Tire inflation coupling apparatus

A tire inflation coupling apparatus utilizes a pair of rigid pipes hydraulically connected to one another at an acute angle wherein the angle is responsive to the amount of air pressure within the apparatus. The fill end of one pipe is provided with a standard automobile tire valve assembly. The free end of the other pipe is adapted to be coupled to a downwardly directed valve stem of a tire stored within the trunk of a motor vehicle. The apparatus serves to facilitate convenient periodic storing of compressed air into the tire while acting to indicate the inflation of the tire.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to tire inflation devices and more particularly, to 
that class adapted to indicate the amount of air pressure stored within 
the tire. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The prior art abounds with hydraulic communicating pipes and hoses having 
pressure indicating means thereon, useful in transmitting compressed air 
into a tire. Typical of such apparatus is the disclosure made in U.S. Pat. 
No. 2,227,601 issued on Jan. 7, 1941 to W. B. O'Brien, Jr. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a tire inflation 
device which facilitates injecting compressed air into a tire when the 
tire is installed in a storage position in a motor vehicle. 
Another object is to provide a compressed air communicating device which 
roughly indicates the quantity of compressed air contained within the 
device. 
Still another object is to provide a compressed air coupling device which 
is adapted to bring a tire valve inlet end thereof into view when the 
compartment housing the tire to which the device is attached is opened. 
Yet another object is to provide a coupling device, in accordance with the 
preceeding objects, which is simple in construction, relatively 
inexpensive, and effective for its particular purposes. 
Most spare tire and wheel assemblies are stored within the trunk 
compartment of automobiles having the rubber-like valve stem extending 
downwardly so as to avoid accidental damage due to impact with other 
articles stored within the trunk. This arrangement causes the compressed 
air receiving end of the stem to be relatively inexcessible thereby 
virtually preventing periodic checking and replenishment of the compressed 
air within the tire. The present invention utilizes a conduit, one end of 
which being connected to the valve stem of the tire and the other end of 
which being directed substantially upwardly through one of the centrally 
located holes of the wheel. The conduit is provided with a conventional 
tire valve end at the uppermost end thereof. The other end of the conduit 
hydraulically communicates with the interior of the tire by maintaining 
the tire valve in an open position. Since the mid-portion of the conduit 
is made out of flexible material, the ends of the conduit are permitted to 
change their angular relationship to one another as a function of the 
amount of air pressure statically contained within the conduit. Thus, the 
user is provided with a conveniently located compressed air inlet port and 
an effective though crude pressure indicating device, visible at a glance, 
at each occasion that the trunk of the vehicle is opened. 
These objects, as well as other objects of the present invention, will 
become more readily apparent after reading the following description of 
the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The structure and method of fabrication of the present invention is 
applicable to a pair of straight lengths of metallic pipe, preferably 
fabricated from aluminum or steel. One end of each of the pipes bears 
external threads of the pitch and diameter equivalent to the threads 
carried by the stem of an automobile tire. The same end of one of the 
pipes is fitted with a check valve, biased into the closed position, and 
operated into the open position by a stem rod, identical in design to the 
valve and stem rods utilized by conventional automobile tire stems. A tube 
is provided having internal threads, complimentary to the external threads 
on the same end of the other pipe and is threaded thereto. A circular 
plate is installed in the passageway of the tube having the lateral 
surfaces thereof residing at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the 
tube. The tube is preferably fabricated from aluminum or steel, as is the 
circular plate. Holes, constituting air passageways communicate through to 
the lateral surfaces of the plate at any location save the central regions 
thereof. A length of rubber-like hose, having the longitudinal axis of the 
ends thereof disposed at an acute angle, is attached to each of the other 
ends of the pipes, causing the longitudinal axis of the straight pipes to 
be aligned at the same acute angle as the ends of the hose. The thickness 
of the walls of the hose is selected to withstand the maximum pressure to 
be contained by the tire. 
