Tire section repair unit and method
AssigneeVulcan Vulcap Industries, Inc.
InventorR. James Dornan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved tire section repair unit for the repair of a damaged section of a tire. The repair unit includes two curved side walls pivotally connected to the base of the unit. A locking arm is provided that securely encloses the entire system of curved walls, base and internal air bag and heat pad arrangement situated about the tire under repair. The pivotable side wall design permits the repair of tires of varying sizes. A locking arm arrangement permits the use of lightweight side walls to enclose the system. As a result, the repair unit of the present invention is more transportable and less cumbersome to use.
Claims16
A lightweight, portable and adjustable tire repair unit for use in vulcanizing a repair patch to a section of a tire, comprising:
- a base member adapted to support a tire to be repaired;
- two substantially rigid and upwardly extending, lightweight side walls pivotally connected to said base member and positioned at a predetermined distance from one another to accommodate a wide range of tire sizes, said side walls being disposed in juxtaposition to a section of the tire under repair;
- inside and outside heating and pressure means contained inside and outside the tire section under repair and within said side walls for applying pressure and heat to the tire section, said heating and pressure means including a flexible, inflatable mandrel positioned within the tire to be repaired;
- said inside heating and pressure means also including a secondary inner bag for selectively fine-tuning the pressure about the tire;
- and
- a substantially rigid locking arm connecting the upper portions of said side walls, whereby said base member, said side walls and said locking arm cooperate to form a substantially rigid and secure structure enclosing the tire section, thus providing an external support to enable the application of uniform pressure to the tire section to be repaired, and ensuring distortion-free curing of the repair patch.
A method for repairing a tire, comprising the steps of:
- (a) placing a tire to be repaired within a lightweight and portable tire repair apparatus having a base member and two substantially rigid and upwardly extending, curved side walls pivotally connected to opposite ends of said base member;
- (b) surrounding the section of the tire to be repaired within said side walls by inside and outside heating and pressure means so as to provide a snug fit about the tire section under repair, said inside heating and pressure means including a secondary inner air bag;
- (c) selectively fine-tuning the pressure about the tire by adjusting the pressure within said secondary inner air bag;
- (d) locking said side walls about said heating and pressure means and the tire section under repair by means of a locking arm;
- and
- (e) simultaneously heating and applying pressure to the section under repair, thereby enabling uniform temperature and pressure to be applied, and allowing a distortion-free repair.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.