Vehicle tire with light reflective members
OwnerPatrick J. Norwood, Roy L. Williamsinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An assembly for manufacturing vehicle tires with light-reflective members has one or more plug inserts positionable inside a tire mold before vulcanization of the tire. The plug inserts each have a cutout in the back thereof corresponding to the portion of the tread design where reflective members are to be positioned. An elongated reflective member is placed in each of the plug inserts. When a vehicle tire is placed in the tire mold and treated under pressure, the tire expands conforming to the tire mold, while fusing the light reflective member into the tire body.
Claims17
A vehicle tire comprising a tire body with a raised tread portion and a plurality of light reflective elements spaced about an outer circumference of the tire, said reflective elements being located inwardly from an outermost surface of the raised tread portion and are fused into the tire body.
A method of manufacturing a vehicle tire with light reflective elements, comprising the steps of:
- providing a tire mold having a relief corresponding to a desired raised tread design;
- providing a plug insert having a cutout portion corresponding to a part of the tread design and positioning the plug insert into the tire mold;
- providing a light reflective member and positioning said strip into the plug insert;
- providing a tire body suitable for molding by a vulcanization process;
- positioning said tire body into the tire mold inwardly from said reflective member;
- treating said tire body under heat and pressure to cause molding of the tire body and fusing of the reflective member into the tire body.
An assembly for making a vehicle tire with reflective elements, said assembly comprising:
- an insert plug for positioning inside a tire mold, said plug insert being provided with a cutout corresponding to a tread design formed in the tire mold;
- and
- a reflective member adapted for positioning in said insert plug.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.