Improved Method of and Apparatus for Fixing Pneumatic Tyres on Wheels.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 23rd May, 1894-Accepted, 18th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Apparatus for Fixing Pneumatic Tyres
on Wheels.
A communication by ANTOINE BODINAR, of 2, Boulevard de Jodoigne, Louvain,
in the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of The Agency
for Foreign Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster and 323, High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improved system of fixing pneumatic tyres.
It is characterised by the arrangement, on the edges of the tread or cover, of a
ring of material which will not expand and is at the same time very flexible; the
non-expansion having for its object to render impossible any displacement of the
tread or cover of the tyre in the plane of the wheel, and the flexibility having for its
object to facilitate the operation of putting on or taking off the pneumatic tyre.
The result is that the only point to be guarded against is the lateral displacement
of the tyre, and this displacement is itself absolutely prevented either by means of
pads or shoulders arranged on the metallic rim, and which are attached to the same,
or by means of grooves or flanges which the rim itself presents.
Various methods of carrying out this system are shown on the accompanying
drawing.
It has been already stated herein before that the edges or extremities of the
tread or cover are each provided with a ring a, which is both nonexpanding and
flexible, this ring a may, for instance, consist of a metallic cable or wire of suitable
section.
The various means for preventing the lateral movement of the tyre will now be
described. They necessarily depend on the shape of the rim, and whether it is a
question of a new rim or of transforming an existing wheel in order to apply to it
the new mode of attachment.
If it is a question of a plain or slightly curved rim, as shown in Figures 1 and 2,
the cover is held on the rim and so far prevented from being displaced perpen-
dicularly to the plane of the wheel, by means of a movable pad or shoulder
arranged on each side of the rim and held on the latter by the aid of pins d, which
are buried in the shoulders, and the ends of which engage in special openings
arranged for this object in the rim, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and also in
Figure 3.
The arrangement is simplified if, instead of a plain tyre, one containing grooves
be employed as shown in Figures 4 and 5, in which grooves the holding pads or
shoulders engage, these latter being of a suitable form varying with the section
of the grooves rr.
Whichever of the above arrangements is selected, it is self evident that it would
be materially impossible to disengage the cover when the pads are in their place.
On the other hand, it is easy to reach the airchamber e very quickly, seeing that it
suffices to remove one of the pads from the rim in order to release the non-expanding
ring a and by that means remove the cover.
Certain forms of rims simplify still more the mode of fixing by allowing the pads
to be entirely dispensed with, the two non-expanding and flexible rings, which form

page_text: the essential basis of the system, being then held either by means of two suitable
flanges on the rim, or by means of two grooves in the latter.
The first case, shown in Figure 6, resembles very closely that of Figure 1. In
both cases, the rim is plain over all its breadth, only, in the case of Figure 6, the
existence of flanges mm allows of the pads bb being dispensed with, the said
flanges mm playing the part of the pads bb and preventing any lateral slipping.
It must be remarked, however, that, in this case, a certain amount of play must be
left between the rim and the non-expanding ring a, in order to allow of the removal
of the cover when the tyre is emptied; the removing of this cover being possible
owing to the flexibility of the non-expanding rings. When once placed in position
on the rim, the cover is held there absolutely firmly as soon as the tyre is inflated
with air. In fact, the pressure of the air, being distributed in a perfectly even
manner on all the circumference of the wheel, forces the flexible rings to assume
an exactly circular form. This, aided by the lateral pressure, renders impossible
any relative displacement of the rim and the cover.
Referring now to Figure 7, the arrangement there only differs from the
preceding one in that the non-expanding edges a a are held in two grooves n n instead
of being held simply by the flanges of Figure 6. Apart from this modification, the
remarks made herein before relative to the arrangement of Figure 6 are entirely
applicable to Figure 7.
This latter arrangement shows, as compared with Figure 5, a resemblance
similar to that existing between Figures 1 and 6: the pads of Figure 5 are
dispensed with in Figure 7, and the non-expanding edges of the cover are held
directly by the external walls of the grooves."
Dated this 11th day of September 1893.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Apparatus for Fixing Pneumatic Tyres
on Wheels.
A communication by ANTOINE BODINAR, of 2, Boulevard de Jodoigne, Louvain,
in the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.1.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 has for its object an improved system of fixing pneumatic tyres.
It is characterised by the arrangement, on the edges of the tread or cover, of a
ring of material which will not expand and is at the same time very flexible; the
non-expansion having for its object to render impossible any displacement of the
tread or cover of the tyre in the plane of the wheel, and the flexibility having for
its object to facilitate the operation of putting on or taking off the pneumatic tyre.
The result is that the only point to be guarded against is the lateral displacement
of the tyre, and this displacement is itself absolutely prevented either by means of
pads or shoulders arranged on the metallic rim, and which are attached to the same,
or by means of grooves or flanges which the rim itself presents.
Various methods of carrying out this system are shown in the drawings
accompanying the Provisional Specification.
It has been already stated hereinbefore that the edges or extremities of the tread
or cover are each provided with a ring a, which is both non-expanding and flexible,

