Patent ID: 7648062

Claim:
A method for maintaining a set that contains at least two components from a group that includes: a rim, a tire mountable on said rim, and a safety support intended to at least partially support a tread of said tire under reduced or zero pressure conditions, said method comprising steps of: a) providing a set of components, at least one of said components carrying an information medium that can be read automatically by a machine and that supplies, when said information medium is read, at least one data item for use in carrying out a desired maintenance on said set; b) bringing said set to a maintenance machine configured to carry out said desired maintenance on said set under control of a programmable data management unit; c) utilizing a reader of said maintenance machine to automatically read said information medium of said at least one of said components of said set brought to said maintenance machine, and transmitting said at least one data item read from said information medium to said programmable data management unit, wherein said at least one data item includes sensor data from a sensor on a component of said at least one of said components, said sensor data providing a current condition of said component; d) determining, by said programmable data management unit, whether said at least one of said components of said set is compatible with one or more other components of said set, based on said at least one data item read from said information medium; and e) if said at least one of said components of said set is compatible with said one or more other components of said set, adjusting said maintenance machine based on said at least one transmitted data item, and executing said desired maintenance for said set using said maintenance machine.