Patent Application
20140060753
The invention relates generally to a tool to maintain a bead of a tire during the tire mounting process. More particularly, the invention relates to a tool that can clamp to a wheel to maintain a bead of a tire during the tire mounting process. The invention also relates to a tool that can hold a bead in place and help to keep the bead in the drop center of the wheel.
The majority of vehicles currently operated use tires without tubes. These tubeless tires are typically mounted to a wheel, and the physical connection between the wheel and the tire is referred to as the bead. When initially mounting tires to the wheels, especially when manually mounting tires by hand, often times there is a difficulty in seating the tire on the wheel to form the bead. This is especially true in larger trucks and agricultural vehicles in that the tire and wheel are larger and create more difficulty in mounting the tire to the wheel to help form the bead. Moreover, the issue with larger wheels and tires is exasperated by the fact that a tire technician must struggle with the greater size and the weight of the combination of the two.
In particular, the larger and heavier tires tend to move with respect to the wheel and/or rim thereby preventing the formation of the bead. This requires the tire technician to reseat the bead, which results in wasted time and added frustration in the tire mounting process.
Accordingly, there is a need for a tool and associated process that can hold a bead in place and help to keep the bead in the drop center of the wheel. Moreover, there is a need for a tool and associated process to prevent tires from moving during the tire mounting process in order to make the tire mounting process easier, more time efficient and the like.
The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the invention, wherein one aspect tire bead wedge pliers is provided having a wheel holding portion and a tire-holding portion. This allows the tire technician to more easily mount a tire onto the rim of the wheel.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention a tire mounting tool is configured to maintain a tire with respect to a wheel during a tire mounting process including a wheel holding portion configured to be affirmatively held with respect to a rim of a wheel, a handle portion configured to connect to and hold, at least in part, the wheel holding portion, and a tire holding portion configured to limit movement of the tire with respect to the rim of the wheel.
The tire holding portion may connect to at least one of the handle and the wheel holding portion. The wheel holding portion may include first and second jaws. The first and second jaws may include a synthetic material coating to limit damage to the rim of the wheel. The first and second jaws may include a non-slip material to reduce movement between the first and second jaws and the rim of the wheel. The first and second jaws may include a construction that is wider than the remaining portion of the tire bead wedge pliers. The tire holding portion may be pivotally connected to the handle. The tire holding portion may be pivotally connected to the wheel holding portion. The tire holding portion may be substantially U-shaped. The handle portion may be configured to clamp the wheel holding portion onto the wheel. The tire mounting tool may further include a locking handle configured to cooperate with the handle portion to clamp the wheel holding portion onto the rim. The tire mounting tool may further include a locking handle that connects to a bar that connects to the handle. The tire mounting tool may further include a threaded boss and a thumbwheel associated with threaded boss to adjust a distance between the first and second jaws. In accordance with a further aspect of the invention a tire mounting tool configured to maintain a tire with respect to a wheel during a tire mounting process includes a wheel holding portion configured to be affirmatively held with respect to a rim of a wheel, a handle portion configured to connect to and hold, at least in part, the wheel holding portion, and a tire holding portion configured to limit movement of the tire with respect to the rim of the wheel, where the tire holding portion connects to at least one of the handle and the wheel holding portion, and where the wheel holding portion comprises first and second jaws.
The first and second jaws may include a construction that is wider than the remaining portion of the tire bead wedge pliers. The tire holding portion may be pivotally connected to the handle. The tire mounting tool and further include a locking handle configured to cooperate with the handle portion to clamp the wheel holding portion onto the rim.
In a further aspect of the invention a tire mounting tool configured to maintain a tire with respect to a wheel during a tire mounting process includes means for holding a wheel configured to be affirmatively held with respect to a rim of a wheel, handle means configured to connect to and hold, at least in part, the wheel holding means, and means for holding a tire portion to limit movement of the tire with respect to the rim of the wheel, where the tire holding means connects to at least one of the handle means and the wheel holding means, and where the wheel holding means comprises first and second jaws.
The first and second jaws may include a construction that is wider than the remaining portion of the tool. The tire mounting tool may further include a locking handle configured to cooperate with the handle means to clamp the wheel holding means onto the rim.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
A tire wedge bead tool is provided that includes a tire-holding portion and a wheel-holding portion constructed to clamp to the rim of a wheel so that tires cannot easily move during the tire mounting process. The use of the tire wedge bead tool according to the invention makes the mounting of tires to wheels easier, faster, and more efficient. Furthermore, the use of the tire wedge bead tool according to the invention holds a bead in place and helps to keep the bead in the drop center of the wheel.
Additionally,
The wheel-holding portion 14 may be constructed to have a first jaw portion 24 and a second jaw portion 26. The combination of the first jaw portion 24 and the second jaw portion 24 may form a clamp that may be used by the tire technician to attach the tire bead wedge pliers 10 to the edge of the wheel or rim. The first jaw portion 24 and/or second jaw portion 26 may include a rubber coating and/or may be padded to prevent or lessen damage to the wheel. The first jaw portion 24 and/or second jaw portion 26 may have a non-slip surface to prevent or reduce sliding or other movement of the tire bead wedge pliers 10 with respect to the wheel or the like. Additionally the first jaw portion 24 and second jaw portion 26 may be internally formed of a metallic material for increased strength.
