Pneumatic tire shaping apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ALTERING THE SHAPE OF A RAW TIRE CARCASS FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY TOROIDAL FORM, PREPARATORY TO VULCANIZATION, SAID CARCASS HAVING AT LEAST ONE CYLINDRICALLY ORIENTED ELASTOMERIC PLY WHICH TERMINATES AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS, RESPECTIVELY, IN A PAIR OF BEAD REGIONS OF REDUCED DIAMETER, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A. A PAIR OF COAXIALLY SPACED, DISC-LIKE, SUPPORT MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS INCLUDING A FIRST RIGID ELEMENT HAVING A NON-GASKET-CARRYING PERIPHERY OF A DIAMETER CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID PLY WHEN IN CYLINDRICAL FORM, AND A SECOND RIGID ELEMENT AFFIXED TO SAID FIRST RIGID ELEMENT AND HAVING A NON-GASKETCARRYING PERIPHERY OF A DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING TO SAID REDUCED DIAMETER OR EACH OF SAID BEAD REGIONS, SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED SUCH THAT EACH SAID FIRST RIGID ELEMENT CONFRONTS THE OTHER IN SPACED RELATION, AND EACH SAID SECOND RIGID ELEMENT IS SPACED FROM THE OTHER THROUGH THE INTERMEDIARY OF THE SPACED, CONFRONTING, FIRST RIGID ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID FIRST RIGID ELEMENTS CO-OPERATIVELY WITH ITS CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID SECOND RIGID ELEMENTS DEFINING AN ENTIRELY RIDID SHOULDER MEANS FOR INFLEXIBLY DIRECTLY CONTACTING, WITH THE ABSENCE THEREFROM OF A RESILIENT MEDIUM, AND CONSTRAINING, IN FLUID-SEALING RELATION, A CORRESPONDING ONE OF THE CARCASS BEAD REGIONS THEREON; AND B. MEANS FOR DISPLACING SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS COAXIALLY TOWARD ONE ANOTHER TO PERMIT INFLATION OF THE FLUID-SEALED CYLINDRICAL PLY INTO THE FORM OF A TORUS.