Cured applique or label with protective film on arcuate sidewall or tread of pneumatic tire

A method of locating a substantially laminar applique having upper and lower surfaces in a chosen location on a tread to be formed in a green tire, the method comprising,

• back-locating a circumferential centerline of a groove between lugs to be formed in a substantially laminar strip of green tread stock opposed ends of which strip are smoothly spliced together on a tire-building drum,
• marking the centerline with a light beam,
• coating the lower surface of the applique with a vulcanizable adhesive,
• adhesively securing the applique substantially symmetrically about the centerline, and,
• removing the green tire after its construction is completed.

In a vulcanized pneumatic rubber tire comprising a generally toroidal shaped carcass with a circumferential tread overlying plural belts, spaced-apart beads and connecting sidewall portions extending between the tread and beads which together provide the carcass with an interior surface, the improvement comprising,

• a pale essentially fully cured laminar rubber applique having a virgin surface non-removably co-cured and embedded into the surface of the tire at a location radially spaced-apart from the tire bead, said location chosen from “in the sidewall” and from “in the tread's footprint”, the applique having an exterior visible surface and an interior surface in adhesively co-cured contact with black rubber of the tire;
• a flexible protective film remaining self-adhesively secured to the exterior surface of the applique, both prior to the tire being cured and after the tire is removed from a mold in which the tire is cured, the protective film requiring a force of at least 10 Newtons to remove it from the label;
• the protective film being chosen from a non-self-supporting polyurethane film less than 0.0254 mm (0.001″ or 1 mil) thick, and a self-supporting polyamide film less than 50 μm (2 mils, 0.002″) thick which is thermally and dynamically stable at a temperature in the range from about 121° C. (250° F.) to 200° C. (392° F.) in a curing mold without being torn so as to maintain the virgin surface.

A method for co-curing an applique in a chosen location on a green rubber tire's exterior surface, comprising,

• applying a vulcanizable adhesive to the lower surface of a cured laminar applique of predominantly natural rubber, less than 20 mils thick, containing from 15% to 50% of titanium dioxide pigment, and crosslinked to a level of at least 80% as determined by a Mooney cure meter,
• coating the upper surface of the applique with a protective film selected from a self-supporting polyamide film less than 50 μm (2 mils) thick, and a non-self-supporting film of polyurethane less than 25.4 μm, 0.0254 mm (1 mil) thick;
• adhesively securing the cured applique in the chosen location of the exterior surface;
• expanding the tire at least 5% and curing it in a curing mold;
• and,
• removing a cured tire from the mold with the protective film adhering to the surface of the applique which is embedded therein, essentially free from distortion and surface cracks, embedded without substantially changing its location.