Cured applique or label with protective film on arcuate sidewall or tread of pneumatic tire

Inactive Publication Date: 2006-01-26
THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0031] A cured pale rubber applique, from about 0.1 mm to 1 mm thick, containing sufficient pale-colored particulate pigment such as titanium dioxide or other inorganic compounds to minimize staining of the applique by contaminants from the rubber or a vulcanizable adhesive securing the applique to black rubber, remains flexible enough, and allows itself to be non-removably embedded in a cured black rubber article, in particular a pneumatic tire, and vulcanized into either the sidewall, or, the tread. When the applique is secured to the green tire, its virgin upper surface is vertically spaced apart from the immediately surrounding rubber; the virgin surface is protected by a flexible synthetic resinous polymeric film which may be a self-supporting polyamide film from about 10 μm to less than 50 μm (2 mils, 0.002″) thick, or a non-self-supporting polyurethane film from about 5 μm to less than 25.4 μm, 0.0254 mm (1 mil, 0.001″); the protective film remains adhered to the surface of the applique even after the cured tire is removed from the mold in more than 95% of all tires; both the cured applique and the protective film are thermally stable; the applique is also dynamically stable so that when a bar code is provided in the virgin surface, the bar code may be successfully read through the protective film which has been heated to curing temperature, typically about 150° C. By “dynamically stable” is meant that the cured applique expands less than about 10% during curing of the tire.

Problems solved by technology

Thicker labels tend to crack, resulting in errors when reading the bar code.

Method used

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  • Cured applique or label with protective film on arcuate sidewall or tread of pneumatic tire
  • Cured applique or label with protective film on arcuate sidewall or tread of pneumatic tire

Examples

Experimental program
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Effect test

Embodiment Construction

[0040] Before an applique, filled with titanium dioxide pigment to provide maximum contrast with the black rubber of the tire, is secured to the tire it is essentially fully cured, that is, at least 80% crosslinked throughout, as determined by a Mooney cure meter. The applique containing up to 50% titanium dioxide pigment is formed from predominantly natural rubber (cis-polyisoprene), preferably more than 75% natural rubber, to ensure that upon curing it has a modulus substantially matched to that of the rubber in which it is embedded, so that it is biaxially extensible at least 10% in each direction. Such extensibility fails to interfere with the accuracy of the reading of the bar code. If a bar code label, it is imprinted with a bar code before the label is cured.

[0041] The upper surface of the label is coated with a light-permeable polyamide film having an area greater than the label, self-adhered to the label's surface. The lower surface of the label is coated with a vulcanizab...

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Abstract

An applique having a vulcanizable adhesive layer is co-cured on a rubber article by precuring the applique of predominantly pale natural rubber optionally imprinted with a bar code; coating the upper surface of the applique with a protective self-supporting film of polyamide less than 0.050 mm (2 mils) thick, or a non-self-supporting film of polyurethane less than 25.4 μm, 0.0254 mm (1 mil) thick; adhering the applique to the article at a chosen location; curing the article in a curing mold; and, removing a cured article from the mold with the protective film adhering to the surface of the applique, the surface of which is essentially free from visually observable cracks. The hot flow of rubber in the curing mold does not substantially change the location of the applique which is embedded in the article. If the film does not remain adhered to a cured tire and drops into the mold, it is difficult to retrieve and, when a subsequent article is cured in the same mold, results in a scrap tire.

Description

FIELD [0001] This invention relates to a rubber applique such as a decorative design, identifying label or machine readable bar code on a label (“bar code label”), non-removably incorporated into either the exterior arcuate convex surface of a rubber sidewall of a pneumatic tire with a tread having a road-contacting surface of lugs and valleys, or in the tread's “footprint”, which tire is removed from a curing mold with a protective film firmly adhered to the surface of the applique. The applique is substantially laminar and pale in color, the pale color being visually distinct from and in contrast to black, which is the usual color of the tire's sidewall and tread. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Sidewalls of tires are routinely marked for a variety of reasons among which are identification of the manufacturer and brand of the tire with a distinctive “logo”, optionally printed with a bar code, or a bar code label, each of which is a relatively small laminar piece of rubber havin...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): B29D30/06B29D30/00B60C11/00B60C13/00G09F3/02G09F3/04
CPCB29C2037/80B29D2030/726G09F3/04B60C13/001G09F3/0297B29L2031/744
InventorMAJUMDAR, RAMENDRA NATHLUKICH, LEWIS TIMOTHYTIPTON, MARVIN WAYNE
OwnerTHE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO