(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire shield device mounted between the tire and rim which resists penetration of the side wall of the tire by foreign objects such as glass, stones, wire, steel and the like which would otherwise penetrate the side wall. The tire shield device is also constructed and mounted so as to allow a vehicle to be operated at high speed without causing the tire or the shield to overheat or come apart.
(2) Prior Art
The general prior art is shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,811,488 to Duncan; 4,030,530 to Curtiss; 4,111,250 to Bauer; 4,235,271 to Olsen; 4,252,169 to Watts; and 4,319,618 to Suzuki. These patents show various devices for protecting the sidewall of off the road construction tires, none of which are high speed and travel an average of 5 mph. These later patents are more concerned with penetration protection for the sidewall of slow moving construction tires as used in mining, lumbering, scrap yards etc. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,905,674 to Babbs; 1,875,067 to McKey and 2,017,891 to Brigqs show splash guards or skid protectors which are not designed for protecting the sidewall.
Some of the prior art patents are concerned with providing sidewall protection which is integral with the tire. This results in a relatively expensive and heavy tire. In other instances the prior art is concerned with sidewall protectors which bolt to the surface of the rim which supports the tire. When the tire shield is connected to the rim, considerable weight is added to the tire and rim, it is inconvenient and time consuming to mount the shield and the holes in the shield for mounting create failure points for the shield.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,187,797 to Fletcher et al describes a device for deflecting water from aircraft wheels. This device connects between the tire bead and the rim and is designed to extend based upon centrifugal force of the wheel and water pressure from under the tire. The device is not designed to resist penetration of the tire sidewall, since it extends only partially up the sidewall of the tire and it is intended only for aircraft use limited to landings or takeoffs.
The problem with the prior art tire shields is that they can come in contact with the sidewall of the tire in use and abrade the sidewall. Further, there can be a heat buildup between the shield and the tire where the shield is in contact with the sidewall at high speeds. Further still, the prior art shields tend to provide limited resistance to penetration because of their construction. This is why they are used for slow off the road vehicles.
In my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,262,719, 4,263,074, 4,303,114 and 4,347,884, I described a method for forming a tire liner. The method of the present invention is different from the method of these prior applications because of the need to form a disc shaped shield.