# US 9,039,139 B2 · Tire printing device and method for printing onto tire surface

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- Number: US 9,039,139 B2
- Document ID: US9039139B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/004,000
- Filed: 2012-02-21
- Published: 2014-01-23
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2011-03-10
- Assignees: Bridgestone Corporation
- Applicants: Yuichiro Ogawa
- Inventors: Yuichiro Ogawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039139B2

## CPC

- B05B 13/0415: {the angular position of the spray heads relative to the straight line being modified during the reciprocating movement}
- B05B 13/0442: {Installation or apparatus for applying liquid or other fluent material to separate articles rotated during spraying operation}
- B29D 30/72: Side-walls
- B41J 3/4073: {Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects (B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112)}
- B41J 25/308: with print gap adjustment mechanisms
- B60C 13/001: {Decorating, marking or the like}
- B29D 2030/728: {Decorating or marking the sidewalls after tyre vulcanization}
- B41M 5/0047: {by ink-jet printing}
- B41M 5/0064: {on plastics, horn, rubber, or other organic polymers}
- B41M 5/0088: {by ink-jet printing}
- B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D)
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
- B41M: PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING, (correction of typographical errors B41J; processes for applying transfer pictures or the like B44C1/16; fluid media for correction of typographical errors by coating C09D10/00; printing textiles D06P)

## Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a technique that prints characters and patterns clearly onto a tire surface without complicated operations. A tire printing device of the present invention includes a printer head that ejects and applies a coating material onto a tire surface, a widthwise moving unit that moves the printer head along the width direction of the tire, a radial moving unit that moves the printer head along the radical direction of the tire, and a swinging unit that swings the printer head around the axis along the circumferential direction of the tire.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for printing onto a tire surface by ejecting and applying a coating material from a printer head to the rotating tire surface, wherein
during the printing, the printer head is swung around an axis along a circumferential direction of the tire while the printer head is moved along a width direction and the radial direction of the tire so as to maintain a constant distance and posture of the printer head with respect to the tire surface,
wherein the printing onto the tire surface by the printer head is performed under a state that the tire is mounted on a rim and an internal pressure is applied to the tire mounted on the rim.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for printing onto a tire surface according to claim 1, wherein the distance and posture of the printer head with respect to the tire surface is controlled by a program.