Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles, Tricycles, Carriages, and other Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: The decision of the Comptroller-General; of the 24th day of January 1893, allowed,
under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883, an Amendment of this
Specification.
Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1891--Accepted, 9th Jan., 1892
Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles, Tricycles, Carriages, and other
Vehicles.
•
I, JOSEPH. CASTLE HALL of 89 Gresham Street in the City of London,
Chartered Accountant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It has hitherto been the practice in constructing the wheels of bicycles tricycles
carriages and other vehicles to make the same of spokes and a rim with centre hub
and suitable tyre.
In cycles the latter usually consists of india rubber either solid or partly
solid and partly filled with compressed air. This principle of using compressed
air has been found to afford exceedingly good results. Now my invention has
for its object the securing of even greater results of utility than has hitherto been
achieved.
In carrying out my said invention and for example in the construction of a
bicycle I make for the two wheels two hollow globes round balls or double dises of
indiarubber or like material and these are filled with compressed air. I then
provide a suitable hub for each. These hubs take hold of the air ball and the
latter is pressed into a somewhat flat shape at each side (against which the said
hubs are brought) while still retaining a circular periphery, and thus constitutes a
hollow spokeless wheel and tyre combined. I then secure the hubs in this position by
means of suitable metal attachments or forks which reach to the outside of the air
ball where they meet and are fastened together. Each of the hubs have a suitable
axis, pivot or hearing which work in the said forks and thus allow the air ball or
wheel to revolve. The gearing I also arrange upon the hubs of one of the said air
wheels. The " "steering" gearing ""saddle and brake arrangements I
adjust on ordinary principles now in use, but as I make the said air wheels much
smaller than is usual in the construction of ordinary bicycle wheels, I arrange the
front part or fork and the opposite or back-bone to form an arch to the saddle, or
otherwise raise the same to a desirable height for the rider to sit in the saddle and
to use the pedals in the ordinary way. I also arrange the gearing on what is
known as the " geared up" principle, that is, the small wheel on the hub of the
driving wheel is made to revolve quicker than the pedals; in other words the rider
is able to travel with one stroke of the pedal the same distance as would be the
case with an ordinary large wheel. By constructing air wheels in accordance with
my said invention bicycles and the like vehicles may be made with greater ease
simplicity and at less cost than has hitherto been possible while the three great
objects, safety, speed, and ease in riding are improved. My invention is applicable
for other carriages and vehicles than cycles, and I claim the invention as applicable
to wheels generally. I do not confine myself to any particular shaped indiarubber
balls when in their normal condition. The said air ball or wheel may have a small

page_text: aperture passing through it, but this aperture is only in the nature of a tube of the
same material as the ball, and each end of which joins with the rubber of the ball
or wheel itself, in other words, the air wheel is in this case a hollow ring of india-
rubber. The hubs may also be connected with an axis passing through the said
aperture or otherwise through the said air-wheels. These wheels may be made by
taking two discs of indiarubber and fastening the same together so that the
combined concaves thereof form the interior of the wheel for containing the air as
aforesaid. Suitable arrangements are made for pumping in the air near to the
centre or hub.
Dated this 14h
1001
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Wheels for Bicycles, Tricycles, Carriages, and other
Vehicles.
JOSEPH CASTLE HALL 89 Gresham Street, in the City of London, Chartered
Accountant, 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:-
My invention relates to air or pneumatic wheels applicable for cycles, cabs or
carriages and other vehicles, and consists in constructing a wheel without ordinary
spokes, rim or tyre, substituting therefor a circular chamber filled with compressed
air or gas. The said air or gas is contained within walls, consisting either wholly
or partly of layers, separate jackets or envelopes of india rubber and suitable non-
expansive textile fabric or fabrics.. The said layers may either be loose from each
other or may in their construction be cemented or otherwise amalgamated together
and form a solid wall or shell.
In carrying into effect my said invention and in the construction of a wheel for
the purpose of a bicycle, for example, I take an air chamber and slightly compress
the sides thereof with suitable flanges carrying suitable pivots or other structures
for the purpose of bearings. The forks are then brought into position and take
hold of the said pivots or bearings and a suitable screw or other metal attachment
may be passed through the said forks immediately above the wheel, and by means
of a suitable out or screw, the said forks may be drawn nearer together, thus
holding securely the air-wheel, that is to say, the air-chamber aforesaid, between
the said flanges. These flanges may be riveted or sewn or otherwise secured to
the walls of the said chamber, or suitable indents may be left in the outer walls
of the said chamber corresponding in size to the said flanges and for the purpose of
receiving the said flanges and thus preventing the latter from changing their
position upon the air-chamber aforesaid; or, I take a steel axle which carries two
flanges or hubs, the latter being 3 or 4 inches apart (or otherwise at a distance
suitable for the diameter of the wheel required) and of a suitable diameter. These
flanges are part of, or fixed to, the said axle. I now take the said air-chamber
which in this case has a circular aperture cut through the centre of its two sides,
such aperture being one or two inches, more or less, less in diameter than the fixed
flanges before mentioned. This air-chamber is then fixed upon the axle, and so
arranged that each of the said fixed flanges are within and press against the interior
of the edges of the chamber. In order to secure the air chamber in this position I
place two loose flanges or washers; one at each end of the axle and similar in
diameter to the fixed flanges, sliding them on the axle until they come against the
edges or walls of the said air chamber. A suitable nut being now screwed upon
each end of the axle forces the loose flanges against both the edges of the air-
chamber which latter are thus held between the fixed and loose flanges. The
chamber being now inflated, through a suitable valve, a wheel is formed consisting

