Improvements in or Applicable to Pneumatic Tyres for Vehicles and Pneumatic Saddles for Velocipedes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 21st Feb., 1898-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1898
Improvements in or Applicable to Pneumatic Tyres for Vehicles and
Pneumatic Saddles for Velocipedes.
We, WILSON HODKINSON, of 64, Corporation Street, Commission Agent, and
SAMUEL MOORHOUSE, Senior, of 153, Collyhurst Road, Tailor and Cutter, both of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows;
This invention relates to improved means for automatically inflating pneumatic
tyres for vehicles and pneumatic saddles for velocipedes.
In carrying out our invention in respect of pneumatic tyres we suitably attach
to the bladder a small air pump having a check valve, the barrel of the said pump
being passed through a hole formed in the rim of the wheel and its piston placed
under the influence of a spring adapted to bring the piston always back to its normal
position. This piston we form or provide with a rod which suitably guided,
extends across the whole diameter of the wheel and at its free end has a foot adapted
to contact with the ground on each revolution of the wheel and thereby operate
the said air pump. The said foot is so positioned that when the tyre requires
inflating it projects a little passed the periphery of the tyre and will remain so
until the tyre has become buoyant enough, when the increase in the diameter of
the tyre will have raised it out of contact with the ground and thus rendered the
pump inoperative. The said piston rod may be employed at the side or in the
middle of the wheel, in which latter case the tyre is formed with a tube through
which the foot of the said rod passes.
In carrying out our invention in respect of pneumatic saddles the improvements
consist in utilizing the up and down motion of the saddle caused by vibration
for actuating an air piston having a hollow rod connected to the saddle by means
of a flexible or jointed tube and adapted to move in the frame part of the velocipede
in which the chair or saddle pin is usually placed or in a barrel fitted into the
latter as may be found most convenient.
When the said piston is adapted to work in the said frame part it is furnished
with a sleeve which moves on the same and serves to guide the piston rod.
In each case we employ a coiled spring around the said piston rod, which serves
partly to support the saddle and partly to raise the piston.
It will thus be readily understood that when riding the velocipede the vibration
produced causes the saddle to move up and down and thus operate the said pump
piston which draws and forces air through its tubular rod into the saddle bladder.
The latter at a convenient part is furnished with a relief valve which may be
provided with a whistle so as to indicate and relief any excess of pressure.
Doted thin 10th
1007

page_text: Improvements in or Applicable to Pneumatic Tyres for Vehicles and
Pneumatic Saddles for Velocipedes.
We, WILSON HODKINSON, of 64, Corporation Street, Commission Agent, and
SAMUEL MOORHOUSE, Senior, of 153, Collyhurst Road, Tailor and Cutter, both of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, 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 improved means for automatically inflating pneumatic
tyres for vehicles and pneumatic saddles for velocipedes.
And in order that our invention may be more fully understood we have caused
to be appended hereunto one sheet of drawings marked with letters of reference
indicating like parts in the various figures, Fig. 1 being a side view partly in
section of wheel and tyre showing our improved means for inflating the tyre applied.
Figs. 2 & 3 are respectively an edge view and a cross section, Fig. 2 of Fig. 1 and
Fig. 3 of a modification. Fig. 4 is a sectional side view of a self-inflating
pneumatic saddle constructed in accordance with our invention.
In carrying out our invention in respect of pneumatic tyres and referring to
Figs. 1 & 2, we suitably attach to the bladder a an air pump 6 having a check
valve 6, the barrel of the said pump passing through a hole formed in the rim c
of the wheel and its piston placed under the influence of a spring adapted to bring
the piston always back to its normal position. The said piston we form or provide
with a rod d which, suitably guided, say, in an eye e on the rim c, extends across
the whole diameter of the wheel and has at its free end a foot d¹, adapted to contact
with the ground on each revolution of the wheel and thereby operate the air
pump b.
The said foot is so positioned relative to the periphery of the tyre f, that when
the latter requires inflating, it projects a little beyond the periphery of the tyre
and will remain so until the tyre has become buoyant enough, when the increase
in the diameter of the tyre will have raised it out of contact with the ground and
thus render the pump inoperative. The piston rod d may be employed at the
side of the wheel, as shown in Figs. 1 & 2, or through the middle thereof, as shown
in Fig. 3, in which case the bladder a is formed with a tube g, through which the
rod d passes.
In carrying out our invention in respect of pneumatic saddles, and referring to
Fig. 4, the improvements consist in utilizing the up and down motion of the
saddle h caused by vibration, for actuating an air pump or piston i having a hollow
rod k connected to the saddle h by means of a flexible tube 7 or jointed tube, and
adapted to move in a barrel m placed or fitted into the saddle pin n. The lower end
of the barrel m is closed and may rest at the bottom of the frame part o which holds
the saddle pin n or on a partition p formed therein at a higher point. The upper
end of the barrel m is closed by a cap m¹ and the hollow piston rod k is guided
therein and secured to the saddle pin n at n¹. Around the piston rod k is placed
a coiled spring 7 which serves partly to support the saddle h and partly to raise
the piston i, its upper end being secured to the cap m¹ and its lower end to the
piston rod and the saddle pin n being prevented from turning by a stud r fixed
to the socket o engaging in a longitudinal groove o¹ formed in the pin n.
It will thus be understood that when riding the velocipede, the vibration pro-
duced causes the saddle to move up and down and thus operate the said pump
which draws and forces air through its tubular rod into the saddle bladder. The

page_text: latter at a convenient part is furnished with a relief valve which may be provided
with a whistle so as to indicate and relief any excess of pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim, is:
-
1st. In pneumatic tyres, an air pump i secured to the bladder a having a piston
rod d which extends across the whole diameter of the tyre, its free end being
adapted to contact with the ground, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
2nd. In pneumatic saddles for velocipedes, in combination with the saddle
pin n an air pump i inside thereof, having a hollow piston rod k, the upper end of
which is secured to the said saddle pin and by means of a flexible tubular connection
to the saddle bladder, the said piston rod and saddle pin being under the influence
of a spring q adapted to support the saddle pin and raise the said piston, all sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicants