Patent Publication Number: US-2020276871-A1

Title: Device for unseating tire beads from rims

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/721,355, now pending, filed on Nov. 1, 2012, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates to wheels and, more particularly, to devices for detaching tires from rims. 
     BACKGROUND 
     When it is required to remove a tire from a rim, it is a physically difficult task as over time the tires, i.e. the inner circular beads that define the tire&#39;s central opening, have “adhered” to the rims. This task is presently carried out with a sledgehammer, by repeatedly hitting the tire sidewall near the rim while the tire is laid on the ground. This method damages the rims, is physically demanding and there is a high risk of injuries. 
     Various devices have been proposed to detach the tire&#39;s beads from the rim onto which the tire is mounted. Other devices are used to then remove the tire from the rim. Regarding devices for separating the tire&#39;s beads from the its rim, there are two main types of systems, namely hook-based systems that slide in to separate the tire bead from the rim by pulling the tire away from the rim, and bead breaker systems, which use a jaw pushed on the tire&#39;s sidewall to detach the tire bead from the rim. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a device for detaching a tire&#39;s beads from the rim carrying the tire. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is therefore a present aim to provide a novel device for unseating tire beads from rims. 
     Therefore, there is provided a device for unseating beads of a tire from a rim onto which the tire is mounted, comprising first and second facing tire-engaging members adapted to receive the tire therebetween and adapted to move relative to one another towards the tire so as to engage the tire adjacent the rim, said first and second tire-engaging members being adapted for engaging first and second sidewalls of the tire such that a displacement of the first and second tire-engaging members towards each other causes said tire-engaging members to engage the first and second sidewalls of the tire so as to detach the tire from the rim. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, and in which: 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  are front and rear perspective representations of a device for unseating tire beads from rims; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective schematic representation of the device of  FIGS. 1 and 2  but without a pneumatic cylinder thereof, and with a tire/rim being shown in dotted lines; 
         FIG. 2  is a side schematic representation of part of the device of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective schematic representation of a tool used in combination with the device of  FIGS. 1 to 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective representation of a second embodiment of a device for unseating tire beads from rims; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective representation of the device of  FIG. 6  shown in use on a tire; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective representation of a third embodiment of a device for unseating tire beads from rims, which is similar to the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 8 a  to 8 e    are components of the device of  FIG. 8 ; and 
         FIG. 9  is a side elevation view of a fourth embodiment of a device for unseating tire beads from rims. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , a device D for unseating beads of a tire T from a rim R onto which the tire T is mounted will now be described. 
     Generally, the present device D includes a pneumatic cylinder  10 , a lever system  12  (parallelogram linkage), an upper jaw  14 , a lower jaw  16  resting on a base  18 , and a center body  20  which acts as a fulcrum for the lever system  12 . The cylinder  10  is operated by an actuator (switch)  22 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the pneumatic cylinder  10  is pivotally mounted at  24  to the base  18  and a piston section of the cylinder  10  is pivotally connected to rear end of a lower lever arm  26 . The upper jaw  14  is mounted to a lower end of a front arm  28 , which has a pair of telescopic sections for adjusting its length and thus the elevation of the upper jaw  14 . The lower lever arm  26  is pivotally connected at a front end thereof to the front arm  28 . Intermediate the pneumatic cylinder  10  and the front arm  28 , the lower lever arm  26  is pivotally connected to the center body  20 , such that the center body  20  serves as a fulcrum between the pneumatic cylinder  10  and the upper jaw  14 . 
     An upper lever arm  30  is pivotally connected at a rear end thereof to the center body  20  and at a front end thereof to an upper end of the front arm  28 , such that lower lever arm  26  may pivot, but be stabilized by the upper lever arm  30 . The lower lever arm  26 , the upper lever arm  30 , the front arm  28  and the center body  20  form the lever system  12 . 
