1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wheels, tires, and the like, and particularly to an eversible tire permitting the casing and integral tread to be everted to use a second tread when the first tread is worn.
2. Description of the Related Art
The construction of the conventional pneumatic tire and its installation with a conventional wheel are well known. Such tires have casings, laterally opposed beads with sidewalls extending radially outward from the casings, and a tread extending laterally across the outer edges of the sidewalls. The beads are configured to fit tightly within the outer rims of a mating wheel to provide a secure installation. The beads of tubeless tires sealing so well with the wheel rims that practically no air can escape. Development over the years has resulted in quite good durability and reliability for such tire construction.
Nonetheless, the problem of eventual tread wear remains. The tire beads and sidewalls will remain in relatively good condition throughout the life of a conventional tire, if not subjected to undue abuse, with tire life being limited according to tread wear. As the tread is the only component of the tire that engages frictionally with another surface, the tread is usually the only component that actually wears away during tire use. While rubber and elastomer compounds have been developed that increase tread wear considerably, the tread is always the first component to wear out in a conventional tire in normal use, so long as the sidewalls of the tire remain undamaged.
When the tread is worn out on a conventional tire, the remainder of the tire carcass or casing is essentially worthless trash and must be disposed of, unless it is recapped with a new tread. The disposal of the essentially undamaged carcass of the tire due to only the tread being worn out, is clearly not an environmentally sound practice. While recapping has been proven to be reasonably successful in many areas, some find that recapped tires are not as reliable as new tires. Additionally, the recapping process renders the vehicle unusable for some time while its tires are being recapped.
As a result, there has been some experimentation and development of tires having more easily replaceable treads. An example is found in Chinese Patent Publication No. 102729734 published on Oct. 17, 2012 to Huang Baiyuan. This reference describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a tire having a replaceable tread,
Thus, an eversible tire solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The eversible tire comprises a casing having laterally opposed first and second sidewalls with a tread base extending across the outer edges of the sidewalls and circumferentially around the sidewalls. Each sidewall has a bead extending circumferentially around its inner edge. This construction can be unitary, i.e., the sidewalls with their beads and the tread base can be formed as a single, unitary component at the time of manufacture.
The opposed first and second surfaces extend radially from one bead over the first sidewall, laterally across the tread base and its tread, and over the second sidewall to the opposite bead. When the eversible tire is installed upon a wheel, one of these surfaces is exposed to the volume contained within the tire and its wheel, and the other surface is exposed to the outside of the tire. Each of the sidewall beads is laterally symmetrical, permitting the beads to seat tightly against the rim of the wheel regardless of the orientation of the tire surfaces to the inside or to the outside of the tire.
The tread base of the eversible tire casing is equipped with a tread disposed upon both its first and second surfaces, i.e., two mutually opposed treads. (The term “tread base” is used herein to define the structural portion of the tire that underlies the tread proper that is worn away during use.) The two treads are molded or otherwise permanently formed integrally with the tread base and the remainder of the tire casing at the time of manufacture of the tire and are not removable from the remainder of the tire except through normal wear or abrasion. The construction of the eversible tire with its two opposed treads and laterally symmetrical beads permits the eversible tire to be everted, i.e., turned inside out, when the outer tread has been worn away. This places the worn tread to the inside of the tire and places the previously unexposed tread to the outer surface of the tread base and tire, thus essentially doubling the wear and life of the tire while retaining most of the original tire construction and obviating the need to discard the tire when the first tread has been worn away.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The eversible tire includes a tire with usable treads disposed upon opposing surfaces of the tire, thus essentially doubling the life of the tire when the casing is everted.
The sectional views of
The eversible tire 10, or more specifically the casing 12 thereof, further includes a circumferential tread base 34 that extends laterally across and connects the outer or shoulder edges 24 and 28 of the two sidewalls 18 and 20 to one another. A first tread 36 is disposed upon the first surface 14 of the tread base 34, with a second tread 38 disposed upon the opposite second surface 16 of the tread base 34. The two treads 36 and 38 may be identical to one another as shown in
The eversible tires 10 and 110 are used by installing the tire 10 or 110 on a wheel W with either the first tread 36 or 136 facing outward and the second tread 38 or 138 facing inward, as shown in
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.