The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

James Dale Stokes

Dennis Alan Lundell

Mark Daniel Banas

Michael W Smith

Klaus Beer

John Patrick Roman

Lawrence E Chlebina

Kenneth Dean Conger

Ralph Damon Ring

Robert N Steagall, Deceased

Brady G Greenlease

Gary Robert Burg

Richard B Nash

Thomas Alan Murray

Raymond Patrick Eckman

Head cover

A conveyor assembly and method for conveying and storing a strip material in a conveyor system that is subject to changes in length of the strip material due to intermittent operation includes an upper conveyor (,), an adjustable substantially horizontal center conveyor (,) for receiving the strip material (,) from the upper conveyor, and a lower conveyor (,) for receiving the associated strip material from the center conveyor. A computer (,) controls the movement and rotation of the center conveyor, and loop detecting apparatus on the center conveyor may also detect a loop (,) in the strip material carried by the center conveyor and thereby detecting changes in length of the strip material not predetermined by the computer. A servomechanism (,) activated by signals from the computer or the loop detecting apparatus moves the center conveyor in a substantially horizontal direction.

Adjustable length conveyor system

Method and apparatus for simultaneously assembling a plurality of tires

A round open end container is supported and held on a turntable by a chuck. The edge of the container is guided and supported by rollers on roller heads mounted on brackets of stanchions positioned on opposite sides of the container. The brackets are movable vertically on the stanchions and the stanchions are movable radially relative to the turntable for positioning the rollers in supporting engagement with the edge of the container. A robot arm carries a C-shaped frame with opposing arms movable over the edge of the container between the rollers. Non-contact sensors are mounted on the arms of the C-shaped frame and are movable with the arms to predetermined vertical positions on opposite sides of the container wall for measuring the thickness of the wall at predetermined positions provided by rotation of the turntable.

Container wall measuring apparatus and method

A bead former (14) has a gripping mechanism (90,92) for gripping a leading end (106) of a bead ribbon (12) at a position recessed in the surface (18) of the former (14) during the initial rotation of the former (14). The gripping mechanism (90,92) has a seat member (92) movable radially outward of the former (14) into a supporting position at the surface (18) of the former (14) after releasing the leading end (106) for supporting the leading end (106) during the latter rotation of the former (14). A pressure roller (20) is rotatably supported in a guide cage (54) mounted on a dual arm (22,48) having a dual actuation system (34,60) for moving the guide cage (54) and pressure roller (20) into position for guiding and compacting the convolutions of bead ribbon (12) wrapped around the former (14) and for providing a high pressure force to crimp the splice area (124 ) of the bead (16). A bead handling mechanism is provided to remove and accumulate the beads (16) in a spaced condition on belts (180) of unloading fingers (125) from the bead former (14).

Bead crimping and handling system

Process for forming and crimping a bead

Growing community of inventors

Akron, OH, United States of America

James Dale Stokes