     As seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , an adjustable abutment rod  32  extends horizontally through the center body  20 , opposite a threaded section of the tire T. The position of the abutment rod  32  is adjusted so that when a front enlarged end  34  thereof abuts the tire T (see  FIG. 4 ), the tire T is positioned within the device D such that the upper and lower jaws  14  and  16  are located vertically opposite both sidewalls of the tire T at locations thereof which are adjacent the rim R so that the jaws  14  and  16  act on the tire T for efficiently unseating the beads of the tire T from the rim R. A cotter pin  36  and a series of holes  38  defined in the abutment rod  32  are herein used for allowing the position of the enlarged end  34  relative to the lower jaw  16 . 
     In operation, the position of the abutment rod  32  is adjusted relative to the center body  20  in view of the configuration of the tire T, typically its height, such as to ensure that when the tire T abuts the enlarged end  34 , the upper and lower jaws  14  and  16  are located vertically opposite the sidewalls of the tire T adjacent the rim R. The tire T can then be placed on the base  18 , resting along its diameter, such that the lower jaw  16  rests onto the lower sidewall of the tire T and very close to the rim R. 
     When the pneumatic cylinder  10  is engaged by the switch  22  it emits a force upwards on the lower lever arm  26 . This lower lever arm  26  produces a downward force on the upper jaw  14  such that it descends downwards and towards the upper sidewall of the tire T. In this manner, when the pneumatic cylinder  10  is engaged and the upper jaw  14  is sufficiently driven thereby downwards and against the tire T, the bead of the upper sidewall of the tire T detaches from the rim R, while the lower jaw  16  causes the bead of the lower sidewall of the tire T to detach from the rim R. 
       FIG. 5  shows a tool and more specifically a lever L that is used in combination with the device D of  FIGS. 1 to 4 . The lever L includes a handle  40 , a tire-engaging end  44  and a pivot portion  42  therebetween. The lever L is used to facilitate the positioning of the tire T within the device D by lifting the tire T so that it vertically clears the lower jaw  16  and can be displaced sideways until it is positioned between the upper and lower jaws  14  and  16  and in contact with the abutment rod  32 . 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate a second embodiment of a device D′ for unseating tire beads from rims, which is similar to device D of  FIGS. 1 to 4  but wherein the upper and lower jaws  14 ′ and  16 ′ are curved such as to generally follow the side of the rim R. Also, in device D′, the piston end of the cylinder  10  is connected to the upper lever arm  30 ′ instead of to the lower lever arm  26 ′. 
       FIG. 8  shows a third embodiment of a device D″ for unseating tire beads from rims, which is similar to the device of  FIG. 1 , but includes peripheral components, such as a casing  46   a  and  46   b .  FIGS. 8 a  to 8 e    are detailed views of some of the components of the device D″ of  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 9  shows a fourth embodiment of a device D′″ for unseating tire beads from rims, which is oriented horizontally, whereby the tire T is disposed vertically in the device D′″. The distal jaw  16 ′″ is fixed, whereas the proximal jaw  14 ′″ is mobile and adapted to displace substantially horizontally (see arrows  54 ). A handle  50  and a wheel  52  are provided for allowing the device D′″ to be displaced, when not in use, in a way similar to a loading dolly. The device D′″ includes a mechanism for allowing the height of the tire T to be adjusted so that the sidewalls thereof are positioned properly, elevation-wise, with respect to the jaws  14 ′″ and  16 ′″ in order to ensure that the jaws  14 ′″ and  16 ′″ engage the tire T close to the rim R. Such an adjustment mechanism can take the form of a support plate or platform disposed under the tire T and capable of being displaced vertically, e.g. via a manual or motorized vertical screw arrangement, by a small scissor lift, etc. 
     While the above description provides examples of the embodiments, it will be appreciated that some features and/or functions of the described embodiments are susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit and principles of operation of the described embodiments. Accordingly, what has been described above has been intended to be illustrative and non-limiting and it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that other variants and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined in the claims appended hereto.