Improvements in Inflated Tyres for Wheels, and Securing the same to the Rims.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 29th Jan., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Inflated Tyres for Wheels, and Securing the same
to the Rims.
THOMAS BENJAMIN HITCHMAN, of 107, Verney Road, S.E., in the Parish of
Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The first part of my invention relates to a new way of inflating tyres of rubber,
or rubber substitutes for the wheels of velocipedes or other carriages, the object
of which is to make the tyre more voluble and resilient and giving a firmer grip
on the ground, than is at present obtained. The plan that I propose to adopt is to
use the present form of rubber tube tyre. But to the inflating valve I connect a
small rubber tube to reach to the top of the tyre inside, and inflate with water or
other fluids. Or I may inflate the tyre in part with water or other fluids, and in
part with air or other gas in combination. But I may modify this plan by insert-
ing a smaller tyre tube inside the larger tyre thus forming two chambers, one of
which I may inflate with water or other fluids and the other with air or other gases
in combination, the inner tube to be made larger or smaller according to the
proportion of water or air desired or found to be best in practice. But by this
method both tubes or chambers will be fitted with a seperate valve and small tube,
ог I may adopt for the larger chamber an open or detachable tyre tube, or other
form that may be made tight by the pressure of water or air when inflated on to
the rim. The chamber or chambers may be inflated by the well known means of
pumps or syringes.
The second part of my improvements relate to the prevention of punctures, by
forming a pad of flax linen or other close woven fabric in layers of a suitable
thickness round the outer surface of canvas or other lining and vulcanised or
inserted between the rubber of the tyre. I also propose to provide on both sides of
the rim at intervals concave indentations, and on the sides of the tyres or outer
covers corresponding beads or lugs to engage into the concaves of the rims, and
held secure by the pressure of inflation or the tyres may be secured to the rims by
any other well known means or by wires having indentations to correspond with
the lugs of the tyres or outer covers.
Dated this 8th day of February 1897.

page_text: 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 pneumatic or air inflated tyres, and it consists of
certain improvements hereinafter more particularly specified whereby the tyres are
rendered less liable to puncture and are more readily and easily mounted on and
dismounted from the wheel rim.
In the accompanying drawing which illustrates this invention:-
Figure 1 is a view in transverse section of a tyre embodying this invention.
Figure 2 is a broken view in side elevation thereof.
Figure 3 is a broken view in transverse section showing the construction of one
of the edges or margins of the tyre.
Figure 4 is a broken view illustrating the form of the stiffening wire used in
the edges of the cover.
Figures 5 and 6 are broken views illustrating how the ends of the wire may be
connected together and yet allow the hoop or ring so formed to be extensible to
enable the edges of the cover to be got over the edges of the wheel rim.
Figures 7 and 8 are views in transverse section and broken side elevation respec-
tively showing an alternative construction, and
Figure 9 is a view in transverse section on an enlarged scale showing the con-
struction of the unpuncturable pad.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
The cover A of the tyre is made of rubber reinforced with canvas or other fabric
in the well-known manner, but interposed between the reinforcing fabrio and the
outer rubber at that part adapted to form the tread of the tyre, is a pad B formed
of a series of layers of linen or other close woven fabric. This pad is preferably
made in the form shown by Figure 9 so as to obtain the greatest thickness at that
part most liable to puncture.
The air tube C is of the usual construction and presents no novel features as I
have abandoned the construction specified in my provisional specification.
The cover A of the tyre is attached to the wheel rim D by means of a series of
projections a on each of its edges which are adapted to engage with a series of
recesses d at or near each edge of the wheel rim. The projections a are preferably
made by attaching to each edge of the cover a length of wire E having a series of
indents or corrugations e as shown by Figures 1, 3 and 4. The ends of each length
of wire are connected together in such a manner that while the extensibility of the
edges of the cover is not interfered with, the ends of the wire cannot come apart.
A convenient method of connecting together the ends of the wire is that shown
by Figures 5 and 6 which consists in overlapping the ends of the wires and passing
them through sleeves such as F.
An alternative method of forming the projections a is that shown by Figure 7,
and it consists in making the said projections of rubber or rubber and canvas or
other suitable material of sufficient stiffness to give them the requisite stability.
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 improvements in pneumatic or air inflated tyres, substantially as herein
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawing.
(2) A puncture proof pad or lining for pneumatic tyres consisting of a series of
layers of a closely woven fabric, such as linen, adapted to be placed between the
reinforcing fabric and the rubber of the cover, as set forth.
(3) Attaching pneumatic or air inflated tyres to wheel rims by means of a series
of projections on the edges of the cover which engage with a similar series of
depressions or indentations in the wheel rim, as set forth.
(4) In a pneumatic or air inflated tyre adapted to be attached to a wheel rim by
means of a series of projections on its edges engaging with a series of depressions

page_text: or indentations in the wheel rim, forming the projections on the edges of the cover
of the tyre in the manner herein before described with reference to Figures 1, 3, 4,
5 and 6 of the accompanying drawing.
(5) A pneumatic or air inflated tyre consisting essentially of a cover such as A
having a series of projections a on its edges, of a puncture proof pad or lining such
as B, of an air tube such as C, and of a wheel rim such as D having a series of
depressions or indentations dat or near its edges, all combined arranged and
adapted to operate as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 4th day of November 1897.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M. I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.