Improvements in or relating to Tyres and Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles, Road Vehicles such as Cabs, Gigs, Broughams, Vans, Bath Chairs, and other like Machines and Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Tyres and Wheels of Bicycles,
Tricycles, Road Vehicles such as Cabs, Gigs, Broughams, Vans,
Bath Chairs, and other like Machines and Vehicles.
I, ROBERT HEAP SOUTHALL, of 57; Haddon Road, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the tyres and wheels of bicycles,
tricycles, road vehicles, such as cabs, gigs, broughams, vans, bath chairs, and
other like machines and vehicles.
Its object is to provide a tyre which is attached or hung to its rim by means
of a series of springs-formed out of one or a number of springs, so as to possess
all the advantages and resiliency of a pneumatic tyre, without being so liable to
be punctured.
According to this invention the rim of the wheel may be made in any suitable
form but preferably with a flat periphery and sides at or about a right angle.
thereto. To each of the flat sides of the rim is fixed, by any suitable means, a
flange, which is made to project a suitable distance beyond, that is, above, the
periphery of the rim.
Between the flanges is inserted a ring of any suitable material, such as, say,
metal, or wood, and thickness, which forms the tyre. The said ring, forming the
tyre, is of larger diameter than the rim, and it may or may not be covered on
the outside thereof with a ring of india rubber of any suitable section to form
the tread.
Around the periphery of the rim, and between the flanges may be placed either
a band or ring of, say, india rubber, or steel, of any suitable thickness, flexibility,
and the same, or nearly so, width as the rim, to form a series of springs, or in
place thereof a series of helical or other springs may be interposed between the
rim and ring forming the tyre, arranged at an angle to each other and at, say,
a tangent to the periphery of the rim. When a rubber band or ring is used it is
fastened or fixed by any convenient means, such as set screws, at a predetermined
number of points, say, equidistant apart, to the rim. The band or ring, at or
about the centre thereof between each two points so fixed to the rim is raised,
and fixed or attached by any convenient means such as, say, set screws, to the
inner periphery of the ring, forming the tyre. When coiled or other springs are
employed, in place of the band or ring, they are fixed between the rim and the
ring, forming the tyre, in a slanting direction both as regards each other and to
the rim.
By the means herein described the rim is suspended by a series of springs from
the ring, forming the tyre, all of which springs are arranged to draw the rim
towards the said ring, and, by so suspending the rim, all the advantages and

page_text: resiliency of a pneumatic tyre is obtained without it being liable to become
punctured.
Datad this Ninotoanth day of October 1807
ROBERT HEAP SOUTHALL,
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.
Improvements in or relating to Tyres and Wheels of Bicycles,
Tricycles, Road Vehicles such as Cabs, Gigs, Broughams, Vans,
Bath Chairs,, and other like Machines and Vehicles.
I, ROBERT HEAP SOUTHALL, formerly of 57, Haddon Road, Leeds, in the County
of York, but now of 22, Chestnut Avenue, Hyde Park, Leeds aforesaid, Engineer,
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 improvements in the tyres and wheels of bicycles,
tricycles, road vehicles, such as cabs, gigs, broughams, vans, bath chairs, and
other like machines and vehicles.
Hitherto wheels used for the above machines or vehicles have either been con-
structed with the tyre thereof mounted directly on the rim to which the hub is
attached by means of the spokes. Or when the tyre has been mounted upon a
separate rim springs under compression have been interposed between the two
rims, the necessary resiliency in this latter case being obtained by the compression
of the said springs.
Now the object of this invention is the suspension of the rim of the wheel to
which the spokes and hub are attached,-hereafter termed the centre rim,--from
a second ring or rim, hereafter termed the tyre rim, upon which the tyre of the
wheel is mounted. Such means of suspension taking the form, say, of a series of
springs constructed as hereafter described and arranged by their tension to draw
the centre rim, to which the spokes and hub are attached, towards the tyre rim,
and by so suspending the centre rim, all the advantages and resiliency of a
pneumatic tyre are obtained without the tyre being so liable to become punctured.
I attain these objects by the arrangement illustrated in the accompanying
drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wheel constructed according to this invention.
Fig. 2 a sectional elevation on line xx Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 a part sectional elevation of wheel provided with side flanges.
Fig. 4 a side elevation of a bicycle with wheels constructed according to this
invention.
Fig. 5 an enlarged transverse section of a detail.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
A is the framework, B the handle bar and fork, C the saddle, D the pedals, E
the driving chain working over the chain wheels F, all of which parts are of the
usual and ordinary construction.
The wheels are constructed as follows: -
G is the hub of the wheel provided with the usual central hole g for mounting
it upon the axle of the machine or vehicle in the usual and ordinary manner. The
hub G is adjustably or otherwise connected to the centre rim H by the spokes I

