Abstract:
A tire bead locking tool is provided. The tool may include a body; a first jaw connected to the body; a second jaw pivotally connected to the body and located to oppose the first jaw; a locking mechanism configured to selectively lock the first and second jaws in a relative position with respect to each other; and a resilient member attached to one of the first and second jaws and located between the first and second jaws. A method of manufacturing may also be provide. The method may include: forming a body; forming a pair of jaws on the body wherein at least one of the jaws pivots with respect to the body; attaching a resilient member to at least one of the jaws; and forming a locking mechanism that can selectively lock the jaws in a position; and extending a handle further from the jaws than the locking mechanism.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a clamping tool. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tire bead locking tool that assists in holding a tire in place while the tire is being mounted on a wheel rim. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Special tools are often used in mounting tubeless tires onto metal rims. Tires can be difficult to mount on rims because usually the inner diameter of the tire is greater than the outer diameter of the rim. Therefore, the tire must be deformed or deflected in order to fit the tire over the rim. 
     New types of tires have been developed and deployed in recent years including low profile and the so-called “run flat” tires. These new types of tires are becoming more and more common. They often have extremely rigid and stiff side walls which may be difficult to install onto tire rim, using traditional tools and methods. 
     In the past, most tire rims were made of steel and were fairly resistant or forgiving to tool marks being made on the steel rim as a tool was used to place the tire on the rim. However, many modern wheels are made of aluminum or of steel with a chrome or other decorative coating. In any event, these more modern wheels are likely to appear scuffed, scratched or even be bent when placed in contact with typical steel tools. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide a tool that can be used in assisting placing a tire on a rim in view of the new modern, low profile, run flat tires which may have extremely stiff and rigid side walls. Further, it is desired to provide a tool that reduces the likelihood of damaging the chrome, aluminum finish or other decorative finish on modern wheels. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in one aspect, an apparatus is provided that in some embodiments a tool is provided that assists in installing a tire on a wheel rim even when a tire is a low profile and/or a run flat tire, having extremely rigid and stiff side walls. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention a tool may be provided that reduces the likelihood of damage to a finish such as a chrome coating or aluminum finish while the tool engages the wheel for installing tire. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a tire bead locking tool is provided. The tool may include a body; a first jaw connected to the body; a second jaw pivotally connected to the body and located to oppose the first jaw; a locking mechanism configured to selectively lock the first and second jaws in a relative position with respect to each other; and a resilient member attached to one of the first and second jaws and located between the first and second jaws. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacturing may also be provided. The method may include: forming a body; forming a pair of jaws on the body wherein at least one of the jaws pivots with respect to the body; attaching a resilient member to at least one of the jaws; and forming a locking mechanism that can selectively lock the jaws in a position; and extending a handle further from the jaws than the locking mechanism. 
     In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a tire bead locking tool is provided. The tool may include: a body; a first means for gripping connected to the body; a second means for gripping pivotally connected to the body and located to oppose the first means for gripping; a means for locking configured to selectively lock the first and second means for gripping in a relative position with respect to each other; and a resilient member attached to one of the first and second means for gripping and located between the first and second means for gripping. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a tire bead seating tool within accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective side view showing the opposite side of the tire bead seating tool shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a tire bead seating tool attached to a wheel rim showing a tire partially installed on the wheel rim. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a tire bead seating tool in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a tire bead seating tool  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the tire bead seating tool  10  includes a body  11 . The body  11  as attached to a locking mechanism  12 . The body  11  also is attached to a top jaw  14  and a bottom jaw  16 . One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate after reviewing the disclosure herein and viewing the figures, that the body  11 , a locking mechanism  12  and the top jaw  14  and lower jaw  16  are in some embodiments similar to a pair of locking pliers commonly known in the art. However, other aspects of the tool  10  are new and will be described in more detail later below. 
