Improvements in and relating to Wheels for Velocipedes and other Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left. 9th Aug.. 1892-Accepted. 10th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Wheels for Velocipedes and other
Vehicles.
I, JOHN BOYD DUNLOP of 50 Gloucester Street Belfast, County Antrim
Ireland Veterinary Surgeon do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has reference to improvements in and relating to wheels for
velocipedes and other vehicles and is intended to lessen the vibration and facilitate
the propulsion of such vehicles.
According to my said invention I apply to velocipede and other vehicle wheels
two or more elastic or flexible hoops of steel, wood, vulcanite, or other suitable
material. The said hoops are of different diameters and are placed outside the rim
concentrically therewith.
Each said hoop and rim is coated with cement and covered with cloth or other
fabric and a layer or pieces of india rubber is or are placed between the said hoops
and secured in place by means of cement or otherwise.
The inner hoop is secured to the rim by means of canvas or other fabric coated
with india rubber. The said canvas or fabric is preferably passed over and between
the inner hoop and the rim after the form of the figure 8 and is cemented thereto.
India rubber is placed on the outside of the rim to act as a buffer between the
rim and inner hoop.
The said hoops may be made of waved or corrugated material. On the outer
covered hoop I secure by means of cement or otherwise an india-rubber or other
elastic solid or hollow tyre.
DL
1
T
1001
JOHN BOYD DUNLOP.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Wheels for Velocipedes and other
Vehicles.
I JOHN BOYD DUNLOP, of Talbot House, Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland Veterinary
Surgeon 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 has reference to improvements in and relating to wheels for
velocipedes and other vehicles and is intended to lessen the vibration and facilitate
the propulsion of such vehicles.
According to my said invention I apply to a velocipede or other vehicle wheel
two or more elastic or flexible hoops of steel or other suitable material. The said
flexible hoops are of different diameters and are placed outside the rigid rim
concentrically therewith.
I may make the flexible hoops from flat bars of steel or strips of wood or other
suitable material and I join the ends thereof by means of short plates and rivets, or
by inserting the said ends into a short flat tube or sheath, or in case of a metallic
hoop I may weld or braze the ends of the bars or strips together, or I may form a
weldless hoop by first punching a hole in a circular piece of steel-or other metal and

page_text: then rolling it into shape. When forming the hoops of flat bars or strips of steel I
prefer not to use rivets unless the joint be strengthened by means of short plates on
both sides of the same or by inserting the ends of the bars into a short flat tube as
hereinabove mentioned.
Each of the said flexible hoops and also the rigid rim is coated with cement and 5
covered with cloth or other fabric. The cloth or fabric is then coated with india
rubber solution or other cement or I may apply the india-rubber solution to the
cloth or fabric before covering the rim and flexible hoops with the same.
The inner flexible hoop is secured to the rim by means of a band or bands of
canvas or other pliable and comparatively non-elastic material.
Pieces or a layer of india-rubber or other elastic material are or is coated with
india-rubber solution or other cement and placed between the flexible covered
hoops.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side view partly sectional of a wheel constructed according to my 1
invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same, and
Figure 3 is a view shewing a modification of my invention.
Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 A is the rigid rim of an ordinary wheel which I 2
prefer to make somewhat broader than usual, and B is a continuous band of canvas
or other pliable material which secures the inner flexible hoop C to the rim A.
The said band B is passed over on the inner surface of the rim A and the outer
surface of the inner flexible hoop C and crossed between the said rim and hoop
somewhat after the form of the figure 8 or letter ✗. In a modification of my 2
invention I may use a number of continuous or endless bands B as shown in Figure 3.
The sides of the said bands are joined between the rim and the flexible hoop C,
quite close to the said hoop or at any other convenient point between the rim and
hoop. I may bind or lace and cross the bands B in various ways from the edges of
the rim directly or indirectly to the opposite edges of the hoop C as for instance
somewhat after the form of the figure 8. when viewed in transverse section.
The bands B are coated with india-rubber and vulcanised and also with india-
rubber solution or other cement so that they may be protected from wear and
moisture and caused to adhere to the rim and inner hoop C.
The outer flexible hoop E is secured to the inner hoop C by means of a layer or 3
pieces D of india-rubber or other elastic material cemented in position between the
said covered rings with india-rubber solution or other cement, the said pieces of
india-rubber preventing friction between the said hoops. I may if desired secure
the said hoops more firmly to each other with strips of cloth or the like covered
with cement.
The hoops C, E, may be made of waved or corrugated bars or in place of two or
more hoops I may form a hoop of two or more layers formed from a continuous bar or
strip of steel or other material somewhat after the manner of a child's wooden hoop
or a watch spring, the several turns or layers of the said bar or strip being secured
to each other and to the rim by cloth and india-rubber in a fashion similar to that 4
above described for the two separate rings or hoops, but I prefer to employ two or
more circular hoops as above described.
During the operation of securing the innermost flexible hoop C to the rim A the
said hoop and rim or wheel may be placed on a suitable support the hoop C being
held in position by means of suitable screw-clamps or pieces of wood placed between 5
the said hoop and rim.
The bands B are drawn sufficiently tight to maintain the inner hoop C in position
but not so tight as to prevent the compound rim formed of the two hoops from
bending or yielding when weight is borne on the wheel.
On the outer flexible hoop E I secure by means of cement or otherwise an india- 5
rubber or other elastic, solid, or any other form of hollow elastic tyre.
The spring or resiliency of the wheel is mainly dependent on the flexible hoops

page_text: which bend and act together and my object in using two or more hoops or layers in
place of one is to increase the elasticity or resiliency of the wheel.
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:
First. A wheel for velocipedes or other vehicles having a rigid rim and two or
more flexible or elastic hoops or layers secured together by india-rubber or other
elastic material and suspended or supported outside of the rigid rim of the wheel by
flexible bands, or other means, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Dated this 9th day of August 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.