MASSIVE TIRE WITH PULL CABLE

Abstract

Tire, comprising an annular massive tire body having an essentially round or oval cross section having a centre M.sub.B, and having an outer circumference Co forming a tread and an inner circumference Ci facing the centre of the annular body, the body containing a longitudinal pull cable channel, the channel containing a pull cable and having a cross section having a centre M.sub.K, wherein the distance between M.sub.K and the inner circumference Ci is between 7 and 18 mm measured along a line connecting M.sub.K and M.sub.B and structure comprising the tire mounted around a wheel rim.

Claims

1. Tire, comprising an annular massive tire body having an essentially round or oval cross section having a centre MB, and having an outer circumference C.sub.O forming a tread and an inner circumference C.sub.I facing the centre MB of the annular body, the body containing a longitudinal pull cable channel, the channel containing a pull cable and having a cross section having a centre M, wherein the distance between Mand the inner circumference Ci is between 7 and 20 mm measured along a line connecting Mand MB.

2. Tire according to claim 1, wherein the distance between Mand the inner circumference Ci is between 8 and 18 mm.

3. Tire according to claim 1, wherein the massive tire body consists of a resilient and elastic material.

4. Tire according to claim 1, wherein the elastic material is a closed cell foam.

5. Tire according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the cable channel is at most 25 vol. % of the total volume of the tire body, preferably between 5 and 15 vol. %.

6. Tire according to claim 1, wherein the pull cable channel has a reinforced wall.

7. Tire according to claim 1, wherein the reinforced wall comprises a hollow wound metal wire spiral.

8. Tire according to claim 1, further comprising a T-shaped element comprising a protruding leg guiding the ends of the pull cable to outside the tire body.

9. Tire according to claim 8, mounted on a rim containing a valve hole, the ends of the pull cable having been secured to the rim through the valve hole.

10. Tire according to claim 1, wherein the pull cable is a screw clamp containing a captive screw and comprising a band having two ends, into which band a grooved pattern has been cut or pressed corresponding to the screw thread of the captive screw.

11. Structure comprising a tire according to claim 1 mounted around a wheel rim having a rim bottom having a rim bottom outer diameter Dvb and rim edges having a rim edge outer diameter Dvr, which tire comprises an annular tire body which, apart from a narrow annular cable channel, is substantially massive, which cable channel is equipped for leading through a pull cable intended for tightening the tire body around to the rim on mounting, the cross section of the substantially massive tire body when the pull cable is in non-tightened position, being essentially round or oval and the inner diameter DB of the tire body, when the pull cable is in non-tightened position, being substantially larger than the rim bottom outer diameter Dvb.

12. Structure, according to claim 11, wherein the inner diameter DB of the tire body, when the pull cable is in non-tightened position, is at most 5% larger than the rim bottom outer diameter Dvb.

13. Structure comprising a tire according to claim 1 comprising an annular massive tire body, mounted around a wheel rim having a rim bottom having a rim bottom outer diameter Dvb and rim edges having a rim edge outer diameter Dvr, wherein the annular tire body contains an annular cable channel, which cable channel contains a tensioned pull cable that tightens the tire body around to the rim and wherein the inner diameter DB of the tire body ranges from the rim bottom outer diameter Dvb up to 1 to 5 mm larger than the rim bottom outer diameter Dvb.

14. Structure according to claim 13, wherein the rim bottom has a valve hole and the ends of the pull cable having been secured to the rim through the valve hole.

15. Structure according to claim 13, wherein the pull cable has been tightened around the rim by the screw clamp.

16. Structure according to claim 13, wherein the position of the pull cable will range from 10 mm above the rim bottom to 5 mm above the rim edges.

Description

[0035] The invention will be elucidated by the following exemplary drawings, without being restricted to the shown specific embodiments.

[0036] In these drawings:

[0037] FIG. 1a-b shows a rim and a tire body of a schematic exemplary embodiment of a tire according to the invention in two stages of mounting it around a rim.

[0038] FIG. 1a shows the tire being positioned on the rim, the pull cable being not-tensioned.

[0039] FIG. 1b shows the tire having been drawn into the rim by tensioning the pull cable.

[0040] FIG. 2a shows a longitudinal cross section of a tire according to the invention at the location of a T-shaped element.

