Apparatus for successively supplying endless tire bands to a tire carcass producing equipment

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SUCCESSIVELY SUPPLYING ENDLESS TIRE BANDS FROM A SUPPLY STATION THEREOF ONTO A FORMING DRUM IN A TIRE CARCASS PRODUCING EQUIPMENT ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THEREAROUND SAID ENDLESS TIRE BAND UPON ROTATION THEREOF, WHERIN THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISES: A HOLDING COLUMN MOUNTED ON A BASE OF SAID APPARATUS AND MOVABLE BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION AND A SECOND POSITION, AN EXPANDABLE DRUM ROTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID HOLDING COLUMN AND MOVABLE BETWEEN AN EXPANDED POSITION AND A CONTRACTED POSITION AND A FEEDING BAR ALSO ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID HOLDING COLUMN ADJACENT TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID EXPANDABLE DRUM WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION THEREOF BEING ORIENTED AT A SMALL ANGLE WITH A RESPECT TO THAT OF SAID EXPANDABLE DRUM FOR COOPERATION THEREWITH SO AS TO MOVE AN ENDLESS TIRE BAND SUPPORTD AROUND SAID DRUM AND SAID BAR AXIALLY OUT OF SAID DRUM WHEN SAID DRUM IS ROTATED WHILE THE SAME IS BROUGHT TO SAID EXPANDED POSITION. DRIVING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID COLUMN RECIPROCABLY BETWEEN SAID FIRST POSITION AND SAID SECOND POSITION, SAID EXPANDABLE DRUM BEING SO POSITIONED ON SAID COLUMN THAT THE SAME IS CONTRACTED WITH SAID FORMING DRUM IN ALIGNMENT THEREWITH SO AS TO BE ROTATED THEREBY WHEN SAID COLUMN IS BROUGHT TO SAID FIRST POSITION WHILE SAID EXPANDABLE DRUM IS BROUGHT T SAID SUPPLY STATION WHEN SAID COLUMN IS BROUGHT TO SAID SECOND POSITION ACTUATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID EXPANDABLE DRUM BETWEEN SAID EXPANDED POSITION AND SAID CONTRACTED POSITION, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID DRIVING MEANS AND SAID ACTUATING MEANS IN SUCH TIMED RELATIONSHIP THEREBETWEEN THAT SAID EXPANDABLE DRUM IS BROUGHT TO SAID CONTRACTED POSITION WHEN SAID COLUMN IS BROUGHT TO SAID SECOND POSITION THEREBY PERMITTING SAID DRUM AND SAID FEEDING BAR TO RECEIVE THEREAROUND AN ENDLESS TIRE BAND FROM SAID SUPPLY STATION DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE EFFECTIVE DIAMETER OF SAID DRUM AND SAID FEEDING BAR IS LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID TIRE BAND WHILE SAID EXPANDABLE DRUM IS BROUGHT TO SAID EXPANDED POSITION WHEN SAID COLUMN IS BROUGHT TO SAID FIRST POSITION SO AS TO CONTACT SAID EXPANDABLE DRUM WITH SAID FORMING DRUM FOR ROTATION THEREWITH THEREBY PERMITTING SAID ENDLESS TIRE BAND SUPORTED AR3UND SAID DRUM AND SAID FEEDING BAR TO BE SUPLIED THEREFROM ONTO SAID FORMING DRUM DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE EFFECTIVE DIAMETER OF SAID DRUM AND SAID FEEDING BAR IS SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID FORMING DRUM, THE AXIS OF SAID FEEDING BAR IS ORIENTED AT A SMALL ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THAT OF THE EXPANDABLE DRUM SO AS TO GENERATE AN AXIAL COMPONENT OF FORCE WHICH IS APPLIED TO THE ENDLESS TIRE BAND FOR DRIVING THE SAME AXIALLY TOWARD THE FORMING DRUM WHILE THE ENDLESS TIRE BAND IS ROTATING AROUND THE EXPANDABLE DRUM AND THE FEEDING BAR, AND THE TIP OF SAID FEEDING BAR TERMINATES AT A POSITION SLIGHTLY AXIALLY INWARDLY OF THAT END OF SAID FORMING DRUM WHICH IS ADJACENT SAID FEEDING BAR, WHEREBY SAIDTIRE BANDS ARE AUTOMATICALLY SUPPLIED FROM SAID EXPANDABLE DRUM SAID FORMING DRUM.