Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres for Cycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 31st May, 1897-Accepted, 24th July, 1897
Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres for Cycles.
I, MORLAND MICHOLL DESSAU, of 45 Weymouth Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to pneumatic tyres for cycles its object being to obviate
almost entirely the disadvantages resulting from puncture and the delay incident to
repairing punctures, which are inseparable from pneumatic tyres as ordinarily
constructed.
According to this invention the resilient portion of the tyre is constituted by a
series of hermetically-sealed balls of indiarubber or equivalent closed bodies, filled
with air at atmospheric or higher pressure during the process of their manufacture;
each of these balls or inflated bodies is provided with a groove or grooves, or flange,
or projections to enable it to engage with the device for securing the resilient portion
of the tyre to the rim. This device is an important feature of this invention and
consists preferably of an endless or other band with a number of perforations, the
aforesaid balls or bodies being sprung into the perforations and retained therein by
their own elasticity and that of their contents. Conveniently this band may consist
of parallel wires connected by short cross-wires or of a perforated seamless band. To
secure the band carrying the balls or the like to the rin the latter may be provided
with bolts extending through the rim and having tee or other heads at the outer
circumference of the rim to engage with the wires and draw them into a gutter or
gutters in the rim and so retain the resilient part of the tyre in place; or other
retaining devices for the band may be adopted.
Preferably a tyre-cover is employed in combination with the arrangements just
described; it can be held in place by the usual or other convenient retaining-devices,
or may be secured in position by having its edges inserted between the balls or the
band which carries them, and the rim, or secured to the band itself."
An alternative construction of tyre according to this invention is one in which the
band is preferably sufficiently rigid to constitute, in effect, an outer rim to the wheel
in conjunction with the ordinary rim which would thus become the inner rim; the
portions of the balls or the like which project beyond the outer rim forin pneumatic
cushions therefor, and the portions within the outer rim serve as cushions to prevent
the transmission of shock from the outer to the inner rim, or at any rate to lessen such
shock. In this modification the several balls are preferably connected by air-tubes and
provided with valves through which they may be inflated, or the balls may individually
be provided with perforations and valves, for inflation.
The retaining-devices by which the band is tightened up as aforesaid are
preferably provided with heads so shaped as to take a simple form of spanner or
square-eye key.
004 Jofa 1906

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres for Cycles.
I, MORLAND MICHOLL DESSAU, formerly of 45, Weymouth Street, in the County of
Middlesex, now of The Grot, The Green, Ealing, in the County of Middlesex,
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 pneumatic tyres for cycles its object being to obviate
almost entirely the disadvantages resulting from puncture and the delay incident to
repairing punctures, which are inseparable from pneumatic tyres as ordinarily
constructed, as well as forming a more resilient and easier tyre.
According to this invention the resilient portion of the tyre is preferably constructed
by a series of hermetically sealed balls of indiarubber or equivalent closed bodies filled
with air at atmospheric or higher pressure during the process of manufacture, but I
do not confine myself to balls of indiarubber, as I can use cork or celluloid horse hair
stuffed fabric or spring wire coiled in any shape curved or uncurved. Each of these
balls or inflated bodies is provided with a groove or grooves, or flanges or projections
to enable it to engage with the device for securing the resilient portion of the tyre to
the rim. This device is an important feature of this invention and consists preferably
of an endless or other band with a number of perforations the aforesaid balls er bodies
being sprung into the perforations and retained therein by their own elasticity and
that of their contents. Or they may be secured together by cementing the backs
together or by a thread and collar or any other means. Conveniently this band may
consist of parallel wires connected by short cross wires or of a perforated seamless band.
To secure the band carrying the balls or the like to the rim the band may be provided
with bolts extending through the rim and having tee or other heads at the outer
circumference of the rim to engage with the wires and draw them into a gutter or
gutters in the rim and so retain the resilient part of the tyre in place; or the band
may float of itself or other retaining devices for the band may be adopted.
A tyre-cover may be employed in combination with the arrangement just described;
it can be held in place by the usual or other convenient retaining-devices or may be
secured in position by having its edges inserted between the balls or the band which
carries them and the rim or secured to the band-itself.
An alternative construction of tyre according to this invention is one in which the
band is preferably sufficiently rigid to constitute, in effect an outer rim to the wheel
in conjunction with the ordinary rim which would thus become the inner rim: the
portions of the balls or the like which project beyond the outer rim form pneumatic
cushions therefor, and the portions within the outer rim serve as cushions to prevent
the transmission of shock from the outer to the inner rim, or at any rate to lessen such
shock. In this modification the several balls are preferably connected by air-tubes
and provided with valves through which they may be inflated or the balls may
individually be provided with perforations and valves for inflation.
The retaining devices by which the band is tightened as aforesaid are preferably
provided with heads so shaped as to take a simple form of spanner or square-eye key,
but I do not confine myself to this method.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a perspective view partly broken away showing a pneumatic 'tyre
constructed in accordance with this invention.
Figure 2 is a longtitudinal section of a modification.
Figure 3 is a perspective view partly broken away of a further modification.

