Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under section 11 of the Patents, &c., Act, 1883) as required by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 27th day of October 1897.
Date of Application, 6th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 6th May, 1897
I, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, of 18 Queen's Gate Place, in the County of
Middlesex, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in pneumatic tyres for horseless carriages
velocipedes and other road vehicles.
Pneumatic tyres as heretofore constructed and used depend to a certain extent
upon the shape and form of the rim of the wheel on which they are mounted.
As a rule all tyres in use depend more or less upon the wheel-rim for
retaining the outer cover of the air tube in place, that is to say the outer cover is
generally provided with stiffened or thickened edges for engagement with grooves or
the like formed in the wheel-rim. In such cases the rim itself forms part of the
surrounding casing that encloses the air-tube, or in other words the expanding force
of the compressed air within the air-tube is sustained through the greater part of
the outer circumference of the air-tube by the outer cover, and on the inner
circumference by the wheel-rim. With this arrangement it is always necessary to
provide some means for preventing the outer cover from becoming detached from
the wheel-rim. The canvas forming part of the outer cover is for the most part
placed on the said outer cover in a diagonal direction so that the cover is capable
of being formed into the proper shape.
By my present invention I propose to employ, for the outer cover, canvas which
may be specially woven in such a manner that the edges of the cover will be much
shorter than the middle portion so that the said cover can be applied to a wheel-rim
without any puckering. In this manner it is possible to put stronger strips or threads
in the warp in some parts of the cover than others; for instance the part of the
cover forming the tread may be provided with from 10 to 20 large and strong
strips or threads in the warp while the outer edges, in order to afford the necessary
resistance for the purpose hereinafter mentioned, may also be provided with
stronger cords strips or threads than those composing the body of the fabric.
When such a fabric is not available the cover may be made of a flat strip the edges
being cut and lapped together. After being lapped together a piece of strong tape
can be sewn on each side of the lapped edges the length of the said tape being
approximately equal to the internal diameter of the tyre, the whole being sewn
and cemented together in the usual manner. The tape should be made strong for
the purpose hereinafter stated.
In accordance with my present invention instead of attaching the tyre to the

page_text: wheel-rim in the manner now usual the edges of the outer cover are provided with
contrivances for enabling the two edges of the said cover to be connected together
so that the said cover completely encloses the air tube. These contrivances may
consist of metallic hooks or plates which may be secured to the outer cover by
being rivetted, sewn, cemented, or, what will probably be found the most
advantageous, the plates can be provided with tongues or spikes which are passed
through the fabric and are clinched thereto in a similar manner to that adopted
with leather and other belts for securing together their ends by metal plates.
These plates or clips may be of any suitable length from half an inch to a foot.
They should however not be so long as to prevent the collapsing of the material in
causing the tyre to fit wheels of varying diameters Preferably these clips are
made about two to three inches long and are so arranged on the cover that a space
of about a quarter inch is left between their contiguous ends. I also prefer to
arrange the said clips so that those on one edge of the cover will break joint with
those on the other edge. In this manner the air tube can be inflated quite
independently of the rim. In order to attach the tyre to a wheel the air tube is
first placed around the wheel-rim and the outer cover then applied over it and
the edges of said rim are pressed together underneath the air tube, these edges
being such that when once brought together they engage with each other firmly
and do not become easily detached. Upon inflating the air-tube the clips are
retained in firm engagement. The tyre being quite independent of the rim for
inflation may be applied to any form of rim whether it be dovetailed, V-shaped,
or rectangular in transverse section. Moreover as the inside diameter of the
tyre can be reduced by inflation it can be made to fit wheels of varying diameters
and does not require that nice degree of adjustment heretofore necessary in
pneumatic tyres.
The aforesaid clips may be placed so near together as to prevent the air-tube
getting between them, or a flap may be secured to one of the edges of the cover,
the said flap completely overlapping the clips and preventing the air tube from
coming into direct contact therewith: or one of the series of clips may be arranged
a short distance from the edge of the cover so that there will exist a sufficient
overlapping portion to cover the clips.
