USRE14696E - Non-skid tibe-puotectob - Google Patents

Description

momma ma PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION HLED MAY 14. I9l9.

Reissued July 29, 1919.

Lincoln acammz'n s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BINCOIJN C. CUMMINGS, OI BBOOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

NON-SKID TIBE-PBD'I'ECTOR.

14,696. Original No. 1,285,634, dated Specification of Reissued Letters Patent. 'Reissued J 111529, 1919. November 26, 1918, Serial No. 223,411, filed larch 19, 1918. Application forreissue filed m 14, 1919. Serial No. 297,017

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, LINCOLN CLIFFORD CUMMINGS, a citizen of the United States,

residing at Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Non-Skid Tire-Protectors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

' clear, and exact description of the inven- 55 chain.

tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make'and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement in non-skid tire protectors. The object of the invention is to improve nonskid tire-protecting devices which have heretofore been in use in connection with the tires for automobiles, in order to increase the protection afforded the tire and the nonskid qualities of the device. To the above ends the present invention consists in the improvement in non-skid tire protectors hereinafter described-and particularly defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention Figure 1 is a side elevationof a portion of a wheel rim and tire provided with the improved non-skid tire protector of the present invention, showing the left-hand lower portion of a rim of a wheel turning toward the right, that is, a wheel rolling to the right of the position shown in the illustration; Fig. 2. is a sectional view of the tire showing the device in position; and Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3, Fig, 1-.

The illustratedembodiment of the invention is described aS follows :'The side chainslO and cross chains 11 are or may be, except as hereinafter pointed out, the same in construction and arrangement as the well known Weed chain.

Between the successive cross chains 11, 12,

These treads 20 may conveniently be made from. a section of a tread of a tire, (such as is adapted to be applied to a shoein the process of manufacture). It consists. of a layer of fabric having a rubber tread portion of usualform on one side. The fabric portion of the tread is extended at 21 at each end of the tread beyond the tread end for the purpose of affording a further prothe tire from the wear of the cross tection to Each margin or side edge of each tread is provided with-a metallic reinforcement strip 22 which is riveted fast to the edge of the tread by rivets 23 and 24, there being: two rivets 23 in the central part and two rivets 24 one at each end of the reinforcement strip 22, the rivets 24 being provided with washers under their heads to afford a more secure union between the rivets and the fabric of the tread. The ends of the reinforcement strips 22 are turned up and folded over the ends of thetre'ad, as

shown-at 25 in Fig. 3, for the purpose of securing a firm connection between the reinforcernents and the tread. The treads are secured to the side chains by means of hooks 30, each tread being attached by means of four such hooks which engage holes in the treads and hook into links in the side chains, as shown in Fig. 1. -The hooks 30'by which the treads are secured to the side chains are passed throughholes 31. in the tread, the hole being countersunk, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the portions of the reinforcement strip 22 which-project into the holes Biprovide a reinforcement for the hole and thereby reduce the wear between the hooks 30 and the tread 20. It will be noted that these holes 31 are located between the end rivets and another rivet, that is to say, they are located inside of the end rivet, So as a cross chain all three enter and are attached to a single link in the side-chain, as shown in Fig. 1, and the length of the hook 30 and the size of the treads are such that the strains exerted on the side chain'by the treads and their hooks is such as to permit thecross chainsto be supported loosely in position so that they may move freely on the tire as the wheel. rolls along the ground. I It is not to be understood that the treads are under so great. a strain as to prevent the creeping of the treads on the surface of the tire, but only sufficient to permit the cross chains tobe considerably looser than the tread and incidentally so that the treads may creep as is necessarily required of any device adapted .to be attached to the tread of an automobile tire. While this creeping is not extensive, .itis sufficient to enable the treads to clear themselves of any accidental 35 I @therebyto secure an adequate hold on the of contact reduces the rate at which. theinclusion of material between the treads and the tires, which, unless cleared and removed from, time to time, would cause injury-to the tread surface of the tire. and the cross chain hook cause, of course,

' some'wear on the particular side chain link in which. they are engaged, and in order to redueeithis. wear. and thereby prolong. the life of the dhain, it is desirable, in some circumstances, to provide the side bar of the side chain link which the hook engages, with aroller shell, shown at 41,Figs, 1 and-2.

This shell 41 causes the wear on the hook and the wear on the side chain to be considerably diminished as the increased area wear cuts the hook and link.

It is to be observed thatthe hooks 30 support the sides of the treads out of contact with the surface of the tire. This is of ad vantage because. it prevents the chafing which. would otherwise occur between the. edges of the treads, particularly the ,reinforcement strips 2-2, and thefsurface of the tire, and because, in addition it permitsthe radiation of heat from the tire without the serious impedance which the additional layer of .material thereon would offer. It also allows the treads to clear themselves of materials accidentally caught under them, such as fragments of road surface or the like.