[0041] FIG. 2b shows a longitudinal cross section of a tire according to the invention at the location of a T-shaped element with the pull cable mounted.

[0042] FIG. 3a shows a longitudinal cross section of a specific embodiment with a screw clamp as the pull cable.

[0043] FIG. 3b shows a perspective view of the tension process of the embodiment of FIG. 3a

[0044] In FIG. 1a the tire body 4 is positioned on the rim edges 3, of a wheel rim 1 having a rim bottom 2 having a rim bottom outer diameter D.sub.Vb, and rim edges 3 having a rim edge outer diameter D.sub.Vr. The tire comprises an annular tire body having an outer circumference C.sub.O forming a tread, an inner circumference C.sub.I facing the centre of the annular body and side walls 10 connecting the inner and outer circumference. The tire body, apart from a narrow annular pull cable channel 5, is substantially massive. Preferably, as FIG. 1a shows, when the pull cable 6 is in non-tightened position, the inner diameter D.sub.B of the tire body is smaller than the rim edge outer diameter D.sub.Vr.

[0045] In FIG. 1b, the pull cable 6 has been tensioned and the inner circumference C.sub.I of the tire 4 has been drawn into the wheel rim 1, leaving a small air-filled cavity 9 between C.sub.I and the rim bottom 2.

[0046] In cross sectional view (as in FIGS. 1a and 1b), the centre M.sub.K of the pull cable channel 5 is positioned at a distance within the range defined in the description above.

[0047] In FIG. 2a C.sub.O is the outer circumference of the tire body carried out as a profiled tread. Pull channel 5 connects openings 11 of a T-shaped element 12 having a radially protruding leg 13 extending through opening 14 in inner circumference C.sub.I.

[0048] In FIG. 2b pull cable 6 has been mounted in pull cable channel 5 , the ends 31a and 31b of the cable 6 extending outside tire 4 through protruding leg 13 of T-shaped element 12. The ends of the cable run through the hollow threaded end 15 and are jointly fastened to this end 15. Threaded end 15 has an external thread 16.

[0049] When mounting the tire on a rim, protruding leg 13 is aligned with the valve opening in the rim making threaded end 15 accessible from outside the rim. Threading a nut or other element having an internal thread corresponding with external thread 16 of threaded end 15, will tension the pull cable. In order to prevent the nut or other element from entering into the valve opening a washer can be placed between rim and nut. The resulting firm connection of the T-shaped element to the rim further stabilizes the position of the tire on the rim.

[0050] In FIG. 3a as a pull cable a plastic band 30 is shown into which a screw thread pattern has been cut.

[0051] 31 is a block fastened to end 30a of band 30 and contains captive screw 32. Opposite end 30b of band 30 is lead through block 31 in matching position with end 30a. When captive screw 32 is turned around end, 30b is moved with respect to end 30a thus tightening band 30.

[0052] In FIG. 3b Allen key 33 accesses captive screw 32 through an opening in tire wall 10 to rotate screw 32 thus fastening band 30.

[0053] It is noted:

[0054] that there is preferably one tire size for different rim widths, making the proposed configuration very suitable for the consumer aftermarket;

[0055] that the proposed tire in particular has been developed as a bicycle tire but can also be used for wheel chairs, prams and wheel barrows etc.;

[0056] that the pull cable after having been tensioned is positioned below or at most slightly above the rim edges, so that the tire cannot come off the rim;

[0057] that the tire during the tensioning of the pull cable deforms in conformity with the type of rim and/or the rim width and shape.

[0058] Thus the invention provides a tire which, since it is massive, cannot run flat, which can be reliably mounted on the rims and which can be used for rims having different shapes and having different rim edge width an height sizes. In particular the tire according to the invention is useful for companies having large numbers of bicycles for rent, where the present invention will have an advantageous effect on the business of such (large) bicycle rental companies, having its impact on the popularity of rental bicycles, in particular in crowded urban areas (for example Chinese big cities) and thus on the growth of their use as replacement of car use.

[0059] The tire can also be advantageously used by private bicycle owners when they need to replace a tire. Due to the large range of rim dimensions the tire can be applied they do not have to bother about the specific wheel size of their bicycle. Also mounting and maintenance is easy.