Tire valve and process for removing it

• US 8,245,747 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Original Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA), Wonder Spa, TRW Automotive USLLC (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Monjuvent, Jérôme, Botte, Patrick, Moynet, Julien, Gosi, Matteo
• Primary Examiner(s): BELLINGER, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US12/304,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20110203711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: 152427-428, 152/431, 731/463, 731/468, 292/215
• US Class Current: 152/427
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0494 Valve stem attachments positioned inside the tyre chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 25/18 Tools for mounting or demounting air valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 29/00 Arrangements of tyre-inflating valves to tyres or rims; Accessories for tyre-inflating valves, not otherwise provided for tools for mounting or demounting valves B60C25/18
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 29/06 Accessories for tyre-inflating valves, e.g. housings, guards, covers for valve caps, locks, not otherwise provided for B60C23/0496 takes precedence; tools for screwing and unscrewing valve caps B25B27/0057; pump connectors F04B33/005
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49815 Disassembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53591 to or from wheel rim of resilient tire or tube

Abstract

Inflation valve having a tube and designed for use in an assembly consisting of a tire and a wheel, the valve having: (i) snap-in mechanism that enable the valve to be fixed in a cylindrical hole of circular cross-section formed in a rim of the wheel; (ii) mechanism suitable for receiving a torque intended to rotate the valve in the hole; (iii) an attachment piece provided with a mechanism for attaching the valve to a unit designed to be fitted inside the tire; the mechanism the valve to be attached to the unit being such that the attachment piece is separated from the unit when the valve is rotated in the hole in a predetermined rotation direction.

Claims

1. An inflation valve comprising a tube and designed to be used on an assembly consisting of a tire and a wheel, the valve comprising:

snap-in means that enable the valve to be fixed in a cylindrical hole of circular cross-section formed in a rim of the wheel;

a valve tube, comprising a valve mouth provided with an outer thread having a first thread pitch P1 and wherein the predetermined rotation direction is the direction of the thread on the valve mouth, wherein said outer thread is suitable for receiving a torque intended to rotate the valve in the hole;

an attachment piece provided with a thread having a second screw pitch P2, this thread enabling the valve to be attached to the unit by screwing, the thread axis of the attachment piece being substantially the same as the rotation axis of the valve in the valve hole, and wherein the second thread P2 is inverted relative to the first thread P1;

wherein the thread enabling the valve to be attached to the unit is such that the attachment piece is separated from the unit when the valve is rotated in the hole in a predetermined rotation direction.

2. The inflation valve of claim 1, wherein the attachment piece is distinct from the tube of the valve.

3. A process for removing the valve of claim 1, the valve being fitted in a valve hole and attached to a unit designed to be fitted inside the tire, the process comprising the following steps:

(A) applying a torque to the outer thread, so as to rotate the valve in the hole in the predetermined rotation direction until the valve is separated from the unit;

(B) extracting the valve from the rim by pulling.

4. A process for removing the valve according to claim 1, the valve being fitted in a valve hole and attached to a unit designed to be fitted inside the tire, the process comprising the following steps:

(A) screwing a valve-puller tool onto the valve mouth;

(B) after reaching the end of the outer thread on the valve mouth, continuing the rotation of the valve-puller tool in the screwing direction, rotating the valve in the hole until the valve is separated from the unit;

(C) extracting the valve from the rim by pulling.