US 10,675,927 B2Granted

System and method for applying a lubricating paste to a wheel

AssigneeAndroid Industries LLC

InventorsDonald Graham Straitiff, Barry Allan Clark, Lawrence J. Lawson, Joshua James Hicks, Robert Reece, David Henry Larson

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A system is disclosed. The system includes a processing station for processing at least one of a tire and a wheel prior to joining the tire and the wheel for forming a tire-wheel assembly. The processing station includes one of a tire lubricating sub-station and a wheel lubricating sub-station. A lubrication conditioning system is fluidly-coupled to the processing station. The lubrication conditioning system includes: a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant temperature modifier arranged at least proximate to the lubricant reservoir, a lubricant temperature sensor arranged within a cavity formed by the lubricant reservoir and a controller communicatively-coupled to both of the lubricant temperature modifier and the lubricant temperature sensor.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method comprising the steps of:

operating a lubrication system including:
a controller;
a lubricant reservoir including lubricant;
and
a spray nozzle applicator including a valve, wherein the spray nozzle applicator is communicatively-connected to and automatically controlled by the controller, wherein the lubricant reservoir is fluidly-connected to the spray nozzle applicator;
receiving at the spray nozzle applicator from the controller an electrical pulse that controls the valve for automatically opening and closing the valve on a periodic basis;
in response to receiving the electrical pulse, the spray nozzle applicator periodically spraying the lubricant in a pattern upon at least a portion of a circumference of a wheel;
and
sliding at least one bead of a tire across the portion of the circumference of the wheel for wiping the lubricant across the portion of the circumference of the wheel;
and
mounting the tire upon the wheel, wherein the lubricant sprayed in the pattern is defined by:
a plurality of diagonally-arranged oval areas with each diagonally-arranged oval area of the plurality of diagonally-arranged oval areas being defined by a major axis and a minor axis.

9 more elements

A method comprising the steps of:

operating a lubrication system including:
a controller;
a lubricant reservoir including lubricant;
and
a spray nozzle applicator including a valve, wherein the spray nozzle applicator is communicatively-connected to and automatically controlled by the controller, wherein the lubricant reservoir is fluidly-connected to the spray nozzle applicator;
receiving at the spray nozzle applicator from the controller an electrical pulse that controls the valve for automatically opening and closing the valve on a periodic basis;
in response to receiving the electrical pulse, the spray nozzle applicator periodically spraying the lubricant in a pattern upon at least a portion of a circumference of a wheel;
and
sliding at least one bead of a tire across the portion of the circumference of the wheel for wiping the lubricant across the portion of the circumference of the wheel;
and
mounting the tire upon the wheel, wherein the pattern includes a plurality of oval areas, wherein neighboring oval areas of the plurality of oval areas includes:
a first oval area having a leading portion;
and
a second oval area having a trailing portion, wherein the leading portion of the first oval area and the trailing portion of the second oval area are arranged in a overlapped arrangement defined by:
a trailing edge of the trailing portion of the second oval area axially overlapping with the leading portion of the first oval area along a first axis;
and
a leading edge of the leading portion of the first oval area axially overlapping with the trailing portion of the second oval area along a second axis, wherein the leading portion of the first oval area and the trailing portion of the second oval area are separated by a gap, wherein the method further includes:
lubricating the gap as the at least one bead of the tire slides across the wheel as a result of the overlapped arrangement of the first oval area and the second oval area.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/801,101Filed 1 Nov 2017 · continuation
Priority: 7 Jun 2013
Published: US 2018/0050572 A122 Feb 2018
Granted: 9 Jun 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B60C 25/00
Apparatus or tools adapted for mounting, removing or inspecting tyres
B60C 25/0515
Machines: automated devices, e.g. mounting robots
B60C 25/0596
Machines: soaping devices
F16N 5/00
Apparatus with hand-positioned nozzle supplied with lubricant under pressure

Family

Application61/832,422Us provisional application · filed 7 Jun 2013
Application61/859,641Us provisional application · filed 29 Jul 2013
Application61/982,162Us provisional application · filed 21 Apr 2014
Application14/297,347Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Jun 2014
US 2018/0050572 A1Pre-grant publication · published 22 Feb 2018
US 9,821,615 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2014/0360677 A1Published application
US 10,675,927 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.