KIRITKUMAR ARVINDBHAI PATEL
Medical Practice in Cleveland, OH

4148682, Apr 10, 1979

Jul 5, 1977

5/813153

Marcus H. Collins - Akron OH
Kiritkumar R. Patel - Broadview Heights OH

Eaton Corporation - Cleveland OH

B29H 1716

156416

A fluid expandable drum for building portions of tires in a tire building machine includes an annular supporting drum and an expandable annular tube element having an inner peripheral surface supported on the annular drum. The tube element includes an outer peripheral surface upon which building means is secured for movement therewith. The building means define an annular building surface thereon which is movable in a radial direction toward and away from the annular support drum upon contraction and expansion, respectively, of the tube element. The tube element is expanded to expand the diameter of the building surface to enable a tire portion to be built thereon and retracted to decrease the diameter of the building surface to enable a built tire portion to be removed therefrom. The tube element includes a radial ply extending around the cross-sectional circumference of the tube elements and a radial ply band extending around the outer peripheral surface of the tube element adjacent the building means to increase the strength and resiliency of the outer peripheral surface to enable the building means to decrease the diameter of the building surface upon contraction of the tube element without the need for auxiliary springs.

4148681, Apr 10, 1979

Jul 5, 1977

5/813152

Marcus H. Collins - Akron OH
Kiritkumar R. Patel - Broadview Heights OH

Eaton Corporation - Cleveland OH

B29H 1720

156405R

An expandable carrier apparatus for transferring a tread and a radial tread ply band from a first work station to a further work station in a tire building machine includes an annular support member and a fluid expandable annular tube element having an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion. The lower wall portion of the tube element is movable radially away from the upper wall portion upon expansion of the tube element and is movable radially toward the upper wall portion upon contraction of the tube element. The upper wall portion includes an annular peripheral surface which is bonded along a portion of the width thereof to the support member and the lower wall portion includes an annular outer peripheral surface having a plurality of gripper means disposed in an annular array supported thereon which are operable to engage and grip tread and a radial tread ply band upon expansion of the tube element. A plurality of ply bands are disposed in the lower wall portion of the tube element adjacent the plurality of gripper means to increase the rigidity of the lower wall portion to provide for uniform radial movement of the lower wall portion and gripper means upon expansion of the tube element to effect gripping of a radial tread ply band thereby and to prevent collapse of the tube element upon contraction. The ply bands add strength to the lower wall portion without increasing the stiffness of the side wall portions of the tube element.

4497398, Feb 5, 1985

Oct 7, 1982

6/433333

Kiritkumar R. Patel - North Royalton OH

Eaton Corporation - Cleveland OH

F16D 2504, F16D 4914

192 88B

A brake or clutch having two relatively rotatable members and a hollow fluid-distensible resilient annular tube frictionally engaging one of the members. The tube is split and the ends butted together. And at the butt ends of the tube means are provided for increasing the durability and life of the tube.

4190136, Feb 26, 1980

Nov 13, 1978

5/959972

Marcus H. Collins - Akron OH
Kiritkumar R. Patel - North Royalton OH

Eaton Corporation - Cleveland OH

F16D 4914

188367

A coupling includes a rim assembly, a drum assembly rotatable relative to the rim assembly about an axis of rotation, a pneumatically expandable tube having an exterior surface attached to the rim assembly, a plurality of spaced apart lugs disposed on the exterior surface of the tube element and a plurality of shoe members each of which includes first and second spaced apart parallel surfaces. Each of the shoe members includes means on the first surface thereof which is connectable with one of the lugs on the tube element to support the first surface of the shoe member contiguous to the exterior surface of the tube member. The shoe members includes a plurality of friction pads attached thereto which are movable in a radial direction between a first position in which the friction pads engage with the drum assembly to couple the rim and drum assemblies upon expansion of the tube element and a second position in which the friction pads are spaced apart from the drum assembly to permit relative rotation between the drum and rim assemblies. A plurality of projections are disposed on the first surface of each of the shoe members. The projections are disposed substantially parallel to the axis of rotation and each has a length which is at least 80% of the width of the shoe member when taken parallel to the axis of rotation.