Apparatus and method for sealing tubeless tires
AssigneeBosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc.
InventorMichael R. White
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method to seat a tire on a rim are described. Protrusions and a handle on the apparatus allow a user to brace the protrusions against the rim to prevent blow back when air is vented into the gap between the tire and the rim to seat the tire bead. The air is vented through a plurality of holes in the apparatus and the flow of the air into the apparatus is controlled by positioning a bridge handle of a flow control valve situated between the apparatus and a tank of air.
Claims14
A seating apparatus for seating a tire on a rim, comprising:
- a rigid body formed as a hollow pipe closed on both ends, said body including a plurality of holes;
- a pipe coupled to said body at a first side of said body and configured to introduce air into said body;
- two or more protrusions from said body at a second side of said body, the second side being on a different side of a cross-sectional plane of the body from the first side of the body;
- a handle coupled to said body, wherein the pipe forms a 45 degree angle with a plane formed by the protrusions, and the handle is positioned on said body such that, when the two or more protrusions are positioned on the rim, a user holding the handle applies downward and forward pressures to the two or more protrusions against the rim to counteract blow back from venting of the air into the tire.
A seating apparatus for seating a tire on a rim, comprising:
- a rigid body formed as a hollow pipe closed on both ends, the body including a plurality of holes;
- a pipe coupled to the body at a first side of the body and configured to introduce air into the body;
- two or more protrusions from the body at a second side of the body, the second side being on a different side of a cross-sectional plane of the body from the first side of the body;
- a flow control valve coupled to the pipe, the flow control valve operable to control flow of the air to the pipe for venting through the plurality of holes;
- a bridge handle to operate the flow control valve, the bridge handle when in a first position opens the flow control valve and closes the flow control valve when in a second position;
- and
- a spring coupled to the bridge handle such that, when the bridge handle is moved to the first position, the spring action repositions the bridge handle to the second position.
A method of seating a tire on a rim, the method comprising:
- channeling air from a pipe into a rigid body comprising a plurality of holes;
- coupling a flow control valve to an inlet of the pipe to control the channeling of the air into said body;
- positioning protrusions from said body on the rim;
- venting the air into a gap between the tire and the rim through the plurality of holes;
- and
- positioning a bridge handle at a first position and a second position to open and close the flow control valve, respectively, wherein the bridge handle is coupled to a spring and when the bridge handle is positioned in the first position, the spring action repositions the bridge handle to the second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.