Improvements in and connected with Tyres, and Apparatus Used in their Manufacture.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Tyres, and Apparatus Used in
their Manufacture.
1, FREDERICK WILLIAM BROWN of City Chambers Clifford Street York in the
County of York Architect do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to woven spring tyres to be applied to the wheels of
bicycles, tricycles and carriages and generally to all kinds of wheeled vehicles for
the purpose of lessening the vibration caused by the unevenness of the roads.
In particular my invention refers to such tyres as are described in Specification
of Letters Patent No. 15194 of A.D. 1894. These tyres consisting of an inner
woven spring tyre of steel springs and are provided with an outer cover of suitable
material such as canvas & rubber or leather to protect them from injury and to form
a bearing surface next the road.
In order that my invention may be better understood I shall refer to the annexed
sheet of drawings whereon
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the spring tyre.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the bearing surface of the spring tyre as seen from above.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the spring tyre and outer cover as fixed to the rim.
Fig. 4 shews the tool used in making the springs and
Fig. 5 shews the method of using the tool shewn in Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section along Fig. 2 shewing the method of wrapping
same to give a bearing surface.
Fig. 7 shews an improved spring.
The spring tyre is built up on two equal sized rings of grooved umbrella wire r
Figs. 1 and 3 kept equidistant by cross wires connecting them, and these rings fit
next the rim of the wheel as in Fig. 3. To these rings r the flat woven wires ll
are secured by one end of each being held into the groove by the short ferrules ff &c.
slid on to the rings and placed at equal distances apart, and on these woven wires
the springs s. s. &c. are threaded or placed as in Fig. 1. In my present invention
all the woven wires in both rings have their free ends pointing in the same
direction the wires in one ring being thus placed parallel to those in the other ring,
there are the same number of ferrules and woven wires in each ring and the ferrules
on one ring are each placed immediately opposite those on the other ring. To keep
the tyre rigid laterally I insert the zig zag cross ties t, t, Fig. 3 which spring from
one ring and are each continued in one piece of wire to one side of the bearing
surface and having loops or eyelets t¹ formed in it at the angles for the woven wires
to be passed through. The zig zag wires tt Fig. 1 slope in the same direction as
the springs s. s. and are slipped into position as in Fig. 1 between each of the
springs s. s. The springs ss have their top loop formed as shewn at s¹ Fig. 2 the
free end of the wire s Fig. 2 being left extra long and then bent round as at s¹.
To form the bearing surface of the tyre I coil some flat wire into the shape of a
flattened helix as at Figs. 1, 2, & 3 having an extra twist or eyelet formed in it
at each side of the tyre as at e Figs. 2 & 3. The coil being cut into short suitable
lengths I slip them over the ends of the woven wires as in Fig. 1. The flat wires l
laying one above the other in the side eyelets e e and the woven wires are left
sufficiently long so as to pass through the eyelets of this & the next coil or coils as
in Fig. 1 thus forming a laminated edge on each side of the bearing surface of the

page_text: by
spring tyre as is shewn at m, m, Fig. 2. Before threading the coils h into position
a continuous flat wire n (which might otherwise be a number of thin flat wires laid
one above the other & thus laminated) is threaded through the top loop of the
springs one on each side of the tyre but in a different way to that in which the
woven wires pass through these loops as will be seen in Fig. 2 where m m are
the woven wires and n n these continuous wires aforesaid which it will be seen are
placed towards the inside of the tyre the under part of the coil à resting upon these
wires nn in certain places as in Fig. 3. These wires n (which are shewn by
a dotted line in Fig. 1 for the sake of distinction) are intended to support the strain
on one side of the top loops of the springs and also to pack the woven wires more
tightly in these loops and to give a horizontal stiffness to the surface of the tyre.
They might be replaced by threading the ends of the lower woven wires alter
passing through one top loop down through the top loop of the next in the same
direction as shewn by the dotted line in Fig. 1. As each of the coils his threaded
on to the woven wires and placed in position I turn down the ends of the woven
wires ns at Fig. 1 which wedges the wires tight at these eyelets and to these fixed
parts connect the springs at their top loops and the loose parts of the coils
binding them to these fixed parts with thin malleable wire or wires with a hook at
each end catching on them to prevent them slipping off the woven wires. The
same number of spring as woven wires may be used in each side of the tyre.
