Improvements in Devices for Equipping Vehicle Wheels with Rubber Tires.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 11th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Equipping Vehicle Wheels with
Rubber Tires.
I, GEORGE CROYDON MARKS, of 18, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
London, W.C., Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent (being a communication
from The Rubber Tire Wheel Company, a Corporation, of Sheridan Avenue, Spring-
field, Clark County, Ohio, United States of America), do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement: -
The principal object of my invention is to accomplish the placing of rubber tires
onto vehicle wheels and securing the same in place thereon by the aid of retaining
bands of metal, which pass through the rubber which forms the tire, and to accom-
plish this in such a manner that the retaining band or bands may be united
together while the rubber which forms the wearing part of the tire is on the wheel
rim and within the groove or channel which fits the same.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a device embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of the same.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts in detail.
Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of the holding jaws.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the holding jaws and tightening devices.
Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on the line x x in Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification.
Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are respectively detail views of some of the parts slightly
modified.
Like parts are represented by similar letters of reference in the several views.
In the drawings, a main frame or table, a, has supported thereon a bed, b, upon
which is a movable head 61, and a stationary head 62. Each of these heads b¹
and 63 has supported thereon band holding devices, preferably in the nature of
jaws, and d and c and c¹. The lower one of these jaws is preferably rigidly
secured to the head which supports it, the upper jaw being pivoted thereto by an
upright tongue, &; the jaws being adapted to be closed together by a clamping
screw d. The jaws are reduced at their front or working ends so as to project
into the groove or channel of the rim, and are each shown with V-shaped notches, c³
and, constructed to grip a round band. Other forms would be constructed to
grip bands of different cross-sections. Between these respective jaws, I preferably
employ intermediate plates, and d, slotted to fit over the tongues, c² d³, so that
two gripping faces are formed, one on each side of the tongue, so as to hold two
bands simultaneously. If only one band is to be employed, the plate may be
dispensed with, as shown in Fig. 8.
The movable head 61 has preferably thereon a swiveled or pivoted plate b³, on
which the band holding device is located. The plate 3 has a journal 64, which
extends through the head b¹ and on which it turns. The journal is preferably
hollow. A stop arm 65 on the plate 3 is normally engaged by a spring 66, which
at the other end contacts with a projection 67 on the head 61, so that the spring

page_text: tends to turn the plate on the shaft or journal. A set-screw 615, extended through
the arm 6 so as to contact with the side of the supporting head b, serves as an
adjustable stop to limit the movement of the plate. The periphery of the plate b
at one side is further preferably fitted to a recessed bearing in the head b¹ and
retained by a flange 68.
For stretching or tightening the bands, I preferably employ a stationary head c
which may be secured to the same base b, and has mounted in a bearing e¹ a screw-
threaded shaft e, which is held from turning in the bearing, but is engaged at
one end by a screwthreaded hand wheel e', which serves as a nut for the screw e
This hand wheel is so arranged that as it is turned the shaft or screw is moved out
or in the bearing el.
The movable head b¹ is slidingly mounted on the base b, and may be adjusted
to or from the stationary head by a hand wheel 6º, having a screwthreaded shaft bo
The head e, which supports the tightening or stretching device, is preferably located
at an angle to the base on a line which would be substantially tangent to a wheel
rim when the wheel is on the table with the jaws within the groove or channel.
The swiveled plate on which the jaws c and c¹ are supported permit these jaws to
normally stand substantially at right angles to this line. The jaws d and dare
each further provided with auxiliary openings d³, back of the clamping portion of
the jaws, which openings are also formed substantially on a line passing through
the center of the head e.
For uniting the ends of the bands we preferably employ electric welding. For
this purpose the head 62 is insulated from the base b. The head e may also be
insulated if desired, though not necessarily. An electric connection is made with
the respective jaws by conductors f and f¹, the conductor f passing through the
hollow shaft b and the conductor f¹ passing through a similar opening in the
head 62 the conductors being preferably attached to the intermediate pieces c
and d. If the intermediate pieces are dispensed with, the electric connections
may be made directly to one of the jaws of each holding device.
In Figs. 1, 5, and 6, I have shown an auxiliary sliding support 611 mounted on
the movable head b¹, and the adjustable holding devices c and e¹ are mounted on
this auxiliary support. A lever b12, having an eccentric boss 613, mounted in a
link 64, pivoted to the head b', is arranged to move the auxiliary support 6" on
the head b¹. When this construction is employed, an automatic switch f is formed
on the end of the lever b12, adapted to form an electric connection with the sta-
tionary part f. The conductor f is attached to the switch so that when the
lever is moved to a predetermined position the electrical connection will be
broken.
In Fig. 7 the auxiliary support 61 is dispensed with, the adjustable holding
device being mounted on the movable head b¹.
In Fig. 9, I have shown a modification in the band holder on the tightening
or tension device. The screwthreaded shaft 2 has jaws e es, pivotally mounted
thereon by a clamping bolt e', which passes through an eye on the end of the
shaft. This arrangement permits the jaws to turn on the clamping bolt and com-
pensates for any unequal length which may exist in the bands while being stretched
or tightened and places an equal strain on each.
The wheel is preferably held during the operation by an adjustable support g,
having a cone-bearing g', screwthreaded so that it may be adjusted up or down.
I have shown in Fig. 10 different means for adjusting the movable holding
device by dispensing with the plate 63 and slidingly mounting the holding device
in a curved way so that the holding device may be moved in or out to different
positions of longitudinal as well as angular adjustment by a screwthreaded link h,
and a screwthreaded nut or hand wheel h¹.
The operation of the machine as thus described is as follows: The rubber tire
or strip, slightly longer than the periphery of the wheel and with the retaining
band or bands extending through the same, is placed within the channel groove
of the wheel. One end of the band or bands is clamped by the jaws d and d', with

