Tire building apparatus

Claim 1

A TIRE BUILDING APPARATUS COMPRISING: A FRAME, A CYLINDRICAL DRUM ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID FRAME AND ADAPTED TO MOUNT A PLURALITY OF FABRIC PLIES HAVING AN INEXTENSIBLE BEAD PORTION INCORPORATED THEREWITH, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DRUM, EXPANSIBLE MEANS AXIALLY DISPOSED ADJACENT AT LEAST ONE END OF SAID DRUM FOR TURNING THE LATERAL EDGES OF SAID FABRIC PLIES AROUND SAID BEAD PORTION THEREOF, ROTATABLE MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR MOVEMENT IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL PLANE AND ADAPTED TO DISPLACE SAID EXPANSIBLE MEANS AGAINST THE LATERAL EDGES OF SAID FABRIC PLIES FOR CONTINUING TO TURN THE LATERAL EDGES OF SAID FABRIC PLIES AROUND SAID BEAD PORTION THEREOF, BEAD SETTING MEANS SUPPORTED ON SAID FRAME FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID DRUM AND ADAPTED TO POSITION SAID INEXTENSIBLE BEAD PORTION OVER SAID FABRIC PLIES ADJACENT AT LEAST ONE END OF SAID DRUM THEREOF, SAID BEAD SETTING MEANS INCLUDING, A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SUPPORT MEANS, A PAIR OF CARRIAGE MEMBERS RECIPROCABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS, AND A PAIR OF CYLINDRICAL BEAD HOLDERS, EACH OF SAID BEAD HOLDERS BEING MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID CARRIAGE MEMBERS AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT AN INEXTENSIBLE BEAD RING THEREOF, FLUID PRESSURE MEANS DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID CARRIAGE MEMBERS, A FIRST RACK MEMBER ATTACHED TO SAID ONE CARRIAGE MEMBER, A SECOND RACK MEMBER CONNECTED TO THE OTHER OF SAID CARRIAGE MEMBERS, AND PINION MEANS COACTING BETWEEN SAID RACK MEMBERS FOR AXIALLY MOVING SAID CARRIAGE MEMBERS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER UPON ACTUATION OF SAID FLUID PRESSURE MEANS.