Patent ID: 8701726

Claim:
A self-inflating tire assembly comprising: a. a tire mounted to a rim, the tire having a tire cavity, first and second sidewalls extending respectively from first and second tire bead regions to a tire tread region; b. an air tube connected to the tire and defining an air passageway, the air tube being composed of a flexible material operative to allow a portion of the air tube segment to substantially close the air passageway, c. an inlet regulator device connected to an inlet end of the air tube, the inlet regulator device includes an insert mounted in the tire, wherein the insert has a bore therethrough having a first end located in the tire cavity, and a second end which extends through the tire, wherein a pressure membrane is received within the first end of the insert, and a regulator body is received within the second end of the insert, wherein the regulator body has a interior passageway which extends from a first end to a distal end, wherein the distal end extends into a cavity of the insert, wherein the pressure membrane is responsive to the cavity tire pressure and the outside air pressure, wherein the pressure membrane is positioned for engagement with the distal end of the regulator body when the tire pressure reaches a set value.