An Improvement in Tyres of Wheels for Bicycles, Tricycles, or other Rolling Bodies.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 4th Oct.. 1892-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Tyres of Wheels for Bicycles, Tricycles, or
other Rolling Bodies.
ROBERT EDLIN of No. 1 Hughendon Drive Aylestone Park Leicester Cycle
Manufacturer &c. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in constructing the various parts of a pneumatic tyre so
that upon the air tube becoming punctured it can be readily withdrawn from its
outer casing and repaired and returned without removing the tyre from the wheel
of the vehicle to which it is applied.
To carry out my invention I construct the outer casing of the tyre with one or
more moveable flaps or wings and suitable strengthening plates or equivalent which
may be secured thereto by bolts or studs passing through the movable flaps and
having nuts on the ends thereof.
The inner or air tube is formed in a length and on being turned to form the circle
the ends of the tube are connected together as follows:-
The length of air tubing has two stopped ends but on one end an additional
piece or sleeve of tubing preferably about 2 inches long is cemented and passes
about half its length along one end of the air tube.
The other half of the sleeve receiving the opposite end of the length of tubing
into it after placing the air tube in the outer casing..
When the two ends are brought together they may be secured to each other by
tape or other suitable material.
The air valve will preferably pass into the air tube about 4 inches from the end
having the sleeve cemented thereto, and before pulling this end out of the casing
to repair the air tube, a piece of string would be tied to its opposite end so as to
facilitate the drawing of the air tube back again after the repairs are completed.
Dated this 7th day of December 1891.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Tyres of Wheels for Bicycles, Tricycles, or
other Rolling Bodies.
I, ROBERT EDLIN of the firm of R. Edlin & Co. of Lothair Road, Aylestone
Park, Leicester, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described & ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to tyres for wheels and has special reference to what are
known as pneumatic tyres.'
The object of the invention is to produce a pneumatic tyre, i.e. a tyre filled with
air or gas under compression, so that should the air tube or chamber become
punctured or otherwise injured, it may be possible to withdraw the air tube for
repairing, without it being necessary also to remove the whole of the tyre or the
outer protective covering or jacket as is requisite with pneumatic tyres of ordinary
construction.
The invention will be fully understood from the following description in reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a wheel tyre constructed in accordance
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page_text: with this invention, the flap of the outer protective covering or jacket being turned
back & the ends of the air tube projecting.
Figure 2 is a view of a portion of the tyre complete and as fitted on a wheel
ready for use.
Figure 3 is a view of a portion of the air tube showing one end within the
extension of the other, and tied together.
Figure 4 is a detached view of the flap covering plate.
A represents the air tube which is filled with air under compression through
any convenient form of valve B, by an inflator or air pump in the well known
manner.
The air tube instead of being made and vulcanised in an entire unbroken circle
may be made of one or more lengths of rubber tubing according to the circum-
ference of the wheel, the ends being closed or stopped up.
According to a convenient method of constructing the air tube it is formed in
a single length having one end A' provided with a short tubular extension or
sleeve into which the other end A2 is received, the two ends being preferably tied
together by cords or tapes C or equivalent means, cemented and vulcanised or
otherwise secured to the sides of the air tube as indicated in Figures 1 and 3.
The air tube is secured in position on the rim of the wheel by an outer covering
or jacket D of indiarubber and canvas of the usual construction.
A preferable form of outer covering is such as is referred to in the Specifica-
tion of Dunlop's British Patent No. 4116 of 1889 with the exception, that
instead of the whole of the sides or edges thereof being cemented to the inner
face of the wheel rim a portion of one of the sides or edges, constituting a-flap D¹
may be left loose so as to admit of the air tube being withdrawn as hereinafter
described.
This flap by preference is 10 inches in length or thereabouts and is provided
with a series of marginal perforations D3 which, when the air tube is fixed in
proper position on the wheel rim for being inflated and connected together as in
Figure 3, are placed over a similar number of screwthreaded studs E or equivalents
projecting from the inner face of the rim towards the centre of the wheel.
A plate F shaped to the rim of the wheel, shown detached in Figure 4 and
provided with an identical number of holes is then placed over the studs E and
upon the flap D' and the whole are then firmly secured together by nuts E¹ being
tightened over the screwthreaded studs E.
Other means than the nuts may be employed to fix thé plate in position over the
flap D, and it is obvious there may be more than one flap if desired, or two or
more shorter flaps may be employed.
Now suppose, the air tube having become punctured it is desired to remove it
from the wheel for repairs, the procedure is as follows:-The nuts E' are first
unscrewed and the plate F lifted off the studs E and removed.
The flap D¹ is next also disconnected from the studs E and turned back, the
valve B pressed through the usual opening in the rim G, the strings C on the
ends of the air tube A unfastened and the ends of the latter will then be free as in
Figure 1.
A cord should now be tied to the end A² of the air tube A then by taking
hold of the opposite or valve end of the latter the tube can be drawn round
the circumference of the wheel and within the external covering D, until it is
entirely removed from the wheel or so far removed as to show the punctured
portion when it is free to be repaired.
The length of cord which is fastened to the end A³ of the air tube should
be at least one and a half times that of the circumference of the wheel and
when the air tube is wholly withdrawn as described it will be found a con-
venient method to adopt to tie the end of such cord either to one of the wheel
spokes or to an object larger than the entrance allowed by the flap. This will
prevent the end of the cord passing into the outer covering and following the air
tube in its removal.

page_text: Upon the repair of the air tube being effected and the cord hereinbefore men-
tioned being pulled taut, the air tube will follow it round the circumference of the
wheel and within the outer covering until the ends bear approximately the relative
positions indicated in Figure 1 when the complete tyre can be secured to the wheel
in the manner hereinbefore mentioned.
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. A pneumatic tyre for vehicle wheels consisting of an air tube formed in
one or more lengths an outer protective covering or jacket provided with one
or more flaps or portions capable of being turned back or otherwise manipulated
to permit of the air tube being removed from the wheel and means for fixing
the said flaps or portions rigidly in position on the wheel rim for the purpose
specified.
2. A pneumatic tyre for vehicle wheels consisting of an air tube having closed
ends, one end having a tubular extension into which the opposite end is received
and tied thereto an outer covering formed with a flap capable of being turned back
to allow the air tube to be withdrawn substantially in the manner described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. A pneumatic tyre for vehicle wheels consisting of an air tube having closed
ends one end having a tubular extension into which the opposite end is received
and tied thereto, an outer covering formed with one or more flaps provided with a
series of marginal perforations adapted to fit over a similar number of studs on the
wheel rim a metal plate also perforated to fit over the said studs and be secured
thereon by nuts or equivalent means substantially in the manner described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of October 1892.
ROBERT EDLIN.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.