The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 06, 1998
Filed:
Dec. 21, 1995
Georg G Bohm, Akron, OH (US);
James H Yang, Cleveland, OH (US);
Bridgestone Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A method and apparatus for forming contoured tire carcass strips having a body ply consisting of two strips of elastomeric material containing individually spaced reinforcing cords sandwiched therebetween, an innerliner, a pair of abrasive gum sections, and pairs of first and second sidewall sections. The carcass strip and reinforcing cords have a contour configuration with a wider central portion and a pair of outwardly flared end portions connected to the central portion by two intermediate portions. The transverse distances between the cords are equal, with the distances being greater at the central portion than the intermediate and end portions. A grooved forming plate has a plurality of grooves in one surface in the configured pattern that the cords will take when sandwiched in the body ply. The cords are placed in the grooves of the forming plate and have two strips of elastomeric material applied thereto by a pair of vacuum transfer plates and a press. The first sidewall sections and abrasive gum sections are applied to one surface of the body ply by another vacuum transfer plate to form a composite strip. The second sidewall sections are then applied to an opposite side of the body ply by another vacuum transfer plate to form the tire carcass strip. A plurality of the tire carcass strips then are applied in juxtaposition on a toroidal mandrel and assembled with a pair of tire bead assemblies to form a green tire carcass for subsequent placement in a tire-forming mold.