Loader basket assembly for tire press

A tire loader basket assembly for a tire press includes a frame; a plurality of loader shoes mounted for radial movement on the frame; an adjusting plate mounted for rotation with respect to the frame and connected to each of the shoes by a respective link such that rotation of the adjusting plate causes radial movement of the shoes; an actuating plate mounted for rotation with respect to the frame by operation of an actuating means connected to the actuating plate; and means for releasably connecting the adjusting and actuating plates together so that when the plates are connected, they rotate together by operation of the actuating means, and when the plates are unconnected, the adjusting plate can be rotated to set a movement limit for the shoes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates generally to tire loader apparatus, and more 
particularly to mechanisms for controlling the movement and positioning of 
loader shoes used with such apparatus. 
Tire loaders are well known in connection with automated tire machinery 
such as tire presses. A tire loader is typically used to pick up a green 
or uncured tire and to position the green tire in a tire mold that is part 
of a tire press. A tire loader includes a loader basket having loader 
shoes that are used to hold each green tire, usually by exerting a slight 
pressure against the tire bead. This is accomplished by sliding or 
extending the shoes out horizontally to a position where they can engage 
the bead. After the green tire has been grabbed by the shoes, the loader 
is moved (typically in the vertical and horizontal directions) by an 
elevator frame to a position near the tire press mold such that the green 
tire is centered in the mold cavity. The shoes are-then retracted so that 
the green tire drops into the mold cavity. The loader is then moved back 
to its original position for retrieving another green tire while the tire 
in the press is cured. In a double tire process, two tire loader baskets 
are used to load two green tires in to the press during each transfer 
operation. An important feature of the tire loader basket design is the 
control mechanism used to move and position the loader shoes. 
An example of a tire loader basket of the prior art is disclosed in U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,279,438 (the '438 patent) issued to Singh. In the '438 patent, 
the movement and positioning of the loader shoes is accomplished using a 
stationary horizontal support plate and a rotatable horizontal circular 
plate, with the latter being connected to the shoes by means of respective 
connecting rods or links. The shoes move radially by a sliding action on a 
corresponding number of horizontal slide bars when the circular plate is 
rotated. The circular plate is rotated in an oscillatory fashion by use of 
a piston cylinder having at one end a rod that is connected to the 
circular plate. The blind end of the cylinder is mounted on the support 
plate. The stroke of the cylinder rod thus determines how far the circular 
plate is rotated which in turn determines how far the shoes extend 
radially outward. 
An important aspect of the control mechanism for moving and positioning the 
shoes is the ability to adjust the travel or radial extension of the shoes 
on the slide bars. This is needed because a typical loader basket is used 
to pick up tires of various diameters, so that the radial extension of the 
shoes must be adjusted for the particular diameter of the tire to be 
picked up. In the '438 patent the travel distance of the shoes is adjusted 
by means of a stroke limiting assembly. This assembly physically restricts 
the stroke of the piston cylinder to a preset amount by manual use of 
adjustable stroke limiting lock nuts. 
Using the stroke limiting assembly described in the '438 patent, the 
extended position of the shoes can be set only by adjustment of the limit 
stops. This is because the loader shoe linkage mechanism is always 
connected to the piston cylinder via the rotatable circular plate. It 
would be difficult and impractical to move the shoes against the 
resistance of the cylinder. Therefore, the stroke limiting assembly must 
be separately calibrated so that the stops can be accurately positioned by 
the operator depending on the diameter of the tires to be picked up. The 
use of the mechanical stops also results in the piston cylinder not being 
used for its full stroke in most cases. 
The objectives exist, therefore, for a tire loader shoe adjustment 
mechanism that can be more quickly and easily operated for accurate 
setting of the extended position of the loader shoes. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides improvements in the design of loader basket 
assemblies over such assemblies found in the prior art. In particular, the 
present invention allows the user quickly and easily set the desired 
engagement position of the loader shoes by the actuation of a few lever 
arms attached to the loader basket. The extended or engaging position of 
the loader shoes can thus be set automatically without the need to change 
the position of an adjustable stop or other similar mechanism. 
Furthermore, the piston can be used for its full stroke to advance and 
retract the loader shoes, and the action of the piston is not limited by 
the presence of a stop mechanism. 
To the accomplishment of the foregoing ends, the invention contemplates in 
one embodiment a tire loader basket assembly for a tire press including a 
circular frame; a plurality of loader shoes each mounted on the frame for 
radial movement between an extended position and a retracted position; an 
actuation plate rotatable between first and second positions that 
correspond to the shoe extended and retracted positions; and an adjustment 
plate interconnected to each of the shoes and that can be connected for 
rotation with the actuation plate to cause the shoe radial movement, and 
that when unconnected from the actuation plate can be rotated to determine 
the extended positions of the shoes. 
