Improvements in and relating to Pneumatic Tyres for the Wheels of Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 3rd Dec., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Pneumatic Tyres for the Wheels of
Cycles and other Vehicles.
STUART BUNTING, Manufacturer, Enville, Priory Road, Moseley Road, Birming-
ham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
"
This invention relates to pneumatic tyres of the double tube and tubeless
variety and may be carried into effect in the following or other desirable manner,
in conjunction with suitable rims.
In constructing a double tube tyre which is made of rubber reinforced with
canvas or other suitable fabric and having an inner air tube, the two edges are
moulded with the zig zag bands, hereinafter explained, embedded therein, and
made of a breadth to lie on to the periphery of the wheel rim, the one over the other,
with results much more advantageous, novel and effective than anything hitherto
accomplished.
This is done by means of two endless extensible zig zag bands, or the like, made
of short lengths of flat steel, or other metal or material about three quarters of an
inch long, or thereabouts, and about one quarter inch broad, with movable joints,
by having pins through their ends in a way similar to the well known metal
jointed rules. Some device may be adopted to incorporate the metal with and
make it adhere to the rubber, such as perforations, or indentations, or in any other
desirable way. These bands are embedded in zig zag shape in the edges of the cover.
at any desirable angle, to enable them to expand when being drawn on to the rim
and contract when placed in position around the circumference, the one over the
other, pressing down on to the periphery of the rim, and when the inner tube is
inflated the edges of the tyre get pressed all the more firmly according to the
power of inflation, by means of the air, gas or other fluid forced into the inner tube
by the ordinary means and methods employed for that purpose, thus holding the
tyre on to the rim, and when deflated the edges expand freely with a slight pull
which permits the tyre to be easily detached from the rim.
When rims having undercut recesses in their edges are used the moulded edges
of the tyre may be made of such a breadth that they require to be expanded so as
to reduce that breadth to enable them to get into position in the rim when they
again contract and broaden out to fill the space across the periphery and under-
neath the undercut recesses of the rim which enables the bands to hold the tyre on to
the rim without any assistance from the air inflation, as it will thus be readily under-
stood that while the zig zag bands allow of the edges of the tyre to expand and
contract they will not permit of them being drawn out from underneath the under-
cut recesses of the rim by any lateral strain or pressure from the tyre in that
direction.
A modification of the above tyre may be made by having the edges half the
breadth of the former and made to lie alongside each other in the hollow or other
shaped periphery of the rim, both edges having embedded therein the zig zag
bands to size, and moulded as before, but the outer jointing or hinging pins of

page_text: the one to be replaced with eyelets, and the outer jointing pins of the other to be
elongated through the rubber so that the eyelets in the one edge may hook on to
the pins in the other and when hooked the tyre expands and contracts by pulling
same on to the rim, or, the jointing pins may be made into hooks or other con-
trivances, and both methods may be made to hook on to the inside or outside edges
of the tyre, either when on or when off the rim.
A tyre may also be formed as follows, a strip of steel in band form, or the like,
has open ends slightly overlapping each other and made with edges turned inwards
underneath the periphery, so that the extensible thickened edges, or other fasten-
ings of the tyre may be fastened thereto. A portion of the band has its edges cut
away to enable the otherwise overlapping edges to meet when drawn together and
to allow the periphery to overlap. An inner tube is used and inflated on a crescent
or other suitable rim.
66
"
A tubeless tyre is formed of rubber reinforced with canvas and lined with
rubber or other air proof material, and has one edge moulded with the zig zag band
embedded therein as, and for the purpose at first described, and to lie circum-
ferentially on the bottom of the rim, the other edge which lies on top is made of
canvas, or rubber, or both, in pocket shape to contain a strip of flat steel or other
metal, or material in band form about half an inch broad with the ends over-
lapping about four or five inches, or thereabouts, and a short piece of the same
length as the overlap rivetted or otherwise fastened by one of its ends to the top
of the long strip, so that both may end together and form a sleeve to allow the
overlapping or free end of the band to work backwards and forwards in the sleeve
in the manner and for the purpose as hereinafter explained.
The object aimed at is to mechanically tighten and release this band which
forms one of the edges of the tyre, and when in position in the rim lies longitudin-
ally over the other edge already mentioned and which band is tightened by the
action of a compas shaped lever standing upwards at a certain angle and pressed
downwards on its central hinge from the outside or tread of the tyre so as to make
an initial air tight joint before inflation.
The free end of the band lying in the sleeve is hinged to one end of the lever
through a slot formed in the upper part of the sleeve, at the required distance
between the mouth and the slot and over that part where the free end of the band
has previously passed to the slot, so that when the lever is pressed downwards the
free end of the band is carried forward in the opposite direction to the mouth of
the sleeve so as to tighten the band according to the distance required, and arranged
by the length of the lever, the lever is then held down by a pawl, another down-
ward pressure on the tail of the pawl releases the lever.
"
This mechanical arrangement, or its equivalent, may be used for any of the
tyres mentioned herein, or tyres of any other construction, whether in double tube
form or 66
tubeless and acts inside the tyre either as one mechanical band having
the edges of the tyre attached thereto, or, in any other form, or along with a sub-
sidiary band, when placed in position in the rim, but manipulated from the out-
side or tread of the tyre.
Dated this 14th day of Dovomhar 1807
Improvements in and relating to Pneumatic Tyres for the Wheels of
Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, STUART BUNTING, of Enville, Priory Road, Moseley Road, Birmingham,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner

