Improvements in the Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Road Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd July, 1891
Complete Snecification Left, 23rd Apr., 1892-Accepted, 28th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Road
Vehicles.
We HARRY CROSS of 3 Chapman Street, Machinist ARTHUR Moss of
76 Leicester Road, Manufacturer and AMBROSE WOOTTON CROSS of Hillthorpe,
Ashby Road Civil Engineer, all of Loughborough in the County of Leicester do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to provide in connection with the wheels of bicycles,
tricycles & similar vehicles a tyre and rim which, whilst affording the utmost
elasticity or resiliency, shall, by the ease and readiness with which the whole or
part of such tyre may be attached to and detached from the rim, also afford the
utmost facilities for effecting repairs to such tyres or to the spokes and other
parts of the wheel which ordinarily necessitate the removal of the tyre, such
tyre and rim also possessing the further property of permitting the whole or
parts of such tyre to be changed in position as regards those portions of it
which come in contact with the road, so that when such portions show signs of wear,
or for any other reason they may at the will of the rider be reversed or changed
in position so as to present new surfaces to the wearing action of the road.
To effect the above object we use, in the place of the ordinary tyres of solid
rubber, or hollow rubber tubing (whether continuous or sectional), a series of stout
hollow rubber balls, somewhat similar, for instance, to those used in the game of
lawn tennis-placed close together round the circumference of the wheel, each ball
being secured or held in position by a special spring clip which is shaped to fit and
enclose about two thirds of the sectional circumference of the ball, such clips
therefore occuring round the rim of the wheel at regular intervals proportionate to
the size of the balls used.
The continuous rim of the wheel is hollowed, in transverse section, to a curve
to fit and enclose about one third of the sectional circumference of the balls and
the spring clips may either be an integral part of such rim formed by a prolongation
of its transverse sectional curve at the necessary intervals, or they may be made
separately and attached to the rim by the spokes of the wheel being made to pass
through the clip and rim and hold them in contact with each other by means of a
small head similar to that usually formed at the outer extremity of bicycle spokes,
or by rivetting, brazing or other suitable means.
As it will not be necessary to rigidly secure the tyre to the wheel by means
of cement or similar material, as is usually done, it may be necessary to prevent
creeping or movement of the balls in the direction of the circumference of the
wheel by placing between the balls at such intervals as may be desirable stops
of thin sheet metal secured to the rim of the wheel.
Dated this 92nd day of July 1891
HARRY CROSS.
ARTHUR MOSS.
AMBROSE WOOTTON CROSS.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Road
Vehicles.
We HARRY CROSS of 3 Chapman Street Machinist ARTHUR Moss of
76 Leicester Road Manufacturer and AMBROSE WOOTTON CROSS of Hillthorpe
Ashby Road Civil Engineer all of Loughborough in the County of Leicester 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:
The object of our invention is to provide in connection with the wheels of bicycles,
tricycles and similar vehicles a tyre and rim which whilst affording the utmost
elasticity or resiliency shall by the ease and readiness with which the whole or
part of such tyre may be attached to and detached from the rim also afford the
utmost facilities for effecting repairs to such tyres or to the spokes and other
parts of the wheel which ordinarily necessitate the removal of the tyre, such tyre
and rim also possessing the further property of permitting the whole or parts of
such tyre to be changed in position as regards those portions of it which come in
contact with the road so that where such portions show signs of wear or for any
other reasons they may at the will of the rider be reversed or changed in position
so as to present new surfaces to the wearing action of the road.
To effect the above object we use in the place of the ordinary tyres of solid
rubber or hollow rubber tubing (whether continuous or sectional) a series of stout
hollow rubber balls somewhat similar for instance to those used in the game of
lawn tennis placed close together round the circumference of the wheel each ball
being secured or held in position by a special spring clip which is shaped to fit and
enclose about two thirds of the sectional circumference of the ball such clips
therefore occuring round the rim of the wheel at regular intervals proportionate to
the size of the balls used.
