Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
I, ALFRED EUGENE HARRIS, Gentleman, of 116, Marlow Road, Anerley, in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to pneumatic tyres and the means of securing them to
the wheel rim. Hitherto some tyres have been made with a metal band in each
edge of the cover, the edges and band lying in the wheel rim either superposed
one on top of the other or side by side. A drawback to this fastening was that
to obtain the best results a special shape of rim was necessary, one having a
flat bottom being preferable as the bands lie best thereon. Fastenings of this
description have been used with crescent shaped or other hollow sections of rim.
but a difficulty arises in the bands lying obliquely in the channel of the rim and
thus, besides spoiling the utility and appearance of the tyre as the latter would
not lie strictly in the plane of the wheel, it also rendered likely the blowing off
of the tyre. By my invention these drawbacks are overcome.
In carrying out my invention I forin pockets in the edges of the tyre cover
or otherwise upon the tyre if of the hose pipe or other variety, and in each of
these pockets I place a band which may be continuous except at the over-
lapping ends so as to form a complete circle or may be split up into a number
of shorter lengths, each one preferably overlapping its neighbour. In order to
accommodate the bands to the shape of the rim I so roll or shape them that they
assume naturally a somewhat conical form, one edge being shorter than the other.
This has the effect of causing them to lie in the hollow of the rim securely and
naturally without danger of blowing off or displacing the tyre from the rim.
Preferably the two edges of the band are continuous for the length of each
piece, the conical formation being provided by rolling, pressing or otherwise;
I may however make one of the edges crimped, scalloped or serrated so as to
facilitate the shaping or to permit of the band shaping itself into the rim under
the air pressure or I may employ woven metallic tape on or in each edge of
the cover. The same effect may be obtained by employing a crimped wire
which would easily accommodate itself to the shape of the rim, but as this
would be liable to insecurely hold the tyre I may place a straight wire or wires
through the crimped wires which may be looped for the purpose, so as to impart
the necessary shape to one or both of the edges. Another way would be to
employ two wire hoops or rings with the ends overlapping, each running in a
small pocket, one at the edge and the other one a short way back from it: these
wires would have to be of different curvatures so as to represent circles of
different diameters. Any of these bands or equivalent may be made in shorter

page_text: lengths than complete circles if desired, and may be curved on their outer face
and dished on their inner face if desired to fit the curve of the rim.
Dated this 26th day of September 1899.
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
I, ALFRED EUGENE HARRIS, Gentleman, of 116, Marlow Road, Anerley, in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to pneumatic tyres and the means for securing them
to the wheel rim. Hitherto some tyres have been made with a metal band or
bands in each edge of the cover, the edges and bands lying in the wheel rim
either superposed one on the top of the other or side by side. A drawback to
this method of attachment was that to obtain the best results a special shape of
rim was necessary, one having a flat bottom being preferable as the bands lie
best thereon. Fastenings of this description have been used with crescent
shaped or other curved sections of rim, but a difficulty arises in the bands lying
unevenly in the channel of the rim, and thus besides spoiling its utility and
appearance it also rendered likely the blowing off of the tyre. By my invention
these drawbacks are overcome, and a tyre provided with bands having over-
lapping ends in its edges can be secured to a concave rim of any cross section.
In carrying out my invention I form pockets in the edges of the tyre cover
or otherwise upon the tyre if of the hose pipe or other variety, and in each of
these pockets I place a band which may be continuous, except at its ends which
overlap one another, so as to form a complete circle, or it may be split up
a number of shorter lengths, each one preferably overlapping its neighbour.
In order to accommodate the bands to the shape of the rim I so roll or shape
them that they assume naturally a somewhat conical form, one edge being
shorter than the other. This has the effect of causing them to lie in the hollow
of the rim securely and naturally without danger of blowing off or displacing
the tyre from the rim.
into
Preferably the two edges of the bands are continuous for the length of each
piece, the conical formation being provided by rolling, pressing or otherwise.
A simple method of forming these bands is to cut them out of a flat sheet of
metal as arcs of a circle of the necessary curvature to allow of their being bent,
hardened and tempered to the curve of the circumference of the rim they are
intended to fit; thus flat bands of the curve of the circumference of about a
six feet diameter circle would bend, harden and temper to the curve of the cir
cumference of a 25 inch diameter circle (which is approximately the size of the
rim for a 28 x 1½ inch tyre) and would assume the conical form desired.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a wheel rim to which a pneumatic
tyre is secured according to this invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the securing bands.
Figure 3 is a similar view of a band composed of four sections.
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan showing the manner; of manufacture of the
hands

