Device for sealing a tubeless pneumatic tire to a wheel rim

A device for scaling a tubeless pneumatic tire to a wheel rim comprising:

• an air-conveying housing having an inlet passage and an outlet nozzle located at an end of the housing, the inlet passage being connectable to a source of pressurized air, the outlet nozzle ejecting the pressurized air supplied to the air-conveying housing through the inlet passage out of the device in between a tubeless pneumatic tire and a wheel rim on which the tire is mounted when the outlet nozzle is inserted between the tire and the wheel rim;
• and
• a locking mechanism attached to the air-conveying housing, the locking mechanism including a wheel rim engaging member that is selectively movable toward and away from the end of the housing having the outlet nozzle between locked and unlocked positions, respectively;
• when in the locked position, the wheel rim engaging member and the end of the housing being spaced apart from each other by a first distance so as to capture an edge of the wheel rim to lock the device to the wheel rim;
• when in the unlocked position, the wheel rim engaging member and the end of the housing being spaced apart from each other by a second distance greater than the first distance so that the edge of the wheel rim is movable between the wheel rim engaging member and the end of the housing so as to be released from the device, so that the device is removably attachable to the wheel rim to fixedly secure the device to the wheel rim during the sealing of a tire to the wheel rim.

A device for sealing a tubeless pneumatic tire to a wheel rim comprising:

• an air-conveying housing having an inlet passage and a split outlet nozzle located at an end of the housing, the inlet passage being connectable to a source of pressurized air, the split outlet nozzle having at least one first opening directed in a first direction and at least one second opening directed in a second direction that diverges from the first direction, thereby ejecting the pressurized air supplied to the air-conveying housing through the inlet passage out of the device in two diverging directions so that when the split outlet nozzle is inserted between a tubeless pneumatic tire and a wheel rim on which the tire is mounted, air exiting the device through the split outlet nozzle will travel in opposite directions around the wheel rim and within the tire;
• an ON/OFF valve attached to the inlet passage, the ON/OFF valve being manually actuable to control the supply of pressurized air to the air-conveying housing;
• a connector attached to the inlet passage, the connector including a first opening attachable to the source of pressurized air, a second opening attached to the inlet passage, and a third opening attached to a first end of an inflation tube, the inflation tube having a second end that includes a fitting that is attachable to a tire inflation valve located on the wheel rim;
• a pressure-relief valve attached to the air-conveying housing and in fluid communication with the inlet passage, the pressure-relief valve opening when pressure within the air-conveying housing exceeds a predetermined pressure;
• a support flange attached to the air-conveying housing adjacent to the split outlet nozzle for engagement with the wheel rim to support the device during sealing of the tire to the wheel rim;
• and
• a locking mechanism attached to the air-conveying housing, the locking mechanism being removably attachable to the wheel rim to fixedly secure the air-conveying housing to the wheel rim during the sealing of a tire to the wheel rim, the locking mechanism being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position.