Improvements in Spring Metal Tires, applicable to the Wheels of Bicycles, Carriages, Carts, Motor Cars, or any Road Vehicle.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 15th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 19th Feb., 1898
TRUVDIVNAD
Improvements in Spring Metal Tires, applicable to the Wheels
of Bicycles, Carriages, Carts, Motor Cars, or any Road Vehicle.
I, ALFRED HENRY HUTH, of Bolney House, Ennismore Gardens, in the County of
Middlesex, Esquire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to a spring metal resilient tire, applicable to the wheels of
bicycles, carriages, carts, motor cars, or any road vehicle.
It consists of a series of flat steel or other metal bands of a section such as shownt
by the annexed drawing, arranged side by side around the periphery of the wheel.
The hands form a series of shoes made either rounded or square at the base where
they run on the road, with a space of about one eighth of an inch between each or
such distance as their strength and the weight of the vehicle they support requires,
so that when compressed they do not. jam each other. When they are of rounded
form I apply a stretcher of flexible metal as shown in order to prevent them from
turning sideways. When this stretcher is used the shoes may also be fixed on the
outside of the periphery of the wheel, a pin projecting from the wheel passing
through the stretcher, but I prefer them fixed as shown.
Or the bands may be fixed directly on to a blade spring on the outside periphery of
the wheel, or they may be hung from spiral springs.
The bands or series of shoes are preferably broader at the base where they run on
the road than at the top where is the spring, so that there may be a space as broad
as possible for the escape of any grit or small stones that may have been taken up.
In the annexed drawing Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a resilient tyre in
accordance with my invention, Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same, Figures 3
and 4 are modified forms.
A is part of the rigid rim of the wheel. B B are steel or other metal bands fixed
thereon. C is the stretcher which I sometimes provide. D is a pin on the periphery
of the wheel which enters a hole in the stretcher.
Dated this 15th day of March 1807
Improvements in Spring Metal Tires, applicable to the Wheels
of Bicycles, Carriages, Carts, Motor Cars, or any Road Vehicle.
I, ALFRED HENRY HUTH, of Bolney House, Ennismore Gardens, in the County of
Middlesex, Esquire, 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 :—
My invention relates to spring metal tires, applicable to the wheels of bicycles,
carriages carts motor cars, or any road vehicle.

page_text: These tires consist of a series of spring shoes arranged around the rim of the wheel.
The shoes each consist of a tread or bearing part which runs on the road and springs
on either side which connect the tread with the rim of the wheel; the portions of the
springs attached to the rim are parallel to the tangents of the rim. Preferably the
tread and the side springs are formed together from a piece of thin sheet metal. To
give sufficient flexibility to the sides of the shoe the sheet metal is bent to a C curve.
Sometimes the two sides of the shoe are supported by auxiliary springs to give
additional lateral. stiffness. The side springs are so formed as to leave sufficient
space for the escape of any grit or small stones that
may enter.
In the annexed drawings Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of the rim of a wheel
furnished with spring shoes in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same.
Figures 3 and 4 show in transverse section modified forms.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are side views of other modifications and Figure 5* 6 and 7. are
the respective transverse sections. Figure 8 is a side view of a modification.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 a is a portion of a rigid ring forming the rim of the
wheel, 61 62 63 are the shoes; these are preferably each formed of a single piece of
sheet steel of a suitable spring temper. The shoes at their extremities are formed
with palms 61 which are applied to the rim a on the two sides and are firmly fixed to
the same preferably by rivets. The two sides 62 62 of the shoe are bent to a form such
as to render them sufficiently flexible radially, they extend from the rim upwards as it
appears in the figures, they then curve round with a semi-circular bend and pass
down into the tread 63 beneath the rim. The shoe is symmetrical on the two sides of
the rim..
At the tread, only a narrow space is provided between shoe and shoe but nearer to
the rim the spaces become larger. and will allow any matter which may make its way
into the interior of the shoes to escape readily. When the shoe is rounded on the
underside or tread as in Figure 2 I provide a spring stay c also of sheet steel to
stiffen the shoe laterally. The stay is rivetted at its ends to the shoe, it is perforated
in the centre and a pin d fixed in the rim a enters into this perforation. When the
shoe is flat in the tread the stay and pin may be omitted as in Figures 3 and 4.
The shoe itself may be roughened on the underside as is shown in Figures 1 and 2 or
a roughened wearing piece may be fixed on to the shoe.
In Figures 5 and 5 the rim of the wheel and the shoes are as before but in this
case the additional lateral stiffness is given by the spring c¹ c¹ which are fixed to the
sides of the shoe and bear against the rim.
In Figures 6 and 6ª the rim is of another form and the shoes have each an outer
tread piece b* fixed upon them.
In Figures 7 and 7 the shoe is formed of separate pieces, a block e of india-rubber.
or such like material forms the tread and sides ff of sheet metal connect the tread
with the rim g.
In Figure 8 the rim and shoes are as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 5 but in
this case a stay c² is attached to centre of the tread of the shoe and to the rim mid-
way between two adjacent shoes.
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. The combination of a rigid rin with a series of shoes, each independent of the
other, and consisting of a rigid tread with springs on either side serving to connect
the thread with the rim, the portions of the springs attached to the rim being
parallel to the tangents of the rim.
2. The combination of a rigid rim and spring shoes each having a flat tread and
curved spring sides connecting the rim with the tread.
3. The combination of a rigid rim and a series of sheet metal shoes, each made in
one piece, wider in the tread than in the sides that connect the tread with the rim
substantially as described.
:

page_text: 4. The combination of a rigid rim and a series of sheet metal shoes, each
independent of the other, with spring stays forming an additional connection between
the shoes and the rim substantially as described.
5. Spring metal tires substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1807