Improvements in and connected with Wheel-tyres.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Wheel-tyres.
We, EDWARD GREATBATCH WOOD, of 298 Upper Parliament Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and ENOCH ARMITAGE, of
37 Scholar Street, Liverpool aforesaid, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to improvements in and connected with non-puncturable
wheel tyres suitable for cycles or more heavily weighted vehicles such as cabs and
self-propelling vehicles. According thereto we employ one or more non-puncturable
outer or running rings or tyres adapted to be passed easily over the wheel rim,
an elastic cushion arranged between the said ring or rings and the wheel-rim,
and, in most cases, a casing for flexibly connecting the said ring or rings to the
wheel rim.
In one arrangement there is a single outer or running ring or tyre, made of
metal, wood, or any other suitable material, and surrounding an inflatable air tube
arranged hetween it and the wheel rim which is or may be of concave form at
its outer periphery. In cross section the ring has an outer or running surface of
convex or other suitable shape, whilst its inner surface is preferably in channel
form and provided with recesses, which may be formed by one or more internal
projections and thickened or beaded edges, and in which engage the thickened or
wired edges of a suitable flexible casing, for example canvas and india rubber,
which is or may be attached to the wheel-rim, encloses the air-tube, and serves to
connect the outer or running ring to the wheel-rim. When the air-tube is inflated,
the thickened or wired edges of the casing, being situate in the aforesaid recesses,
will be retained therein by the pressure of the air-tube, and the sides of the casing
will prevent the air-tube from bulging out between the non-puncturable ring and
the wheel-rim. If desired, the tread or running surface of the tyre may be formed
by a ring of suitable material, for example india rubber, inserted in the outer
portion of the non-puncturable ring and consisting of cork, wood, rubber, or other
suitable material different from that of the non-puncturable ring itself.
In some cases, especially in the case of a heavy vehicle, the two side portions of
the flexible casing may be made separate from each other and their edges may be
attached to the wheel-rim either detachably, as by wire retaining rings such as are
at present in use on cycle wheels, or otherwise. To release the non-puncturable
outer-ring or to withdraw the air-tube, it is sufficient to deflate the air-tube and to
press inward at its outer part one of the sides of the flexible casing so as to remove
its outer thickened or wired edge from its recess in the ring so as to enable a
portion of it to pass into the hollow or larger diameter of the tyre or ring and
allow of the diametrically opposite portion being withdrawn from the ring.
It will be seen that non-puncturable pneumatic tyres can be constructed according
to this invention so as to be suitable for heavy vehicles; for, as the bearing surface
on the air-tube is considerably increased by the use of the external non-puncturable-
ring, heavier weights can be carried than it is usually possible to carry with ordinary
oneumatic tyres.
In another modification there are two non-puncturable rings which are placed
side by side and connected together by suitable means, their adjacent parts

page_text: preferably forming an annular wall that projects inwards and about which the
air-tube extends. In this case the corresponding edges of the flexible casing may
be permanently secured to the two rings, so that when it is desired to remove or
inspect the enclosed air-tube, it is sufficient to separate the two rings from each
other. The compound ring formed by the two rings may be of convex shape
externally and have two internal annular recesses separated by the annular wall or
mid rib.
In a tyre made with two rings as just described, flexible support blocks or discs
of table material for example indin rubber, placed transversely at suitable
inter between the ring and wheel rim and encased or not, may be used in lieu
of an inflatable air-tube.
neel-tyres.
We, EDWARD GREATBATCH WOOD, of 298 Upper Parliament Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and ENOCH ARMITAGE, late
of 37 Scholar Street, but now of 63 Alderson Road, Liverpool, aforesaid, Machinist,
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 improvements in and connected with non-puncturable
wheel-tyres suitable for cycles or more heavily weighted vehicles such as cabs and
self propelling vehicles. According thereto we employ one or more non-puncturable
outer rings adapted to be passed easily over the wheel-rim, au elastic cushion
arranged between the said ring or rings and the wheel-rim, and, in most cases, a
casing for flexibly connecting the said ring or rings with the wheel rim.
In one arrangement of which two arrangements are shown in cross section in
Figs. 1 and 2 respectively there is a single metal cover or running ring 1 that partly
surrounds an inflatable air-tube 2 arranged between it and the wheel rim 3 which is
or may be of concave form, as shown, at its outer periphery. In cross section the
ring 1 has an outer or running surface of straight (as shown in Fig. 1), convex (as
shown in Fig. 2) or other suitable shape, whilst its inner surface is preferably of
channel form, as shown, and is provided with recesses 4 and 5 in which engage the
strengthened edges 6 and 7 (which may be wired as shown in Fig. 1 or thickened
with rubber as shown in Fig. 2) of a flexible casing 8 of suitable material which is
or may be attached to the wheel rim 3, encloses the air-tube 2, and serves to connect
the outer or running ring 1 to the wheel-rim 3. The casing 8 may conveniently
consist, as shown, of canvas coated externally at each side of the tyre with india
rubber from within the ring 1 to within the rin 3 in order to prevent moisture from
passing into the tyre. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the casing 8 is attached or
centered to the rim 3 by means of a narrow band 9 which is secured to the canvas
before the air-tube is put into place, it may be flexibly cut on the bias or be drawn
1aut so as to force the corresponding portion of the casing 8 into an annular
groove 10 in the rim 3, its ends then may be fastened together by suitable means
such as a buckle, or the like so that it will prevent the casing from moving
laterally on the rim when one of its edges has been detached from the ring 1.
When the air-tube 2 is inflated the thickened edges 6 and 7 of the casing, being

