Patent Application
20230234195
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Various valve stem insertion devices and related devices are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,343 that issued Feb. 28, 1989, to Wadsworth, et al., teaches a tool for installing valve stems in the rim for tubeless tires from the outside of the rim.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,247 that issued Mar. 26, 2006, to Detzel et al., teaches a simple kit for removal and insertion of valve stems for tubeless tires while the tire remains mounted on the rim.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,616,719 that issued Apr. 11, 2017, to Jensen et al., teaches a valve cap and core tool that has an elongated shaft terminated by a valve core head at one end and a valve cap head at a second end.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,272,588 that issued Mar. 1, 2016, to Groom et al., teaches a method for replacing a leaking valve stem that includes the steps of cutting a part of the valve stem external to a hollow interior of a tire at the external surface of a wheel/rim so that a base of the valve stem falls into the hollow interior of the tire and so that wheel aperture is exposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,048 issued Aug. 23, 1988 to Hokanson et al., teaches a tool for inserting valve stems in the wheel rim of a tubeless tire and wheel combinations that comprises a tubular body having a tapered inner peripheral wall and an end portion adapted to be received in the stem hole of the wheel rim.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,843 issued on Jun. 10, 2003 to Meadows et al., teaches a method and apparatus for installing and replacing a valve stem from the valve stem rim opening defined in the rim of a tubeless tire from the outside of the rim, such tool includes a threaded rod for engaging the valve stem through an inwardly tapered first tube into a second tube dimensioned to fit into the valve stem rim opening, the flange of the valve stem is gradually compressed. After the tapered tube is removed the second tube is placed in the rim opening and the valve stem is pushed into the valve stem opening using manual force.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,580 issued on Mar. 24, 1992, to Story et al., teaches an apparatus for removing and installing a valve stem into an opening defined by a rim. An inoperable valve stem is removed from the rim from the outside of the rim, and an operable valve stem is installed into the rim from the outside of the rim, thus avoiding separating the tire side wall from the rim during the removal and installation of the valve stem.
The instant invention is a tire valve stem insertion device. The device comprises a housing. The housing has a top and a bottom. The top has a cover with a center threaded opening. This center threaded opening has a threaded rod inserted therein and a lower terminal end of the threaded rod terminates in a threaded fitting for mating with the threaded end of a conventional tubeless tire valve stem. The bottom has a cone-shaped extension. The cone-shaped extension is coupled to the bottom by a Luer-Lock® style mechanism. “Luer-Lock is a registered trademark of Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, N.J. The cone-shaped extension has walls that converge towards a tip end. The tip end is smaller in diameter than the diameter of an enlarged base of the conventional tubeless tire valve stem.
The present invention is a method of providing a tubeless tire with a tire valve stem. The method comprises removing the extension from the tire valve stem insertion device by activating the Luer-Lock style mechanism. Then threading a conventional tubeless tire valve stem onto the terminating end of the threaded rod. Then replacing the extension on the tire valve stem insertion device by using the Luer-Lock style mechanism. Then threading the threaded rod to push the tire valve stem into an opening in a tubeless tire rim until an enlarged base of the conventional tubeless tire valve stem is inserted and seated in the opening.
The bottom 8 has a cone-shaped extension 20. The cone-shaped extension 20 is coupled to the bottom 8 by a Luer-Lock style mechanism 22 shown in
The device of this invention can be manufactured from metal or plastic. The device is low cost to manufacture, lightweight so it can be carried by a workman, and requires no high pressure to operate.
