Depth marking tool for tire repair

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9266293-B2
Application number	US-201013882049-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2010
Priority date	Oct 30, 2010
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

The invention includes methods and apparatus for preparing a tire surface for receiving a tire patch. Such methods include selecting a desired depth marking template for use in forming one or more depth marking apertures within a tire surface and within a desired tire patch application area, each of the one or more depth marking apertures having a desired depth corresponding to a desired depth of the patch receiving area, the template having one or more openings extending through a thickness of the template corresponding to the one or more marking apertures to be formed. The methods further include forming one or more depth marking apertures within the tread by inserting a material removal member of a power tool into each of the one or more openings in the template, the power tool removing tire material to the desired depth for each aperture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of preparing a tire surface for receiving a tire patch, the method comprising the steps of:
selecting a single depth marking template from a plurality of depth marking templates for use in forming a plurality of depth marking apertures within a tire surface and within a tire patch receiving area of a tire, each of the plurality of depth marking apertures having a desired depth corresponding to a desired depth of the tire patch receiving area, the single depth marking template having a plurality of openings each extending through a thickness of the single depth marking template;
selecting a material removal member for attachment to a power tool, the removal member being capable of forming the plurality of depth marking apertures into the tire surface using the single depth marking template;
engaging the single depth marking template against the tire surface;
forming the plurality of depth marking apertures which extend into the tire their desired depths to assist in formation of the tire patch receiving area within the tire by inserting the material removal member into each of the plurality of openings in the single depth marking template and removing tire material from the tire to the desired depth for each aperture, the material removal member being rotatably attached to the power tool;
removing the single depth marking template from the tire surface; and
removing remaining tire material which is integral with the tire between the apertures and within the tire patch receiving area using a material removal apparatus to an approximate depth of the plurality of depth marking apertures after the step of removing the single depth marking template, wherein each opening has the form of a slot and the single depth marking template includes a first connector arranged at a first end of each of the slots and a second connector arranged at a second end of each of the slots, the first end and the second end at opposing ends of each of the slots;
the first and second connectors extending partially through the thickness of the single depth marking template and extending across the first end of each of the plurality of openings and the second end of each of the plurality of openings, respectively, with a void separating each of the first connector and the second connector from a material removal member engaging side of the single depth marking template; and
wherein the step of forming the plurality of depth marking apertures includes engaging the selected material removal member along the material removal member engaging side of the single depth marking template and passing the selected material removal member through the void of the first connector, across the first connector, and into the plurality of openings of the single depth marking template.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
forming a mark on the tire surface about at least a portion of the single depth marking template to identify the tire patch receiving area on the tire surface.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of forming a mark on the tire surface is accomplished by tracing at least a portion of a perimeter of the single depth marking template.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein a perimeter of the tire patch receiving area is generally the same size as a perimeter of the tire patch.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a perimeter of the single depth marking template is shaped equal to the tire patch.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
selecting and installing a template-engaging guide from a plurality of template engaging guides onto the power tool, the guide being selected to engage the single depth marking template upon fully inserting the selected material removal member into any of the plurality of openings in the single depth marking template.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the slots in the single depth marking template extend between opposing ends of the single depth marking template.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material removal apparatus for removing the remaining tire material within the tire patch receiving area is a heated knife that performs the step of removing remaining tire material by lacerating the remaining tire material.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the slots in the single depth marking template have a variable depth.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of depth marking apertures has one of two or more desired depths being employed by at least one depth marking aperture within the plurality of depth marking apertures.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the single depth marking template is flexible.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
determining the desired depth for each of the depth marking apertures and selecting the appropriate single depth marking template from the plurality of depth marking templates, a tool guide, and the selected material removal member to achieve each desired aperture depth.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
forming one or more discontinuities about at least a portion of a perimeter of the single depth marking template to form at least a portion of a perimeter about the tire patch receiving area of the tire, the step of forming one or more discontinuities being achieved by translating the power tool along at least a portion of the perimeter of the single depth marking template.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
applying the patch within the tire patch receiving area of the tire.

Assignees

• Ikonomov Metodi Lubenov
• Zarak Cesar Enrique
• Panning Nathan Joel
• Michelin Rech Tech
• Michelin & Cie

Inventors

• Ikonomov Metodi Lubenov
• Zarak Cesar Enrique
• Panning Nathan Joel

Classifications

• B29C73/26 Primary

  for mechanical pretreatment · CPC title

• B26D3/06

  Grooving involving removal of material from the surface of the work · CPC title

• B29C73/10

  using patches sealing on the surface of the article (B29C73/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29L2030/00

  Pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof {(conveyor belts B29L2031/7092; drive belts B29L2031/7094; fourdrinier belts B29L2031/733)} · CPC title

• B29C2073/264

  for cutting out or grooving the area to be repaired · CPC title