Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Application No. | Application Title | Issue Date |
| 20120125542 | Apparatus, System and Method for Determining a Spatial Location of a Match-Mark Region of Each of a Tire and a Wheel A method is disclosed. The method includes the step of determining a spatial location of a match-mark region of each of a tire and a wheel, wherein at least one of the tire and the wheel does not include a physical match mark formed upon a surface or within a body porti... | 05/24/2012 |
| 20110146077 | Tire and Wheel Mounting System and Method A system for providing at least a partially mounted tire and wheel assembly is disclosed. The system includes the steps of using a prime mover to bring a tire and wheel together and using the primer mover to work on at least one of the tire or the wheel to mount the tir... | 06/23/2011 |
| 20110132491 | Apparatus, Methods, Components, and Systems for Assembling and/or Inflating a Tire-Wheel Assembly An apparatus for processing an un-inflated tire-wheel assembly for forming an inflated tire-wheel assembly is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least a first robotic arm and a second robotic arm forming a pair of robotic arms; an assembling end effecter attached to t... | 06/09/2011 |
| 20110120590 | Inflator Apparatus, System and Method for Utilizing the Same An inflator apparatus for inflating more than one un-inflated tire-wheel assembly is disclosed. The inflator apparatus includes a support structure; an interface portion rotatably-attached to the support structure, wherein the interface portion includes a plurality of i... | 05/26/2011 |
| 20110048650 | Dual Mode End Effector A dual mode end effector is disclosed. The dual mode end effector includes a bridge member having a first end and a second end, wherein the bridge member includes a first substantially axial flange extending from the first and, wherein the bridge member includes a secon... | 03/03/2011 |
| 20110042015 | System for Transporting and Manipulating Tires and Wheels A factory layout including a track circuit, one or more wheeled carts for traversing the track circuit and a tire/wheel assembly carried by the wheeled cart. One or more work stations can be positioned at locations along the track circuit. Various wheeled cart embodimen... | 02/24/2011 |
| 20100263801 | Inflation Work Station An inflation work station for inflating a tire-wheel assembly including a tire mounted to a wheel is disclosed. The inflation work station includes a working device having an end effecter. The end effecter includes a wheel-engaging plunger member, a retaining apparatus ... | 10/21/2010 |
| 20100163189 | System and Method for Mounting a Tire and a Wheel A system for mounting a tire and a wheel is disclosed. The system includes a robotic arm pivotably-connected to an end effector. The system also includes a tire-supporting portion including a support surface and a pair of wheel-engaging and tire-manipulating portions di... | 07/01/2010 |
| 20100147458 | Weight Applicator for a Wheel and Method for Utilizing the Same A weight applicator for a wheel of a tire-wheel assembly is disclosed. The weight applicator includes an arm portion and an applicator portion connected to the arm portion. The applicator includes a radially-extending flange portion. The radially-extending flange portio... | 06/17/2010 |
| 20100101735 | Tire/Wheel Bead Entrapment Remover A tire/wheel bead entrapment remover is disclosed. The tire/wheel bead entrapment remover includes one or more working assemblies having a circumferential perimeter that substantially engages a tire. The one or more working assemblies axially-moves one of a wheel of the... | 04/29/2010 |
| 20100051206 | Robotic Indexing Station A single-cell workstation for processing a tire-wheel assembly including a tire and a wheel is disclosed. The single-cell workstation includes a mounting and indexing sub-station including a first plurality of tire engaging portions including one or more first tire-enga... | 03/04/2010 |
| 20090283221 | Robotic Soaper A single-cell workstation for processing a tire-wheel assembly including a tire and a wheel is disclosed. The single cell workstation includes a soaping sub-station. The soaping sub-station includes a housing defined by a support surface and one or more walls extending ... | 11/19/2009 |
| 20090260765 | Method and Apparatus for Retaining a Wheel A device for retaining a wheel having an inner diameter during an assembly operation of a tire-wheel assembly at a single-cell workstation includes a claw portion that releasably-attaches to the inner diameter of the wheel, including a fixed portion and a rotatable port... | 10/22/2009 |
| 20090084506 | System and Method for Assembling a Tire and a Wheel An apparatus for assembling a tire and a wheel is disclosed. The apparatus includes a single-cell workstation including a device that retains a wheel, and a plurality of sub-stations. The device moves the wheel to each of the plurality of sub-stations, without releasing... | 04/02/2009 |