The first jaw portion 24 and the second jaw portion 26 may include a wider construction (see arrow A) as compared to the width of the remaining portion (see Arrow B) of the tire bead wedge pliers 10. This wider construction may prevent the tire bead wedge pliers 10 from moving with respect to the rim 10.
The tire-holding portion 12 may extend from a portion of the tire bead wedge pliers 10 with an angle such that when the first jaw portion 24 and second jaw portion 26 are attached to the rim of the wheel and the tire-holding portion 12 extends such that it is substantially parallel and in contact or close to the tire. The distance of the tire-holding portion 12 to the tire may be any particular distance so long as it is a prevents the tire from moving past the edge of the rim, moving such that it is difficult to mount the tire, or the like.
The tire-holding portion 12 may take any shape and/or arrangement such that when the tire bead wedge pliers 10 is attached to the rim of the wheel that the tire is more easily mounted to the wheel by preventing too much movement of the tire with respect to the wheel. Accordingly, a generally U-shaped construction of the tire-holding portion 12 works to meet this requirement, however other arrangements are also possible and contemplated by the invention herein.
In some arrangements, the tire-holding portion 12 may be pivotally connected to the tire bead wedge pliers 10. In this regard, the tire-holding portion 12 may include a first tire-holding portion pivot 28 and a second tire-holding portion pivot 30. These pivots are optional, but may allow the tire-holding portion 12 to move with respect to the tire bead wedge pliers 10 when the wheel holding portion 14 moves, allowing the tire technician some flexibility in the positioning of the tire bead wedge pliers 10 with respect to the rim of the wheel. Additionally the tire-holding portion 12 pivots along the first tire pivot holding portion pivot 28 and second tire-holding portion pivot 32. The movement of the second jaw portion 26 may allow the tire-holding portion 12 to pivot along with the second jaw portion 26.
In a particular aspect, the tire bead wedge pliers 10 may include a handle 16 that allows for the tire technician to be able to easily grasp the tire bead wedge pliers 10 and arrange it on the wheel rim as desired. Additionally the handle 16 may provide a construction, which allows the tire-holding portion 12 and the second jaw portion 26 to pivot thereabout. In this regard, the first tire holding portion pivot 28 may be connected to the handle 16 via a pivot 32. As previously mentioned, the tire-holding portion 12 may include a second tire-holding portion pivot 30, this pivot 30 may be connected to the handle 16 as well. Additionally, the first jaw portion 24 may also be pivotally connected to the handle 16. In this regard, the first jaw portion 24 may be pivotally connected through a pivot 34 to the handle 16. The above-mentioned pivots can be formed by any type of mechanical fastener. As shown by
The tire bead wedge pliers 10 may be further implemented as a clamping mechanism. In this regard, the invention contemplates that the first jaw portion 24 and second jaw portion 26 may be configured such that they are held in a clamped manner to the wheel rim. The clamping capability allows the tire technician to be able to arrange the tire bead wedge pliers 10 to the wheel and continue with the tire mounting process without having to hold the tire bead wedge pliers 10.
In a particular aspect, the tire bead wedge pliers 10 may include a locking arrangement so as to provide the clamping capability. In such an arrangement as shown in
Optionally, the tire bead wedge pliers 10 may further include a release handle 20. The release handle 20 may be pivotally connected through a release handle pivot the 22 to the locking handle 18. Operation of the release handle 20 disengages the clamped nature of the locking handle 18 to the handle 16 and allows the tire technician to quickly and easily remove the tire bead wedge pliers 10 from the locked configuration.
As shown by
In alternative approach, the tire technician may arrange the tire bead wedge pliers 10 onto the rim of the wheel while the wheel is attached to the vehicle and the tire only partially mounted. Thereafter, the wheel may be rotated while on the vehicle and the tire installed consistent with the above-noted process.
In a particular aspect, the tire technician may mount the tire onto the wheel of a vehicle by hand while the vehicle wheel is still attached to the vehicle. During this mounting process, the tire bead pliers 10 may be mounted to the wheel had a particular location. The tire technician may then use tire mounting spoons or similar tool to guide the remaining part of the tire onto the wheel by rotating the wheel of the vehicle to mount the tire fully onto the wheel.
Accordingly, the invention provides a tire bead wedge pliers 10 that allows a tire technician to quickly and easily arrange a tire onto a rim to which the tires are to be mounted to. The tire-holding portion 12 limits movement of the tire with respect to the wheel rim thus making it easier for the tire technician to complete the mounting of the tire to the wheel and the formation of a bead between the tire and the wheel. Additionally, the invention provides a tire bead wedge pliers 10 that can hold a bead in place and help to keep the bead in the drop center of the wheel.
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