The continuous rim of the wheel is hollowed in transverse section to a curve
to fit and enclose about one third of the sectional circumference of the balls and
the spring clips may either be an integral part of such rim formed by a pro-
longation of its transverse sectional curve at the necessary intervals or they may
be made separately and attached to the rim by the spokes of the wheel being
made to pass through the clip and rim and hold them in contact with each other
by means of a small head similar to that usually formed at the outer extremity of
bicycle spokes or by rivetting brazing or other suitable means.
As it will not be necessary to rigidly secure the tyre to the wheel by means of
cement or similar material as is usually done it may be necessary to prevent
creeping or movement of the balls in the direction of the circumference of the
wheel by placing between the balls at such intervals as may be desirable stops of
thin sheet metal secured to the rim of the wheel.
The method of constructing the tyre and rim may be seen on reference to the
accompanying drawings in which like letters of reference represent like parts in all
the figures.
Figure 1 shows a portion of the side view of a cycle wheel fitted with our
improved tyre and rim in which the balls B are held in position or secured to the
rim R by the spring clips C which in this figure and in Figure 2 are shown as an
integral portion of the rim formed by a prolongation of its transverse sectional
curve so as to enclose about two thirds of the sectional circumference of the ball.
The stops C¹ are designed to prevent any tendency of the balls to creep in the
direction of the circumference of the wheel when in use.
Figure 2 shows a transverse section of the same tyre and rim on the line A-A.
Figures 3 and 4 show views of the rim and tyre in which the spring clips Care
made separately and attached to the rim R by rivets R' brazing or other suitable
means.

page_text: It will be seen from the foregoing Specification and the accompanying drawings
that the hollow rubber balls forming our improved tyre are truly spherical inside
and out, that each ball is self contained and having no air valve or other opening
in the rubber whatsoever is not intended to be inflated by the rider but is filled
with air of the desired pressure once for all in the process of manufacture of the
balls. It is obvious that such a tyre in combination with our improved rim and
the method of attachment thereto has the following useful advantages viz. that on
sticky roads our tyre is to a great extent free from the powerful sucking or licking
action to which continuous pneumatic tyres are liable, also that in
puncture of the tyre not only is the injury confined to the particular ball punctured
but owing to the special method of attachment to the rim the injured ball may be
removed and a sound one substituted in a few seconds and a reserve supply of a
few balls for that purpose may easily and conveniently be carried by the rider no.
air pump being required for inflating them.
case of
To replace a broken spoke by a new one is only the work of a few seconds as it
is only necessary to remove one ball and replace it when the spoke is screwed
home.
Perhaps the most important advantage which our tyre and rim possesses over all
other tyres and rims now in use is that owing to the balls being held by spring.
clips as described and illustrated they may be easily and quickly reversed or
partially turned when desired by the rider so as to present new surfaces to the
wearing action of the roadway and it has been found by actual trial of the invention
in practical work that when in use the balls automatically change their position in
relation to the road surface and that consequently the tyre and rim are probably
unique inasmuch as every part of the rubber in the tyre is available for wear and
actually does its share of work on the road instead of the wear being confined
to a small portion only as in tyres which are cemented or otherwise fixed in one
position when in use. It has also been found by practical trial that the loss of a
ball does not interfere with the running of the machine and is scarcely perceptible
by the rider and therefore so long as every alternate clip is occupied by a ball
the machine is not incapacitated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. In pneumatic and the like tyres for velocipedes and light road vehicles the
employment of hollow balls or spheres of indiarubber or other elastic material
ready filled with air gas or fluids at or above atmospheric pressure, such balls being
each self contained and not connected with or enclosed in any tube or protected by
any continuous covering but having a direct contact with the roadway when in use
and being attached to the rim of the wheel without the use of cement in such a
manner as to permit of each ball turning automatically or being turned in its place
when desired for the purpose of utilizing the whole of the surface of the ball for
wear on the roadway substantially as specified.
2. In hollow rubber and the like tyres for cycles and light road vehicles the
combination of balls or spheres with the special method of attachment to the rim of
the wheel by means of spring clips as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the accompanying sheet of drawings substantially as and for the purpose specified.
יוני
AQ 1
$11000
HARRY CROSS.
ARTHUR MOSS.
AMBROSE WOOTTON CROSS..