The object of using half the number of springs in Fig. 1 is to enable two woven
wires to pass through ench top loop of the springs and thus give increased strength
to the woven wires at these parts. Otherwise each of the woven wires could be
laminated or built up of a number of flat wires laid on top of each other. In order
to give the outer casing a rounder appearance when fixed on the spring tyre and
keep it distended, I fix flat wires d d'Fig. 3 along each side of the tyre running
parallel to the rings aforesaid having eyelets at their ends for the wires d d to
pass through & eyelets for the woven wires. The wires may be wrapped helically
with a suitable material to give them a larger surface where they press against the
outer cover, or strips of cane or other suitable flexible material may be substituted
for them. The surface of the coil A may have each upper wire wrapped helically with
string or other similar material afterwards hardened by steeping in glue or other
suitable material, or it may have a strip of woven material (the same width as the
coil and having thick warp threads in the direction of its length) threaded along
it, passing over the outer wires and under the lower wires alternately as shown in
the longitudinal section Fig. 6 and may be hardened or stiffened as before, or
a strip of leather could be substituted & fixed in a similar manner. The wire
edges m m Fig. 2 could also be helically wrapped to prevent them chafing the
outer cover. Fig. 4 shews the tool used in making the springs. By using this tool
I am enabled to coil the springs from hard drawn or hardened and tempered steel
wire instead of using soft steel wire and afterwards hardening and tempering
them as described in previous specifications of letters patent. The springs are
thus more likely to be of uniform quality throughont. The tool consists of
a shaft b revolving in an upright actuated by a crank handle b¹ which is
turned by the right hand while the wire to be coiled is held in the left hand.
& applied to the bit at the other end of the shaft. This bit has an arm
provided with a vertical notch e for holding the wire at the last loop coiled
whilst the next is being coiled and an opening e' separates this arm from the other
shorter one which has a raised ridge at e (which may also be continued along its
under edge) to prevent the wire slipping back into the opening c¹. In operation
Fig. 5 the wire is held in the left hand & the last loop being placed in the notch c
the handle & revolved a half turn or so the free wire being thus pressed sufficiently
into the opening e' to keep its shape when sprung back, it is then slipped to the
left side of the ridge c and the handle revolved the remaining half turn or more
and remainder of the loop formed as shewn by the dotted line of Fig. 5. The loop
can then (owing to the shape of the bit) be quickly slipped off, and placed in the
notch c while another is formed.

page_text: Fig. 7 shews a way of making each spring of two or more layers of wire (either
square section or having flat sides for contact all coiled simultaneously on the tool
aforesaid the object being to obtain powerful springs for the tyres of heavy
vehicles still using the hard wire as before (instead of afterwards hardening &
tempering).
The springs could otherwise be made of two or more wires laid side by side
instead of one above the other, and as those parts of the springs nearest the bearing
surface would have a greater strain upon them they might each be made of two or
more wires from 1 to 3 Fig. 1, and the remaining part, of one wire only, coiled as
in the preceding methods.
Another method of strengthening the tyre would be to place a shorter spring
between each of the springs shewn in Fig. 1, and of a length such as would reach
from n to . All these springs before described could be hardened and tempered
if desirable.
The woven wires 17 Fig. 1 could each be laminated or built up of a number of
flat wires laid oue above the other, and shews a method of strengthening the
upper parts only of the woven wires by laminating them, the parts being held
together by passing through an eyelet of the cross wires.
The woven wires 11 are bent at their feet as at f to keep them from slipping
out of the ferrules and these parts also separate the ferrules and keep them
equidistant along the rings.
Fig. 8 shows the outer cover and tread of the tyre in section and part elevation.
Two strips of leather za are sewn to the cover, one along each side, and these
strips (which may be in short lengths) have the upper parts free and are provided
with a row of metal eyelets xx for the purpose of sewing on the tread g which at
its edges can be placed either inside or outside the strip as shewn.
The tread can thus be readily replaced when worn out, the lacing threads being
first passed loosely through the eyelets and the sides of the tread and tightened
when it has been placed in position.
1000
FREDERICK WM. BROWN.
Improvements in and connected with Tyres, and Apparatus Used in
their Manufacture.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM BROWN of City Chambers, Clifford Street York in
the County of York Architect 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 spring tyres applicable to the wheels of bicycles, cycles,
carriages omnibuses and generally to all kinds of wheeled vehicles including motor
cars for the purpose of lessening the vibration caused by the roughness or
unevenness of the roads.
In particular my invention refers to tyres similar to those described in the
Specifications of Letters Patent which were granted to me and numbered 16809
of A.D. 1893, 15194 of A.D. 1894 and 13538 of A.D. 1895. In order that my
invention may be better understood I shall refer to the annexed sheet of drawings
whereon the same letters denote similar parts in the different figures.