Where lightness is required, as for racing bicycles, the two edges of the outer
cover may be laced together with a strong and light cord passing through eyelet-
holes or engaging with a series of hooks similar to those used upon boots,
these hooks are preferably arranged to present their back portion towards the
air-tube.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Pneumatic Tyres.
I, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, of 18 Queen's Gate Place, in the County of
Middlesex, Mechanical 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 relates to improvements in pneumatic tyres for horseless carriages
velocipedes and other road vehicles.
Pneumatic tyres as heretofore ordinarily constructed and used depend more or
less upon the wheel-rim for retaining the outer cover of the air tube in place, that
is to say the outer cover is generally provided with stiffened or thickened edges for

page_text: engagement with grooves or the like formed in the wheel-rim. In such cases the
rim itself forms part of the surrounding casing that encloses the air-tube, in other
words the expansive force of the compressed air within the air-tube is resisted at
the outer circumference of the air-tube by the outer cover and at the inner
circumference of the air-tube by the wheel-rim. With this arrangement it is
necessary to provide some means for preventing the outer cover from becoming
detached from the wheel-rim. The canvas forming part of the outer cover is for
the most part applied thereto diagonally to enable the cover to be formed into the
proper shape to conform to the circular wheel-rim.
By my present invention I propose to embed in the outer cover, canvas which is
specially woven in such a manner that the edges will be shorter than the middle
portion, so that the said enver can be applied to the wheel-rim without any
puckering. I prefer to put stronger strips or threads in the warp in some parts of
the fabric than in other parts for the purpose hereinafter stated.
If such a fabric he not available, the cover may be provided with a flat strip of
fabric of the kind usually employed in tyres, and the edges of said cover may he
cut transversely to form a series of lappets on each edge. The lappets of each
edge are lapped or connected together and a piece of strong tape is preferably
sewn on each side of the lapped edges of the cover, the length of the said tape
being approximately equal to the internal circumference of the tyre, and the whole
being sewn and cemented together in a well known manner. The tape should be
made strong for the purpose hereinafter described.
In accordance with my present invention the opposite edges of the outer cover
are provided with contrivances for enabling them to be connected together, so that
the said cover encloses the air tube. These contrivances consist of metallic hooks
or plates which are secured to the outer cover by being rivetted, sewn, or cemented;
or, what will probably be found the most advantageous, the plates can be provided
with tongues or spikes which are passed through the fabric at the edges of the
cover and are clinched thereto in a similar manner to that adopted in securing
together the ends of leather and other belts by metal plates.
The aforesaid clips may be placed so near together as to prevent the air-tube
etting between them, or a flap may be secured to one of the edges of the cover,
the said flap completely overlapping the clips and preventing the air tube from
coming into direct contact therewith, or one of the series of clips may be connected
to the cover at a short distance from one of its edges so that there will exist a
sufficient overlapping portion to cover the clips.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a transverse section of one form of my improved tyre.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of another form of my tyre.
Figure 3 is a plan of the hook-like contrivances employed in the construction
illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a transverse section of a tyre similar to that shown in Figure 2 but
provided with a modified construction of the hook-like contrivances.
Figure 5 is a plan of the hook-like contrivances employed in the preceding
figure.
Figure 6 is a transverse section of a tyre provided with a further modified
construction of the hook-like contrivances."
Like letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures.
A is the outer cover; A' the flap; B the air tube; Care the hook-like
contrivances and D is the canvas or other fabric with which the outer cover is
provided.
In Figure 1 I have shown the outer cover A provided with the specially woven
fabric above mentioned, that is to say with fabric in which the warp is composed
of threads that are stronger and heavier in some parts than in others. The fabric
at the tread portion of the cover is represented with a number of comparatively

page_text: heavy warp threads d d while the fabric at the side portions of the cover is
provided with comparatively light warp threads dd. The said fabric at the
edges of the outer cover has warp threads which gradually increase in
thickness as they approach the edges, thus greatly strengthening the cover at such
parts. The warp threads that are situated close to the said edges of the cover are
made of great strength in order to enable the aforesaid hook-like contrivances to
obtain a firm hold of the cover at these parts.
