Improvements in Wheels for Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, THOMAS WATSON, of 1, Springfield Villas, Springfield Road, Belfast,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has mainly for its object to so construct the wheels of cycles and
other vehicles that the weight of the rider, or other load, can be utilized to assist
in the propulsion. The tyre is so made that it does not require to be inflated
and should it be punctured such punctures can do no appreciable harm.
In carrying out the invention there is fitted on the hub or axle of the wheel,
preferably between the spokes, a small inner wheel having fitted, in any well
known manner, round its rim, at both sides, a series of small studs. These studs
which are fitted at a tangent to the circumference of the inner wheel, have holes
in them for the reception of wire stays or ribs. The wire stays, which can move
freely in the holes in the studs, are passed, at their outer ends, through the rim
of the cycle or other wheel and terminate in feet arranged within the tubular tyre.
The feet, which are secured to the stays at an angle and are preferably semi-
circular in section and also slightly curved lengthwise, are, or may be, connected
together by means of rubber rings or equivalent yielding devices so as to form
kind of chain within the rubber tyre.
The feet can be made of aluminium or other suitable metal or material.
The tubular tyre may, if so desired, be slit along its inner periphery for the
purpose of readily admitting the stays and their feet and it may be enclosed in a
cover of any well known form.
Each wire stay, at its inner end where it is attached to the inner wheel, is pro-
vided with a spiral, rubber, or other spring or cushion, which can be tightened
up or slackened by means of a nut or its equivalent.
Dated this 10th dow of T... 1000
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100. Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
Improvements in Wheels for Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, THOMAS WATSON, of Springfield Villas. Springfield Road, Belfast.
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:-

page_text: and other vehicles that the weight of the rider, or other load, can be utilized to
assist in the propulsion. The tyre does not require to be inflated and should it
be punctured such punctures can do no appreciable harm.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have here-
unto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings which shows, by way of example,
a cycle wheel constructed in accordance with my invention.
On the drawings:-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the cycle wheel.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of the tyre to an enlarged scale.
Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the feet.
Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the mode of affixing the wire stays to the inner
wheel a.
Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the feet e.
On the drawings the same reference letters wherever repeated indicate the same
or similar parts.
"
In carrying out the invention there is fitted upon the hub of the wheel, pre-
ferably between the spokes a small inner wheel a provided with a number of
studs 6 at both sides. These stads, which are fitted at a tangent to the circum-
ference of the wheel a, see particularly Fig. 4. have holes in them for the recep-
tion of wire stays (preferably hollow), which, at their upper ends, can move
freely in the holes of the studs and at their lower ends are passed freely through
holes in the rim of the cycle and inserted in the sockets el of the feet c.
These
feet which are arranged one behind the other all round the circumference of the
rubber tyre, at the inside as clearly shown at Fig. 2. are preferably made, as
shown at Figs. 2. 3 and 5, of a semi-circular shape in section and with a slight
curve lengthwise. Each of the feet is provided with hooks at the ends so that
the one foot may be secured to the other by means of rubber rings f. When
all the feet are secured together by means of these rings they form a kind of
chain within the rubber tyre g. The feet may be movably joined to each other
by means of shoes h which are each provided with a stud j, capable of entering
loosely into a hole made in each the feet. Each shoe may have a cross bar i under
which the flexible coupling rings f are passed. The shoes prevent the tyre buck-
ling or bending up between the feet.
Each wire stay, at its inner end, where it is attached to the wheel a, is pro-
vided with a spiral spring k, or a rubber cushion or equivalent, which, at one
end, bears against the stud and at the other end against a cup which latter
can be moved on the stay, so as to regulate the tension of the spring, by means
of a nut m which works upon the screwed part of the stay c, see Fig. 4.
The feet which are secured to the stays at an angle are preferably made of
aluminium.
The tubular tyre 9 may be slit along its inner periphery at g² for the purpose
of readily admitting the stays and their feet and it may be enclosed in a cover g
of any well known and suitable construction. Instead of the rim and tyre shown
at Fig. 2 an ordinary Dunlop tyre and Westwood rim may be used.
The feet serve to keep the tube y expanded without air inflation.
The weight of the rider acts through the cover g¹ and the tyre g on each foot
as it comes in contact with the ground thereby causing its stay to move upwards
and in so doing to propel or tend to propel the wheel round. As soon as the pres-
sure on the foot is relieved the spring k forces the stay outwards into its normal
position. It will be readily seen that owing to the action of the springs forcing
out the feet the tyre is prevented from collapsing.
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 consider novel and desire to claim is :-
1. A cycle or other vehicle wheel in which a number of feet are located within
the tyre and so arranged that as pressure is brought to bear upon them they act

page_text: on spring stays tangentially secured to a wheel on the hub in such a manner as
to tend to propel the vehicle wheel forward, substantially as set forth.
2. A wheel for cycles and other vehicles constructed substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the drawings annexed.
101
.
1 1000
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.