Fig. 1 is a side view of the tyre with the outer cover removed.
Fig. 2 is a plan of a part of the tread of the spring tyre.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the tyre and outer cover as fitted to a rim.

page_text: Figs. 4 and 5 show the tools used in making the springs.
Fig. 6 shows the tool used in forming the flat wire tread and it may also be used
in making the cross ties.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are as seen from above.
The objects of the present invention are to produce a tyre whose component
parts may be more readily fitted together and so that any damaged parts may be
easily replaced. Also that the tyre may keep its shape the different parts being
less liable to work loose, and the tyre being more rigid laterally, it would be less
liable to slip sideways.
By referring to Fig. 1 (in which the tyre is not shown curved circumferentially
to the rim or felloe though it would be so curved) it will be seen that the tyre is
constructed of spring steel wire and has two equal sized rings r (see also Fig. 3) to
which the tangent flat wires are secured at equal intervals apart, their ends
being bent as shown and held to the rings r by the ferrules
The rings being either of grooved umbrella wire or otherwise having dat upper
sides. Now the tangent wires fixed to one ring at one side of the tyre are
arranged parallel to those on the other ring at the other side of the tyre
adjacent and consequently their free ends point in the same direction. When
I speak of the sides of the tyre in this specification it must be understood
that my meaning is the two adjacent sides as for instance those of the cross
section Fig. 3. The helical springs are threaded on to the tangent wires as
shown, their lower ends hooked onto the tangent wires on both rings and the
ferrules on one ring being exactly opposite to those on the other ring adjacent the
springs on that ring are exactly opposite to those on the other ring and their axes
being parallel to each other, their upper ends are opposite being arranged in pairs
as shown in Fig. 2.
Between each succeeding pair of springs I thread on to the tangent wires the
zigzag cross ties tt, the tangent wires being threaded through the eyelets formed
at the angles of the zigzag ties. These ties are formed out of tempered steel
wire of flat section having the eyelets formed by coiling it upon its flat side and
each zigzag extends in one piece of wire throughout the depth of the tyre from
beneath the sides of the tread downwards to the rings r, the formation of the
eyelets and the flat section of wire used enabling the ties to fold together down-
wards when the tyre is compressed. These ties are arranged between the springs
na transverse plane parallel to the axes of the springs. The springs may be
upright helical springs or may all lean slightly in the same direction as shown in
Fig. 1, my reasons for this being that the right hand sides of the springs shown
in this figure being supported by the tangent wires and their left hand sides
unsupported, slanting them a little to the right tends to prevent them from leaning
over to the left or unsupported side the springs on the other ring being slanted
in a similar and parallel direction.
Through the top loops of the springs on both sides of the tyre I thread flat spring
steel wires n as shown running completely round the tyre parallel to the rings r.
These may be single wires but I prefer to use two or more wires on each side laid
one above the other and thus laminated as shown. This giving greater flexibility
and also safety by providing extra wires should one break. These wires m, n, are
used for the purpose of supporting the tread and to distribute the pressure along
the tops of the springs. As shown in Fig. 2 they are placed towards the inner
sides of the springs, the tangent wires passing through the same loops of the
springs but in a different direction and at the outer sides of these wires thus
holding them into the loops and also holding the upper parts of these loops down to
the wires n and the lower parts of these loops up to the under side of the wires n.
The tread of the tyre is made of flat steel wire coiled into a very flat helix as
shown at h, Figs. 1. 2. and 3. having eyelets at each side and cut up into short
pieces of a length equal to the distance from one side of a spring to the same side
of the next spring. These short pieces of the wire tread are threaded by their
eyelets onto the ends of the tangent wires which are left long enough to reach from

page_text: the top of one spring past the top of the next and thus overlapping in the same
direction and forming a laminated wire at each side of the wire tread euclosed in
its eyelets. The wire tread rests also on its under side upon the wires nn as shown
in the figures. Before threading the tread 4 into position I provide each successive
piece of it with a corrugated band A¹ whose folds lie alternately under and over the
cross wires of the tread. This band may be of leather or of any suitable fibrous
material the fibres lying across the wires.
