Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles, Tramcars, and other Vehicles,
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1893
Complete Specification Left. 28th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 25th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles, Tramcars, and other
Vehicles,
We EDWIN BRIGHT OPENSHAW, Insurance Broker, 54 Bindloss Chambers,
Chapel Walks, Manchester, and RICHARD WALKER BONNER OPENSHAW of
26 Park Road Eccles, near Manchester Gentleman do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
A pneumatic disc, made as a single air chamber, or as an outer casing containing
an inner tube or tubes, or made in the manner hereafter described. The outer
circumference of the disc to fit into or be encircled with a rim, or ring, made of
steel or other suitable material to prevent circumferential expansion, and the lateral
expansion of the pneumatic disc to be prevented by the use of two plates, one on
either side. The dise would be made with a centre hole to admit of a bush, which
bush forms the boss or nave, and would be constructed of gun metal, cast steel, or
suitable material. The bush to be constructed as part of one of the plates to be
hereafter described. The material used for making the pneumatic disc would
preferably be rubber and cloth combined. In making this disc we do not confine
ourselves to a single air chamber, or to an outer casing containing a tube or tubes,
but reserve the option of using permanently (or otherwise) inflated balls, segments,
or hollow objects. To inflate the pneumatic disc we fit into same, or into the tubes,
the necessary valves. In case of permanent inflation this would not be necessary.
The disc would be made or moulded in the desired form either in one or more
pieces.
To prevent the pneumatic disc from bulging sideways (lateral strain) at the
same time preventing lateral & torsional strain to the vehicles, we employ two
circular plates, as light and as strong as possible, made of gun metal or other
material. We construct one of the plates with a projecting hollow bush in the
centre which forms the boss or nave, projecting sufficiently far to form a bush for
the axle to pass through, and to admit of the opposite circular plate being slipped
on and secured in position. The projecting bush of circular plate described would
in the first place be covered with rubber, and then passed through the centre hole
of pneumatic disc, then the other or opposite plate would be slipped on the bush,
the plate having a centre hole to admit of this, afterwards the axle would be
placed through the bush and secured, and the outside circumference of the disc
would be encircled by the inner rim, by this means the weight would be distributed
over the plates, and the pneumatic disc being inflated the whole weight would ride
upon a pneumatic disc extending from the bush to its outside circumference. In
making these plates provision would be made to allow of the pneumatic disc being
got at.
We make the inner ring or rim with slots or grooves in the edges, which
may be flanged to allow for the resiliency conveyed to the plates by the pneumatic
disc. The ring is made to prevent the circumferential expansion of the pneumatic
disc. In manufacturing wheels for bicycles or other vehicles the necessary spokes
would be secured from the outer rim (the one which receives the tyre) to the inner
rim or ring in the usual manner.
Dated this 20th day of ML1002

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles, Tramcars, and other
Vehicles.
We EDWIN BRIGHT OPENSHAW, Insurance Broker, 54 Bindloss Chambers,
Chapel Walks, Manchester, and RICHARD WALKER BONNER OPENSHAW, of
26 Park Road Eccles, near Manchester 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 :-
This invention relates more especially to the hub or central part of the wheel as
will be readily understood from the following description on reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 2 a transverse section of the central
portion of a wheel for velocipedes constructed according to our invention.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the complete wheel drawn to a smaller scale.
According to our invention we form a pneumatic disc, made as a single air
chamber, or (see Figs. 1 and 2) as an outer casing a containing an inner tube bor
tubes, or made in the manner hereafter described. The outer circumference of the
disc a, b fits into or is encircled by a rim, or ring c made of steel or other suitable
material to prevent circumferential expansion and the lateral expansion of the
said pneumatic disc is prevented by the use of two plates d, e, one on either side.
The disc is made with a central hole to admit of a bush which bush forms the
boss or nave, and is constructed of gun metal, cast steel or suitable material. The
bush may be constructed as part of one of the plates (d for example) to be
hereafter described. The material used for making the pneumatic disc would
preferably be rubber and cloth combined. In making this disc we do not confine
ourselves to a single air chamber, or to an outer casing a containing a tube bor
tubes, but reserve the option of using permanently (or otherwise) inflated balls,
segments, or hollow objects. To inflate the pneumatic disc we fit into the same, or
into the tube b or tubes, the necessary valve 9 or valves. In case of permanent
inflation this would not be necessary. The disc is made or moulded in the desired
form either in one or more pieces.
To prevent the pneumatic disc from bulging sideways (lateral strain) at the
same time preventing lateral and torsional strain to the vehicles, we employ two
circular plates d e, as light and as strong as possible, made of gun metal or other
material. We construct or provide one of the plates (d for example) with a
projecting hollow bush fin the centre, which forms the boss or nave, projecting
sufficiently far to form a bush for the axle to pass through, and to admit of the
opposite circular plate e being slipped on and secured in position (see Fig. 2).
The projecting bush f of the circular plate d may be covered with rubber, and
then passed through the centre hole of pneumatic disc a band then the other or
opposite plate e would be slipped on the bushf, the plate e having a centre hole to
admit of this, afterwards the axle would be placed through the bush fand secured.
We prefer however to form the tubular part a' of the cover a of the disc of hard
rubber cemented and vulcanized to the remaining part a.
The outside circumference of the disc a b is encircled by the inner rim e and by
this means the weight will be distributed over the plates de which we may further
strengthen by stay bolts as shewn at dx. The pneumatic disc being inflated the
whole weight will ride upon a pneumatic disc extending from the bush to its
outside circumference.
In making these plates de suitable provision is made to allow of the pneumatic
dise being got at, and the outer casing a may be made with a slit for the
insertion of the tube b, the said slit being laced up, as seen at a Fig. 1. We
may make the inner ring or rim if required with slots or grooves in the edges,

page_text: which may be flanged to allow for the resiliency conveyed to the plates by the
pneumatic disc. The rim or ring c is made to prevent the circumferential
expansion of the pneumatic disc. In manufacturing wheels for bicycles or other
vehicles the necessary spokes h are secured from the outer rim i (the one which
receives the tyre) to the inner rim or ring c in the usual manner as seen at
Fig. 3.
In order to prevent the wheel from becoming utterly useless in case of the escape
of air from the inflated disc we propose to insert in the disc or in the cover a a coil
of spring wire c¹ (see Fig. 2) to keep the disc or the cover a distended circum-
ferentially against the inner surface of the rim or ring c, or we vulcanize the disc
or the cover a to the said rim or ring c instead of using the wire c¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination with the hub or central part of a wheel of a pneumatic disc,
surrounded by an inner rim or ring which is connected by the spokes to the outer
rim or felloe of the wheel substantially as herein before described.
2. The combination of the tubular hub, side plates, and pneumatic disc,
surrounded by an inner rim or ring connected by spokes to the outer rim or felloe
of the wheel substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the annexed
drawings.
Dated this 27th day of February 1894.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.