with cross ribs d' extending across the same at
the back from side to side so that the wire loops C can be looped round these cross
ribs to secure the sides of the membrane d² to the sides of the trough section rim A
as shewn in Fig. 11. Fig. 12 shews a portion of the combined tyre proper D and
membrane d with its cross ribs d' when removed from the wheel rim A.

page_text: The arrangements herein before described and shewn upon our drawings are
what we consider to be the best for carrying our invention into practice but it is
to be understood that these may be modified somewhat without departing from the
nature of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said iuven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In combination with the trough section rim of a wheel for bicycles or other
velocipedes or road vehicles the hereindescribed improved construction of elastic
tyre consisting of a solid or hollow indiarubber tyre proper fixed to or formed with
elastic cross rings or with an elastic membrane stretched across and around the
trough of the wheel rim and fixed to the sides of the trough so that the tyre proper
is as it were suspended by the said rings or membrane from the sides of and around
the trough of the wheel rim, substantially as herein before set forth.
2. The hereindescribed improved construction of elastic tyre for the trough
section rims of the wheels of bicycles and other velocipedes and road vehicles the
said tyre consisting of a solid or hollow indiarubber tyre proper made with an
elastic membrane adapted to be stretched across and around the trough of the
wheel rim and to be secured thereto in any of the several ways substantially as
herein before set forth.
3. In combination with the trough section rim of a wheel for bicycles or other
velocipedes or road vehicles, the employment of a solid or hollow indiarubber tyre
proper D fixed to or formed with elastic cross rings B stretched across and
extending around the trough of the wheel rim and fixed to the sides of the trough
by wire loops C so that the tyre proper is as it were suspended by the said cross
rings B from the sides of and round the trough of the wheel rim substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. In combination with the trough section rim of a wheel for bicycles or other
velocipedes or road vehicles, the employment of a solid or hollow indiarubber tyre
proper D fixed to or formed with an elastic membrane d² stretched across and
around the trough of the wheel rim and fixed to the sides of the trough by laces E
so that the tyre proper is as it were suspended by the said membrane from the
sides of and round the trough of the wheel rim, substantially as herein before
described and illustrated by Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In combination with the trough section rim of a wheel for bicycles or other
velocipedes or road vehicles, the employment of a solid or hollow indiarubber
tyre proper D fixed to or formed with an elastic membrane d² stretched across and
around the trough of the wheel rim and fixed to the sides of the trough by side
wires FF so that the tyre proper is as it were suspended by the said membrane
from the sides of and around the trough of the wheel rim substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by Fig. 10 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In combination with the trough section rim of a wheel for bicycles or other
velocipedes or road vehicles, the employment of a solid or hollow indiarubber tyre
proper D fixed to or formed with an elastic membrane d' stretched across and
around the trough of the wheel rim and fixed to the sides of the trough by wire
loops C engaging in cross ribs d' at the back of the membrane so that the tyre
proper is as it were suspended by the said membrane from the sides of and round
the trough of the wheel rim substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by Figures 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of March 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.