Back to results
US 4,115,172 AGranted
Apparatus and method for applying puncture sealant material to a tire
AssigneeUniroyal, Inc.
InventorsLeon Ian Baboff, Daniel Shichman, Lawrence Paul Reed
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeUniroyal, Inc.
InventorsLeon Ian Baboff, Daniel Shichman, Lawrence Paul Reed
Estimating the term…
An uninflated unmounted tire is supported in a frame of the apparatus for engagement with a sealant applicator head that contacts the interior tire liner after a bead spreading device on the frame spreads apart the tire beads, and an elevator member on the frame raises the tire. The applicator head has a tire engaging profile corresponding to that of the tire and an elongated opening for which highly viscous, sticky sealant is discharged onto the tire liner under the tread in a layer of predetermined cross section as the tire is rotated on the frame past the applicator head. A complete coating of sealant is applied during one revolution of the tire, with the sealant having a butt joint, or an overlapping splice formed when the elevator member is lowered a predetermined amount by a drop-off mechanism as the tire completes one revolution of sealant application.
An apparatus for applying tire puncture sealant material to the liner of a cured annularly shaped tire under the tread region thereof comprising, a frame, means on said frame for supporting and rotating an unmounted, uninflated tire, bead spreader means movable with respect to said frame for engaging oppositely disposed bead portions of said tire and spreading apart said bead portions a predetermined amount while said tire is supported and being rotated on said frame thereby furnishing the liner of said tire with a predetermined cross-sectional profile, in the area of the spread beads, sealant applicator means for conducting said sealant material in a fluid state to the liner of said tire, said sealant applicator means being movable with respect to said frame and including a first applicator head engageable with the liner of said tire in the area of the spread beads, said first applicator head substantially spanning the width of the tire liner under said tread and having a tire engaging profile substantially corresponding to the predetermined profile of said tire liner in the area of the spread beads, said first applicator head further including an elongated opening extending substantially across the width of the tire liner in the area of the spread beads, and means associated with the sealant applicator means for causing movement of said sealant material through said first applicator head for discharge from said elongated opening at a predetermined rate to permit deposition of the fluid sealant material on said tire liner in the area of the spread beads in a layer of predetermined cross-section extending across the width of the tire liner under said tread while said tire is rotating, whereby the inner circumference of said tire liner under said tread is substantially coated with the layer of sealant when said tire has rotated past said elongated opening.
A method of applying tire puncture sealant material to the liner of a cured tire comprising, orienting the tire with the equatorial plane in a substantially vertical position, spreading the beads of the tire a predetermined amount to furnish the tire with a predetermined profile in the area of the spread beads, rotating the tire at a predetermined speed, applying sealant material to the liner of the tire under the tread region while the tire is rotating, using an applicator having a cross-sectional profile corresponding to the predetermined cross-sectional profile of the tire in the area of the spread beads by engaging the applicator head with the tire liner and forcing sealant material out of the applicator at a predetermined fixed rate of discharge to provide a uniform layer of sealant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.