Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tyres for Wheels.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 25th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 4th June, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tyres for Wheels.
We, FREDERICK LEOPOLD Wood, of 12, Little Stanhope Street, Mayfair, W.,
in the County of London, Gentleman, and RICHMOND GIRLING, of 52, Deodar Road,
Putney, S.W., in the County of Surrey, Gentlenian, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to improvements in and connected with pneumatic tyres
for wheels.
The main object of the said invention is to provide a pneumatic tyre of the
tubeless kind which shall be unpuncturable and which shall have all the resiliency
of an ordinary pneumatic tyre, combined with the non-slipping qualities of a tyre
having a narrow tread.
To this end we form the tyre of oblong or rectangular form in transverse sec-
tion, the depth or distance between the inner and outer circumference of the tyre,
being say about double the width thereof.
The part of the rectangular tyre which lies against the rim of the wheel is formed
by two flexible overlapping wedge-shaped lips which project from the opposite
side walls of the tyre across the latter from one side to the other.
The outer circumference or tread of the tyre is of considerable thickness and
has embedded in it a band or strip of steel or other protective or puncture-proof
metal or material, which may either be endless or may have its ends arranged to
overlap one another and provided with pin and slot connections.
The said outer circumference or tread may have its hardness gradually increased
towards its surface, in any suitable way, and the sides of the tyre where they pro-
ject from the wheel rim may be similarly hardened.
Such a tyre may be fitted in a rim of rectangular section, or may be fitted in a
false rim or annular piece which can be applied as an adapter to a wheel rim
originally intended for a tyre of a different section.
On being inflated the side walls of the tyre are pressed tightly against the walls
or flanges of the rim or of the adapter, while the puncture proof band or strip
serves to prevent undue dilation of the outer circumference or tread of the tyre
that might occur owing to the air pressure within the tyre.
The two wedge-shaped flexible lips are of course held firmly together by the
internal pressure as in ordinary tubeless tyres, but as they are pressed directly
against the wheel rim, a very much more secure joint is obtained than is usual
in tubeless tyres. We may however in some cases secure the two lips together
permanently, by solution or otherwise, prior to the tyre being placed in the rim,
and the shape of the lips may be varied as may be convenient.
Dated this 1st day of March 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in and connected with Pneumatic Tyres for Wheels.
We, FREDERICK LEOPOLD WOOD, of 12, Little Stanhope Street, Mayfair, W.,
in the County of London, Gentleman, and RICHMOND GIRLING, of 52, Deodar Road,
Putney, S.W., in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, 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: -
This invention relates to pneumatic tyres for wheels.
The main object of the said invention is to provide a puncture-proof pneumatic
tyre of the so-called "tubeless" kind which shall possess the resiliency of an
ordinary pneumatic tyre combined with the non-slipping qualities of a tyre having
a narrow tread.
To this end the tyre is moulded in the form of a hollow jointless ring or endless
tube having an approximately rectangular shape in transverse section to fit a corre-
spondingly shaped wheel-rim, the outer or tread portion of the tyre being thickened
and having preferably embedded therein suitable material to render the tyre
puncture proof and inextensible.
To enable the core employed during the moulding of the tyre to be readily
removed after the said tyre has been manufactured one of the walls of the tyre,
preferably that forming the inner circumference, is divided so as to form two over-
lapping edges or lips, which after the removal of the core used in moulding are
either left free or are subsequently joined together permanently by cement or
otherwise..
Our invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a transverse section of one form of our improved tyre and its
wheel-rim.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the tyre removed from the rim, shewing the
overlapping edges of the divided wall open.
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 1 showing a slight modification of the tyre
and wheel-rim.
Figure 4 is a transverse section shewing an arrangement in which a false rim
or "adapter," hereinafter referred to, is employed for enabling tyres of our con-
struction to be applied to wheel-rims intended for other kinds of tyres.
Figure 5 is a transverse section shewing convenient means for applying our
improved tyre to the ordinary wheels of cabs and similar vehicles. In this figure
the divided edges of the tyre are supposed to be permanently connected together.