page_text: of a chamber filled with compressed air, at the sides of which are the ordinary
forks carrying bearings upon an axis which may either pass through the said
chamber, or be attached only to the flanges which press against the sides thereof as
before mentioned.
Referring to Fig. 1 of the annexed drawings A. is the pivot or axis carried by
the flanges C. C. which revolve with the wheel. F. F. are the forks carrying the
said pivots or bearings. J. H. G. constitute the walls of the chamber. K. is the
interior of the chamber and W represents the bolt and screw for the purpose of
drawing the forks together.
In Fig. 1 of the annexed drawings, A is the axle: B B the fixed flanges;
CC the loose flanges: E E are the screws by which the said loose flanges are
forced towards the fixed ones. FF are the forks which carry the bearings XX
in which latter the axle of the wheel revolves. G H J represent the walls of the
air-chamber G being an outer shell of indiarubber H a canvas or combination of
canvas and indiarubber of a non-expansive character, and J an inner shell of india-
rubber.
K indicates the interior of the air chamber which is inflated with air or gas by
an air pump through a suitable aperture in the axle as shewn by the dotted lines Ř
to S, or otherwise through the walls of the chamber as shewn by O O. The
flanges B B and C C take hold of the edges of the air chamber at L L and L L, the
said flanges being corrugated as shewn by the curved lines, or the said edges of the
air-chamber may terminate with a single enlargement and the said flanges may
have a corresponding cavity for receiving the same either close to the axle or a few
inches distance therefrom.
Fig. 2 illustrates another modification for securing the edges of the air-chamber
to the fixed flanges B B. C represents a loose washer or Hange having a larger
aperture in its centre than as shewn by C C Figure 1. This ring or washer is
secured in its place by small screws P P P at intervals of 2 or 3 inches apart,
the said screws taking the place of the screws E E Figure 1. R S indicate the
air valve.
Figure 3 is a further modification of the air-chamber. I construct in this case
the said air-chamber with only a tubular aperture through the centre, having a
diameter about equal to that of the axle, and the walls of the said chamber are
continued and form also the walls of the said tube or aperture. The said air-
chamber in this case constitutes a ring of air contained within the said walls and
encircling the axle A. as shewn. The flanges CC are in this case forced against
the walls of the air-chamber by means of the screws E E, or one of the said flanges
may be fixed to the axle and the other may be loose and forced against the air-
chamber by means of a single screw as before mentioned. A suitable valve and
also the forks and bearings are arranged in the usual way.
Fig. 4 is a further modification of the air-chamber. In this case it is comprised
substantially of a spherical body the walls whereof are formed like a bladder with
two necks. Through these necks and through the interior of the air-chamber is
passed the axle, and in order to secure the latter to the said necks of the air-
chamber, I arrange suitable rings of wire, entent cutgut or other similar material N N.
The axle revolves in the bearings X X which are carried by the forks F F in the
ordinary way. An air or pneumatic wheel is thus constituted comprising a globe
of compressed air as shewn.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of a wheel as shewn in Figs. 1, 1 and 3 respectively.
A is the axle, C the flange and G that portion of the air-chamber which comes
beyond the said flange. Mand T T illustrate the attachments where the said wheel
is applied to carriages; T T being an ordinary carriage spring and M the con-
necting part from the axle A to the said spring T T. I do not confine myself to
any particular method of inflating the air-chamber. The flanges herein before
mentioned, or any of them may also be made of wood, paper maché or other
suitable material instead of steel.

page_text: Having now described and particularly 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) A wheel for cycles, cabs
with compressed air or gas and
tyre substantially as set forth.
and other vehicles consisting of a chamber filled
constructed without ordinary skokes spokes, rim or
(2) A wheel for cycles, cabs and other vehicles consisting of a chamber filled
with compressed air or gas, the walls of the said chamber consisting either wholly
of layers of indiarubber and non expansive textile fabric, or partly of such
walls and partly of circular inner flanges of metal or other material extending
from an axle and secured in position by means of outer flanges or washers sub-
stantially as set forth.
(3) A wheel for cycles, cabs and other vehicles consisting of a chamber filled
with compressed air or gas, the walls of the said chamber consisting of layers of
indiarubber and non-expansive textile fabric and secured to an axle by means of
flanges extending therefrom at each side of the said chamber, the said walls having
an inner tube or aperture through their centre and through which the axle passes,
and the said aperture or tube being of the same material or walls as the outer walls
of the chamber substantially as set forth.
(4) A wheel for cycles, cabs and other vehicles consisting of a spherical chamber
filled with compressed air or gas, the walls of the said chamber consisting of layers
of indiarubber and non-expansive textile fabric and having two necks secured to an
axle by means of. wire or other similar attachments, the said axle passing through
the interior of the said air chamber, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 3rd day of December.
J. CASTLE HALL.