Roadside repair kit for restoring tire bead integrity
AssigneePatrick Clancy and Georgene Pappas, a Partnership
InventorPatrick Clancy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sealing tube is wrapped around the rim and inflated such as to seal the gap between tire and rim if the seal between the tire bead and rim has lost its integrity. After this, the tire can be inflated to specified pressure at a slow rate using a portable compressor. The repair can be done at roadside on any vehicle using inflatable tires usually without demounting the wheel or even jacking up the defective wheel.
Claims29
A roadside repair kit for restoring tire bead integrity of a tire having an inner circumferential bead edge comprising:
- a long narrow flexible inflatable sealing tube;
- said tire insertable against a corresponding bead edge of a wheel rim;
- said long narrow flexible inflatable sealing tube being fitted around said rim and between said tire bead edge and said rim to seal said tire to said rim temporarily while said tire is being inflated;
- one end of said sealing tube being sealed shut at one end and having a tire inflation valve attached at right angles to said sealing tube;
- said distal end of said sealing tube being left open;
- a releasable closure for sealing said open end of said sealing tube, after said open end is folded over;
- and
- a compressor inflating said tire after said sealing tube is applied to said tire bead edge;
- and,
- said inflatable sealing tube being removable during inflation of the tire.
A method for roadside repair for restoring tire bead integrity of a tire having an inner circumferential bead edge, said tire being inflatable over a corresponding bead edge of a vehicle rim, said method comprising the steps of:
- fitting a sealing tube around a periphery of the corresponding bead edge of said vehicle rim adjacent to the tire wall near said bead;
- crossing respective ends of the sealing tube over each other;
- inflating said sealing tube with a compressor such that the gap between rim and tire is sealed;
- detaching said compressor from said sealing tube and inflating said tire after sealing and tire inflation to recommended pressure for the vehicle and pulling off said sealing tube from between said tire and said rim.
A method for restoring tire bead integrity in a tire on a vehicle, without removal of a wheel, comprising the steps of:
- while the tire and rim are still on said vehicle, fitting a first section of a long narrow flexible inflatable sealing tube around said rim, between the rim and said tire adjacent the bead of said rim, said sealing tube being closed at one end and open at an opposite end, the closed end of said sealing tube exiting away from said rim, the open and closed ends of said sealing tube crossing each other, and an inflation valve extending from said sealing tube between the closed end of said sealing tube and where said sealing tube exits said rim;
- closing off the open end of said sealing tube;
- feeding compressed gas into said sealing tube through said inflation valve sufficient to close off and seal any gap between said rim and tire;
- then feeding said compressed gas into said tire until normal tire pressure is obtained;
- and
- resuming operation of said vehicle.
A kit for restoring tire bead integrity of a tire having an inner circumferential bead edge, said tire inflatable over a wheel rim having a bead edge, said kit comprising:
- a long narrow flexible inflatable sealing tube;
- said tire insertable against said bead edge of a wheel rim;
- said long narrow flexible inflatable sealing tube being fitted around said rim and between said tire bead edge and said rim to seal said tire to said rim temporarily while said tire is being inflated;
- one end of said sealing tube being sealed shut at one end and having a tire inflation valve attached at right angles to said sealing tube;
- said distal end of said sealing tube being left open;
- a releasable closure for sealing said open end of said sealing tube, after said open end is folded over;
- a compressor inflating said tire after said sealing tube is applied to said tire bead edge;
- and,
- said inflatable sealing tube being removable during inflation of the tire.
A method for restoring tire bead integrity of a tire having an inner circumferential bead edge, said tire being inflatable over a corresponding bead edge of a vehicle rim, said method comprising the steps of:
- fitting a sealing tube around a periphery of the corresponding bead edge of said vehicle rim adjacent to the tire wall near said bead;
- crossing respective ends of the sealing tube over each other;
- inflating said sealing tube with a compressor such that the gap between rim and tire is sealed;
- detaching said compressor from said sealing tube and inflating said tire after sealing and tire inflation to recommended pressure for the vehicle and pulling off said sealing tube from between said tire and said rim.
A method for restoring tire bead integrity in a tire for use with a vehicle having a wheel rim, comprising the steps of:
- fitting a first section of a long narrow flexible inflatable sealing tube around said rim, between the rim and said tire adjacent the bead of said rim, said sealing tube being closed at one end and open at an opposite end, the closed end of said sealing tube exiting away from said rim, the open and closed ends of said sealing tube crossing each other, and an inflation valve extending from said sealing tube between the closed end of said sealing tube and where said sealing tube exits said rim;
- closing off the open end of said sealing tube;
- feeding compressed gas into said sealing tube through said inflation valve sufficient to close off and seal any gap between said rim and tire;
- then feeding said compressed gas into said tire until normal tire pressure is obtained.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.