page_text: the end of the rubber resting against the jaws. The free ends of the bands are
then passed through the jaws c and c¹ and through the openings d³ in the station-
ary holding device, the ends of the band or bands being clamped by the jaws e³,
the remaining end of the rubber resting against the jaws c and c¹. By turning
the hand wheel e, the band or bands will be drawn through the rubber, com-
pressing it lengthwise and binding it to the wheel rim. When sufficiently tight,
the jaws c and c¹ are closed on the bands and the surplus part of the bands project-
ing from the jaws cut off. As soon as the bands are cut, the jaws c and care
moved so as to bring the severed ends of the bands opposite those held by the jaws d
and. If the pivoted spring-pressed plate 63 is employed, this movement will be
accomplished automatically. If the construction shown in Fig. 10 is employed,
it will be accomplished by manual effort. A movement of the head 6 will bring
the ends of the bands in contact and they may be united in any suitable manner
between the devices preferably by electric welding by simply causing the current
to pass through the jaws and contacting ends of the bands as described. If the
auxiliary sliding support 611 is employed, the movement to effect the welding will
be accomplished by the lever 612, which will also serve to automatically cut off
the current when the proper point is reached. If this auxiliary head is not em-
ployed, the support will be moved forward by the hand wheel 6º.
If the channel rim and the groove which receives the rubber tire is of metal,
and the holding jaws are also of metal, an insulating strip 2 should be placed
between one of the jaws and the metal rim prior to the electric welding process
in order to prevent short circuiting.
It is obvious that the swivelly mounted or adjustable holding device might be
mounted on a stationary head, while the other holding device is movable; that is
to say, either holding device could be made movable laterally with reference to
each other, or they might both be laterally movable, but in practice, one would
ordinarily be stationary and the other movable in order to vary the distance between
the holding devices so as to secure the proper adjustment and means for uniting
the ends of the encircling bands.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A band holding device separable laterally, one of said band holding devices
being swivelly mounted, and means for changing the distance between the holding
devices.
2. The separable movable band holding devices in connection with the stretch-
ing or band tightening device, substantially as specified.
3. The separable movable band holding devices and the band tightening or ten-
sion device in connection with a wheel support, substantially as specified.
4. The arrangement of the laterally separable jaws or band holding devices in
connection with a band tightening device, and an electrical connection to said
band holding devices, substantially as specified.
5. In a band holding machine, a laterally movable head having a swivelly
mounted spring-pressed plate thereon, and a band holding jaw supported on said
plate, in connection with the band tightening device.
6. The arrangement of the holding jaws, one of which is swivelly mounted on
a hollow shaft, and the electrical conductors to said holding devices, one of which
conductors extends through the hollow shaft.
7. The arrangement of the band holding devices consisting of a stationary jaw
and a movable jaw, and a an intermediate auxiliary plate, and the electrical
conductors connected to said intermediate plates, substantially as described.
8. In connection with the band holding devices, one of which is swivelly mounted
as described, a band tightening device having a pivotally-mounted band holding
clamp with the clamping parts on opposite sides of the supporting pivot.
9. In connection with a wheel support and a laterally separable band holding

page_text: device, one of which is on a spring-pressed swiveled plate, and a band tightening
device, the other of said holding devices having auxiliary openings in line with
the movement of said tightening device, substantially as specified.
10. In connection with the band holding devices, one of which is stationary and
the other adjustably or swivelly mounted, electrical conductors to said band holding
devices, and a vertical adjustable wheel support, substantially as specified.