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be 
readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art from the 
following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with the best 
mode contemplated for practicing the invention in view of the accompanying 
drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
With reference to the drawings, an embodiment of a tire loader basket 
assembly in accordance with the: present invention is generally designated 
with the numeral 10. Some features of the tire loader basket assembly 10 
are similar to the loader baskets well known in the prior art and need not 
be described herein in detail. To the extent that certain features of the 
embodiment described herein differ from the design of prior art loader 
baskets and specifically relate to practicing the present invention, such 
features will be described herein. The present invention is directed 
primarily to a mechanism for adjusting the travel distance of the loader 
basket shoes used with such a tire loader apparatus. 
The tire loader basket 10 includes a circular frame or spider 12 that has a 
plurality (in this case six) of radially extending horizontal slide bars 
14 that are equidistantly spaced about the body 16 of the frame 12. A 
slide block 18 is mounted using a dovetail arrangement (FIG. 2) in a 
corresponding slotted opening 32 in each of the slide bars 14. Each of the 
slide blocks 18 carries a respective loader shoe 20. Each shoe 20 includes 
a vertically extending spine which is slightly curved at the bottom as at 
22. The curved portion 22 is used to engage the bead of a green tire (not 
shown) such that the shoes can support the green tire while the loader is 
moved to the tire press mold. All of the shoe and slide block 
configurations preferably are the same. 
Each slide block 18 is a self-aligning structure made of an elastomeric 
material such as phenolic resin that has lubricating properties. In the 
drawings of the present application, the slide blocks 18 are shown in a 
retracted position, although the shoes are shown in both a retracted 
position 20 and an extended position 20', the latter being shown in 
phantom. 
Each shoe 20 is attached at an upper end to a shoe mounting plate 24. Each 
mounting plate 24 is attached to its respective slide block 18 by means of 
fasteners 26 that threadably engage a slide block bracket plate 28. A 
connecting link post 30 extends vertically from each slide block 18 
through the slotted opening 32 in each respective slide bar 14. The top 
end of each link post 30 has a distal end 34 of a connecting link 36 
pivotally attached thereto. Preferably, a bushing 38 is provided to 
support each link distal end 34 so that each link can pivot freely about 
its post 30. 
As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, each connecting link 36 is used to 
connect a respective one of the slide blocks 18 to a circular plate 40 
such that when the circular plate 40 is rotated (by means that will be 
described hereinafter), the blocks 18 move in a sliding action along the 
slide bars 14. Each connecting link 36 is pivotally connected at one end 
of a shank 37 to the circular plate 40 as by a bolt and nut assembly 39. 
In this arrangement, the slide blocks 18, and hence the loader shoes 20 
carried therewith, can be moved to a radially extended position (when the 
circular plate is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 1) as shown 
at the position 20' in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, so that the shoes can engage the 
bead of a tire. When the circular plate 40 is rotated in the opposite 
direction, the slide blocks move the shoes to a retracted position 20, as 
shown in FIG. 3, to release the green tire into a mold. 
The circular plate 40 is affixed such as by a weld joint or brazing to a 
rotatable sleeve 42 that is journaled as at 44, 46 to a vertically 
extending pin 48. The top end of the pin 48 may include a mounting plate 
50 or other suitable means for attaching the loader basket 10 to an 
elevator frame (not shown) used to vertically and horizontally move the 
loader basket 10 with respect to the lower mold of the tire press. The 
construction and operation of the elevator frame is well known and need 
not be described herein. 
Axially spaced above the circular plate 40 is an adjusting plate 52 that is 
also fixedly attached to the sleeve 42 such as by a weld joint or brazing. 
In this configuration, when the adjusting plate 52 is rotated, the 
circular plate 40 rotates therewith. An adjustment handle 54 is similarly 
attached to the sleeve 42 so that the handle can be used to manually 
rotate the sleeve 42 and the attached adjustment and circular plates 40, 
52. 
An actuating plate 56 is journaled as at 58 to the pin 48 so that the 
actuating plate is free to rotate about the pin 48. The actuating plate 56 
can be rotated clockwise and counterclockwise in an oscillatory manner by 
a piston cylinder assembly 60. The piston cylinder assembly 60 includes a 
push rod 62 that has a distal end which is pivotally connected as at 66 to 
an ear 64 of the actuating plate 56. The blind end of the piston cylinder 
assembly 60 is supported on stub bracket 68 secured to a support arm 70. 
The support arm 70 is fixedly mounted on the pin 48 by a bracket 72. 
The push rod 62 is movable between a first or retracted position and a 
second or extended position (the retracted position is shown in the 
drawings). When the rod 62 is extended by operation of the piston 
cylinder, the actuating plate 56 rotates about the pin 48 in a 
counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 1). When the rod 62 is 
retracted, the actuating plate 56 rotates clockwise. 
In accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, the 
actuating plate 56 can be fixedly connected or clamped to the adjustment 
plate 52 by means of a clamping mechanism 74 such that the actuating plate 
56 and adjusting plate 52 rotate together in a predetermined relationship 
with each other when the push rod 62 is extended and retracted. The 
clamping mechanism 74 can also be operated to unclamp or disconnect the 
actuating plate 56 and adjusting plate 52, thus permitting the adjusting 
plate 52 to be freely rotated by operation of the adjustment handle 54. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the actuating plate 56 includes a pair of arcuate slots 
76, 78 that are radially spaced from each other. The clamping mechanism 74 
in this case includes clamp members 80, 81 that extend through the arcuate 
slots 76, 78 respectively and are fixedly attached to the adjusting plate 
52. The clamping members 80, 81 are manually actuated by respective clamp 
handles 74a and 74b, and are mounted on a clamp link 82 that is located 
above the actuating plate 56. When the clamp handles 74a and 74b are 
tightened by an operator, the actuating plate 56 is tightly clamped and 
sandwiched between the clamp link 82 and the adjusting plate 52, thus 
connecting the actuating plate and adjusting plate together for mutual 
rotation in response to movement of the push rod 62. When the clamp 
handles 74a, 74b are loosened, the arcuate slots 76, 78 allow the 
adjusting plate 52 to be rotated with respect to the actuating plate 56 by 
the operator turning the adjustment handle 54. 
The clamping action of the mechanism 74 can be effected, for example, by a 
cam-type action that presses the link 82 against the actuating plate 56 
and adjusting plate 52. Alternatively, the clamp handles can be of a 
threaded design so that when the handles are rotated, the clamp link, 
actuating plate and adjusting plate are drawn together. 
The arcuate slots 76, 78 thus allow the adjusting plate 52 to be rotated by 
means of the adjusting handle 54 within a range of angular offset 
positions relative to the actuating plate 56, when the actuating plate 56 
and adjusting plate 52 are not clamped together. The range of angular 
offset positions between the plates 52, 56 is defined by the arc lengths 
of the arcuate slots 76, 78, which lengths can be selected as a function 
of the various tire diameters that will 4 be picked up by the tire loader 
shoes 20. 
The tire loader basket assembly also preferably has a tire proximity switch 
assembly 90 which is engaged by the tire carcass when it is loaded onto 
the shoes 20. The switch assembly 90 is 8 connected to the control system 
of the tire press. The operation of the tire proximity switch assembly 90 
is well known in the art and need not be explained here further. 
OPERATION 
In use of the tire loader basket 10, an operator can easily adjust the 
radial extension of the loader shoes 20 by first unclamping the adjusting 
plate 52 from the actuating plate 56 by loosening the clamp handles 74a, 
74b. After the plates are released from each other, the operator uses the 
adjustment handle 54 to rotate the adjusting plate 52, which rotation 
correspondingly moves the shoes 20 via the connecting links 36 and slide 
blocks 18, to position the shoes 20 to their extended position to engage a 
tire bead (as a function of the radius of tires to be picked up). The push 
rod 62 is then fully extended (if full stroke operation of the piston 
cylinder is to be used), after which the clamp handles 74a, 74b are 
tightened to clamp the actuating plate 56 to the adjusting plate 52. In 
this manner, the adjusted extended position of the shoes 20 corresponds to 
the full extension of the push rod 62. Thereafter, operation of the piston 
cylinder 60 causes rotation of the clamped plates 52, 56 thereby causing 
the shoes 20 to move between their extended and retracted positions. 
The adjusting plate 52 can thus be selectively positioned in a fixed 
relationship with respect to the actuating plate 56 in any of a range of 
positions as the clamp members 80, 81 move within the slots 76, 78. The 
selected fixed position of the adjusting plate 52 with respect to the 
actuating plate 56 determines the location of the resultant extended and 
retracted positions of the loader shoes 20 as the piston cylinder 60 is 
actuated. The extended position of the loader shoes 20 can thus be 
selected between the position 20' shown in FIG. 2 and the position 20" 
shown in FIG. 2, with the extended position 20' being achieved when the 
the clamp members 80, 81 are at one extreme end of the actuate slots 76, 
78, and the extended position 20" being achieved when the clamp members 
80, 81 are at the other extreme end of the actuate slots 76,78. 
The invention thus provides a loader shoe adjustment mechanism by which, 
the extended position of the shoes 20 can be directly and accurately set 
by the operator to pick up the green tires without applying excessive 
pressure to the tire bead, and without the operator having to rely on 
calibration marks or other indirect estimation of the shoe extended 
position. The adjusting mechanism can easily be actuated by simply 
loosening the clamp handles and the adjustment handle to set the shoes' 
extended position. 
While the invention has been shown and described with respect to specific 
embodiments thereof, this is for the purpose of illustration rather than 
limitation, and other variations and modifications of the specific 
embodiments herein shown and described will be apparent to those skilled 
in the art within the intended spirit and scope of the invention as set 
forth in the appended claims.