     The locking mechanism  12  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is particularly similar to the locking mechanism found in common ordinary locking pliers and will not be described in detail. For example the springs, links, pivot points and other features of the locking mechanism  12  are well known and need not be explained in detail here. 
     While some embodiments use a locking mechanism  12  similar to those found in common locking pliers, other embodiments in accordance with the invention may use different locking mechanisms that may not necessarily be similar to common locking pliers. It also may be appreciated that the tool  10  in general may share some features similar to common ordinary locking pliers, the tool  10  also contains new and novel features that are in accordance with the invention. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the tool  10  includes a moveable handle  18 . The moveable handle  18  is pivotable and may be pivoted toward the body  11  to a position along the station arm, elongated handle  20 , as shown in  FIG. 3  for example. However, when the top jaw  14  and bottom  16  are spaced from each other, then the pivotal handle  18  is pivoted away from, and spaced from, the stationary elongated handle  20  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     In some embodiments of the invention, when the moveable handle  18  is pivoted toward and parallel and/or approximate to the stationary elongated handle  20 , the top jaw  14  and bottom jaw  16  are locked with respect to each other. Unlocking of the top jaw  14  and the bottom jaw  16  may be accomplished by moving the movable handle  18  away from the elongated stationary handle  20 . In some embodiments of the invention the movable handle  18  must be unlocked before it can be moved as done with common locking pliers. 
     In some embodiments in accordance with the invention, a flexible or resilient grip  22  may be located on the stationary handle  20 . The flexible or resilient grip  22  may provide a handling surface for a user to manipulate the tool  10  when the tool  10  is attached to a wheel as shown in  FIG. 3 . The flexible grip  22  may be similar to a bicycle grip  22 . However, in other embodiments of the invention any suitable flexible or resilient material may be used to provide a grip for a users hand when gripping a tool  10 . 
     Some embodiments and as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  include an adjusting screw  24 . An adjusting screw  24  may be manipulated to determine how close the top jaw  14  and the bottom jaw  16  may be to each other when the tool  10  is in a locking position with the multiple lever  18  pivoted toward the stationary handle  20 . 
     In some embodiments in accordance with the invention, the adjusting mechanism  24  may include an adjusting screw  24  which is adjusted by turning the adjustment screw  24  either clockwise or counter clockwise. Some of the embodiments of the invention the adjustment screw  24  may have a knurled surface  26  to facilitate a user&#39;s ability to grip the adjusting screw  24  in order to adjust the locking mechanism  12 . The adjusting screw  24  and locking mechanism  12  will not be discussed in additional detail as in some embodiments in accordance with the invention they work similar to those found in adjustable locking pliers. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the adjusting screw  24  extends through the elongated stationary handle  20  and is much longer than those found in common locking pliers. 
     In accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , a wide member  28  has been attached to the top jaw  14  to provide a gripping surface  29  much wider than would be typically found on ordinary locking pliers. The wide member  28 , may be made up of a piece of sheet plate metal attached either by fastener, welding or any other suitable means to the top jaw  14 . In other embodiments of the invention the wide member  28  may be integral with the top jaw  14 . The gripping surface and wide member may have a curved edge  33  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The curved edge  33  may help in allowing the tool  10  grip a rim  42  as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The top jaw  14  also includes a rounded back plate  30 . The rounded back plated  30  may be part of the wide number  28  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In other embodiments of the invention, the rounded back plate  30  may be a separate piece from the wide number  28 . The rounded back plate  30  may generally have a curved or rounded shape as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  the curve is generally U-shaped where the U is wider than normal and one of the legs of the “U” may be longer than the other that is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The side edges of the rounded back plate  30  may be curved rather than flat. 
     The rounded back plate  30  may have an attachment point  32  where the rounded back plate  30  attaches to body  11  of the tool  10 . In some embodiments of the invention, the rounded back plate  30  may be integral with the body  11  of the tool. In other embodiments the body  11 , the elongated stationary handle  20  and the rounded back plate and/or the wide number  28  may be all a single piece. In other embodiments, these features may be separate or partially integrated. 
