Improvements in and relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 4th Mar.. 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
I, GEORG PICKEL, of 4 Rosenthalerstrasse, Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia,
and German Empire, Merchant, 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 pneumatic or inflatable tyres for the wheels of veloci-
pedes and other vehicles, and its objects are, to diminish the risk of the leakage of
air from accidental causes, to enable any necessary repairs to be quickly effected, and
in the event of an air tube having become useless, to permit the replacement
of the injured tube without delay.
The objects of this invention are achieved: -(1) By the interposition of a tough
flexible material between the air tube and the tread for the purpose of preventing
punctures and perforations. (2) By employing in addition to the inflated air tube,
a reserve deflated tube which in the event of the first air tube becoming tempo-
rarily useless, may be inflated and take the place and functions of the first tube,
the air valves of the two tubes being arranged at opposite diameters of the tyre.
(3) By connecting the tyre with the rim of the wheel in such a manner and by
such means that the air tube may be readily accessible for repairs and inspection,
the means employed consisting of spiral rings which are capable of binding the
tread or cover of the tyre into suitable recesses formed upon the rim, and which
are capable of being quickly removed and replaced. (4) By providing the valves
with spring closing devices and with packings for the prevention of leakage.
(5) By arranging the back-pressure valve within the plug of a tap, so that by a
partial rotation of the plug the tyre may be deflated. And (6) By providing the
collar and washer of the valve with suitable tight packings to prevent leakage at
the joint.
I will more particularly describe my said invention with reference to the accom-
panying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a cross section of the rim of a wheel having thereon a pneumatic.
tyre in which these improvements are embodied.
Figure 2 is a partial side view and a section of one of the spring rings by means
of which the tyre is secured to the rim.
Figures 3 and 4 are vertical sections of two modifications of the valve.
To protect the air tube from accidental punctures and perforations, I employ a
protective layer d, of leather, raw hide gut or parchment, and particularly and
preferably, that description of raw hide which is prepared from pig skin. This
layer of animal membrane or tissue or of other similar and suitable material is
included between the air tube a and the tread or cover c, and may be limited to
that portion of the circumference of the cross section of the tyre which alone is
liable to be cut or punctured in use as shewn by the figure. The reserve air
tube e is arranged below the inflated tube a, so that upon the deflation of a, e may
be at once inflated and take its place. This arrangement and combination of air
tubes is already known, but when I employ it, instead of placing the inflating
valves near together, I prefer to place thein 180 degrees apart on the rim, so that
they balance each other.
The rim of the wheel has formed upon it two grooves g, Figure 1, into which
the side flaps of the tread or cover c, are laid, and in which they may be secured
by the rings h. Any suitable construction of tread or cover c may be employed
provided that it has the side flaps or extensions by means of which it may be secured
in the grooves gg. The spring rings for this purpose are constructed as shewn in

page_text: Figure 2. The main body of the ring h, is discontinuous and has its ends connected
by the jointed arms h', which may be folded as shewn by the figure in full lines.
In this position of the jointed arms, the diameter of the ring will be effectively
reduced, and it may be readily inserted in the groove g. When in the groove, the
ring is expanded by pushing the arms into the positions indicated by dotted lines
in Figure 2, when the ring will be contained in the groove and cannot be removed
therefrom without first folding the arms. The rings may be additionally secured
upon the flaps in the grooves by set-screws clamps or the like devices if desired.
In the modification of the valve which I employ, represented by Figure 3, the
externally screwed tube i, is formed upon a rounded circular disc k, which in use,
is contained within the air tube a of the tyre. The joint with the air tube is made
good with the washer and the nut m, and by indiarubber rings n n, let into the
opposed faces of the disc and of the washer respectively. The upper part of the
tube i, is internally threaded to receive the inflating tube o, on which there is a
collar 1.
The joint between the tubes o and is made tight by an indiarubber or
other suitable washer between the collar r and the top of the tube i. The inflating
tube is screwed at its upper end to receive the inflator and may be of the construction
shewn, in which the inlet terminates in a lateral, perforation which is covered by a
soft airproof material such as indiarubber carried on a spring p, in such a manner
that the internal pressure in the tyre acts upon the valve on p, tending to keep it
tight. The inflating tube when not in use is protected by the screwed cap 9, and
the joint between it and the tube o is made good by an indiarubber or similar disc at
the top of the tube upon which the cap presses when screwed home.
The modification represented by Figure 4 has no inflating tube corresponding
with o Figure 3, and is inflated through the upper part which is closed when not in
use by the cap q'. The back-pressure valve p¹ is a ball, seated in the transverse
perforation of the plug s, or it may be alternatively a conical spring valve or other
suitable construction. If it be required to deflate the air tube, it is necessary only
to turn the plug 180 degrees, when the valve is in the reverse direction and is at
once lifted from its seat by the pressure. For the purpose of avoiding the use of
a spring valve, the bore of the plug, may be crossed by a second through bore at
an angle of 90 degrees, so that the plug need only be turned through a right angle
when the air can escape through the cross bore to effect the deflation.
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―
1. The combination and arrangement with the tread or cover of an inflatable
tyre, of a tough flexible material such as leather raw hide parchment and the like,
substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
2. The herein before described method of securing inflatable tyres upon their
rims, and which consists in clipping flaps from the tyre or extensions of the tread
or cover of the tyre, into grooves formed upon the rim, by means of expansible
rings, substantially as set forth.
3. As a means for securing inflatable tyres upon their rims, the expansible rims h,
in combination with grooves in the rim, into which the rings may be expanded and
from which they may be withdrawn, substantially as hereinbefore described and as
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination with a pneumatic tyre, of an inflating tube having a lateral
perforation closed by a back pressure valve mounted upon a spring, substantially
as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
5. A back pressure valve for an inflatable tyre having the valve mounted in the
bore of a plug tap, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by
Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In an inflating or back pressure valve for inflatable tyres, a disc and washer

page_text: having indiarubber or similar rings let into their opposed faces for making a tight
joint with the air tube, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated
by Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of October A.D. 1892.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.