Tire shaping machine

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR USE IN PERFORMING TIRE BUILDING OPERATIONS ON A TIRE CARCASS, COMPRISING: A FRAME; A DRUM RTOATABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID FRAME AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A TIRE CARCASS THEREON, SAID DRUM COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND SPACED END PLATES AND A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL DIAPHRAGM MEANS DEFINING THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID DRUM, SAID DIAPHRAGM MEANS BEING AXIALLY INEXTENSIBLE AND RADIALLY EXPANSIBLE AND BEING CLAMPED AT EACH OF ITS ENDS TO A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND END PLATES; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DRUM; MEANS FOR RELATIVELY MOVING SAID END PLATES TOWARD EACH OTHER; MEANS FOR INFATING SAID DRUM TO EXPAND SAID DIAPHRAGM MEANS; AND STOP MEANS AUTOMATICALLY ACTUATED UPON PREDETERMINED MOVEMENT OF SAID END PLATES TOWARD EACH OTHER AND OPERATIVE TO CONTROL SAID END PLATE MOVING MEANS FOR STOPPING THE RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID END PLATES WITH A PREDETERMINED SPACING THEREBETEENM WHEREBY THE TIRE CARCASS IS EXPANDED TO AND MAINTAINED AT A PRECISE PREDETERMINED DIAMETER TO FACILITATE APPLICATION OF A BREAKER AND TREAD TO THE CARCASS.