page_text: the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to pneumatic tyres for the wheels of cycles and other
vehicles, and it consists of an improved device for mechanically tightening or
shortening and releasing or lengthening the band or bands employed for fixing
pneumatic tyres or covers thereof to the wheels of velocipedes. The other improve-
ments described in the Provisional Specification I have abandoned.
In the accompanying drawing which illustrates this invention;
Figures 1 and 2 are broken views of a band in side elevation, the former showing
the position of the parts of the device when the band is tightened or shortened,
and the latter the position of the parts when the band is released or lengthened.
Figure 3 is a view in plan, and
Figure 4 is a view in side elevation showing a modification.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
The improved device consists essentially of a pair of arms A, A', hinged together
and adapted to act as a toggle joint the opposite ends of the arms being pivotted
to ends of the band B which overlap one another, the arm A being pivotted to
the end b, and the arm A to the end of the said band B, the construction being
such that the band is decreased in length when the toggle joint if flattened out
and increased in length when the arms of the said joint are at an angle with one
another.
The ends of the band B may be arranged to overlap and slide freely one over the
other in any suitable manner that shown in the drawing being a convenient one.
The end of the band B is reduced in width and slides under the end b' in a recess
formed by strips c, c, and a plate C rivetted or otherwise fixed on the end b¹, a
slot c being cut in the end of the band B for the attachment a of the arm A
to slide through. The end 61 of the band B carries a pawl adapted to engage either
directly or indirectly with the end of the band B and fix the two ends of the band
together when its length has been shortened. A convenient construction of pawl
is that shown in the drawing which consists of a spring plate D rivetted or other-
wise fixed to the end 6 of the band B and carrying a stud d having an enlarge-
ment near its head which engages with a hole 63 in the end 6 of the band. From
the hole b³ a slot & extends so that when the plate is depressed the enlarged part d
of the stud d disengages the hole and allows the two ends of the band to slide
freely over one another. When the plate D is released its elasticity draws the
studd up so that when the length of the band is again shortened its enlargement
engages with the hole in the end of the band thereby locking the two ends
together.
Another convenient form of pawl is that illustrated by Figure 4. In this con-
struction the pawl D is a pivotted one having its point of pivot at or about the
centre of its length. On one end of the pawl is a projection d adapted to engage
a hole or depression a¹ in the arm A and thus lock the two ends of the band
together. The pawl is released from engagement with the arm A by depressing
its opposite end d².
To enable the length of the band B to be adjusted to rims of various diameters,
I preferably made it adjustable in its length by means of the device shown in the
drawing, but this is not obligatory and forms no part of this invention.
The band B is divided in any suitable position and near the divided ends are
cut or formed spaced slots e, e, etc. or their equivalents, and the ends of the said
divided parts have projections e¹, e¹, which engage the spaced slots e, e, etc. or their
equivalents. To keep the divided ends in engagement the projections e¹ may be
turned or rivetted over, or the stem X of the valve may be passed through the
ends and a lock nutz thereon tightened up, in which case one of the ends is pro-
vided with a longitudinal slot to enable the adjustment to be effected.
To lengthen the band B all that is necessary is to press on the pawl D or its
equivalent through the cover or tyre cover from the outside thereof when the
tyre is deflated, and while the said pawl is disengaged to lengthen the band by

page_text: pulling it at some convenient part which will cause the ends b and b¹ to slide
over one another and bring the arms A and A' into the position shown by Figure 2.
When the tyre is re-mounted and it is desired to fix it, all that is necessary is
to exert pressure on the apex of the toggle joint formed by the arms A, A¹, through
the cover or tyre cover, until they spread out and assume the position shown by
Figure 1, whereby the length of the band is decreased and its two ends become
interlocked by means of the pawl D or its equivalent.
Although the band B is hereindescribed and shown in the drawing of a flat
section it may be made of a round section in the form of a wire if desired.
This device may be used for any type of tyre whether of the single or double
tubular form or of the "tubeless" type, and it may be employed in bands adapted
to act on both edges of the tyre or tyre cover or in bands adapted to act on one
edge only.
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 device for tightening and releasing i.c., shortening and lengthening the
bands or their equivalents employed for fixing pneumatic tyres or the covers
thereof to wheel rims, consisting essentially of a pair of arms arranged
and adapted to act as a toggle joint between the two ends of the band, the con-
struction being such that the arms lie at an angle with one another when the band
is lengthened and are straightened or brought into a line when the band is
shortened, as set forth.
(2) A device for tightening and releasing i.e. shortening and lengthening the
bands or their equivalents employed for fixing pneumatic tyres or the covers
thereof to wheel rims, consisting essentially of a pair of arms arranged and adapted
to act as a toggle joint between the two ends of the band which overlap one another,
and a pawl or its equivalent mounted on the one end of the band and adapted to
engage either directly or indirectly with the other end of the band to fix its two
ends together when it has been shortened, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated 1 171 1
1000
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Chartered Patent Agent, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.