Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100051177 | BEAD CONSTRUCTION METHOD FOR A TIRE - A method and apparatus for manufacturing an annular tire component such as a tire bead includes locating a toroidal support; placing an ejector nozzle in an interference relationship to the toroidal support; and simultaneously ejecting through the nozzle a continuous stream of an elastomeric belt component material in a suitably fluid state and a continuous length of at least one thread component disposed within the stream onto the toroidal support in a predetermined bead configuration. The bead configuration is at least partially defined by a relief in the nozzle ejection port and by the toroidal support onto which the bead is formed. Rotation of the toroidal support may be coupled with the simultaneous ejection of the elastomeric component and thread component in order to create an annular bead structure. A tire may be constructed having a desired bead configuration and location by means of the method and apparatus. | 03-04-2010 |
20120125504 | IN-LINE PUMPING ASSEMBLY FOR SELF-INFLATING TIRE - A tire for a self-inflating tire system includes a tire carcass having an annular air tube-receiving groove formed within a tire carcass wall and a pump assembly within the groove. The pump assembly includes an air tube having an axial air passageway; an inlet device positioned along the air tube, the inlet having a tubular inlet body having an internal air passageway aligned with the air tube and having at least one inlet opening extending through the inlet body for admitting air into the tubular inlet body. The inlet device further includes an air filtering sleeve at least partially surrounding the inlet opening of the inlet device, the sleeve having a tubular sleeve body at least partially surrounding and in co-axial relationship the tubular inlet body. The pump assembly further includes an outlet device positioned in-line along the air tube, the outlet device having a tubular outlet body and an axial passageway in-line with the air tube and having at least one outlet passage tube from the outlet device through the carcass wall to the tire cavity. | 05-24-2012 |
20120125510 | TIRE FOR SELF-INFLATING TIRE SYSTEM - A tire for a self-inflating tire system includes an annular air tube-receiving groove formed within a tire carcass wall at a prescribed radial location. The groove has an access opening, a primary internal groove chamber dimensioned and profiled for close receipt of an annular air-pump tube. A secondary expansion chamber of the groove communicates with the internal groove chamber for operationally receiving a flattened air-pump tube extended portion during tire operation. A passageway is located at a prescribed outlet location along the annular air tube-receiving groove, the passageway extending from the groove to an axially inward terminal end within the tire carcass wall separated from a tire inner liner by a removable wall partition of reduced sectional thickness. | 05-24-2012 |
20120125524 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A SELF-INFLATING TIRE - A method of constructing a self-inflating tire assembly includes molding in an air tube-receiving groove within a green tire carcass wall, the groove having an access opening, primary internal groove chamber and a secondary expansion groove chamber adjacent to and communicating with the internal groove chamber. A groove partial passageway is molded with the groove at a prescribed groove outlet location and extends from the groove partially through the tire carcass wall toward the tire cavity. A tire carcass wall barrier of reduced section between the partial passageway and the tire cavity is removed in a post-cure operation to create a through-bore from the groove to the tire cavity. A pump assembly inserts into the tube-receiving groove in a post-cure procedure with an outlet passage tube from a pump assembly outlet device extended through the through-bore to the tire cavity. | 05-24-2012 |
20120160388 | PNEUMATIC TIRE WITH COMPOSITE INNERLINER - A pneumatic radial ply runflat tire is described. The tire has a carcass structure having at least one radial carcass ply, two bead regions, two sidewalls, each sidewall having an upper sidewall portion that connects to the shoulders and being reinforced by an insert, a belt structure between the tread and the carcass, and an air impermeable inner liner formed of a butyl rubber located radially inward of the carcass structure wherein the air impermeable inner liner extends from a first shoulder region to a second shoulder underneath the crown portion of the tire, and does not extend from the shoulder to the bead portion of the tire. | 06-28-2012 |
20120161366 | EXTRUDER APPARATUS FOR FORMING TIRE COMPONENTS - A method and apparatus for applying a blended rubber composition directly onto a tire building drum or core is described. A first extruder and a first gear pump for a first compound is provided. A second extruder and a second gear pump for a second compound is provided. The output of the first and second gear pump is fed into the inlet of the main extruder. A third pumping means is provided for pumping an accelerator mixture into the inlet of the main extruder; mixing together said first compound and said second compound and said accelerator mixture in said extruder and applying the mixture onto a tire building drum or core. | 06-28-2012 |
