Patent ID: 7712510

Claim:
A device for mounting a tire to a wheel, the tire and wheel, defining a central axis, the tire having an upper bead and a lower bead defining an opening extending through the tire for permitting insertion of the wheel therethrough, wherein the wheel includes an upper bead shoulder and a lower bead shoulder for correspondingly-receiving the upper bead and the lower bead of the tire to permit mounting of the tire to the wheel, said device comprising: a controller; an installation tool connected to the controller, wherein the controller provides means for rotating the installation tool about the central axis for causing the tire to be mounted to the wheel, wherein the installation tool includes a shoe having a leading end, an upper axial side, a lower axial side and an outer radial side, wherein the shoe includes a beveled transition zone that extends across at least a part of at least one of said upper axial side and said outer radial side, wherein the beveled transition zone, the leading end and the outer radial side provide means for urging the upper bead of the tire over the upper bead shoulder of the wheel without the shoe touching the wheel, wherein an initial rotation of the installation tool about the central axis by the means for rotating promotes the beveled transition zone to be located axially underneath the upper bead of the tire and whereupon the installation tool approaching a full rotation about the central axis by the means for rotating, the upper bead is resultantly completely drawn away from the beveled transition zone such that the upper bead is located along the upper bead shoulder of the wheel all while the shoe never comes into contact with the wheel as the installation tool is rotated about the central axis by the means for rotating.