Gravity-driven tire delivery apparatuses and methods of tire delivery
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsLieu X. Mai, Frederick P. Matthews
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gravity-driven tire delivery apparatus includes a base and a tire delivery chute that extends vertically from the base. The tire delivery chute includes a wall including a braking projection mounted to the wall that extends into a travel path of a tire through the tire delivery chute. The braking projection is sized to allow the tire to pass by the braking projection once the tire is moved laterally by the braking projection.
Claims17
A gravity-driven tire delivery apparatus comprising:
- a base;
- a tire delivery chute that extends vertically from the base, the tire delivery chute comprising a wall comprising a braking projection mounted to the wall that extends into a travel path of a tire through the tire delivery chute, the braking projection is sized to allow the tire to pass by the braking projection once the tire is moved laterally by the braking projection;
- and
- a tire intake system comprising sliding gates that extend along opposite sides of a trap door that covers an open top of the tire delivery chute, the sliding gates connected by a crossbar that blocks the trap door from opening with the sliding gates in a closed configuration.
A method of delivering a tire from an elevated storage location to an assembly location, the method comprising:
- opening a trap door of a tire intake system comprising sliding gates that extend along opposite sides of the trap door that covers an open top of the a delivery chute, the sliding gates connected by a crossbar blocking the trap door from opening with the sliding gates in a closed configuration;
- manually dropping a tire into the open top of the tire delivery chute that extends vertically from a base, the tire delivery chute comprising a wall comprising a braking projection mounted to the wall that extends into a travel path of the tire through the tire delivery chute, the braking projection is sized to allow the tire to pass by the braking projection once the tire is moved laterally by the braking projection;
- and
- removing the tire from the tire delivery chute.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.