Patent ID: 8550136

Claim:
An uncured toeguard strip as a component of an uncured tire carcass comprising a unitary strip of toeguard material having an uncured cross sectional profile having a first end, a second end and a mid-region, the profile being thicker in the mid-region at the location wherein a pentagonal shaped bead core is to be positioned with the greatest axial width of the bead core located radially outward of the radially innermost edge of the bead core radially directly over the mid-region and progressively thinner as the strip extends from the mid region toward the ends and the first end is located a distance ranging from 0.4 inches (10.16 mm) to 2.0 inches (50.8 mm) extending outward of the middle and from radially outward of the bead core region and the second end is located a distance ranging up to about 3.5 inches (89 mm) outward of the mid region from the axially outermost point of the bead core to a location B about 2.0 inches (50.8 mm) radially outward of the bead core, wherein the wrap-around toeguard is a non-cord reinforced unitary extruded strip formed of a single elastomeric composition having a shore D hardness greater than 40; and wherein the wrap-around toeguard when cured in a tire has a substantially constant gauge thickness as measured at any location around the circumference of the tire at a particular axial location or plane passing through the bead core.