Method of forming an air passageway in an air maintenance tire
US8852371B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 21, 2011 |
| Grant date | Oct 7, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 26, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB29D2030/724
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method of forming an air passageway in a an air maintenance tire carcass includes: embedding an elongate strip within a pre-cured flexible tire component of a pre-cured tire carcass, the elongate strip extending in a longitudinal direction between an air inlet cavity and an air outlet cavity in the flexible tire component; curing the pre-cured tire carcass including the flexible tire component; extracting the elongate strip longitudinally end-to-end from occupancy within the flexible tire component; and defining an air passageway in the flexible component by the space previously occupied by the withdrawn elongate strip. A free end portion of the strip is accessible at either the air inlet cavity or the air outlet cavity, and the elongate strip may be extracted from either the air inlet cavity or the air outlet cavity by a tensile withdrawal force applied to the elongate strip free end.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.