In all these figures like letters of reference indicate similar parts.
a is the wheel-rim which may be advantageously formed of aluminium. The
said rim has a pair of deep upright flanges a¹ which may be plain as in Figure 1,
or curved as in Figure 3 to give lightness and strength. The interior of the
flanged rim forms an annular space of rectangular cross-section.
b is the tyre, which as stated is approximately rectangular in cross section with
its narrowest diameter at the circumference of the wheel. It has comparatively
thin and flexible side walls b' and its rear wall or inner circumferential portion is
divided to form overlapping edges or lips 63.
The outer circumference or tread portion of the tyre is of considerable thick-
ness and has preferably embedded in it a band or strip of steel c or other inextensible
and puncture-proof metal or material, which preferably is flat in section. A suit-
able non-return valve is provided for enabling the tyre to be inflated in the ordinary

page_text: manner. If there is no band in the tyre, the tread must be of sufficient thickness
to resist the pressure outwards of the air in the tyre.
On inflation of the tyre, the side walls 6 thereof are pressed tightly against
the flanges of the wheel rim, which must be strong enough to resist such pressure
and keep the tyre approximately rectangular and flat sided even when inflated.
Outward expansion of the tread of the tyre is however prevented by the inexten-
sible puncture-proof band or strip c or by the strength of the tread itself as already
stated; the consequence is that the lips 63 (if they are left free) are pressed very
tightly against each other and on to the wheel-rim a. Extraneous fastening
devices for keeping the tyre in position are thus rendered unnecessary.
"
or
In applying our improved tyre to a wheel-rim originally intended for a tyre of
a different section, we prefer to fit inside the wheel-rim a an adapter" such as a*
(Figure 4) which may be formed in sections and have a rectangular recess
cavity for the tyre to fit into. The sections of the adapter are held firmly in position
by the tyre, which when inflated is unable to expand outwardly as above explained,
and consequently is forced by the air pressure very tightly against the adapter.
When the tyre is to be fitted to an ordinary wheel-rim for a cab or other vehicle,
as in Figure 5, the said rim a may conveniently be provided with two flanged
rings which serve to form a rectangular recess for the tyre.
The outer circumference or tread portion of our improved tyre may have square
corners as in Figures 1 and 2 or round corners as in Figures 3 and 5, and the
hardness of the rubber or other material composing it may be increased in any
suitable way. The sides of the tyre, where they project beyond the wheel-rim
may also be similarly hardened both to resist wear and internal pressure.
The two wedge-shaped flexible lips 62 when not connected, are, as stated, held
firmly together by the internal air pressure as in ordinary tubeless tyre, but as they
are pressed directly against the wheel rim, a very much more secure joint is
obtained than is usual in tubeless tyres. In most cases, however, especially when
our tyre is to be used with carriage wheels, we prefer to permanently connect
together the overlapping edges .62 of the tyre, the chief object of dividing the rear
wall as above stated being to permit of the tyre to be moulded in the form of an
endless tube or hollow ring having no transverse joints. The shape of the afore-
said lips b2 may be varied as may be convenient.
Although in Figures 1, 2 and 4, the wheel-rims and adapter are shown as being
made solid, it will be readily understood that we may form them hollow and of
thin sheet metal if desired so as to secure increased lightness.
We are aware that it has before been proposed to construct tubeless pneumatic
tyres of circular cross-section with overlapping edges and to such tyres we make
no claim.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. An inflatable tyre of approximately rectangular cross-section moulded in a
single piece without a transverse joint and with a longitudinal division substan-
tially as described, the edges of which are either permanently connected or left
free for the purpose specified.
2. An inflatable tyre of approximately rectangular cross section moulded in a
single piece without a transverse joint and with a longitudinal division and with
a steel or other puncture-proof and inextensible band embedded in the tread
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. A transversely-jointless inflatable tyre of approximately rectangular cross-
section having a narrow inextensible and puncture proof tread and one of its walls
longitudinally divided to form overlapping edges, substantially as described and
for the purpose specified.
4. An inflatable tyre constructed substantially as described with reference to

page_text: one or other of the arrangements illustrated in the accompanying drawings for
the purpose specified.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1898
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.