Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tyres for the Wheels of Velocipedes and other Road Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 5th May, 1893-Accepted, 10th June, 1893
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tyres for the
Wheels of Velocipedes and other Road Vehicles.
I, JOHN READ, of The Hollies, Shirley, Warwickshire, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention cousists of the herein described improvements in and connected
with pneumatic tyres for the wheels of velocipedes and other road vehicles. A
tyre constructed according to this invention can very readily be removed from
the wheel rim and replaced thereon when required. Morcover if the inner air tubes
of the tyre or one of them should be accidentally punctured and collapse the machine
can still be ridden for a time as the outer covering part of the tyre is so constructed
as to be supported by taking bearings on the wheel rim,
For the purposes of this invention the wheel rim is made of trough section and
contains two (or as hereinafter described there may be three or more) india rubber
or other flexible air tubes (which can as usual be inflated or deflated at will)
arranged side by side surrounding the wheel rim. The wheel rim is shaped so as
to fit against these air tubes and the trough of the wheel rim is or may or may not be
slightly contracted at the periphery so as the better to keep the air tubes in place.
The said air tubes are by preference of round or oval shape in cross section but I do
not confine myself to any particular shape of the air tubes. Fitting on the air
tubes, so as to cover those portions which are not covered by the wheel rim, is the
outer covering part of the tyre which is in contact with the road and which is
formed of india rubber or other flexible substance with canvas wire-gauze or other
strengthening substance inserted to strengthen and lessen the liability of the same
to be punctured. Formed with this outer covering part is a web or flange of
similar material which fits between the inner air tubes all round the tyre and at
each side is made to correspond with the shape of the outer surfaces of the two air
tubes so that the inner portion of the said web or flange is somewhat wedge shaped
in cross section the inner edge of the web corresponding with the thick end of the
wedge. When the air tubes are inflated the said web or flange of the outer
covering part is firmly gripped between the inner air tubes, and the tyre is thus
secured on the wheel rim. By first deflating one or both of the inner air tubes the
outer covering part and one or both of the inner air tubes can readily be removed
from the wheel rim and replaced thereon.
The outer covering part of the tyre may be so shaped that when in its normal
position the outer covering part does not touch the wheel rim at all but is wholly
supported and kept in place by the two inner air tubes thus making the tyre more
resilient than would be the case if the outer covering part were in direct contact
with the wheel rim. If one or both of the inner air tubes should be punctured and
collapse or partly collapse the said web and the sides of the outer covering part
then bear upon the wheel rim which is or may be shaped to receive them and thus
prevent the wheel rim coming in contact with the ground.
I may fix a strip of canvas or wire gauze and rubber insertion or other suitable
substance inside the wheel rim so as to project beyond the periphery of the same
and fit between the outer covering portion and the inner air tubes and thus prevent
any dust or grit working in and cutting the inner air tubes. Or'for the same
purpose the edges of the outer covering part may be tucked in between the wheel
rim and the inner air tubes.
Instead of making the tyre with two air tubes as above described I may similarly
use three or more air tubes and make the outer covering portion with two or more

page_text: corresponding webs or flanges to fit between the air tubes and secure the tyre
thereon as above described.
Instead of employing two or more separate inner air tubes as above described I
may use one air tube which has the appearance of two or more air tubes jointed
together by a cross part between the web or flange and the wheel rim this cross
part being either made so as to allow the air to pass from one part of the air tube
to the other or made solid so that the air is separably confined in the two or more
portions of the air tube. When I use two or more separate air tubes as above
described I may provide bolts, pins, loops, hooks, pegs or other means projecting
from the web or webs of the outer covering and secured thereto by vulcanizing or
other means, and which pass through corresponding holes in the wheel rim so as
the better to secure the outer covering part to the wheel rim. Or for the same
purpose there may be a wire or other strand or strands running round the wheel
rim inside the thickened edge of the web the ends of this wire or of these wires
passing through holes in the wheel rim and furnished with a screw or other means
for tightening up the wire or wires and the outer covering around the wheel rim.
Dated this 4th day of July 1892
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tyres for the
Wheels of Velocipedes and other Road Vehicles.
I, JOHN READ, of Fernleigh, Rotton Park Road, Birmingham, Warwickshire,
late of The Hollies, Shirley, Warwickshire, Engineer, 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 consists of the herein-described improvements in and connected
with pneumatic tyres for the wheels of velocipedes and other road vehicles. A tyre
constructed according to this invention can very readily be removed from the
wheel rim and replaced thereon when required. Moreover if the inner air tubes of
the tyre or one of them should be accidentally punctured and collapse the machine
can still be ridden for a time as the outer covering part of the tyre is so con-
structed as to be supported by taking bearings on the wheel rim.
.
For the purposes of this invention the wheel rim is made of trough section and
contains the india rubber or other flexible air tubes (which can as usual be inflated
or deflated at will) arranged side by side surrounding the wheel rim. The wheel
rim is shaped so as to fit against these air tubes and the trough of the wheel rim is
slightly contracted at the periphery so as the better to keep the air tubes in place.
The said air tubes are by preference of round or oval shape in cross section but
I do not confine myself to any particular shape of the air tubes. Ftting on the air
tube so as to cover those portions which are not covered by the wheel rim, is the
outer covering part of the tyre which is in contact with the road and which is
formed of india rubber or other flexible substance with canvas wire gauze or
other strengthening substance inserted to strengthen and lessen the liability of
the same to be punctured. The said outer covering portion may either be solid, or
hollow and inflated with air as other tyres are. Formed with this outer covering
part is a web or flange of similar material which fits between the inner air tubes
all round the tyre and at each side is made to correspond with the shape of the
outer surface of the two air tubes so that the inner portion of the said web or
flange is somewhat wedge shaped in cross section the inner edge of the web
corresponding with the thick end of the wedge. When the air tubes are inflated
the said web or flange of the outer covering part is firmly gripped between the
inner air tubes, and the tyre is thus secured on the wheel rim. By first deflating

