Automatic carcass loader for tire presses

Claim 1

AN AXPANSIBLE AND COLLAPSIBLE TIRE CARCASS TRANSFER CHUCK, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY TUBULAR BODY COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF COEXTENSIVE PARALLEL SEGMENTS EACH OF WHICH IS ARCUATE IN CROSS-SECTION AND CONVEX OUTWARDLY OF SAID BODY, A PAIR OF TELESCOPING POWER MEMBERS DISPOSED PARALLEL TO SAID SEGMENTS IN THE INTERIOR OF SAID BODY AS DEFINED BY SAID SEGMENTS, SAID TELESCOPING POWER MEMBERS COMPRISING A DOUBLE-ACTING FLUID PRESSURE CYLINDER AND A PISTON SLIDABLE RECIPROCALLY IN SAID CYLINDER, A SLEEVE SLADIBLY SURROUNDING SAID CYLINDER, SAID CYLINDER BEING PROVIDED WITH TWO LONGITUDINAL DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SLOTS, AND A CROSS PIN CARIED BY SAID PISTON, THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID CROSS PIN EXTENDING THROUGH AND RIDING ALONG SAID SLOTS AND BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SLEEVE, MEANS FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID SEGMENTS AT ONE END THEREOF AND SUPPORTING THE SAME FOR ANGULAR MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS TRANSVERSE TO THE LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION OF SAID ONE SEGMENT, FIRST LINKS CONNECTING SAID POWER MEMBERS INDIVIDUALLY TO SAID ONE SEGMENT OF SAID BODY, SECOND LINKS CONNECTING SAID POWER MEMBERS, INDIVIDUALLY TO THE OTHER SEGMENTS OF SAID BODY, SAID FIRST AND SECOND LINKS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID CYLINDER AND TO SAID SLEEVE, WHEREBY SAID POWER MEMBERS ARE MOVABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID ONE SEGMENT WHILE SAID OTHER SEGMENTS ARE MOVABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID POWER MEMBERS, SO THAT DURING EXPANSION AND COLLAPSE OF THE CHUCK UPON CORRESPONDING TELESCOPING MOTIONS OF SAID POWER MEMBERS THE LATTER MOVE RADIALLY AWAY FROM AND TOWARD SAID ONE SEGMENT WHILE SAID OTHER SEGMENT MOVE RADIALLY AWAY FROM AND TOWARD POWER MEMBERS AS WELL AS OUT OF AND INTO EDGE TO EDGE ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ONE SEGMENT, SAID ONE SEGMENT BEING SO CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AS TO BE DISPOSED UPPERMOST AND CONCAVE DOWNWARDLY WHEN SAID BODY IS INCLINED IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION TO DEFINE A SLIDE SURFACE WHICH IS STATIONARY AND PERMITS A PREVIOUSLY INTERNALLY GRIPPED TIRE CARCASS TO SLIDE FROM SAID BODY ALONG FIXED PATH.