     The bottom jaw  16  may also have a lower jaw plate  34  that may widen the gripping ability of the lower jaw  16 . In some embodiments of the invention the lower jaw plate  34  maybe about the same width as the wide member  28  attached to the top jaw  14 . In some embodiments, both the wide member  28  and the lower jaw plate  34  are wider than the body  11 . 
     The bottom jaw  16  may also be equipped with a front plate  31  attached to the lower jaw plate  34  at the front of the tool  10 . The front plate  31  may be connected to the lower jaw plate  34  by wielding, fasters, or any other suitable method. In some embodiments, the lower jaw plate  34  and the front plate  31  may be a single part. Together the lower jaw plate  34  and the front plate  31  may form an angled or hook-shaped lower jaw  16 . 
     The lower jaw plate  34  and or the front plate  31  may also support and be attached to a resilient insert  36 . The resilient insert  36  is located on the lower jaw plate  34 , behind the front plate  31  and located between the top jaw  14  and the bottom jaw  16 . The angle or hook shape formed by the intersection of the lower jaw plate  34  and the front plate  31  creates a space for the resilient insert  36 . 
     In some embodiments of the invention the resilient insert  36  may be located on the wide number  28 . In other embodiments of the invention resilient members  17  and  36  may be located on both the wide number  28  and the lower jaw plate  34  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Resilient insert  36  may be made of rubber or any other suitable resilient material. The resilient insert  36  provides a resilient gripping surface  38 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , a resilient gripping surface  38  may be attached to a rim  42  upon which a tire  40  is being installed. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the lower jaw plate  34  is pressing on the resilient insert  36  which is in turn providing a resilient gripping surface  38  to grip the rim  42 . The top jaw  14  is also grabbing an underside portion of the rim  42  and the rounded back plate  30  is pressed against a side wall  46  of the tire  40 . The tire bead  44  is shown in  FIG. 3  to be partially installed against the bottom side of the rim  42  near the tool  10  and not installed but rather located outside of the rim  42  above the tool  10 . 
     As oriented in  FIG. 3 , the tool  10  may be grabbed by a user at the flexible grip  22  and moved in a downward position causing the rounded back plate  30  to press in and deflect the side wall  46  of the tire  40 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the resilient insert  36  is the only part of the tool  10  contacting a part of the rim  42  that is facing outward, thus if the rim  42  had an aluminum finish, a chrome finish, a decorative finish, a corrosion resistant finish or other finish these would not be damaged by metal parts of the tool  10  as they are when contacted by resilient insert  36 . 
     In some embodiments, the tool  10  (and as shown in  FIG. 3 ) may be used in conjunction with the tire installing and removing machine  48 . The tire installing and removing machine  48  may be any tire installing and removing machine that may be commonly used in the art. 
     In some embodiments of the invention tool  10  may be made of metal such as steel, aluminum, or other suitable material and may be coated with a corrosion resisting coating such as chromium, zinc or any other corrosion resisting coating. 
       FIG. 4  shows a rear view of another embodiment of the invention. The embodiment shown in  FIG. 4  has a “spoon shaped” handle  50 . A shorter adjusting screw  52  is used. A hole  54  in the handle  50  allows a user to more easily access and actuate the shorter adjusting screw  52 . when the “spoon shaped” handle  50  is used. The “spoon shaped” handle  50  may be wider than the body  11 . This type of handle  50  may provide a flat surface for a user&#39;s hand to push against when using the tool  10 . Some users may find the “spoon shaped” handle  50  a more comfortable handle  50  then the handle  20  shown in the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . Other users may prefer the handle  20  of the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . 
     The “spoon shaped” handle  50  may be attached to the body  11  by wielding, fasteners, or any other suitable method. In some embodiments, the body  11  and the handle  50  may be a single part. 
     The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.