Patent Application
20080060735
The present invention features a novel C-shaped inner tube 100 for use with a pneumatic tire. In some embodiments, the C-shaped inner tube 100 (for use with a pneumatic tire) comprises a hermetically sealed compartment with a first sealed termination 102 and a second sealed termination 103. The inner tube 100 further comprises a threaded stem valve 105 disposed on the surface of the hermetically sealed compartment in the region of the first sealed termination, and it comprises a threaded stem valve cap 107 that forms a hermetic seal when coupled to the threaded stem valve 105.
Because the C-shaped inner tube 100 has two sealed terminations, it allows for the replacement of an inner tube 100 without requiring that the wheel be completely removed. To exchange the flat tire having an inner tube, the user can simply cut the existing inner tube to remove it from the tire, push the stem valve 105 of the present invention through the stem valve aperture on a tire rim, feed in the C-shaped inner tube 100 of the present invention while spinning the tire in one direction, and, lastly, inflate the inner tube 100. The hermetically sealed compartment will expand when inflated, with the first sealed termination 102 and second sealed termination 103 abutting, forming a contiguous circle with no gap 104.
When a user experiences a flat tire on a wheeled transportation device, e.g., a car, a truck, a motorcycle, or bicycle, the user pulls over to the side of the road. A user may remove inner tube 100 from a compact folded and stored position. A user may remove the old inner tube from the tire by pulling the inner tube out from the tire (e.g., from the rim), without removing the wheel from the wheel assembly. A user then may insert stem valve 105 through the stem valve aperture in the tire. The C-shaped inner tube 100 would then be inserted around the rim of the tire with the wheel assembly still on the wheeled transportation device by spinning the wheel in single direction. The deflated inner tube 100 would then encircle the tire rim with first sealed termination 102 abutting second sealed termination 103. A user would remove the stem valve cap 107 and inflate inner tube 100 by placing an inflator on the open end of stem valve 105. The inflator may be provided in various embodiments including, but not limited to, an air compressor, a hand pump, or canned air. As air fills hermetically sealed compartment 101, inner tube 100 takes on an annular shape as first sealed termination 102 abuts second sealed termination 103 and provides a strong contiguous annular hermetically sealed compartment 101.
In some embodiments, the stem valve 105 is disposed on the surface of the hermetically sealed compartment at a distance that is less than one fourth (¼) of the inner circumference (e.g., the circumference of a circle defined by the “inner wall” 202, see
In some embodiments, the inner tube comprises a threaded stem valve 105 disposed on the surface of the hermetically sealed compartment at the very tip (i.e., at the edge) of the first sealed termination, and it comprises a threaded stem valve cap 107 that forms a hermetic seal when coupled to the threaded stem valve 105, see for example
One of the major advantages of this invention is that the stem valve 105 is located near or at the tip of the first sealed termination. The location of the stem valve 105 allows the user to hook the stem valve 105 into the wheel assembly and to spin the tire in one single direction as the inner tube 100 is inserted into the tire. Other inventions previously described only allow for, for example, half of the replacement tube to be inserted into the tire in one direction. In other words, once the stem valve of the prior art has been hooked in, the user can only feed in either the first half or the second half of the inner tube into the tire by spinning the tire in one direction. Once that half has been inserted into the tire, the user must go back and feed through the other half of the tube by spinning the tube in the opposite direction.
In some embodiments, the first and second sealed terminations of the hermetically sealed compartment are flat. The advantage the flat terminations have over prior art is they provide for a smooth mating of the two end terminals. In other words, when the C-shaped inner tube 100 is fully inflated, the two flat sealed terminations will perfectly abut, creating a continuous ring. Sealed terminations that are bulged and not flat will not perfectly abut, and thus will not create a perfect continuous ring.
In some embodiments, the hermetically sealed compartment comprises an inner wall, an outer wall, and a cavity. The C-shaped inner tube 100 may be used with a variety of pneumatic tires, including, for example, tires of trucks, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles. In some embodiments, the C-shaped inner tube 100 comprises a load rating and a pounds-per-square-inch (PSI) rating equal to or greater than a standard inner tube. The threaded stem valve 105 may be used with a standard air compressor and a standard tire pump.
In some embodiments, the hermetically sealed compartment comprises primarily natural rubber. In some embodiments, the hermetically sealed compartment comprises primarily synthetic rubber.
In some embodiments, the hermetically sealed compartment further comprises an outer diameter 109 of at least twelve (12) inches (when fully inflated with the first and second end abutting). In some embodiments, the hermetically sealed compartment further comprises an outer diameter 109 of about thirty-six (36) inches. In some embodiments, the hermetically sealed compartment comprises a wall thickness of at about one sixty-fourth ( 1/64) inch to about one (1) inch. Herein after, the term “about” means ±10%.
The C-shaped inner tube 100 further comprises stem valve cap 107. The stem valve cap 107 creates a hermetic seal when tightly coupled to the threaded aperture (not shown) of the stem valve 105. When the hermetically sealed compartment 101 is filled with air, it takes on an annular shape. The first sealed termination 102 then abuts second sealed termination 103, and no separation exists between first sealed termination 102 and second sealed termination 103. Further, as the hermetically sealed compartment 101 becomes inflated, the inner tube 100 forms a contiguous annular shape with first sealed termination 102 abutting second sealed termination 103, giving inner tube 100 a strong, contiguous, annular shape. In some embodiments, the first sealed termination 102 can be bound to second sealed termination 103 when hermetically sealed compartment 101 is fully inflated. Binding may be achieved in a variety of forms including, but not limited to, glue, reusable adhesive, magnets, a plurality of interlocking apertures and protrusions, and a hook-and-loop material.
Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/843,691 filed Sep. 11, 2006, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60843691 | Sep 2006 | US |
