Patent ID: 6936132

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a patch plug for use in repairing a tire, the tire having a hole with walls, the patch plug comprising: a patch member having a generally flat surface for placement against a surface of the tire; a plug member connected to the patch member at a location on the generally flat surface, the plug member and the patch member being of unitary cured structure, the plug member having a generally elongate structure for Insertion within the hole in the tire, the plug member having an exterior surface; and a chemical gum coating to enable bonding of the patch plug to both the surface of the tire and the walls of the hole using a rubber cement, the coating being continuous across the generally flat surface of the patch member and the exterior surface of the plug member; the method comprising the steps of: (a) forming the patch member as a stack of layers, the layers Including at least one chemical gum coating layer and at least one rubber layer wherein said at least one chemical gum coating layer includes an aperture within which the plug member is positioned for communication with the at least one rubber layer; (b) forming the plug member as an elongate rubber member with a chemical gum coating layer about the rubber member such that the rubber member and patch member may be subsequently held in communication. (c) placing the plug member within the aperture in the coating layer or coating layers of the patch member such that the plug member contacts the at least one rubber layer of the patch member and the coating layer of the plug member contacts said at least one coating layer of the patch member; (d) subjecting the patch and plug members then in contact to heat and pressure such that the coating layer or coating layers of the patch member and the coating layer on the plug member bond together, while the plug member and patch member form a unitary cured structure, resulting in the chemical gum coating being continuous across the generally flat surface of the patch member and the exterior surface of the plug member.