page_text: by any convenient method, such as for example, say, by screwing. The centre
rim H is preferably, though not necessarily so, rectangular in cross section.
J is the flexible tyre rim which may, or may not, be suitably grooved on its
outer periphery for receiving the tyre, whilst its inner periphery is preferably,
though not necessarily so, made at or about, say, a right angle to its sides. The
diameter of the inner periphery of the tyre rim J is greater than the outer peri-
phery of the centre rim H.
The tyre K, which is mounted upon the outer periphery of the tyre rim J
in any convenient manner,-may be formed of a band or ring of india rubber of
any suitable or desired shape in cross section, such as for example, say, rectangular,
circular, either solid or hollow, or a combination of the two; or if so desired a
pneumatic tyre may be employed. But I have found that satisfactory results may
be obtained from the use of a circular solid rubber tyre.
In the space-varying from, say, one inch upwards-between the inner peri-
phery of the tyre rim J and outer periphery of the centre rim H is arranged a
series of springs L formed out of a band of any flexible and expanding material,
such as, say, rubber of any suitable thickness, flexibility, and preferably, though
not necessarily so, rectangular in cross section. The said band may be either in
one piece, or made up in a number of sections of any convenient length or lengths,
and of the same width or nearly so, as that of the rims H and J. The said rubber
band, whether formed in one continuous piece or strip, or in sections, is first
fastened or fixed, at any predetermined number of points, say, for example,
thirty-two, more or less, equidistant apart, loosely to the outer periphery of the
centre rim H.
After the band has been fixed, as described, the portion thereof between each
two points of fixture is raised, looplike, drawn taut, and fixed to the inner periphery
of the tyre rim J at a point centrally between the two points of fixture on the
central rim H, thereby forming a couple of springs L at tension, and at an angle
to each other, and more or less at a tangent to the periphery of the central rim H.
Or the springs L may be arranged nearly parallel to each other. Each successive
portion of the band is then similarly fixed to the tyre rim J until the whole band
is fixed in position, whereby the central rim H is firmly held in suspension by
the taut tension springs L, and retained in a central position to the tyre K. The
action of each two springs L is to draw that portion of the central rim H towards
the tyre rim J, whilst the springs directly opposite are pulling in a contrary
direction.
A convenient method of fixing the band L respectively to the peripheries of
the central rim H and tyre rim J is as follows:-
At each point of connection the band L may be wrapped with a piece of, say,
canvas M, as shown in enlarged cross section at Fig. 5 to preserve it from damage,
and the rubber and canvas are fixed securely to the said rim by a set screw N
passing through a clamping plate 0.
If desired a flange P may be fixed to each side of the central rim H by, say,
set screws, and arranged to project a suitable distance on to the tyre rim J for
covering the space between the rims H and J and in which the springs L are
fixed.
The central rim H and tyre rim J may be formed of metal, wood, or other
suitable material of any required thickness and flexibility.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
:-
1. In a wheel substantially as herein described and illustrated, the combination
of a hub connected by spokes to a central rim, a flexible tyre rim of larger diameter
than the central rim to provide a space between the said two rims, and a tyre
seated upon the said flexible tyre rim, with a series of tension springs formed out

page_text: of a rubber band or in sections by fixing the band or sections at equidistant
points respectively to the central rim and flexible tyre rim for suspending the
latter from the former substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of a rubber tyre seated upon a flexible rim with a second
rim of smaller diameter-armed with flanges on each side thereof―suspended
from the larger rim by a rubber band or in sections, fixed to the smaller rim at
equidistant points and attached by loops of said rubber band forming a series of
tension springs, said loops being securely fixed to the inner periphery of the
flexible tyre rim substantially as set forth and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this Eighteenth day of July 1898.