page_text: Figure 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of securing band, showing
the tyre in position on the wheel.
Figure 6 shows a further modification.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of yet another modification.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
According to this invention each edge of the outer cover A of the tyre is pro-
vided with a pocket along its whole length; a securing band B, preferably of
metal is placed in each of these pockets. It has been found that for the tyre
to be symmetrically held in position upon a curved rim C, such as shown in
Figure 1, the bands B must be "conical," i.e. they must normally be in some
such position in relation to one another as shown in this figure. In order to
ensure this conicity of the bands one edge of each is made shorter than the other
so that when the ends are brought together the band assumes the shape it
would have had if formed by two horizontal sections of a cone.
The preferred manner of manufacturing the bands B is by cutting strips of
metal (preferably steel) in the shape of an arc of a circle out of a flat sheet D,
(Figure 4). For a band to be applied to a tyre of 28 inches diameter this circle
should be about six feet diameter. The strips are then bent into circular shape
(see Figure 2) by bringing their ends together and hardened and tempered in
any convenient manner.
The bands B may be made of two or more separate lengths, as shown in
Figure 4, and in this case the ends of adjacent lengths are made to overlap one
another.
Instead of cutting the bands out as arcs of circles I may make one of the edges
of the bands crimped, scalloped or serrated so as to facilitate the shaping or to
permit of the band shaping itself in to the rim under the air pressure or I may
employ woven metallic tape on or in each edge of the cover. The same effect
may be obtained by employing a crimped wire which would easily accommodate
itself to the shape of the rim, but as this would be liable to insecurely hold the
tyre I may place a straight wire or wires through the crimped wires which may
be looped for the purpose, so as to impart the necessary shape to one or both
of the edges. In Figure 5 which illustrates this modification each of the bands B
comprises a crimped wire E to which the necessary strength and rigidity is
imparted by means of the straight wires F with overlapping ends passing
through loops E¹ formed in the crimped wire E. One of the wires F may, if
desired, be omitted. Instead of loops on the crimped wire completely encircling
each of the wires F, the latter may be simply threaded through the bends of
the crimped wire E as shown in Figure 6..
Another modification comprises the employment of two or more wire hoops
or rings with the ends overlapping each running in a small pocket, one at the
edge and the other or others a short way back from it; the outer wire, with
reference to the tyre cover, represents a circle of less diameter than the inner
one when the tyre is in position on its rim. Figure 7 represents this modifica-
tion, the tyre being secured to the rim C by means of two wires G G in each
edge of the tyre cover A or of the tyre itself in the case of tubeless tyres. The
outer wire G¹, with reference to the tyre cover, represents a circle of less (diameter
than the inner one G, when the tyre is in position on its rim; thus the two
wires G, G, together form a skeleton conical securing band.
Any of these bands or equivalent may be made in shorter lengths than com-
plete circles if desired, and may be curved on their outer face and dished on their
inner face if desired to fit the curve of the rim.
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. A divided "conical" securing band for a pneumatic tyre substantially as
described.

page_text: 2. The combination with a pneumatic tyre of a divided "conical" securing
band substantially as described.
3. The combination with a channelled or grooved wheel rim such for example
as that shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings of a divided "conical "
band for securing the tyre within the rim, substantially as described.
4. The combination with a pneumatic tyre of a securing band having one
edge longer than the other substantially as and for the purpose described.
5. The combination with a pneumatic tyre of a "conical" securing band
composed of two or more sections substantially as described.
.
6. The method or process of manufacturing a securing band for a pneumatic
tyre consisting in cutting arcs of a circle from a flat sheet of metal or other
material with or without subsequent bending, hardening and tempering of the
arcs.
7. The combination with a pneumatic tyre of a "conical" securing band
made in one or more lengths and having one edge crimped, scalloped or serrated
substantially as and for the purpose described.
8. The combination with a pneumatic tyre of a securing band made in one
or more lengths and consisting of a crimped wire with one or more strengthening
wires passing through loops or the like formed on the crimped wire substan-
tially as and for the purpose described.
9. The combination with a pneumatic tyre of two or more wires in one or
more lengths in each edge the outer wires G¹ forming circles of less diameter
than the inner wires G when the tyre is in position on the rim substantially as
and for the purpose described.
10. The complete pneumatic tyre substantially as described or illustrated in
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
11. The complete securing band for a pneumatic tyre substantially as
described or illustrated in Figure 2 or in Figure 3 or in Figure 5 or in Figure 6
or in Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of June 1900
ALFRED E. HARRIS.
Boult, Wade & Kilburn,
Agents for the Applicant.