It is necessary that the springs shown in Fig. 1 should be held at their lower
ends onto the wires 11 next to the ferrules by the upper ends of the springs being
held tightly towards the right and of course the springs on the other side of the tyre
would be pulled in the same direction as these. Now in my former inventions I
effected this tightening by having the springs on one side of the tyre tightened in
an opposite direction to those on the other side adjacent so that the tightening
could be effected by connecting their upper ends obliquely across the tread of the
tyre. But in the present invention I effect it by bending the ends of the tangent
wires after the wire tread has been placed on them and thus make firm parts of the
tread as at of Fig. 1 to which I connect the springs by short wires having one end
hooked to o' and the other hooked on to the top of the springs as shown in Fig. 1
This tightening also tends to support the left hand sides of the springs
shown in Fig. 1 and to keep the woven wires firmly in their respective positions.
It will be apparent from the foregoing that all the springs on both sides of the
tyre have their tops secured in the same direction to the rings r, by the tangential
wires.
Figs. 4 and 5 show methods of making the springs, and Fig. 6 shows a method of
coiling the wire tread, and the cross ties would also be made on a tool similar to
Fig. 6.
The tool shown in Fig: 4 consists of a spindle h, revolved in an upright a by
means of a crank handle not shown here but similar to those described in my
former specifications. The other end of the spindle has an arm a on which each
coil of the spring is formed. The spring being held in the notch a formed at the
end of an arm placed parallel to a and fixed to the spindle. Fig. 4 shows the
spring being coiled, the spindle being revolved first a half turn while the wire is
bent round a and pressed into the opening between a³ and a to overcome its
stiffness, it is then bent round a being prevented from slipping back into the
opening next a by the projection a which is continued round to the underside of a
for this purpose. The loop thus formed is now slipped off and placed in the
notch a while another is formed, and so on. The object in forming the springs in
this manner is to make helical springs of the shape shown in Fig. 1 at a viz. leaning
off their centres slightly in one direction but the use of this kind of spring is
merely optional and ordinary upright helical springs will answer equally well if
properly secured in reverse directions at their upper and lower ends. Fig. 5 shows
a method of making them. The tool consists of a spindle b revolving in an
upright and actuated by a crank handle at one end. The other end of the
spindle has a broad flat part a with parallel edges, on which the wire is cuited, it
being held in the left hand, and as it is bent round each of the edges of the tool in
turn it is pressed down at the side next the spindle to overcome the stiffness of the
wire as shown at s the coiled part being slipped slightly to the left along the tool,
after each half turn of the spindle. The springs formed either as in Fig. 4 or
Fig. 5 will be of a flattened helical shape and the internal breadth of the springs
(by which I mean the breadth between a aud a', Fig. 5) might vary fron of an
inch in tyres for light vehicles such as cycles to 1 inches in those for heavier
vehicles such as carriages, the thickness of wire used for them and for other parts
of the tyres being about the same as described in Specification 13538 of A.D. 1895.
The springs are all afterwards hardened and tempered. Fig. 6 consists of an
upright a and spindle & (as before described in Fig. 5) provided with a cross
plate e to which are fixed the parallel wire prongs e, e. The handle being turned,
the flat wire A is held in the left hand and coiled twice round each of the prongs in

page_text: turn near their ends, after each revolution of the spindle the wire is pushed further
on to the prongs until a piece is made of a length sufficient to reach from a to s³
Fig. 2 when it is slipped off and another piece of the wire tread formed as before
and so on. The cross ties tare formed on a similar tool to that shown in Fig. 6
but having shorter and thinner prongs than cl c. I form them from flat steel wire
and after each eyelet is formed on one prong in a similar manner to those shown in
Fig. 6, it is slipped off and turned the other side up and placed on the other prong
while another eyelet is formed on the first prong as before. The ties are thus of a
zigzag shape as shown in Fig. 3 and have an eyelet formed at each of the angles.
The cross ties and the wire tread can both be made from hardened and tempered
flat steel wire sufficiently soft to enable it to be bent as shown, but if desirable
they can be formed out of untempered wire afterwards hardened and tempered.
The size of wire used for the ties and the tread in tyres for cycles etc. would be
No. 16 x 22 Birmingham wire gauge or thereabouts, those for heavier vehicles
being proportionately thicker.
The wires n n could be the same gauge viz. 16 × 22, greater strength being
attained where requisite by increasing the laminations and their widths rather than
by materially thickening the wires. Of course they are of spring steel.
Fig. 3 shows a cross section of the outer cover of the tyre and a method of secur
ing to it a tread piece g of leather or other suitable flexible material so that it may
be readily renewed when worn out without detaching the cover from the inner
spring tyre. Two strips z. z. of pliable material such as leather, are sewn by their
bottom edges to the cover viz. one on each side of it parallel to the sides of the
tread. The upper edges of these strips or flaps are free and are each provided with
a row of small holes lined with metal eyelets xx similar to those used in laced
boots. These eyelets are for the purpose of sewing on the tread g whose edges can
he placed either undereeath or above the flaps zz.
