Abstract:
An apparatus for to assist in the changing of tires on cars, light trucks and heavy trucks. The apparatus assists in raising and lowering the tire and wheel for positioning on the stud bolts, reducing abrasion and wear on the holes in the wheels, and in moving the tire and wheel toward and away from the vehicle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to an improved tire changing device and specifically relates to a device which assists in: removing the old tire and rim from the vehicle axle; transporting the old tire and rim away from the vehicle; transporting the replacement tire and rim to the vehicle; and placing the replacement tire and rim into position for easy placement on the axle of the vehicle.  
           [0003]    2. State of the Art  
           [0004]    Changing a tire is never a welcome experience. It involves a great deal of physical exertion to not only raise the vehicle on the jack and loosen the lug nuts on the old tire, but also to lift the old tire off the lug bolts and to lift the new tire and rim into position and to orient it for placement on the lug bolts. This can be a very difficult and messy task as it is frequently done on the side of the road in the snow or mud. The combination of tire and rim also makes for a heavy weight to lift on and off the lug bolts of the vehicle.  
           [0005]    Devices have been designed to assist in lowering and raising a tire. U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,583 to Mousel describes a tire tool comprising a cross wrench with two perpendicularly arranged longitudinal components and having a tire support secured to one of the longitudinal components. The tire can be moved by sliding one end of the tool along the ground with the tire placed on the tire support. While that invention possesses a small roller for maneuvering the tire, its base is really too small to support the tire in a stable fashion and allow it to be readily moved without tipping.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,866 to Barkus describes an elongate member designed to fit through the central aperture of a wheel and having an end shaped to rest on the outer surface of the vehicle hub, thus allowing the wheel and tire assembly to be levered onto the vehicle hub and the lug holes to be lined up with the corresponding lug bolts. This invention possesses no means to move the wheel and tire assembly toward or away from the vehicle. In addition, it requires the rather cumbersome expedient of sliding the elongate member through the central aperture of the wheel and then, with the end resting on the hub, levering tire and wheel assembly into place, with the danger that the end will slip off the hub.  
           [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,95 to Harkey describes a wheeled tire changing tool possessing a platform for supporting the tire at one end, and a handle at the opposite end for manipulating the platform, including moving the tire up and down. A limitation of this invention is that the design of the platform that supports the tire is not sufficient to support the tire in an upright position. In addition, the tires are set too far apart to allow the device to be easily maneuverable.  
           [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 2,207,443 to Schneider describes a wheeled carriage type device having a laterally concave surface to support the tire. The tire is manipulated vertically by means of a hand crank that turns a screw. The screw in turn acts on a lever to move the tire up and down. A limitation of this invention is that it is cumbersome and difficult to maneuver. The need to hand crank the screw to manipulate the tire also makes the device time consuming and difficult to operate.  
           [0009]    Due to these concerns, there is a desire to create a device to assist in changing tires that is relatively light weight and easily maneuverable. There is also a desire to create such a device that supports the tire solidly while it is being moved into position and manipulated vertically.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device to assist in changing tires that is relatively light weight and easily maneuvered.  
           [0011]    It is a further object of the present invention to create a device that supports the tire solidly while it is being moved into position and manipulated vertically.  
           [0012]    It is a further object of the present invention to create a device that is small enough to fit in the trunk of an automobile.  
           [0013]    It is a further object of the present invention to create a device that is heavy duty enough to handle tires an rims that are commonly found on large trucks.  
           [0014]    In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a device is provided having a first end, comprising a handle and a second end, comprising a cradling member. The cradling member possesses a backstop of sufficient size and angle that it solidly supports the tire being maneuvered. The device also possesses a means of fastening the tire securely to the backstop to prevent it from sliding or rolling off.  
           [0015]    This device not only helps prevent back injuries to persons attempting to change tires, but saves wear and tear on the tire rims as they are mounted on or removed from the lug bolts. Large rims, such as those found on semi trucks, are frequently made of aluminum or chrome which are fairly soft metals. The traditional method of removing or placing these wheels on the lug bolts involves allowing most of the weight if the tires and rim to rest on the lug bolts while the rum is slid on or off along the lug bolts. The threads on the lug bolts tend to abrade the inside surface of the holes in the rims like a rasp or file. Because this invention takes most of the weight of the wheel and rim off the lug bolts, while the rim is being slid into position, it eliminates most of this abrasion to the rims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the tire changer with a tire positioned in the cradling member and showing the tire secured by the securing device;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the securing member;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a first end of the securing member disposed over a tire.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the device without the tire in the cradling member.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the tire change apparatus with a toe kicker and a brace plate. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 depicts a portable tire changer  10  that is designed to assist both in maneuvering and in lowering and raising a tire  11  and rim  12  relative to the vehicle axle  14 . The tire changer  10  comprises at least one handle  16  having a first end  18  and a second end  20 . The second end  20  is attached to a cradling member  22 . The cradling member  22  possesses a supporting surface  24  of adequate size and shape to support the tire  11  and rim  12  when it is being changed. In addition, the cradling member  22  possesses a backstop  26  which supports the tire  11  and rim  12  in an upright position. The tire changer  10  is supported by at least one wheel  28  on which the tire changer  10  travels. In this embodiment, two wheels  28  are depicted. The wheels  28  are disposed on either side of the handle  16 , proximate to where the handle&#39;s  16  second end  20  is attached to the cradling member  22 . The wheels  28  are connected to each other by an axle  29 . The axle  29  is affixed to the handle  16 . In this embodiment, the handle  16  is relatively narrow. This allows the wheels  28  to be disposed sufficiently proximate to each other to allow for good maneuverability of the tire changer  10 , while still being sufficiently distal from each other to provide adequate stability to the tire changer  10 .  
