Year: 1896

page_text: 1. CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY of The Indiarubber, Guttapercha, and
Telegraph Works Company Ltd., Silvertown in the County of Essex, Indiarubber
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of pneumatic tyres in which no separate air
tube is employed, but access can be had to the interior of the tube, such a tyre
being described in my earlier Patent No. 18751 of 1893.
One of the principal objects of this invention is to make what I term an initial
joint, it having been found that with tyres in which no complete air tube is
employed, and the edges of the tyre itself have to be connected as an air-tight
joint when in use, the great difficulty is to make the joint air tight during the
early period of the inflation and before the pressure in the tyre has reached such
a pitch that it will force the necessary parts into sufficiently intimate contact to
make the joint air-tight.
In carrying out my present invention I employ any suitable sort of a rim say
for example one having inturned edges under which the edges of the tyre may
lodge and may be secured in any convenient manner; the object to be attained is
to make an air tight joint between the edges of the tyre so as to form a complete
air-containing tube. This I effect by employing a strip or band or some material
between the two edges and obtain the necessary cohesion between the parts either
by expanding this band-as by making the band in the form of a tube and inflating
it-or by compressing it between the edges of the tyre.
Where I employ a tube between the edges of the tyre I prefer to thicken and
recess the meeting edges and to expand the intermediate tube into the recesses,
thus producing the necessary air-tight joint. In this case I find it advantageous
to perforate the sealing tube at that part which is exposed to the interior of the
tyre so that when the sealing tube is inflated to a certain pressure these perforations
or equivalent open and allow the air to escape into the interior of the tyre so that
the inflation of the tyre itself can be effected through the sealing tube, and thus
one valve and one inflation will be sufficient to inflate both. I may arrange this
tube so as to exercise pressure tending to secure the air tube or the edges thereof
into the rim by pressing upon them, restraining material such as canvas or the like
being employed if required.
In a variation of the same form of tyre I may connect to the sealing tube a strip
of fabric rubber or suitable material which would form a soft hed in the rim and
assist in keeping the various parts in their respective places, and I may also have
a strip of rubber connected with the sealing tube which would be pressed down on
top of the edges of the tyre when it was inflated, the edges of the tyre engaging
with the sealing tube between the strips of fabric and rubber.
Where the joint is effected by the compression of a strip of rubber or other
material between the edges of the tyre I prefer to either allow the edges of the
tyre to enter into grooves or recesses in the intermediate strip or vice versa, in all
cases the intermediate strip being compressed between the two edges of the tyre,
either these edges or the strip itself preferably being of softer rubber than the
other parts engaging with it. The intermediate strip instead of being an
independent strip may be merely a strip of soft rubber permanently secured to one

page_text: of the edges of the tyre. In all cases a strip of rubber may be connected to one
edge of the tyre so as to cover over the joint or joints and if desired this strip may
be a stretched hand as described in my previous Patent No. 18751/93.
Whether the intermediate strip be quite independent or secured to one of the
edges it may be so arranged that it lies normally at a distance from the bed of
the rim into which it is forced by the inflation of the tyre, the compression being
thus obtained.
Springs may be arranged in the edges of the tyre pressing these against a strip
or rib which may be part of the rim of the wheel, or the arrangement may be
reversed, the springs being in the central rib. Or again the rib may be formed in
part of the rim and provided with rubber edges and openings to the interior of
the tyre so that when the latter is inflated the edges will be pressed outwards by
the pressure of the air thus making a joint.
Or the joints may be formed by internal ribs upon the inner edges of the rim
engaging with soft rubber beads of the tyre which would be forced against the ribs
or vice versa.
A relatively wide central strip of rubber may be provided and diamond or other
shaped beads on the edges of the tyre engaging partly underneath the inturned
edges of the rim and partly in grooves or recesses in the intermediate band,
the upper edges of which may be turned over to facilitate the insertion of the edges
of the tyre.
In applying the invention to tyres of the well known Dunlop description I may
use an ordinary cover having however by preference an internal lining of rubber
and not of canvas or fabric and fix that in the wheel rim in the ordinary manner
of a Dunlop-Welch tyre as at present used but without the air tube. To make
the air-tight joint I provide a strip of rubber which may be permanently
connected to the inside of one of the edges of the tyre making a loose joint with
the other side.
Dated this 15th day of June 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Tyres.
I, CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY of The Indiarubber, Gutta-percha and
Telegraph Works Co., Ltd., Silvertown, in the County of Essex, Indiarubber
Manufacturer, 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 that class of pneumatic tyres in which no separate air
tube is employed, but access can be had to the interior of the tube, such a tyre
being described in my earlier Patent No. 18751 of 1893.
The principal object of this invention is to make what I term an initial joint, it
having been found that with tyres in which no complete air tube is employed and
the edges of the tyre itself have to be connected as an air-tight joint when in use,
the great difficulty is to make the joint air tight during the early period of the
inflation and before the pressure in the tyre has reached such a pitch that it will
force the necessary parts into sufficiently intimate contact to make the joint
air-tight.
In carrying out my present invention I employ any suitable sort of a rim say for
example one having inturned edges under which the edges of the tyre may lodge
and may be secured in any convenient manner; the object to be attained is to make

