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:
Oct. 15, 2002
Filed:
Jun. 11, 2001
Paul George Doan, Macomb, MI (US);
Fori Automation, Inc., Shelby Township, MI (US);
Abstract
A telescoping tire inflation apparatus for inflating wheel-mounted tires having a variety of different diameters and widths without requiring a hardware change. The apparatus includes a bell assembly that moves from a retracted position to an extended position where either an outer bell housing or an inner bell housing engages a larger-sized or smaller-sized wheel-mounted tire, respectively. A controller presets the inner bell housing to either a retracted position wherein the inner bell housing is disposed within the outer bell housing or an extended position where the inner bell housing telescopes downwardly from the outer bell housing. The inner bell housing can be moved to its extended position to push downward upon the sidewall of a relatively smaller-sized wheel-mounted tire, thereby creating a gap between the tire bead and the rim of the wheel through which compressed air supplied to the inner bell housing enters the tire at a high rate. With the inner bell housing in the retracted position the outer bell housing is capable of doing the same for a larger-sized wheel-mounted tire.