Improvements in and connected with Tyres for Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 13th Jan., 100-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1:00
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Tyres for Cycles and other
Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM THOMPSON ELLIS, of 72, New City Road, Glasgow, Watchmaker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the tyres of cycles and other vehicles and it has for
its object to provide a tyre which, whilst being equal or nearly equal in
resiliency to a pneumatic tyre does not possess its disadvantages, that is to say,
the new tyre does not require to be inflated and is not liable to puncture.
In carrying out the invention I make the wheel rim of any suitable and well
known conformation in cross section and with inclined sides provided with bent
in edges or edges bent in at intervals. Into this rim I fit a spring hoop made
of thin spring steel or other metal with or without a central depression along
its whole length and lateral projecting wings or arms which, at their extreme
edges, are preferably slightly bent outwards. The spring hoop is so fitted in
place that it can work freely with a spring action in the trough shaped rim
which latter may also be made with a central longitudinal depression. The
spring hoop is provided with a rubber or other suitable tread of any suitable
cross section. The ends of the spring hoop may be left free or be joined
together by means of projections on one end which lock into recesses in the
other end, or in other suitable manner.
The whole arrangement is such that, as the vehicle wheel is rotated, the con-
cussion is taken up or cushioned by the freely working spring hoop and rubber
tread thereby giving an effect somewhat similar to that of a pneumatic tyre.
If desired instead of making the spring hoop with lateral arms or wings it
may be made with continuous side strips instead of these arms or wings.
The spring hoop may be made in sections if so desired.
Dated this 12th day of April 1899
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Tyres for Cycles and other
Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM THOMPSON ELLIS, of 72, New City Road, Glasgow, Watchmaker,
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 the tyres of cycles and other vehicles and it has for
its object. to provide a tyre, which, whilst being equal or nearly equal in
resiliency to a pneumatic tyre, does not possess its disadvantages, that is to say,
the new tyre does not require to be inflated and is not liable to puncture.
In order that my said invention may be properly understood I have here-
TD
071

page_text: unto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings which shows, by way of
example, a method of constructing the tyre.
On the drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of part of the tyre and its rim.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the tyre and rim.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a spring.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of the rubber tread.
Fig. 5 is a cross section of a different form of rubber tread.
In carrying out the invention I make the metal wheel-rim a of any suitable
and well known conformation in cross section but preferably of the trough shape
shown at Fig. 2 and with the outwardly curved or inclined sides having con-
tinuous bent in edges or edges bent in at intervals. Into this rim I fit a
number of thin spring steel sections 6 arranged at suitable intervals apart from
one another round the rim. These sections, as clearly shown at Fig. 3, have a
central shaped depression 61 and lateral projecting wings or arms 62, 63, which
are slightly curved or bent as shown. These sections are so inserted in place
within the rim that the ends of their wings, 62, 63, enter into the grooves
formed by the edges a, a¹, in such manner that the sections can work freely with
a spring action in the trough shaped rim. The rubber tread, c, which may
otherwise be made of any suitable shape in cross section, has projecting longi-
tudinal flanges c¹, 2, and a central downwardly projecting longitudinal rib
which latter works within the U bends of the sections b. The flanges c¹, c²,
are caught and held in place between the wings 62, 63, of the sections and the
edges of the rim.
The whole arrangement is such that, as the vehicle wheel is rotated, the con-
cussion is taken up or cushioned by the freely working spring sections 6 and
rubber tread thereby giving an effect somewhat similar to that of a pneumatic
tyre.
If desired the rubber tread c may be made as shown at Fig. 5 and may have
longitudinal flaps, as indicated in dotted lines, which would bear upon the
upper sides of the bent in edges a¹ of the rim and thereby prevent dirt or water
gaining access to the inside of the rim.
In my Provisional Specification I described a spring hoop as being used to
support the tread and I also mentioned that such hoop might be made in sec-
tions if so desired. In practice I find that it is more advantageous to use a
number of small sections, such as b, than a single spring hoop. On the draw-
ings I have shown small sections or strips but, if so desired, these sections may
be made much larger, and, in the latter case, fewer would be required to extend
right round the rim. The small sections have this advantage that they are
cheap to manufacture and can be easily fitted in place.
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 consider novel and desire to claim is :-
1. The combination of a rubber tread or tyre, a number of spring sections
made and arranged so as to resiliently support the tyre, and a trough shaped
metal rim, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
drawings annexed.
2. The supporting sections (b) made of spring steel and shaped as shown at
Fig. 3 of the drawings annexed.
3. A wheel rim and tyre made substantially as herein before described and
shown at Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 11th day of January 1900.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agents.