For the purpose of enabling the cover to be applied to the rim without any
puckering, as stated above, the said fabric may be made with its edges of less
length than the middle portion thereof as set forth in the Complete Specification of
my Application for Patent No. 9757 of the year 1896.
In the other figures of my drawings I have shewn the outer cover A provided
with fabric of the ordinary kind employed in tyres, the edges of the said fabric
being strengthened by means of strips of strong tapo a al to give a firm hold for the
hook-like contrivances.
These contrivances consist of plates eel which may be of half an inch to, say, a
foot in length. They should not be so long as to prevent the collapsing of the
outer cover at its edges, otherwise the tyre would not be able to adapt itself to
wheel-rims of less diameter than that for which the tyre was originally made, and
this adaptation of the tyre to wheel-rims of slightly varying diameter is an
important features in my tyres.
Preferably the said plates c c are made about two inches long and are connected
to the outer cover in such a manner as to leave a short space between the
contiguous ends of the said plates. The plates are also so arranged that those on
one edge of the cover break joint with those on the opposite edge. The outer
edges of these plates are furnished with tongues or spikes which are adapted to
enter the edges of the outer cover, when applying the plates eel thereto, and are
capable of being bent in the manner indicated in the cross-sectional views of the
drawings so as to firmly retain said plates in connection with the cover. The
inner edges of the plates e clare formed in Figures 1, 2 and 3 with hooks c c
which will readily engage with each other, when they come together.
In Figures 4 and 5 only one series of the plates e c is formed with hooks,
the other series being furnished with pins with which the said hooks
engage.
The hook-like contrivances shewn in Figure 6 are similar in construction to
those shewn in Figure 4 lut each of the said contaivances instead of being
connected by a single plate e to the cover is so formed as to be provided with two
plates which are adapted to embrace the edges of the cover and be connected
thereto by rivets or by sewing.
By means of the aforesaid hook-like contrivances the air tube can be inflated
independently of the rim; that is to say the air-tube can be first enclosed in the
outer cover and be slightly inflated; then the tyre can be applied to the wheel-rin
and the completion of the inflation be effected. Or the air tube can be first placed
on the wheel-rim and the outer cover be then applied over it, the edges of said
cover being pressed towards each other beneath the air tube. The act of bringing
the edges of the cover together causes the hook-like contrivances to come into
engagement, in which position they will be firmly held by the presence of the
compressed air in the air tube when the latter is inflated. The tyre, being
independent of the shape of the wheel-rim for its proper attachment thereto, can be
applied to any form of rim, whether it be dovetailed, V-shaped, crescent shaped, or
rectangular in cross-section. Moreover, when the outer cover is constructed in the
manner illustrated in Figure 1, the inner circumference of the tyre next the rim
becomes reduced in diameter on inflation of the air tube without increasing the
diameter of its outer circumference, as set forth in the Complete Specification of
my Application for Patent No. 9579 of the year 1896, and it can therefore he made
to fit wheels of slightly varying diameter and does not require that accuracy of
adjustment heretofore necessary in most pneumatic tyres.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I am aware
that it has previously been proposed to provide the meeting-edges of tyre covers
with a series of interlocking metallic hooks; and I therefore do not claim such
hooks broadly, but what I claim is:-
1. A pneumatic tyre in which the outer cover is provided with a fabric having
warp threads of greater thickness at the tread and edges than at the side portions
thereof for the purposes specified.
2. The employment with the outer cover, of canvas which is so woven that the
edges are shorter than the middle portion thereof, for the purpose specified.
3. The outer cover provided at its edges with strips of tape arranged
substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
4. A pneumatic tyre having its outer cover provided with the hook-like con-
trivances hereinbefore described and for the purposes specified.
5. A pneumatic tyre constructed substantially as described with reference to
Figure 1; or Figures 2 and 3; or Figures 4 and 5; or Figure 6 of the
accompanying drawings for the purpose specified.
Dated this 8th day of February 1897
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.