page_text: situate in the recesses 4 and 5 respectively will be retained therein by the pressure
of the air-tube, and the sides of the casing 8 will prevent the air-tube from bulging
out between the non-punctuable ring 1 and the wheel rim 3. To release the non-
puncturable outer ring, or to withdraw the air-tube, it is sufficient to deflate the
air-tube and to press inward at its outer part one of the sides of the flexible
casing 8 so as to remove its outer thickened edge 6 or 7 from its recess 4 or 5 in
the ring and enable a portion of it to pass into the hollow of the ring 1 and
thereby to allow it to be bent sufficiently for withdrawal from the ring.
It will be seen that non-puncturable pneumatic tyres can he constructed
according to this invention so as to be suitable for heavy vehicles; for, as the
bearing surface on the air-tube is considerably increased by the use of the external
non-puncturable-ring, heavier weights can be carried than those that it is usually
possible to carry with ordinary pneumatic tyres.
In a modification an example of which is shown in cross section in Fig. 3, there
are two non-puncturable rings 1 and 1 which are placel side by side and connected.
together by suitable menns such as screw-bolts 11, their adjacent parts 12 and 13.
forming an annular wall that projects inwards and about which the air-tube 2
extends. In this case the edges of the flexible casing 8 take into the recesses 4
and 5 as before described and may be removed therefrom for inspecting the
enclosed air tube 2. Fig. 4 shows a similar view to Fig. 3 with the exception that
the edges of the flexible canvas casing 8 (shown by the dotted lines) are
permanently cemented or otherwise secured to the rings 1 and 1 so that when it
is desired to remove or inspect the air tube 2 it is sufficient to separate the two
rings from each other, and for this purpose one of the screw threaded nuts 11ª
which is circular in cross section is sufficiently long to pass through the canvas
lining of the flexible casing 8 and through the side of the ring 1° where it terminates
level therewith and is provided with a nick for the reception of a screw driver.
The nut 11 is not so deep and takes inside the ring 1 as shown. The compound
ring formed by the two rings may be, as shown of convex shape externally and
have two internal annular recesses 1 for the reception of the screw uuts 11ª
and 11 separated by the internal flanges 12 and 13 and rubber ring 14.
In a tyre made with two rings as just described with reference to Fig. 4,
flexible supporting blocks of india rubber placed transversely at suitable intervals
between the rings aud wheel rim may be substituted in lieu of an inflatable
air-tube.
If desired the tread or running surface of a tyre according to this invention may
be formed with a ring of rubber 14 secured between the two flanges 12 and 13 of
the non-puncturable rings 1 and 1 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.
Fig. 5 shows partly in cross section and partly in elevation, a form of our tyre
specially suitable for auto-cars, in which a ring 15 of this kind, made of canvas
covered with rubber, the latter being of considerable thickness at the trend, is
cemented to the ring 1; the width of the ring 15 is preferably such, as shown, that
its edges pass in between the rim 3 and the casing 8, which in this case is made of
canvas only.
To prevent the thickened edges 6 and 7 from slipping out of the recesses 4 and 5
when the tyre is partly deflated, a few transverse blocks or ribs of rubber or the
like material may be placed in the cavity of the ring 1 as shown by the dotted
line 16 in Fig. 5.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An elastic tyre having one or more non-puncturable outer or running rings
connected to a wheel rim by a flexible casing that is held upon the wheel rim and
the edges of which are held in engagement with the ring or rings by fluid pressure
within the tyre.
2. A wheel-tyre comprising an outer non-puncturable ring adapted to be passed

page_text: over a wheel rim, an elastic cushion arranged between the said ring and the said
wheel-rim, and a casing for flexibly connecting the said ring with the said wheel-
rim, the outer edges of the said casing being strengthened and adapted to enter
recesses in the said ring and to be retained therein by the said elastic cushion
substantially as described.
3. Wheel-tyres constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as herein-
before described with reference respectively to end shown in Fig. 1; in Fig. 2; in
Figs. 3, 4, and in Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1896.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Iun Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.