The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company

Other

Bridgestone/firestone, Inc.

Louis W Shurman

Lynn A Bryant

Thomas W Bell

Gerald L Shurman

Darlene M Shurman

A pneumatic tire bead is formed into a spiral coil consisting of a plurality of convolutions or turns of wire. The wire may be round, square, oval or hexagonal in cross section. A crimp or offset bend is made in each of the convolutions a distance of one wire width or a fraction of the wire width in each full 360 degree wire turn such that the ends of the bead wire permit the bead side walls to remain in flat parallel planes. This offset relationship reduces nonuniformity in the tire heretofore produced by spirally wound wire beads. The bead wire can be wound in a vertical plane or in a radial spiral clock-like spring fashion. In another embodiment a pair of mirror image offset coils are joined together to form a composite bead preferably for use in heavy duty applications. In still another embodiment a single flat hoop may be placed between a pair of mirror image offset coils to increase resistance to circumferential distortion.

Offset wound helical bead for pneumatic tires

An automatic self-guiding lawn mower includes a carriage having first and second sets of electric motors mounted thereon. A blade is operatively connected to and driven by each one of the first set of electric motors for cutting grass, and a wheel is operatively connected to and driven by each one of the second set of motors for moving the carriage. A relay device having at least one trip point is electrically connected to each of the first motors and to the second set of motors. The method of mowing a lawn with the improved lawn mower includes the steps of actuating the first set of motors and attached blades and manually cutting a border around the lawn with the mower. The mower then is positioned adjacent to a peripheral edge of an uncut area of the lawn. The relay devices detect a predetermined change in the power consumption of their respective first motors corresponding to the trip point when the attached blades move between cut and uncut grass, and actuate certain ones of the second motors and attached wheels in response thereto for guiding the mower carriage along the peripheral edge of the uncut area of the lawn. The relay devices reverse the polarity of the second motors and the direction of the mower when the blades encounter cut grass for a first predetermined amount of time, and automatically shut off the first and second motors when the blades encounter cut grass for a second predetermined amount of time.

Automatic self-guiding lawn mower and mowing method

A pneumatic tire having a decorative applique on the sidewall thereof. The applique is protected from damage when the sidewall is curbed by the provision of a rib concentric with the applique and interposed upon the sidewall between the applique and the tire tread. A decoupling groove interconnects the applique and the rib and allows the portion of the sidewall maintaining the applique to decouple from the remainder of the sidewall, deflecting inwardly when the sidewall makes contacting engagement with a vertical surface such as a curb. The deflection of the applique prevents contact with the curb and allows the rib to draw inwardly and over the outer edge of the applique, further protecting it from scuffing action. The decoupling groove may undercut the rib to be hidden from view. Further, a rib may be provided about the applique between the tire bead and applique to protect the applique in manufacture and handling.

Curb scuff protection for tire sidewall

A tire mold having air and gas venting holes is provided with synthetic resin plugs mounted in enlarged bore portions of the vent holes adjacent the inner forming surface of the mold. The plugs are axially compressible and project a slight distance beyond the inner surface of the mold. The molding pressure of the material within the mold compresses the plug whereby an outer surface of the plug becomes generally flush with the inner surface of the mold cavity to substantially eliminate the formation of runners on the molded tire. The plugs preferably are formed of a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) filter leaf membrane material.

Flash-free vented tire mold

A pneumatic tire having a decorative applique on the sidewall thereof. The applique is protected from damage when the sidewall is curbed by the provision of a rib concentric with the applique and interposed upon the sidewall between the applique and the tire tread. A decoupling groove interconnects the applique and the rib and allows the portion of the sidewall maintaining the applique to decouple from the remainder of the sidewall, deflecting inwardly when the sidewall makes contacting engagement with a vertical surface such as a curb. The deflection of the applique prevents contact with the curb and allows the rib to draw inwardly and over the outer edge of the applique, further protecting it from scuffing action.

Apparatus for positioning and maintaining a substrate within a tire mold. The substrate receives an applique which is to be transferred to the sidewall of a tire during the curing process. The substrate is of steel construction and is adapted to engage a receiving member within a circumferential surface of the tire mold. The receiving member is magnetized to attract the steel substrate and to retain the substrate and its applique in proper registration with the sidewall of the tire during closure of the mold and the curing process. A lip or pins are provided in association with the retainer to assure proper registration of the applique-bearing substrate with the tire sidewall.

Apparatus for introducing appliques to the sidewall of a tire

A pneumatic radial ply tire in which the body ply is formed of a low twist yarn having between three and six turns-per-inch. The body ply terminates in relatively low turn-up ends extending along the side walls a distance between 10% and 30% of the tire section height and out of the area of cyclic stress and oscillation in the side walls of the tire. A relatively high, wide and hard bead filler is located within a bead portion of the tire and has a height between 20% and 50% of the tire section height with a width of between 15% and 35% of the bead filler height. The bead filler has a hardness of between 75 and 98 on the Shore A scale. The ply yarn preferably is polyester and the individual low twist strands are arranged in a parallel relationship and is preferably free of transverse cross strands known as wefts or picks. The combination of low twist yarn, low turn-up body ply ends and bead filler size and hardness provides a tire having increased durability and uniformity at a lower cost.

Tire construction utilizing low-twist body ply yarn with low turn-up ends

A pneumatic radial ply tire in which the body ply is formed of a low twist yarn having between two and five turns-per-inch. The body ply terminates in relatively high turn-up ends extending along the side walls a distance between 35% and 65% of the tire section height and out of the area of cyclic stress and oscillation in the side walls of the tire. A relatively high, narrow and hard bead filler is located within a bead portion of the tire and has a height between 20% and 50% of the tire section height with a width of between 5% and 25% of the bead filler height. The bead filler has a hardness of between 75 and 98 on the Shore A scale. The ply yarn preferably is Nylon and the individual low twist strands are arranged in a parallel relationship and is preferably free of transverse cross strands known as wefts or picks. The combination of low twist yarn, high turn-up body ply ends and bead filler size and hardness provides a tire having increased durability and uniformity at a lower cost.

Tire construction utilizing low-twist body ply yarn with high turn-up

In the combination of detachable addition members with rubber articles, particularly tire sidewalls, wherein each article has a circumferentially discontinuous first coupling portion adapted to operatively interact with a second coupling portion on the addition member for securing the member to the article, the improvement being characterized in that either the coupling portions or addition members are adapted to produce a perceptive physical change during abnormal operating conditions of the article.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, OH, United States of America

Louis W Shurman