20130014876 | AIR MAINTENANCE PUMPING TUBE AND TIRE ASSEMBLYAANM Delgado; Andres IgnacioAACI MedinaAAST OHAACO USAAGP Delgado; Andres Ignacio Medina OH USAANM Dyrlund; Christopher DavidAACI CantonAAST OHAACO USAAGP Dyrlund; Christopher David Canton OH US - A groove defined by groove sidewalls is positioned within the bending region of a tire sidewall. An elongate air tube positioned within the sidewall groove is in contacting engagement with the groove sidewalls and resiliently squeezes and collapses segment by segment as the groove constricts segment by segment within the rolling tire footprint. A longitudinally oriented projecting locking rib extends from a tube sidewall and registers within a complementary configured and located detent extending adjacent the groove to deter lateral movement of the tube within the groove after insertion. An annular projecting ridge extends from the groove for engaging the sidewalls of the air tube to deter an axial movement of the tube within the groove after insertion. | 01-17-2013 |
20130061996 | AIR MAINTENANCE PUMPING ASSEMBLY AND TIRE - A tire assembly includes a tire, sidewalls, and a sidewall groove. The tire has a pneumatic cavity. The sidewall has at least one bending region operatively bending when radially within a rolling tire footprint of the tire. The sidewall groove is defined by groove sidewalls positioned within the bending region of the tire sidewall. The sidewall groove deforms segment by segment between a non-deformed state and a deformed, constricted state in response to the bending of the sidewall bending region when radially within the rolling tire footprint. An air passageway is defined by the sidewall groove and a cover strip. The air passageway resiliently deforms segment by segment between an expanded condition and an at least partially collapsed condition in response to respective segment by segment deformation of the sidewall groove when radially within the rolling tire footprint. | 03-14-2013 |
20130075017 | METHOD FOR FORMING STRATIFIED RUBBER ARTICLE - A method and apparatus for applying a blended rubber composition directly onto a tire building drum or core is described. The method includes the steps of extruding a first rubber compound through a main extruder and a main gear pump. A second rubber compound is extruded through a second extruder and into a second gear pump. The output from the second gear pump is fed into the main extruder. The ratio of the first compound to the second compound is varied by adjusting the speed of the main gear pump and the speed of the second gear pump. A continuous strip of rubber formed of said first compound and said second compound is layed directly onto a tire building machine to form a first layer of rubber having a first blend ratio. The speed of the main gear pump and the second gear pump is adjusted to obtain a second blend ratio of said first compound to said second compound, and then a strip of rubber formed of said second blend ratio is applied to the tire building drum or core. | 03-28-2013 |
20130081745 | AIR MAINTENANCE TIRE AND PUMPING TUBE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD - A tire has an elongate profiled sidewall groove extending into a first tire sidewall from an outward first sidewall surface. An elongate air tube is positioned within the elongate sidewall groove in contact with the groove sidewalls, the air tube having an external surface configuration corresponding with and seating within the internal sidewall configuration defining the sidewall groove. The air tube when subject to outward originating impinging force collapses from an expanded unstressed configuration into a collapsed configuration to allow the tube to insert through the groove entry opening and expand outwardly once within the sidewall groove to its unstressed configuration. The configuration of the groove sidewalls capture the air tube within the groove in its expanded unstressed configuration to prevent separation of the tube from the tire during use. | 04-04-2013 |
20130133802 | AIR MAINTENANCE PUMPING ASSEMBLY AND TIRE - A tire assembly includes a tire, sidewalls, and a sidewall groove. The tire has a pneumatic cavity. The sidewall has at least one bending region operatively bending when radially within a rolling tire footprint of the tire. The sidewall groove is defined by groove sidewalls positioned within the bending region of the tire sidewall. The sidewall groove deforms segment by segment between a non-deformed state and a deformed, constricted state in response to the bending of the sidewall bending region when radially within the rolling tire footprint. An air passageway is defined by the sidewall groove and a cover strip. The air passageway resiliently deforms segment by segment between an expanded condition and an at least partially collapsed condition in response to respective segment by segment deformation of the sidewall groove when radially within the rolling tire footprint. | 05-30-2013 |