page_text: this ring a may, for instance, consist of a metallic cable or wire of suitable
section.
The various means for preventing the lateral movement of the tyre will now be
described. They necessarily depend on the shape of the rim, and whether it is a
question of a new rim, or of transforming an existing wheel in order to apply to it
the new mode of attachment.
If it is a question of a plain or slightly curved rim, as shown in Figures 1 and 2
the cover is held on the rim and so far prevented from being displaced
perpendicularly to the plane of the wheel, by means of a movable pad or shoulder
arranged on each side of the rim and held on the latter by the aid of pins d, which
are embedded in the pads or shoulders. These pads have a certain amount of
elasticity, in other words they are preferably made of india rubber which allows of
their being placed on the rim in such a way that the ends of their pins engage in
special openings arranged for this object in the rim, as shown in Figures 1 and 2,
and also in Figure 3.
The arrangement is simplified if, instead of a plain tyre, one containing grooves be
employed as shown in Figures 4 and 5, in which grooves the holding pads or
shoulders bb engage; these latter are of any suitable form varying with the
section of the grooves rr, and are as before mentioned preferably made of
india rubber to admit of their being readily placed in the grooves of the rim.
Whichever of the above arrangements selected, it is self evident that it would
be materially impossible to disengage the cover when the pads are in their place.
On the other hand, it is easy to reach the air chamber e very quickly, seeing that
it suffices to remove one of the pads from the rim in order to. release the non-
expanding ring a and by that means remove the cover.
Certain forms of rims simplify still more the mode of fixing by allowing the pads
to be entirely dispensed with, the two non-expanding and flexible rings, which form
the essential basis of the system, being then held either by means of two suitable
flanges on the rim, or by means of two grooves in the latter.
The first case, shown in Figure 6, resembles very closely that of Figure 1. In
both cases, the rim is plain over all its breadth, only, in the case of Figure 6, the
existence of flanges mm allows of the pads bb being dispensed with, the said
flanges mm playing the part of the pads 66 and preventing any lateral slipping.
It must be remarked, however, that, in this case, a certain amount of play must be
left between the rim and the non-expanding ring a, in order to allow of the removal
of the cover when the tyre is emptied; the removing of this cover being possible
owing to the flexibility of the non-expanding rings. When once placed in position
on the rim, the cover is held there absolutely firmly as soon as the tyre is inflated
with air. In fact, the pressure of the air, being distributed in a perfectly even
manner on all the circumference of the wheel, forces the flexible rings to assume
an exactly circular form. This, aided by the lateral pressure, renders impossible
any relative displacement of the rim and the cover.
Referring now to Figure 7, the arrangement there only differs from the preceding
one in that the non-expanding edges a a are held in two grooves nn instead of
being held simply by the flanges m m of Figure 6. Apart from this modification,
the remarks made hereinbefore relative to the arrangement of Figure 6 are
entirely applicable to Figure 7.
This latter arrangement shows, as compared with Figure 5, a resemblance
similar to that existing between Figures 1 and 6: the pads of Figure 5 are
dispensed with in Figure 7, and the non-expanding edges of the cover are held
directly by the external walls of the grooves.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A new method of fixing pneumatic tyres characterised by the arrangement,
on the edges of the tread, of a ring a which is both non-expanding and very

page_text: flexible, the object of the non-expansion being to render impossible any displace-
ment of the tread in the plane of the wheel, and the object of the flexibility being to
facilitate the putting on and taking off of the pneumatic tyre, substantially as
hereinbefore described and for the purpose specified.
2. In the method of fixing pneumatic tyres described in Claim 1, the means
herein before described for preventing the lateral displacement or slipping-off of
the tread, consisting in keeping the non-expanding rings a of the tread in place
either by means of holding pads (shoulders) bb, held in place on the rim by
pins dd, buried in the holding pads and the ends of which engage in special
openings in the rim, Figures 1 and 3; or by means of similar holding pads engaging
in suitable grooves rr of the rim, Figures 4 and 5; or simply by means of external
U-shaped flanges mm on the rim, Figure 6; or else by the external walls of the
grooves nn of the rim, Figure 7, the putting on and taking off being, in the two last-
named instances, rendered possible by a certain amount of play being left between
the bottom of the rim and the non-expanding, flexible edge of the tread, the means
being capable of infinite variety according to the different kinds of rims to be
fitted, all substantially as herein before described and shown on the drawing
accompanying the Provisional Specification.
Dated thi. 00-1 1.- SM1001
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.