Improvements in Pneumatic Tires for Bicycles and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 27th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pneumatic Tires for Bicycles and similar
Vehicles.
I, HARRY CLINTON DEAN of Astoria, Long Island, New York, United States
of America, Merchant, 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 certain improvements in pneumatic tires such as are
employed for the wheels of bicycles and similar vehicles, and the object of the
invention is to provide a tire of this character of a light, simple and inexpensive
construction which shall be substantially puncture proof.
The invention consists in a tire which may be either of the "inner tube" or
single tube style, having its tread provided with an annular shield comprising
a series of plates of hard material, said plates being each provided with elongated
or slotted openings and rivets, the rivets of one plate working in the slots of an
adjacent plate, said shield being arranged inside the outer sheathing or cover of
the tire so as to be protected as much as possible from wear and serving to
protect the inner portions of the tire against being punctured by glass, nails and
the like.
The invention also contemplates certain novel features of construction, com-
bination and arrangement of the various parts of the improved tire, whereby the
device is made simpler, cheaper and more durable and is otherwise more convenient
and better adapted for use than various other similar devices heretofore employed,
all as will be hereinafter fully set forth. The novel features of the invention will
be carefully defined in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the views.
Figure 1 is a view showing in side elevation a fragment of a tire constructed
according to my invention, the central portion of the tire being broken out and
shown in section to illustrate the construction and arrangement of the interior
shield;
Figure 2 is a tranverse section taken through the tire these two views showing
the device applied to an inner tube tire ;
Figure 3 is a face view showing two of the plates of which the shield is
formed;
Figure 4 is an edge view of one of said plates;
Figure 5 is a view showing the preferred form of rivet for holding the plates
together, and
Figure 6 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 2, but showing the shield applied
to a single tube tire.
Referring primarily to Figures 1 to 5, 1 represents the outer tube or cover,
and 2 the inflatable inner tube of the tire, said tubes being independent of each
other, as is usual in "inner tube" tires, and 3 represents, as a whole, the improved
guard or shield of annular form, arranged between the inner and outer tubes 2
and 1 at the tread of the tire.
The guard or shield 3 is, as shown in the drawings, composed of a series of thin
plates 4, formed by preference of spring steel or other sufficiently elastic and strong
material having smooth surfaces, each plate 4 being of a general elongated form as

page_text: shown in Figure 3, and having rounded end portions. The plates or sheets 4 are so
secured together by means to be hereinafter referred to, as to overlap each other,
as indicated at 5 in the drawings, so that it will be seen that the guard or shield is
in reality composed of two thicknesses of metal plates, or is made of double the
thickness of the metal forming the plates 4.
Each plate or section 4 of the guard or shield 3 has at opposite ends at one side
a circular perforation 6, and at similar points on its other side elongated or slotted
openings 7 of curved form, as herein shown, being concentric with the circular
openings 6 at the opposite sides of the plate, and in said circular openings 6 in
each plate are set rivets 8, extending through and working in the slots 7 of
adjacent plates 4, said rivets serving to hold the plates together, whilst permitting
a certain degree of movement of the plates on one another. By preference rivets
such as shown in Fig. 5 will be employed. As shown in this view the rivet 8 has
next its head a smooth portion 8 working in the slot 7, and the end is reduced and
shouldered as shown at 8b to pass through the aperture or opening 6, and be
rivetted, the openings 6 being of less width than the slots 7.
Each of the plates 4 is beut at its central portion as seen at 4* in Figure 4, so as
to form a bead or projection extending centrally around the shield or guard, and
arranged to stand normally at the tread of the tire, as indicated in Figure 4, so
that the said tread is made narrower as will be readily understood, and the
extremities 4° of said plates 4 are bent at 4° as seen in Figure 4, so that they will
play freely over one another when the tire is in use.
In order to prevent the shield or guard 3 from wearing or chafing against the
inner and outer tubes 2 and 1 of the tire when in place, or from damaging said
tubes by corrosion in case it should become wet or rusted, I prefer to provide a
cover or envelope 9 for said shield or guard, which cover may be conveniently
formed of canvas or other suitable fabric. The ends of the plates 4 are also by
preference bent slightly inward so as not to wear against the tire and damage the
same.
In applying the device to a single tube tire, some change will be necessary as
will be evident, and I prefer to employ the construction shown in Figure 6, wherein
the single tube tire 1 is provided with an internal flap or diaphragm 1, between
which and the trend of the tire the shield 3 is held.
In use, the shield or guard effectually prevents the tire from being punctured by
any ordinary obstruction on the road, since should a nail or sharp fragment
penetrate the outer covering at the tread of the wheel, it will be turned aside by
the smooth convex faces of the plates 4, and prevented from puncturing the inner
thicknesses of the tire.
The device constructed as above described is extremely simple and inexpensive
and is adapted for use in tires of any diameter, since the slotted connections
between the plates or sections 4 enable the guard to accommodate itself to
different positions. Moreover, said plates or sections being movable, nails or other
sharp objects are prevented from passing through the plates in case such objects
strike the plates exactly at the center, for in such cases the plates will move so as
to cause the nails to slide up one or the other of the sides of the guard.
From the above description it will be obvious that the device is susceptible of
considerable modification, without material departure from the principle and spirit
of the invention, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting]
myself to the exact form of the improved guard or shield herein set forth.
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 what I
claim is :-
1. A guard or shield for pneumatic tires, formed of a series of plates or sheets
each having at opposite ends slots and rivets, the rivets of one plate working in the
slots of an adjacent plate, substantially as set forth.
2. A guard or shield for pneumatic tires, formed of a series of plates or sheets

page_text: of spring metal, each having at opposite ends inclined slots and rivets, the rivets
of one plate working in the slots of an adjacent plate, substantially as set forth.
3. A guard or shield for pneumatic tires, formed of a series of plates or sheets
of spring metal, each having at opposite ends inclined slots and rivets, the rivets
of one plate working in the slots of an adjacent plate, said plates having transverse
bends formed in them and fitting together to form a projecting central bead
extending around the tread of the tire, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of April 1896.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agents,
62 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents for the Applicant.