         [0022]    The tire changer  10  rolls on the wheels  28  as the tire changer  10  transports the tire  11  and rim  12  to and from the vehicle axle  14 . As depicted in this embodiment, the wheels  28 , are spaced at a sufficient distance from each other to provide lateral stability to the tire changer  10 . Lateral stability is especially desirable when transporting larger tires  11  and rims  12  in that it reduces the tendency of the tire changer  10  to tip under a top heavy load and therefore reduces the effort required to maneuver the tire changer  10 .  
         [0023]    The wheels  28  and axle  29  are positioned relative to the cradling member  22 , such that they can serve as a fulcrum point  30  between the handle  16  and the cradling member  22 . The tire changer  10  is maneuvered by holding the first end  18  of the handle  16 . When the first end  18  of the handle  16  is lowered with respect to the ground, the tire changer  10  pivots at the fulcrum point  30  such that the cradling member  22  and the tire  11  and rim  12  it supports are elevated with respect to the ground. Similarly, when the first end  18  of the handle  16  is raised with respect to the ground, the tire changer  10  pivots at the fulcrum point  30  such that the cradling member  22  and the tire  11  and rim  12  it supports are depressed with respect to the ground. The ability to raise and lower the tire  11  and rim  12  assists in removing the tire  11  and rim  12  from the lug bolts  32  by taking pressure off the lug bolts  32  while the tire  11  and rim  12  are backed off of the lug bolts  32 .  
         [0024]    The tire changer  10  comprises at least one securing member  34 . The securing member  34  is depicted in FIG. 2. The securing member  34  comprises at least on tire gripping member  36  and at least on tightening member  38 . FIG. 3 depicts a plan view of the tire gripping member  36  and a partial view of the tire  11 . The tire gripping member  36  engages the top outer edge  40  of the tire  11 . At least one cleat  42  is affixed to the tire gripping member  36  of the securing member  34  to engage the top outer edge  40  of the tire  11 . Referring to FIG. 1, the tire gripping member  36  of the securing member  34  engages the tire  11 . The tightening member  38  of the securing member  34  is removably attached to the handle  16  with an attachment means  44 . In this embodiment, the tightening member  38  is comprised of a chain. However, the tightening member can be can be comprise of cable, robe or any other flexible or rigid material that can serve to attach the tire gripping member to the attachment means  44 . In this embodiment, the attachment means  44  comprises a hook  46  affixed to the handle  16 . When the securing member  34  is fastened tightly to the attachment means  44 , it causes the tire  11  to press snugly against the backstop  38  such that the tire  11  and rim  12  are snugly secured to the cradling member  22 .  
         [0025]    Referring to FIG. 4, at least one cleat  43  is affixed to the supporting surface  24  of the cradling member  22 . The at least one cleat  43  keeps the bottom  48  of the tire  11  (FIG. 1) from kicking out when the securing member  34  is attached to the tire  11 . While this embodiment utilizes a securing member  34 , as an alternative embodiment, the tire changing apparatus can be effectively utilized without a securing member  34 . As can be seen from this invention, it is very easy to remove a tire  11  and rim  12  from a vehicle axle  14  with the assistance of the tire changer  10  depicted in FIG. 1. To remove a tire  11  and rim  12 , the cradling member  22  is maneuvered to a position directly below the tire  11 . The cradling member  22  is then raised to a point where it is flush with the underside of the tire  11 . The second end  34  of the securing member  34  is then fastened to the attachment means  44  in such a manner that the securing member  34  presses the tire  11  and rim  12  securely against backstop  26  of the cradling member  22 . Thus, the tire  11  and rim  12  are held securely in the cradling member  22 . The tire  11  and rim  12  can then be maneuvered off the lug bolts  32  and away from the vehicle axle  14  by manipulating the first end  18  of the handle  16 . The replacement tire  11  and rim  12  can be similarly maneuvered into position on the vehicle axle  14 .  
         [0026]    In an alternative embodiment, depicted in FIG. 5, a toe kicker  50  is affixed to the backstop  26  of the cradling member  22 . The toe kicker assists in maneuvering the cradling member  22  under the tire  11 . Additionally, a brace plate  52  is affixed to the handle  16  proximate to the second end  20  of the handle  16  to provide added strength to the tire changer  10 .