US2581998A - Inner tube tester - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 8, 1952 w. A. BISHMAN INNER TUBE TESTER Filed Oct. 5, 1946 Patented Jan. 8, 1952 UNIT-El) srATEs PATENT 1 OFFICE Walter A. Bishm'an Osseo, Minn.

-Ap plication October 5, 1946, Serial No. 701,489

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for testing inner tubes such as are customarily used in pneumatic tires of various types of vehicles.

It is an object of the invention to provide a tester which will hold the tube in a generally upright position, i. e. the position which it assumes in a tire on a wheel, wherein the tube can be placed on the tester and a portion of the apparatus lowered to submerge at least a portion of the tube in a pan of water such as is generally found in an ordinary automobile tire service station; and further to permit rotation of a portion of the support and the tube in order that successive sections of the tube can be submerged during the inspection operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inner tube tester which completely supports the tube in an upright position and wherein the tube supporting portion thereof can be releasably held in a lowered position to keep the lower portion of the tube submerged without pressure on the part of the operator, and the tube supporting portion of the tester can also be moved to an elevated position with the tube out of the water, and maintained. therein without being supported by the operator.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tube tester of the type described above which is adaptable for use with a conventional tire service station water pan which is usually of relatively narrow elongated proportions and wherein the tube supporting structure is or can be closely associated with a water pan in such a way as to take up as little space as possible.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the views, and, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the device showing a tube thereon with a water pan in longitudinal vertical section and the tube holding unit in its lowered position in full lines and in its elevated position in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the tube support pivotal mounting and stop structure;

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

The supporting frame of the apparatus includes a pair of upwardly converging rods 6 having bent-over lower ends 1 serving, as bases or feet. As indicated in Figures l and 2 the bases I of the rods 6 may be placed'over a conventional tube testing water pan 8 such as is found in most tire service stations, and if desired the feet I may be secured to the bottom of the pan 8 in any suitable manner such as by welding if the pan and tester are sold as a com-'- plete unit.

'The upper ends of the upwardly converging rods 6 are bent rearwardly or to the right as viewed in Figures 2 and 3, and as indicated at 9. The upper bent ends 9 of the rods 6 are spaced slightly apart as shown in Figure 4 and are welded to the under side of the bridge portion ID of an inverted U-shaped bracket ll. Asbest shown in Figure 4, the right hand or rear leg of the bracket H is cut off at two of its. corners l2 and I3.

Extending through the legs I4 and I5 of the bracket H and pivoted relative thereto is the upper horizontal portion I6 of a crank II which serves as a tube support mounting. .The crank i! has a vertical intermediate portion. lB and an outwardly extending relatively long horizontal portion IS. A plurality of radial arms 20 extend from a bearing 2| on the crank portion l9 and the bearing 2| and arms 20 are rotatable on said crank portion l9 as a unit, the radial arms 20' being welded to the bearing, as best shown in Figure 5. As illustrated in Figure 1, there are six arms provided although the number is not critical.

Extending horizontally outwardly from each of the arms 20 is a rod 22 and each of the rods 22 is bent inwardly slightly toward the horizontal rotational axis of the radial arm unit 20 as indicated at 23. It will be seen that the parallel rods 22 which extend outwardly from the radial rods or arms 20 lie at spaced points about a circle whose central axis is the axis of rotation of the bearing 2| about the horizontal elongated crank portion l9.

On the other horizontal crank portion l8 which is pivotally mounted in the bracket H is an L- shaped stop member 24 which is fixed on the crank portion 16 to pivot therewith. As best illustrated in Figure 4, the horizontal portion 24a of the stop member 24 will clear the upper and lower cut away corners l2 and I3 on the rear leg l5 of the bracket H. However, the horizontal stop portion 24a will strike the upper right hand portion of the bracket II as indicated by the dotted line showing in Figure 4, and it will permit swinging of the crank and the stop member counterclockwise, as viewed in Figulre 4', until the horizontal stop portion 24a. strikes the lower right hand comer of the bracket leg l5.

In operation the crank i1 is swung to its upper limit of movement which would be the dotted line position in- Figure 1 and the stop '24 will be in the dotted lineposition of Figure 4. The tube 25 is then slipped on the horizontally disposed parallel rods 22, the inwardly bent ends 23 facilitating the insertion of a tube thereon, it beingcontemplated that the circle described by the parallel portions of the horizontal rods 21 be oi such diameter as to cause the rods 22 to frictionally engage the tube 25 and hold" the time rather a The outer portions of the 1 securely thereon. radial arms 20 serve as a backing against which the tube is pressed and thereby facilitating proper positioning of the tubeon the horizontal rods 22 which with the radial arms 20 constitute the t'ubesupport per se. Thecrank arm i9 is then grasped and swung in a clockwise direction. as viewed in Figure 1', whereupon the tube support will swing downwardly with the crank portion 19 to immerse the lower portion of the tube in the water in the tank 8, as illustrated in the full line position of Figure 1 and also shown in Figure 2. The crank is swung until the horizontal stop portion 24a, assumes the position shown in Figure 4 which is past the rotational center of the crank The'naturalbuoyancy of the inflated tube '25 will cause an upward pressure and in view of the fact that the stop member 24 is over center the tube and its support will be maintained inthe lowered position above mentioned. The operator can inspectlthe tube portionwhich has been initially submerged and'then by rotating the spider made up of the radial arms 20 and the horizontal rods 22. which extend therefrom can bring successive portions of the tubeto a lowermost position beneath the surface'of the water in the pan 8. Consequently, the operator does not have to press downwardly on the tube as is necessary when testing is done entirely by hand, and he can 4 devote his entire attention to inspection of the tube leaving both hands free to brush away bubbles which customarily accumulate when a dry inner'tube is placed in the water." His inspection is, therefore, considerably facilitated and the operator has the use of both hands as well as his eyes in making his inspection.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the formi details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. Inv aninner tube tester for use in conjunction -with a water pan, a supporting standard, a shaft pivotallg carried by said standard above the lower portion thereof and having a crank portion ex- -tending outwardly therefrom to overlie the water pan,a tube engaging and supporting unit rotatab'ly supported on said crank portion and means for selectively retaining said crank portion in raisedjandlowered position above and below the, axis of said shaft.

2,. The structure set forth in claim 1, said means comprising upper and lower stops carried by said standard and in the path of swinging movement of said crank portion.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, said means comprising upper and lower stops in the path of swinging movement of said crank portion,

- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,151,497 Bolte Mar. 21, 1939 2,203,688 Little June 11, 1940

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