Adjustable recapping ring

An adjustable recapping ring includes a pivoted handle mounted to one end of a split ring. A rigid link is releasably connected between the handle and the remaining end section. The rigid link includes a rod pivotally mounted to the handle and an adjustable clevis releasably interconnected to a receiving slotted bracket on the remaining end section of the split ring. The clevis can be manually freed from the slotted bracket to effectively facilitate length such adjustments of ring diameter as required to accommodate specific tire bead dimensions.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to adjustable diameter recapping rings that press 
circumferentially outward against a bead of a tire as it is being 
retreaded. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Various forms of sealing rings have been used in the recapping industry to 
seal a tire envelope to the bead of a tire that is being retreaded. The 
general operation of such recapping rings, as well as the background of 
such devices, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,732, issued on Nov. 25, 
1986, which is hereby incorporated into this disclosure by reference. 
While the rings shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,732 are continuous and fixed 
in diameter, there have been various efforts made to provide adjustable 
diameter rings for this purpose. Examples are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 
2,445,054, issued Jul. 13, 1948; U.S. Pat. No. 2,447,035, issued Aug. 17, 
1948; U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,247, issued Aug. 29, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 
5,151,150, issued Sep. 29, 1992. 
The referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,247 provides adjustable diameter by 
spreading the ring against a compressible spring block. U.S. Pat. Nos. 
2,445,054 and 2,447,035 use a variable length turnbuckle for spreading and 
contracting purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,150 uses an adjustable 
turnbuckle pivotably interposed between a manual handle and a pivotal 
connection on a portion of a split ring. 
The use of a turnbuckle for adjustment of such rings requires continuous 
connections between the ends of the turnbuckle and the members being 
adjusted. If one end of a turnbuckle is disconnected, it might turn along 
with the turnbuckle sleeve. Thus, turning of the sleeve results in 
movement between the elements to which the turnbuckle is connected. All 
frictional forces that resist such movement impede the turning of the 
sleeve and make such turning more difficult. Furthermore, since a 
turnbuckle usually involves threaded engagement of the sleeve at opposite 
ends, the turnbuckle structure itself presents substantial resistance to 
turning of the sleeve. Sleeve rotation is therefore relatively laborious 
and slow. 
The present invention arose from an effort to provide effective adjustment 
of the diameter of recapping rings in a manner that can be accomplished 
quickly when such adjustment is required.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of the 
constitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws "to promote the progress 
of science and useful arts" (Article 1, Section 8). 
The nature of the recapping ring and its use in the process of retreading a 
used tire carcass is fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,732, which has 
been incorporated into this disclosure by reference. The present 
adjustable recapping ring would be used in a matching pair that would be 
substituted in place of the fixed diameter ring assemblies illustrated and 
described in the referenced patent disclosure. Additional description of 
the recapping process and functions of a recapping ring are not believed 
to be necessary in order to provide a disclosure understandable to those 
skilled in the field of recapping or retreading tires. 
The illustrated adjustable recapping ring is in the form of a radially 
split ring 10. Ring 10 is preformed in a cylindrical configuration and is 
centered about a transverse ring axis 11. 
The illustrated ring 10 is capable of being used at either side of a tire. 
The ring 10 as shown in the drawings is a simple cylindrical ring having 
inner annular surfaces 12 and outer annular surfaces 13. Protruding guides 
19 extend radially outward from the ring 10 and assist in locating it 
within the bead of a receiving tire (not shown). 
If desired, ring 10 can be stepped across its width or can have a somewhat 
conical configuration that would provide a tapered outer diameter to seal 
against the bead of the tire. Such ring configurations are well known and 
are illustrated in the earlier patents listed in the "Background" section 
of this disclosure. 
The split ring 10 has a pair of end sections generally designated by the 
reference numerals 14 and 15. Each end section 14, 15 is formed along the 
inner and outer annular surfaces 12, 13 that terminate across facing end 
edges 16 and 17, respectively (see FIGS. 4 and 5). 
To maintain the end sections 14 and 15 in annular positions consistent with 
the cylindrical nature of the remainder of the split ring 10, a protruding 
guide plate 18 is welded or otherwise fixed to the inner annular surface 
12 at end section 14. Guide plate 18 has a curvature substantially similar 
to that of the split ring 10 and protrudes beyond the adjacent end edge 
16. It is slidably received under guide straps 20 that are welded or 
otherwise fixed to the inner annular surface 12 at the end section 15. 
Guide plate 18 is freely slidable under the guide straps 20, which 
maintain the ends of the split ring in proper alignment with one another 
regardless of its diameter with respect to axis 11. 
To provide a continuous outer ring surface for engagement against a 
compressible tire bead, a thin rigid shield 21 is welded or otherwise 
fixed to the outer annular surface 13 at the end section 14 of split ring 
10. Shield 21 protrudes beyond the end edge 17 and overlaps the outer 
annular surface 13 at end section 15 of the split ring 10. 
One side edge of shield 21 is formed as a channel that wraps about the 
adjacent side edges of the end sections 14, 15 and overlaps a portion of 
their inner annular surfaces 12. Shield 21 has a curvature substantially 
similar to the curvature about the split ring 10. It additionally assists 
in maintaining the end sections 14 and 15 in proper cylindrical alignment 
with respect to one another. 
In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the preformed diameter of 
split ring 10 is its contracted diameter, as illustrated in FIG. 1. 
However, while split ring 10 is normally made from steel or other somewhat 
elastic metal material, any inherent bias toward a particular diameter in 
the preformed ring is of little practical consequence with respect to use 
of the ring. Such bias is normally not capable of overcoming the 
frictional forces on the ring ends due to the interconnecting guides, 
shields and ring positioning elements. 
