Tire
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsJames Alfred Benzing, II, James Christopher Kish, Vivake Manohar Asnani
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tire includes a plurality of helical springs. Each helical spring includes a first end portion, a second end portion, and an arching middle portion. Each helical spring is interlaced with at least one other helical spring thereby forming a laced toroidal structure extending about an entire circumference of the tire.
Claims15
An assembly having a wheel and a nonpneumatic tire, the nonpneumatic tire comprising a plurality of helical springs, each helical spring comprising:
- a first end portion, a second end portion, and an arching middle portion, each helical spring being interlaced with at least one other helical spring thereby forming a laced toroidal structure extending about an entire circumference of the tire, the toroidal structure supporting an entire load placed on the nonpneumatic tire,
- the first end portions of a plurality of helical springs being directly secured to a first annular structure of the wheel and the second end portions of the plurality of helical springs being directly secured to a second annular structure of the wheel,
- the first end portion of each of the plurality of helical springs being oriented coaxially with the second end portion of each of the plurality of helical springs.
An assembly having a wheel and a nonpneumatic tire, the nonpneumatic tire comprising a plurality of springs, each spring comprising:
- a first end portion, a second end portion, and an arching middle portion interconnecting the first end portion and the second end portion, each spring extending radially outward from the first end portion to the middle portion and radially inward from the middle portion to the second end portion,
- each spring being interwoven with an adjacent spring on a first side of the spring and further being interwoven with an adjacent spring on a second opposite side of the spring thereby forming a toroidal structure extending about an entire circumference of the nonpneumatic tire, the toroidal structure supporting an entire load placed on the nonpneumatic tire,
- the first end portions of a plurality of helical springs being directly secured to a first annular structure of the wheel and the second end portions of the plurality of helical springs being directly secured to a second annular structure of the wheel,
- the first end portion of each of the plurality of helical springs being oriented coaxially with the second end portion of each of the plurality of helical springs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.