Patent ID: 7185688

Claim:
A tire inflation system and a wheel end assembly comprising: an input for coupling to a driving power source; an output driven by said input, said output including a wheel shaft coupled to a wheel hub for rotation about a wheel axis wherein said wheel shaft includes a laterally extending bore having a first end to be in fluid communication with an air source and a second end to be in fluid communication with a tire assembly to be mounted for rotation with said wheel hub; wherein said wheel shaft includes a first end face defining a fluid inlet to be in communication with the air source and a second end face defining a fluid outlet to be in communication with the tire assembly, said laterally extending bore extending through the entire length of said wheel shaft from said first end face to said second end face; and a seal assembly cooperating with said first end of said laterally extending bore to provide a sealed air flow path to extend from the air source, through said laterally extending bore, and to the tire assembly.