page_text: an air tight joint between the edges of the tyre so as to form a complete air-
containing tube. This I effect by employing a tube of some material between the
two edges and obtain the necessary cohesion between the parts by expanding this
tube between the edges of the tyre. I prefer to thicken and resess the meeting
edges and to expand the intermediate tube into the recesses thus producing the
necessary air-tight joint. I find it advantageous to perforate the sealing tube at
that part which is exposed to the interior of the tyre so that when the sealing tube
is inflated to a certain pressure these perforations or equivalent open and allow the
air to escape into the interior of the tyre so that the inflation of the tyre itself can
be effected through the sealing tube, and thus one valve and one inflation will be
sufficient to inflate both. I may arrange this tube so as to exercise pressure tending
to secure the air tube or the edges thereof into the rim by pressing upon them,
restraining material such as canvas or the like being employed if required.
In variation of the same form of tyre I may co.inect to the sealing tube a strip
of fabric rubber or suitable material which would form a soft bed in the rim and
assist in keeping the various parts in their respective places, and I may also have
a strip of rubber connected with the sealing tube which would be pressel down on
top of the edges of the tyre when it was inflated, the edges of the tyre engaging
with the sealing tube between the strips of fabric and rubber.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure is a cross section of a tyre constructed in accordance with this
invention.
Figure 2 is a cross section of a somewhat different arrangement.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views of modifications.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A suitable rim A is employed having inturned edges B under which are secured
the enlarged edges C¹ of a "tubeless tyre" C that is to say a tyre having no
separate air tube. A tube D is situated between the edges C of the cover, lying
in the centre of the rim, and having a slit or valve E in it see Figure 1.
When the tube D is blown out it presses against the edges C on either side of
it and so enables the initial joint to be obtained between the edges of the tyre and
the rim.
The slit or valve E is so arranged that after a certain pressure has been reached
the air passes from the tube D into the tyre C without allowing the edges of the
latter to slacken from under the edges of the rim A.
In Figure 2 is shown a similar arrangement except that the tube D rests on a
concave surface formed on the edges C which touch one another; the tube D in
this case is preferably made of some contractile fabric such as canvas cut on the
bias, which shall contract longitudinally but expand laterally when the tube is
inflated.
Figure 3 is a modification in which the tube D is secured to the rim by flanges F
formed of rubber fabric and attached to the tube D.
As shown in Figure 4 the tube D is provided with other flanges G which overlap
the edges C' of the tyre C.
The valve E may be merely a slit in the wall of the tube D or may be a non-return
or other form of valve.
I have shown and described the part D as a "tube," as being the most practical
form in which to make it, but it must be understood that any other form of chamber
adapted to be inflated in the same manner and to permit of the inflation of the tyre
only after sufficient pressure hus been obtained in the "tube "D to make the initial
air tight joint, would be considered as the equivalent of the "tube" and would
accordingly be covered by my claims.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of tay said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a "tubeless" tyre obtaining the initial joint by means of a valve such as E

page_text: which prevents the inflation of the tyre proper until a sufficient pressure to maintain
the joint has been established after which the tyre is inflated through the said
valve.
2. In a "tubeless" tyre obtaining the initial joint by inflating the tyre through
a "tube" the communication between which and the tyre is only established after
sufficient pressure is attained in the said "tube" to make an air tight joint.
3. The combination with a "tubeless" pneumatic tyre of an inflatable "tube.
such as D communicating with the interior of the tyre and arranged and operating
substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. The combination with a "tubeless " pneumatic tyre of an inflatable contractile
"tube" such as D communicating with the interior of the tyre and arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purpose described.
5. In a "tubeless" pneumatic tyre the combination with a rim of an inflatable
"tube" such as D operating in the manner described and provided with flanges
such as For G or both substantially as and for the purpose described.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete "tubeless"
pneumatic tyre substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1, or Figure 2,
or Figure 3 or Figure 4, of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of April 1897
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.