Improvements in connection with the Tyres of Velocipede Wheels.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 6th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in connection with the Tyres of Velocipede
Wheels.
I, JOHN LANCASTER, of Barnett Cottage, Esther Road, Leytonstone, in the
County of Essex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The improvements constituting my invention relate to an appliance, any number
of which may be attached to the rim of any existing velocipede wheel, pneumatic
or otherwise, for the purpose of preventing back slip when the wheel is travelling
upon greasy roads, or side slip when the same is describing short or sharp curves,
and by means of which the cycle fitted therewith may be confidently ridden upon
ice or frozen surfaces with perfect safety from slip in any direction.
I carry my invention into effect by mounting upon the inner periphery of the rim
of the wheel, any desired number of plate, spiral or other springs, upon each of
which is fixed a metallic fork, or bifurcated or bent plate, the free ends of which
may be pointed or sharpened in any suitable manner and so arranged that they
stand up from the rim at each side of the pneumatic, solid, cushioned or other tyre,
and capable of adjustment, so as to be level with, or below or above the tread of the
wheel when in use and may be either parallel with each other, and pointing in the
direction of the travel of the wheel, or opposite thereto, or one may point in one
direction and one in the other.
Each of said forks or bifurcated or bent plates is provided with an adjusting
screw or any suitable equivalent therefor, for regulating the tension of the said
springs and the extent at which the points of said forks or plates may make contact
with the path upon which the machine is travelling, for preventing side or back slip,
and also for providing a means whereby the rider may throw any or all of said forks
or plates out of gear if desired, or wedges or other suitable means may be employed
in lieu of or in addition to the said screws or their equivalents for effecting the
latter purpose.
I am aware that the said attachments must necessarily add slightly to the weight
of the wheel, but the infinitesimal addition to the weight would be more than counter
balanced by the excess of energy the rider could put into the manchine when inspired
with confidence in the perfect immunity from slip in any direction.
Dated this 14th day of April 1894.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in connection with the Tyres of Velocipede
Wheels.
I, JOHN LANCASTER of Barnett Cottage, Esther. Road, Leytonstone, in the
County of Essex, Gentleman 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 :-
The improvements constituting my invention, relate to an appliance or apparatus,

page_text: any number of which may in various ways be attached to the rim of any bicycle,
tricycle, or other velocipede wheel, pneumatic or otherwise, for the prevention of
back slip, when the machine is travelling upon greasy roads, or side slip, when the
same is describing short or sharp curves, and my said improvements will in practice
be so effective, and reliable, that a machine, to which the same has been applied,
may be ridden upon ice or other frozen surfaces with perfect immunity, from slip in
any direction.
In order that my invention and the manner of employing the same, may be fully
understood, I have hereunto appended a sheet of drawings in which :-
Fig. 1 is a side view of a portion of any ordinary cycle wheel rim and tyre fitted
with my improvements.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the said device according to one method of constructing
same.
Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of Fig. 1 upon the line A B, while Fig. 4 is a
like section upon the line C D.
Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an attachment I may employ for adjusting the
tension of the contact between the said device and the ground, or for throwing the
said device out of gear or use.
Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Fig. 1, illustrating alternative methods of
constructing the said device or apparatus, and fixing the same to the wheel rim.
Figs. 8 and 9 are views illustrating further modifications in the shape and
configuration of the active portion of the said apparatus.
Substantially, my invention consists of a suitable spring such for instance as a
spring plate, one end of which is fixed to and upon the inner periphery of the wheel.
rim, the opposite end of said plate spring being rivetted or otherwise connected to,
a metallic fork or bent plate, the free ends of which are pointed or otherwise
sharpened, and stand up at each side of the tyre in such a manner, as to make
contact with the ground, by the tension of the said spring, at the moment when
the tread of the tyre is more or less flattened by the weight of the rider or
riders.
Preferably, I carry my invention into effect by fixing to the inner periphery of
the wheel rim A, carrying any form of solid, cushion or pneumatic tyre B, one end
of any number of metallic springs C, at an equal or unequal distance apart, and I
provide various ways of effecting the said fixation of C to A, which may be, by
means of a metallic band D, with or without being rivetted or otherwise connected
to C, and bent or curved at its ends so as to hold itself, and the spring C in position
by the said curls engaging with the rim of the wheel rim A as shewn in Fig. 1, and
by the sectional view Fig. 3. Or I may effect the fixation of C to A by means of
a rivet or screw E as at Fig. 7. Or I may form a slot F in one end of C as at
Fig. 2, and cause this to receive one of the spokes of the wheel, upon which a screw.
thread had been previously formed, provided with a suitable nut, the screwing of
which towards A may grasp and hold this end of the spring C as shewn at G in
Fig. 6. Or I may solder or otherwise fix this end of the springs C to the rim A. as
occasion may require.
To the opposite ends of each of the springs C, I rivet screw, solder or otherwise
connect a steel or other metallic plate H, bent or curved so as to encompass the
diameter of the rim A, and stand up at each side thereof and the tyre B, terminating
level with the tread of the latter as shewn, or thereabouts, when the springs Care
in their normal position, and the free ends of the said plates H may be sharpened in
any suitable manner so as to more or less cut into the ground when presented thereto
during the rotation of the wheel. With this in view I may point the ends of H as
at Figs. 1, 2, and 7, or I may extend the width of the ends of H and form thereon
jags, serrations or saw-like teeth as at Fig. 6, or 1 may bifurcate the said ends as at
Figs. 8 and 9. The said plate H may be so arranged that both its free ends are at
right angles with the tread of the wheel, as shewn by the full outline thereof in
Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7, or these may incline in the direction of the travel of the wheel,
or opposite thereto, as shewn by the dotted outline in Fig. 1, or one end may be in
.
..