page_text: one or both of the inner air tubes the outer covering part and one or both of the
inner air tubes can readily be removed from the wheel rim and replaced thereon.
On the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 shews in cross section a portion of a wheel rim and tyre constructed
according to this invention the outer covering portion being made solid;
Fig. 2 shews the portion of wheel rim separately and
Fig. 3 shews in cross section the two air tubes and the outer covering portion of
the tyre separately;
Fig. 4 shews in cross section the same portion of a wheel rim and air tubes but
the outer covering part of the tyre is in this example made hollow and inflated
with air;
Fig. 5 shews in cross section the said two air tubes and the outer covering
portion of the tyre separate from the wheel rim.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures.
A is the trough section wheel rim and B₁ B' are the two india rubber or other
flexible air tubes arranged side by side in the rim A which is shaped to fit against
them and is slightly_contracted at the periphery a' a¹ so as the better to keep the
air tubes in place. The edges a¹ a' are beaded or rounded as shewn so as to prevent
cutting the outer covering part C of the tyre which fits on the air tubes B¹ B² so
as to cover those portions which are not covered by the wheel rim A. D is the
web or flange of the outer covering C which fits between the inner air tubes B¹ B'
all round the tyre and which at each side d' d' is grooved to correspond with the
shape of the outer surface of the two air tubes B' B thus making the inner
portion of the web or flange D somewhat wedge shaped in cross section
(see Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5) the inner edge d³ of the web corresponding with the thick
end of the wedge.
When the air tubes B' B' are inflated they grip the web or flange D of the outer
covering part and thus secure the same on the wheel rim. The outer covering
part C and one or both of the inner air tubes B₁ B can readily be removed
from the wheel rim A and replaced thereon by first deflating one or both of the
inner air tubes B¹ B*.
When the outer covering part C of the tyre is made hollow as shewn in Figs. 4
and 5 to be inflated by air, the web or flange portion D is by preference made with
a vertical division d' as shewn to facilitate the removal and replacing of the usual
rubber bladder E; or the web or flange portion D may be made solid as in the
example shewn by Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In either case the outer covering portion D
is by preference made with a groove d' at each side for the beads a' a' to fit in and
prevent dust and dirt working in between the air tubes B1 B2 and the rim A.
It will be seen that either a solid outer covering part D (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) or a
hollow and inflated outer covering part (Figs. 4 and 5) can be used with the same
wheel rim A and air tubes B¹ B' thus enabling a rider to use either outer covering
portion as may be best suited for the particular roads he is travelling over.
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
clain is
1. The hereindescribed improved means for securing the india rubber or other
like flexible outer covering portion of an air inflated tyre to the contracted
trough section rim of the wheel of a velocipede or other road vehicle, consisting
in the employment of two air tubes in the wheel rim in combination with a central
web or flange on the said outer covering portion which web or flange fits between
and is shaped to correspond with the two air tubes and is gripped thereby when
the air tubes are inflated, the said web or flange being either made solid (Figs. 1
and 3) or divided (Figs. 4 and 5) substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved air inflated

page_text: tyre herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 1 and 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved air inflated
tyre hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
JOHN READ.