Safety rim

Claim 1

A pneumatic tire wheel comprising a cylindrical rim base, said base having a rim at one axial end thereof for supporting one side of a tire on said base and including a safety rim assembly at the other axial end thereof for supporting the other side of the tire on said base and for preventing hazardous dislodgement of the components of said assembly during tire inflation and disassembly, said safety rim assembly including support means for supporting the tire on said base, said support means including a bead seat band annularly disposed around the outer periphery of said rim base having a bead seat for sealing engagement with the tire, and an annular flange disposed against an outer peripheral lip of said bead seat band so that inflation of the tire presses said flange against said lip, locking means including a lock ring seated in an annular groove formed in the outer periphery of said rim base and disposed against said bead seat band so that said support means are locked in position during tire inflation, and retaining means for retaining said lock ring in said groove including a retainer block removably securable to said rim base adjacent said lock ring, said lock ring and said block having their adjacent surfaces in substantially mating relationship so that improper seating of said lock ring in said groove prevents proper installation of said retainer block, passage means communicating between the atmosphere and the rim base intermediate said rim and said safety rim assembly and sealing means for sealingly closing said passage means during functioning of said locking means to lock said support means, thereby permitting inflation of the tire, and wherein improper seating of said lock ring in said groove prevents said sealing means from sealingly closing said passage means.