page_text: Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A band A of steel or other metal has perforations B formed in it into which are sprung
indiarubber or other balls C. The latter may be provided with a projection C' on their
outer surface which may be sprung through the perforations B or a groove.C may be
formed in the walls of the balls, this groove being preferably so arranged that half of
each ball may lie on each side of the band A. A cover D is arranged so as to enclose
both balls and band and is provided with beads D at its edges by means of which it is
held in position these beads heing prevented from drawing out by the proximity of
the edges of the band A to the edges of the rim E. The band A may be held in position
by means of bolts F which pass through both the band and the rim, the inner surface
of the balls or of the projections C' which is sprung through the perforations being by
this ineans kept in contact with the inner surface of the rim while at the same time
the cover is securely held in the manner above described.
The balls C may be permanently closed, air being introduced into their interior
under atmospheric pressure in course of manufacture, but if desired the balls may be
provided with means for inflating them either individually or collectively in the latter
case a tube C³ which passes from one ball to the other as shown in Figure 2
communicates by short passages C with the interior of each ball a suitable valve
communicating with the tube being provided by means of which all the balls may
be inflated at one and the same time.
In the modification where the balls are so arranged in the band A that half of them
lies on each side of the latter a deep rim is employed as shown in Figure 3 and the
edges of the cover D are in this case drawn into the centre of the rim by special
T-shaped bolts G, the ends of the arms of these bolts are hooked to engage with the
edges of the cover and to the shaft of each bolt in a square or other shaped end G'
projecting on the outside of the rim and by means of which the bolt can be turned at
right angles in order to disengage the hooked arms and allow of the removal of the
tyre cover.
A loose, externally screw threaded nut G is provided upon the shaft of each bolt
with which engages a nut G3 by the rotation of which the bolt can be drawn through
the rim by reason of the nut G abutting against the collar upon the shaft of the bolt
so that the edges D¹ of the cover are drawn down into the rim.
In order to avoid chafing the balls where they come in contact with the edges of the
perforations B3 in the band A flanges Al may be formed on these edges or eye-lets A
or other means of binding the edges of these openings may be employed.
Another means of retaining and tightening the band carrying the balls is to employ
an inflatable tube situated between the band and the rim, such an arrangement as will
be clearly understood, tending when the tube is inflated to securely hold the band A
in position. A cover may or may not be employed in conjunction with this inflatable
tube as desired, but, if a cover is employed it may be so arranged that the inflation of
the tube will cause its edges to be firmly held in the rim.
By the use of this inflatable tube against the steel band (and the balls contained
therein), a more resilient and easier tyre is formed and vibration is lessened if not
completely checked.
It must be understood that the band A may be constructed of other metal or
material besides steel, such for example as celluloid, aluminium or vulcanite or the
like.
The balls or other shapes may be formed of cork, vulcanite, celluloid, feathers, horse
hair, spring wire curved or uncurved or any other suitable material or they may be
made of a combination of any of the above materials or they may have metal plates
inserted in them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a pneumatic wheel tyre a band such as A carrying inflatable or other balls
substantially as described.

page_text: 2. In a pneumatic wheel tyre a band such as A carrying inflatable or other balls
arranged within a cover substantially as described.
3. In a pneumatic wheel tyre the combination with a cover of a band such as A
carrying balls adapted to be inflated by a tube connecting them substantially as
described.
4. In a pneumatic wheel tyre the combination with a cover of a band such as A
balls C and bolts for drawing the edges of cover into the rim substantially as
described and illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In a pneumatic wheel tyre the combination with a band such as A of eye-let A
and balls such as C substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
6. In a pneumatic wheel tyre the combination with a band such as A carrying
inflatable or other balls or bodies of an inflatable tube between it and the rim
substantially as described.
7. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete pneumatic
wheel tyre substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2 or Figure 3
of the accompanying drawings.