' It is to be noted that the connection 30 by means of which the treads are attached to the side chains are articulated or hinged to'the treads so that there may be relative "movement of the treads with relation to the links by which they. are attached tothe side chains. This contributes to the movement of the side chains with relation to the treads and to the movement of thetreads with relation to the side chains without distortionof-any member or lifting of the 1 treads from the'surfaceofthe tire.

It has been found by actual practice that the usejof thetraction treads increases the tractive effect of the cross chains. While this seems somewhat. paradoxical, extensive use has confirmed the conclusion.

. perhaps be'e kplainedupon the theory that owing to the factfthat the general level oftheroad-engagingsurfaceof; the wheel pro.

vided with-this device ,is somewhat higheil It may than the general level-without these treads,

the'pressurev upon the cross chains is some-' what diminished by reason of the use of the treads, as a consequence of which there is a securer connection provided between the wheel, and the ground because there is less liability of rolling the crosschains under the wheel. I p

One ofthe features of the construction is the very much improved riding qualities of acar provided with this non-skid traction; devlce, because the wheels do not have to ride a up over the cross chains as in the ordinary The end hook practice, as a result of which the vibrations lmpartedto' the car. by the chains are very. much reduced in ampl tude, and ease of riding is contributed to. It not only contrib utes to comfort in riding, but-it also con tributes to the life and durability of the car because it reduces one ofthe most powerful sources of deterioration, namely, vibration Another feature which contrlbutes to increase the traction between'wheels provided With this device andthe ground resides-in the fact that the endsof the treads 'afl'o-rd tractive-engaging. surfaces which the vehicle by the engagement of these shoulders with the surface of theground.

indent." themselves into the surface of the ground and thereby contribute to the propulsion of Another feature which is of some importance in this connection resides in the fact that-whereasin a'chain traction device unprovided-"with these'treads, when the car as in. side slipping, the cross chains seem to act as-runners, thereby tending to induce rather their to prevent the SldBWlSBf. pro

gets to moving laterally of the rear wheels gressionof the wheels. This is particularly true of icy conditions, and conditions in which a hard pavement is covered with a slimy coating acting as a lubricant. In the l I present construction where the treads engage the surface of the grounder ice upon which the caris movin ,the' cross chains are de-,

rived of the qua ity of runners, and it may prevents the cross chains from acting as said, therefore, that theuse of the treads M runners and thereby conduces to the prevention of side slipping of the wheels. Itis a fact, furthermore, that the cross chains of the device of the present invention "are much more durable than in. the ordinary cross chains in usual use, and because they are subjected to less pressure and less severe blows than is the usual case. One of the important features of. this invention resides .in the fact that this device is adapted to vastly prolong the life of the tire and at an expense very moderate, in comparison I withthe tire cost. Not only does it act teprolong thelife of the-tire by reducing- Y the-wear upon the surface thereof, but it also acts as a further protection tothe tire against'puncture by reason of the increase in the thickness of the material interposed between the inner tube and the road surface.

The projecting ends2l of the treads further act to increase the life of the tire by afford- I ing a surface upon which the cross chains may bear, and thereby relieve the tire "more or less from the. cross-chain abrasion;

In conditions of good road surface, the

stances the treads act as tire decreasing the tire. wear an puncture. ID thlS connectionit should be rotectors by liability ofcross chains may be removed and the device used without them. Under such c1rcumobserved that this tire protector, by reason I permitting radiation of heat from the tire to the atmosphere during the time the portions of the tire are thus uncovered. Buta further feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the device constitutes a combination of treads and traction chains whereby the treads are secured in position so as to creep upon the surface of the tire, as the cross chains (more looselyheld thereon than the treads) are allowed to operate in the usual manner without an interference with their proper functionation.

combination, side chains, cross chains, traction treads located between the cross chains,

being less in thickness than the thickness of the cross chains, and means for securing the treads to the side chains. v y

3. A non-skid tire protector having in combination, side chains, and treads composed of yielding flexible material, andconnections extending one fromveach corner'of each of the treads to the side chains, said treads being held upon the tire with spaces intervening between their adjacent ends and being capable of creeping on the tire.

4. A non-skid tire protector having, in combination, side chains, cross chains, intervmediate treads between the cross chains have ing extensions on their ends to reduce the wear of the cross chains on the tire.

5..A non-skid tire protector having in combination side chains, and treads of yielding flexible material secured to the side chains and being provided with reinforced edges, and means for connecting the treads to the side chains holdin the edges of the treads 011' the surface of t e tire.

6. A non-skid tire protector having, in combination, side chains, crossmembers, and attaching devices for securing the latter to the former, the side chains being provided with wear-protecting sleeveson the links which are engaged by the attaching means to the cross members.

LINCOLN c. CUMMINGS.-

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