Patent ID: 8293050

Claim:
A bead manufacturing method in which a belt-like bead filler, with a short bottom side forming a relatively thick end and two long other sides meeting to form a relatively thin end, is raised up to be fixedly fitted on an outer circumference of a bead core, the method comprising: providing a plurality of elastically deformable leaf springs arranged circumferentially with gaps in a circumferential direction, to provide an annular former, the leaf springs each being elongated between two ends thereof which are mounted at pivot axes; providing the bead filler on the plurality of elastically deformable leaf springs, a long side of the bead filler being circumferentially wound on the plurality of elastically deformable leaf springs adjacent one of the ends of the leaf springs, such that the relatively thick end of the bead filler is closer to the one of the ends of the leaf springs and the relatively thin end of the bead filler is farther from the one of the ends of the leaf springs; arranging the bead core of a tire in proximity to the annular former and adjacent the one of the ends of the leaf springs such that the outer circumference of the bead core is at the radial position of the pivot axis of the one of the ends of the leaf springs; and moving an end of the elastically deformable springs linearly toward another end of the elastically deformable springs, thereby curving the leaf springs between said ends and raising up the bead filler to fixedly fit the relatively thick end of the bead filler on the outer circumference of the bead core, such that the bead filler is stretched progressively from the relatively thick end to the relatively thin end.