A handle 22 is pivotally mounted to the inner annular surface 12 of one end 
section 14 about the ring 10. As shown, handle 22 is pivoted about a first 
pivot axis 23 (FIG. 4). Axis 23 is located along the center a bolt or 
shaft interconnecting a fixed bracket 24 on end section 14 and a 
protruding extension on handle 22. The first pivot axis 23 is transverse 
and parallel to the ring axis 11. 
A rigid link is releasably arranged along a longitudinal axis 25 that 
extends between the remaining end section 15 of the split ring 10 and a 
location on the handle 22 that is radially displaced from the first pivot 
axis 23. 
In the form of the invention shown in the drawings, the rigid link includes 
a first open ended clevis 26 mounting a clevis pin 27 across one end of 
the link. It also includes a threaded supporting rod 28 that carries a 
second open ended clevis 30 that is fixed to rod 28 at the remaining end 
of the link. 
The first open ended clevis 26 is threadably interconnected to rod 28 along 
the longitudinal axis 25 for relative rotation between them. Such rotation 
selectively changes the effective length of the link between handle 22 and 
the remaining end section 15 of split ring 10. 
A releasable connection is provided at one end of the link for selectively 
permitting one member within it to be rotated about the longitudinal axis 
25 relative to the other member for changing the effective length of the 
link. In the illustrated form of the invention, this releasable connection 
is provided between clevis pin 27 and a transversely slotted bracket 31 
that protrudes radially from and is fixed to the inner annular surface 12 
at the remaining end section 15 of the split ring 10. The slotted bracket 
31 selectively receives the clevis pin 27 and alternatively permits manual 
release of it to allow the clevis 26 to be manually rotated about 
longitudinal axis 25. 
The released clevis is illustrated in FIG. 1. When clevis 27 is freed from 
slotted bracket 31, it can be manually spun with very little effort. 
Because the rigid link is not interconnected between two opposed elements, 
the clevis 27 is free to be manually spun about longitudinal axis 25 
without any impeding frictional forces other than those presented by its 
threaded interconnection with rod 28. In practice it has been found that 
this provides easier manual access to the free clevis 26 and substantially 
facilitates minor length adjustments of the rigid link. 
The slotted bracket 31 includes a transverse aperture 32 that selectively 
receives the clevis pin 27 when the rigid link is interconnected to the 
end section 15 of split ring 10. The illustrated aperture has a widened 
inner portion that is substantially wider, when viewed from the side of 
ring 10, than the diameter of clevis pin 27. This inner portion leads 
radially inward to an unobstructed central opening that is only slightly 
wider than such diameter. 
The clevis pin 27 can be manually moved through the opening at the top of 
slotted bracket 31 and can be captured in the transverse aperture for 
engagement of the clevis pin 27 and the slotted bracket 31. Because the 
opening is centered, the clevis pin can move back and forth within the 
aperture and engage opposed spaced surfaces the aperture in response to 
pivotable movement of the handle 22 in either rotational direction about 
the first pivot axis 23, as indicated by double-ended arrow 33. 
A pivotal connection is also provided at the remaining end of the link. It 
mounts the link about a second pivot axis 34 that is also parallel to the 
ring axis 11. The second pivot axis 34 extends along the center of a bolt 
or shaft interconnecting the illustrated second clevis 30 and handle 22 at 
a location radially displaced from the first pivot axis 23 of handle 22 on 
the split ring 10. In addition to permitting pivotal movement between the 
rigid link and the handle 22, the interconnection at the second pivot axis 
34 prevents rotation of the second supporting link member--rod 28--about 
the longitudinal axis 25. 
It is operationally important to maintain handle 22 in the position at 
which the split ring 10 is expanded during recapping or retreading of the 
tire. To accomplish this, the second pivot axis 34 has a range of motion 
about the first pivot axis 23 passing overcenter across a line (shown at 
35) extending between the axis 23 and the clevis pin 27 when received 
within and engaging the slotted bracket 31. This relationship is 
illustrated in FIG. 2. 
A protruding edge 36 on the handle 22 serves as a limiting stop that 
engages the inner annular surface 12 of split ring 10. It prevents further 
extension of handle 22 when the handle has been moved to the overcenter 
position shown in FIG. 2. 
It is to be understood that the illustrated details of the rigid link that 
releasably interconnects handle 22 and end section 15 of the split ring 10 
is only one of many different variations that are possible. For instance, 
the positions of the two clevises 26 and 30 might be reversed, and the 
releasable connection of the rigid link might be provided at handle 22 
rather than at end section 15. Other forms of pivotal connections might 
also be incorporated within the structure of the rigid link in place of 
the illustrated clevis configurations. However, in all such variations, 
one member within the rigid link must be restrained against rotation about 
its longitudinal axis and the other must be selectively freed for such 
rotation to effect changes in the length of the link. 
It also is to be recognized that one end of the rigid link does not have a 
fixed pivotal relationship to the member with which it is interconnected 
during use of the ring. Because the aperture 32 of bracket 31 has an inner 
portion wider than the diameter of the clevis pin 27, the clevis pin is 
pushed or pulled across the aperture in order to engage the slotted 
bracket 31 in response to expansion or contraction of the split ring 10. 
The enlargement of the inner portion of aperture 32, which is clearly 
illustrated in FIG. 1, maintains the releasable clevis pin 27 within the 
aperture during movement of handle 22 in either of its pivotal directions, 
while permitting ready manual release of the clevis 26 for adjustment 
purposes. 
In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in 
language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features. 
It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the 
specific features shown and described, since the means herein disclosed 
comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The 
invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications 
within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted 
in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.