Patent Application
20120211136
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle tires, and particularly to a tire with inner core for allowing a vehicle to continue traveling when damage has occurred to the tire.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional pneumatic vehicle tires consist of an outer casing, which is given desired load-bearing capacity and elasticity by pressurized air pumped into the casing or into an inner tube fitted within the casing. Unfortunately, such pneumatic tires are subject to explosive decompression, when punctured, which may create serious hazards for the occupants of the vehicle or of nearby vehicles, especially if the puncture occurs while the vehicle is traveling at high speed or on a crowded road, such as a freeway. Numerous attempts have been made heretofore to overcome these disadvantages by filling the tire casing with other materials.
Fully solid tires, as are commonly used in race cars, have the disadvantage of extreme weight, which creates severe strain on the engine of the vehicle. Tires being filled with relatively lightweight materials, such as elastic foam, suffer from the tendency of the foam to become damaged at the same time the outer casing of the tire is damaged, or from the tendency to not properly expand and fill the outer casing, thus creating unsafe driving conditions in the event of tire damage.
Thus, a tire with an inner core solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The tire with an inner core includes a resilient annular shell similar to a conventional vehicle tire, and an annular inner core disposed therein, thus allowing the vehicle to continue traveling if the resilient annular shell is damaged. The resilient annular shell includes a central portion and a pair of sidewalls extending therefrom, as is conventionally known. An exterior surface of the central portion is adapted for contacting a road surface and preferably has tire tread formed thereon. Inner annular edges of the pair of sidewalls are adapted for fluid-tight mounting on a wheel hub, as is conventionally known.
The annular inner core is disposed within the resilient annular shell and includes an inner annular edge, a pair of side annular edges and an outer annular edge. The inner annular edge is adapted for mounting about the wheel hub. In one embodiment, the outer annular edge of the annular inner core contacts the interior surface of the central portion of the resilient annular shell, and the pair of side annular edges are respectively spaced apart from the interior surfaces of the pair of sidewalls of the resilient annular shell for receiving pressurized air therebetween. Preferably, the annular inner core is formed from a wire-reinforced resilient material, such as rubber. Further, an annular channel may be formed substantially centrally within the annular inner core for receiving a volume of pressurized air.
In an alternative embodiment, the outer annular edge and the pair of side annular edges of the annular inner core, respectively, make fluid-tight contact with the interior surfaces of the central portion and the pair of sidewalls of the resilient annular shell. In this embodiment, the annular inner core is also preferably formed from a wire-reinforced resilient material, such as rubber. An annular channel is also preferably formed substantially centrally within the annular inner core for receiving a volume of pressurized air.
In another alternative embodiment, the pair of side annular edges and the outer annular edge of the annular inner core are all respectively spaced apart from the interior surfaces of the pair of sidewalls and the central portion of the resilient annular shell for receiving pressurized air therebetween. In this embodiment, the annular inner core is also preferably formed from a wire-reinforced resilient material, such as rubber. An annular channel is also preferably formed substantially centrally within the annular inner core for receiving a volume of pressurized air.
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.
Referring now to
The resilient annular shell 12 includes a central portion 15 and a pair of sidewalls 13 extending therefrom, as is conventionally known in vehicle tires. An exterior surface of the central portion 15 is adapted for contacting a road surface and preferably has tire tread 14 formed thereon. Inner annular edges 19 of the pair of sidewalls 13 are adapted for fluid-tight mounting on a wheel hub H, as is conventionally known.
As best shown in
The inner annular edge 21 is adapted for mounting about the wheel hub H, preferably in a fluid-tight fashion. As best seen in
The annular inner core 16 is formed from a resilient material, such as soft rubber. Preferably, the annular inner core 16 is formed from a wire-reinforced resilient material, such as soft rubber 30 having a wire mesh 32 embedded therein, as is well-known in the field of reinforced tires, for example. The air held within gaps 18 provides enhanced shock absorption for the tire 10. Preferably, during manufacture, the annular inner core 16 is at least partially compressed during insertion within shell 12. Thus, if the shell 12 is breached along the sides, causing the pressurized air within one or both of gaps 18 to be released, the annular inner core 16 will decompress and expand to at least partially fill the gaps.
In the embodiment of
In the alternative embodiment of
The annular inner core 116 is disposed within the resilient annular shell 112 and includes an inner annular edge 121, a pair of side annular edges 120 and an outer annular edge 126. The outer annular edge 126 and the pair of side annular edges 120 of the annular inner core 116 respectively make fluid-tight contact with the interior surfaces 124, 122 of the central portion 115 and the pair of sidewalls 113 of the resilient annular shell 112, respectively. As in the previous embodiments, the annular inner core 116 is also preferably formed from a wire-reinforced resilient material, such as soft rubber 130 having a wire mesh 132 embedded therein. An annular channel 140 is also preferably formed substantially centrally within the annular inner core 116 for receiving a volume of pressurized air. Regardless of the state of the shells 12, 112, the inner cores 16, 116 of the above embodiments will provide support for the resilient annular shell 12, 112 in all travel conditions.
In the further alternative embodiment of
The annular inner core 216 is received within the resilient annular shell 212 and includes an inner annular edge 221, a pair of side annular edges 220, and an outer annular edge 226. The pair of side annular edges 220 and the outer annular edge 226 are all respectively spaced apart from the interior surfaces 222, 224 of the pair of sidewalls 213 and the central portion 215 of the resilient annular shell 212 for receiving pressurized air in the gap 218 formed between annular inner core 216 and the resilient annular shell 212. As in the previous embodiments, the annular inner core 216 is also preferably formed from a wire-reinforced resilient material, such as soft rubber 230 having a wire mesh 232 embedded therein. An annular channel 240 is also preferably formed substantially centrally within the annular inner core 216 for receiving a volume of pressurized air.
In the embodiment of
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.
