Claims
- 1. The method of building a foldable tire having a diameter at the tread centerline materially smaller when deflated for stowage than when inflated for use, the method comprising disposing at least one reinforcing cord ply in cylindrical form about a building drum, positioning a pair of tire bead cores coaxially of the drum and with their respective mid-planes normal to the axis of the building drum, displacing bead-receiving portions of the cord ply radially outwardly relative to the ply endings axially outward of the bead-receiving portions, moving the bead cores respectively axially to engage the associated bead-receiving portions such that each said bead-receiving portion is conformed about the associated bead core and such that said portion departs axially and radially outwardly of the bead core from its conformity therewith only at or beyond its mid-plane, and then turning the ply endings about the respectively associated bead cores and maintaining said conformity while molding and curing the tire.
- 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising disposing said portions of said at least one ply axially outwardly of the respectively associated bead cores.
- 3. A method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising installing a flipper about each bead core to extend from such bead core outwardly along the axially inward face of said at least one ply.
- 4. A method as claimed in claim 3, said flipper extending also from such bead core outwardly along the axially outward face of said at least one ply.
- 5. A method as claimed in claim 1, said portions being arranged relative to the respectively associated bead cores by positioning a strip of strain-resistant rubbery compound axially inward of each portion and in concentric surrounding relation with the associated bead core.
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of Ser. No. 869,883 filed Jan. 16, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,851, which was a continuation of application Ser. No. 666,852 filed Mar. 15, 1976, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
869883 |
Jan 1978 |
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
666852 |
Mar 1976 |
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