AUTOMOTIVE TIRE DRESSING APPLICATOR

• US 20120090540A1
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Piston OPW, Inc. (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Belanger, Inc. (Dover Corporation)
• Inventors: TOGNETTI, David L., MORIN, Mark D., BELANGER, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,601,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/255
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 1/08 using a roller or other rotating member which contacts the work along a generating line
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 5/366 for grinding tyres

Abstract

A tire dressing applicator assembly comprises a linearly arranged series of toroidally-shaped plastic rollers having one or more beveled edges and reinforced for shape retaining purposes by pins which extend axially through the bodies of the elements outboard of a center opening which is adapted to receive a support shaft.

Claims

1. A tire dressing applicator comprising a generally toroidal body of undivided foam plastic having a generally cylindrical outer tire-contacting surface and an axial opening extending completely through the body from one axial end to the other axial end wherein the dimension of the body is on the order of from 5 to 12 inches in diameter.

2. The applicator element described in claim 1 further including at least two axial holes formed in and through the body from one axial end to the other axial end, said holes being smaller in diameter than the center opening and radially spaced outwardly therefrom.

3. A tire dressing applicator element as defined in claim 2 further including a rigid pin residing in each of the axial holes formed in the element body.

4. An applicator element as defined in claim 1 wherein an edge of the tire-contacting cylindrical surface is beveled.

5. A tire dressing applicator assembly comprising:

an axial support;

a plurality of generally toroidal undivided foam plastic applicator elements arranged serially on said support, each of said elements having a generally cylindrical outer tire-contacting surface for receiving and transferring dressing from a supply source to the sidewall of a tire contacting the said surface; and

the combination further comprising spacers arranged on said support between adjacent foam plastic elements.

6. The assembly defined in claim 5 wherein each of said elements comprises a plurality of rigid pins inserted to and residing within the foam plastic body radially outwardly of the center opening and the axial support, the pins extending to substantially to the full axial length of said bodies so as to contact at least one of the spacers on axially opposite sides of any given body.

7. A roller for use in a tire dressing applicator comprising:

a pair of relatively hard plastic annular end rings, a plurality of axially parallel pins joined to and extending between said end rings to form a cage; and

a toroidal volume of foam plastic material mounted on the cage so as to encompass the pins and extend fully between the end rings, but having a radius greater than the radius of the end rings so as to provide a continuous cylindrical tire contacting surface for the transfer of tire dressing to an automotive sidewall.

8. A roller for use in a tire dressing applicator comprising:

a toroidal volume of foam plastic material having a continuous, cylindrical tire contacting outer surface for the transfer of tire dressing to an automotive tire sidewall; and

at least one rigid pin extending axially through said volume radially inwardly of said surface.

9. A roller as described in claim 8 further including a pair of spacer disks, said disks being placed at axial opposite sides of said roller pin.

10. A roller as defined in claim 9 wherein said disks are attached to said pin.

11. A contact applicator for tire dressing comprising:

a toroidal body of foam plastic having an axis of symmetry and opposing end surfaces and a continuous outer contact surface; and

a plurality of relatively rigid pins extending through the body parallel to but radially spaced outwardly from said axis.

12. A contact applicator for tire dressing as defined in claim 11 wherein the pins are adhered to the foam plastic of the toroidal body.

13. A contact applicator for tire dressing as defined in claim 11 further including a pair of annular rigid end rings attached to said pins and bracketing the end surfaces of said toroidal body.

14. A tire dressing applicator comprising:

a shaft adjacent to and extending parallel to a path of tire travel;

a hinged mount on one end of the shaft;

a quick-release mechanism on the other end of the shaft; and

a plurality of discrete toroidal applicator rollers serially mounted on the shaft whereby said rollers may be serially added to and/or removed from the shaft by opening the quick-release mechanism.

15. A tire dressing applicator as defined in claim 14 wherein the shaft is rotatable relative to the hinged mount and the quick-release mechanism.

16. A tire dressing applicator as defined in claim 14 wherein the applicator rollers are frictionally mounted on the shaft so as to be rotatable both with the shaft and relative to the shaft.

17. A tire dressing applicator as defined in claim 14 wherein the toroidal rollers have at least one beveled edge.