Method and apparatus for mounting a tire
AssigneeBridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
InventorsNeel K. Mani, John L. Turner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of mounting a tire to a wheel includes rotating a tire about an axis of the tire at a first rotation speed and moving a first tire engaging member into contact with the sidewall of the tire, thereby moving a proximate section of a bead of the tire into a well of the wheel. The method further includes moving a second tire engaging member into contact with the sidewall of the tire and rotating the second tire engaging member about the axis of the tire at a second rotation speed different from the first rotation speed. The method also includes moving the second tire engaging member out of contact with the sidewall of the tire and moving the first tire engaging member out of contact with the sidewall of the tire.
Claims20
A method of mounting a tire to a wheel, the method comprising:
- providing a wheel;
- providing a tire;
- rotating the tire about an axis of the tire at a first speed;
- moving a first tire engaging member into engagement with a sidewall of the tire, such that a section of the sidewall proximate to the first tire engaging member is displaced a first distance in the axial direction of the tire;
- moving a second tire engaging member into engagement with the sidewall of the tire, such that a section of the sidewall proximate to the second tire engaging member is displaced a second distance in the axial direction of the tire that is greater than the first distance;
- rotating the second tire engaging member about the axis of the tire at a second speed;
- and
- moving the second tire engaging member away from the sidewall, such that the section of the sidewall proximate to the second tire engaging member is displaced a third distance in the axial direction of the tire that is less than the first distance.
A method of mounting a tire to a wheel, the method comprising:
- providing a tire;
- providing a wheel;
- rotating the tire about an axis of the tire at a first rotation speed;
- moving a first tire engaging member into contact with a sidewall of the tire, thereby moving a proximate section of a bead of the tire into a well of the wheel;
- moving a second tire engaging member into contact with the sidewall of the tire;
- rotating the second tire engaging member about the axis of the tire at a second rotation speed different from the first rotation speed;
- moving the second tire engaging member out of contact with the sidewall of the tire;
- and
- moving the first tire engaging member out of contact with the sidewall of the tire.
A method of mounting a tire to a wheel having a wheel well, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of tire engaging members including a first tire engaging member, a second tire engaging member, and a third tire engaging member;
- moving each of the plurality of tire engaging members into engagement with a sidewall of a tire;
- rotating the tire about an axis of the tire;
- rotating the second tire engaging member and the third tire engaging member about the axis of the tire as the tire rotates about the axis of the tire;
- and
- holding the first tire engaging member stationary as the tire, the second tire engaging member, and the third tire engaging member rotate about the axis of the tire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.