page_text: F
one direction, and the other reversed, or all those at one side of the wheel may be
in one direction, while those at the other are opposed thereto, or the inclination of
these at either side may alternate with each other, as desired.
In order to prevent any tendency to lateral displacement of the free ends of the
springs C, I may form in each of these a slot J as at Fig. 2, and cause them to
engage freely with the next or following spoke, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 6, but I do
not confine myself to this arrangement, as witnessed by the view Fig. 7.
It will therefore be understood, that during the rotation of the wheel the ends of
the plates H, would, in successive order, make contact with the road, to a greater
or lesser extent, according to the degree of the compression of the tread of the wheel,
occasioned by the greater or lesser weight of the rider or riders, but as such com-
pression may vary according to the evenness of the path, the force of the contact of
the points of H with the ground, would, at all times, be governed by the tension of
the springs C, and in order that such tension may be regulated to suit the con-
venience of the rider or riders, and prevent any tendency towards the experience
of vibration, and to permit, if necessary, that the whole of the plates H may be
thrown out of use, or partly so, I may provide each spring C, with a suitable
adjusting device, such for instance as that shewn at Fig. 5, which consists of a
threaded stud a fixed to the rim A, passing through a slot in C, and provided with
a pair of nuts bb, one upon each face of C by which means the tension of C may
be adjusted. This device is shewn in position at Fig. 1.
As an alternative method of construction, and in lieu of the said plate spring C,
I may arrange that the curved or bent plate H, may have connected thereto a rod c
provided with a shoulder or its equivalent d and surrounded by a spiral spring e
enclosed by a circular casing frivetted or otherwise fastened upon the inner
periphery of the wheel rim A, as at Fig. 1. According to this method, one end of
the spring e would abut against the enclosed end off while its opposite end would
abut against the shoulder d on c and the tension of e would operate in keeping the
plate H in its most outward position, with its sharp points ready to engage with
the ground, but any excess of pressure upon the points of H would cause this to
recede within the case f, thereby compressing the spring e this would again
force H outwardly when the pressure upon its points or sharp edges were removed,
thus operating to effect the same ends as in the previous methods.
My invention, although described in connection with the wheel rim of bicycles
tricycles and the like, is equally applicable for use upon the wheels of pneumatic
skates, in any of the manners herein provided and for preventing side or back slip
occurring thereto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. For the prevention of back and side slip of the tyres of bicycles, tricycles
and similar manumotive machines, or the tyres of pneumatic skates, the application
thereto of any number of the herein described apparatus, constructed, arranged, and
used in any of the manners set forth, or any desired combination thereof, substantially
as and for the purposes stated and shewn by the drawings.
2nd. For the prevention of back and side slip of the tyres of the wheels of bicycles,
tricycles and other manumotive machines, or those of pneumatic skates, the employ-
ment of any number of plate springs C, to one end of each of which is connected, at
any angle, a curved or bent plate H, the ends of which are pointed, serrated or
otherwise sharpened in any suitable manner, the opposite ends of the plates C being
rivetted, screwed or otherwise connected to the inner periphery of the wheel rim A, as
at Fig. 7, or connected thereto by a plate D, as at Fig. 1, or by means of a nut G
engaging with a threaded spoke as at Fig. 6, or by any other suitable means, and
with or without the tension adjusting device Fig. 5, the whole connected, combined
and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and shewn.
3rd. For the prevention of back and side slip of the tyres of the wheels of bicycles,

page_text: tricyles, and similar machines, or those of pneumatic skates, the employment of any
number of plates H as set forth in the preceding claims, each provided with a rod C,
and shoulder d surrounded by a spiral spring e, enclosed by a circular casing f
rivetted or otherwise connected to the inner periphery of the rim A, substantially
as and for the purposes herein described and shewn by Fig. 1 of the drawings.
Dated this 6th day of October 1894.
5
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.