In use, the free end of the tube is threadingly installed to the free end 
of the tire stem of the spare tire of the vehicle. The length of pipe 
containing the conventional tire valve is disposed passing through an 
opening in the central portions of the wheel carrying the tire. When so 
installed, the air pressure within the tire communicates through its now 
opened valve into the interior of the present invention and is retained 
therein due to the closed condition of the conventional tire valve 
installed at the free end of the pipe passing through the wheel of the 
tire. The plate, desribed above, maintains the valve of the tire in an 
open position. When the tire is fully inflated, the compressed air inlet 
port adjacent to the conventional tire valve end of the pipe passing 
through the wheel is maintained in a rear upright position by the action 
of the compressed air on the walls of the hose. As the level of air 
pressure within the tire and conduit decreases, the hose wall experiences 
a lessened amount of compressed air causing a change in the angular 
relationship between the pipes, serving as an indicator of the amount of 
air pressure currently contained by the tire. 
Now referring to the Figures, and more particularly to the embodiment 
illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the present invention 10 installed on a tire 
stem 12 having end 14 thereof pass through an opening 16 of the wheel 18 
carrying tire 20. The tire is shown having its stem 12 directed downwardly 
when the tire is stored within the trunk compartment 22 of an automobile 
24. Removable cap 26 is shown installed on end 14. 
FIG. 2 shows tire stem 12 of tire 20 shown in FIG. 1. Rigid pipe 28 has end 
14 thereof provided with external male threads 30 and a conventional tire 
check valve and stem assembly 32. Cap 26 protects the compressed air inlet 
port 34 and male threads 30 from dirt and injury. Rigid pipe 36 is 
provided with external male threads 38 to which tube 40 is threadingly 
engaged. Plate 42 is installed within tube 40 having the lateral surfaces 
44 and 46 thereof disposed substantially at right angles to the 
longitudinal axis of pipe 36. The free end 50 of valve stem 48 of tire 
stem 12 engages plate 42, causing the valve assembly installed within the 
stem 12 to be maintained in an open position. Rubber-like hose 52 
hydraulically couples end 54 of pipe 28 to end 56 of pipe 36 together 
maintaining the longitudinal axis of pipe 36 and the longitudinal axis of 
pipe 28 at an acute angular relationship dependent upon the amount of air 
pressure contained within passageway 58 and tire 20, shown in FIG. 1. 
FIG. 3 illustrates plate 42 installed athwart the interior of tube 40 
having holes 60 passing through the plate. Central region 62 is shown 
devoid of holes, but with a raised center portion either by way of rivet 
or by an extrusion, not shown, permitting free end 50 of valve stem 48, 
shown in FIG. 2, to be displaced causing valve stem 48 to be disposed in 
such a manner so as to allow the air pressure of tire 20, shown in FIG. 1, 
to communicate to passageway 58, shown in FIG. 2. 
One of the advantages of the present invention is to provide a tire 
inflation hose which facilitates injecting compressed air into a tire when 
the tire is installed in a storage position in a motor vehicle. 
Another advantage is to provide a compressed air communicating device which 
roughly indicates the quantity of compressed air contained within the 
device. 
Still another advantage is to provide a compressed air coupling device 
which is adapted to bring a tire valve inlet end thereof into view when 
the compartment housing the tire to which the device is attached is 
opened. 
Yet another advantage is to provide a coupling device, in accordance with 
the preceeding objects, which is simple in construction, relatively 
inexpensive, and effective for its particular purposes. 
Thus, there is disclosed in the above description and in the drawings, an 
embodiment of the invention which fully and effectively accomplishes the 
objects thereof. However, it will become apparent to those skilled in the 
art, how to make variations and modifications to the instant invention. 
Therefore, this invention is to be limited, not by the specific disclosure 
herein, but only by the appended claims. 
The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive privilege or property 
is claimed are defined as follows: