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US 6,972,061 B1Granted
Compound apex for vehicle tire
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsDonald Chester Kubinski, Mark Daniel Banas, Thomas Alan Murray
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pneumatic radial ply tire (500) comprises a tread (510), a belt structure (512), and a carcass (514). The carcass (514) has a radial ply (518) and two bead sections (530A, 530B). Each bead section (530A, 530B) has a bead (532) and a component apex (534) with a inner apex (534A), a middle apex (534B) and an outer apex (534C).
Claims17
An unfinished pneumatic radial ply tire assembly comprising:
- a tread, a belt structure and a carcass;
- wherein the carcass has a radial ply and two bead sections;
- and
- wherein the tire is characterized by:
- each bead section having a bead and a compound apex comprising an inner apex, a middle apex and an outer apex;
- the inner apex and the outer apex have a substantially rectangular cross-section, and the middle apex has a substantially triangular cross-section;
- and
- the outer apex comprises cured rubber and the middle apex comprises green rubber.
5 more elements
A method of building a green tire carcass comprising the steps of:
- preassembling an inner apex to a ply;
- preassembling an outer apex comprising cured rubber to the ply;
- preassembling a middle apex comprising green rubber over a bead;
- wrapping the ply with the preassembled inner apex around a building drum;
- splicing the bead with the middle apex to form a ring;
- and
- after wrapping the ply around the drum, positioning the spliced bead around the ply;
- wherein, when the spliced bead is positioned around the ply, it is positioned between the inner apex and the outer apex.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.