Preferably it is placed first beneath the flaps and the holes marked in it opposite
'the eyelets a, a. It is then placed outside them and sewn through these holes to
one flap in the first instance and then sewn loosely to the other Hap for a certain
distance when the sewing is pulled tight and the sewing proceeded with as before.
Either string or waxed thread or fine wire could be used for this purpose and if
desirable the holes a, a, in the flaps could be used without the metal eyelets. By
comparing this method of fastening on the tread with that described in Specification
No. 13538 of A.D. 1895 it will be seen that the loose flaps enable the sewing to be
more easily done, and by not having any eyelets in the cover itself there could be
no leakage of moisture through them into the interior of the tyre.
The tyre and its outer cover are fastened to the rim or felloe by methods such as
are described in Specification No. 15194 of A.D. 1894. Fig. 3 shows a method of
distending the outer casing so as to give it a rounder appearance when fixed around
the spring tyre. I fix flat wires d. d. along each side of the tyre parallel to the
rings and kept in position by cross wires passing horizontally through the tyre
having eyelets at their ends in which the wires d d are held and eyelets through
which the wires are threaded. The wires d may be wrapped helically to give
them a better surface, or strips of cane or other suitable material could be
substituted for them.
! wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to any precise
form of the springs a, whether upright or slanting, and do not claim for anything as
to their shape, they being ordinary helical springs flattened slightly; also I do not
claim for the apparatus shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and herein described.
Neither do claim for any parts which are obviously taken from my previous
inventions as herein quoted unless as afterwards stated.
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.) The application to a spring tyre of the improved cross ties t formed in a

page_text: zigzag out of one piece of flat wire and thus extending from the sides of the tread
to the base of the tyre and having eyelets at each of the angles, as herein set forth.
(2.) The combination or arrangement of the helical springs in pairs having
their axes parallel and the improved cross ties t connecting them.
(3.) The combination and arrangement of the tangent wires on each side of the
tyre parallel to those on the other side, the helical springs sin pairs having their
axes parallel and the improved cross ties t extending from the tread to the base of
the tyre.
(4.) The combination with the springs s, of two flexible flat wires n n (preferably
laminated) resting in the tops of the springs and held therein by other wires i.
(5.) The application of cross wires h threaded by eyelets on to flexible
longitudinal wires for the purpose of supporting a flexible tread.
(6.) The combination of the flat wire tread h with a band of leather or other
suitable material arranged in folds resting on the wires and thus forming a flexible
tread.
(7.) The arrangement and application of two parallel sets of flexible flat wires at
each side of the tread, the upper wires having the wire tread threaded on to them,
the lower wires n, n, supporting the cross wires and resting in the tops of the
springs.
(8.) The application of the two flaps z, z, fastened to the sides of the cover k, and
provided with eyelets for the purpose of sewing or lacing on the tread g.
(9.) The method of sewing or securing the tread g, by means of the flaps z, z,
provided with holes x, x.
(10.) Securing the tread and the tops of the springs longitudinally by means of
tangent wires 1. fastened to them and to the base of the tyre.
(11.) The combination of the horizontal cross wires of the tread h, holding the
two sides of the tyre equidistant, and the zigzag cross ties t extending from the
sides of the tread down to the base of the tyre.
(12.) In the tool shown at Fig. 4, the combination of a notch a3 at the end of an
arm, and an opening between this arm and the part a*.
(13.) The method of distending the cover k by wires or strips d held outwards
by wires fixed transversely through the tyre.
(14.) In a spring tyre having its sides constructed of helical springs and
connected by cross ties so as to be laterally rigid; the combination with them of a
tread h of coiled wire supported by flexible flat wires along the tops of the springs
and provided with a suitable band or covering h', substantially as and for purposes
herein set forth.
(15.) Forming each of the wires n n of a number of flat wires laid above each
other and thus laminated.
(16.) The combination and improved arrangement of the tangent wires on both
sides of the tyre parallel and secured by ferrules f to the rings rr, the springs s
arranged in pairs threaded on to these wires, the improved cross ties t, and my
improved tread h supported by the wires n n.
(17.) The method of holding the wires n n in the tops of the springs by means of
the wires threaded through at their outer sides.
Dated this 2nd of January 1897.
FREDERICK WM. BROWN.