| US4646932A | 1987-03-03 | |||
| US4741446A | 1988-05-03 | |||
| US4363420A | 1982-12-14 |
| 1. | A seal plate adapted to seal an opening in a vehicle tire to form an openended container, comprising: a flexible, planar discshaped seal plate; an upper protrusion extending circumfcrenlially outwardly from an outer edge of the seal plate; a lower protrusion spaced below said upper protrusion and extending circumferentially outwardly from the outer edge of the seal plate; a notch formed between said upper protrusion and said lower protrusion, said notch being adapted to receive a bead of a vehicle tire such that the upper protrusion flexibly scalingly engages a first wall of the tire and the lower protrusion flexibly sealingly engages a second wall of the tire to create a seal between the seal plate and the tire and provide a continuous bottom surface for the container. |
| 2. | A seal plate according to claim 1 wherein said notch is complimentary in size to said bead of said tire such that said bead must be flexibly snapped into said notch, said bead overcoming an interference fit with the notch so that the bead is trapped within said notch and cannot be easily removed after insertion into said notch. |
| 3. | A seal plate according to claim 1 wherein said first wall of the tire forms an inside wall of the container and said second wall of the tire forms an outside wall of the container, the container being inverted prior to inserting the bead into the notch of the seal plate, the inverted tire having a greater axial depth than a similar noninverted tire for holding a greater amount of contents. |
| 4. | A seal plate according to claim 1 wherein said seal plate forms a base of the container, said base being oriented generally horizontally to provide a support surface for the container; said open end of the container facing generally upwardly so that contents can be place into and removed from the container through the open end. |
| 5. | A seal plate according to claim 1 wherein the lower and upper protrusions are flexible, said upper and lower protrusions being adapted to flexibly receive said bead of said tire for sealing between said first wall and said second wall of said tire and said seal plate. |
| 6. | A seal plate according to claim 1, further comprising: a water sealant adapted to be positioned between said upper protrusion and said first wall of said tire to create a watertight seal between the tire and the seal plate. |
| 7. | A seal plate according to claim 1 wherein the seal plate and the tire are made of rubber, the water sealant being a vulcanizing agent to adhere the seal plate to the tire and create said watertight seal. |
| 8. | A seal plate adapted to seal an opening in a vehicle tire to form an openended container, comprising: a flexible, planar discshaped seal plate; a flexible circumferential edge extending radially outwardly from the seal plate; a notch defined by said circumferential edge, said notch being adapted to flexibly receive a bead of a vehicle tire such that the bead is forcibly surrounded by said notch to create a seal between the seal plate and the tire and provide a continuous bottom surface for the container. |
| 9. | A seal plate according to claim 8, further comprising: a water sealant adapted to be positioned between said notch and said bead to create a watertight seal between the tire and the seal plate. |
| 10. | A seal plate according to claim 9 wherein the seal plate and the tire are made of rubber, the water sealant being a vulcanizing agent to adhere the seal plate to the tire and form said watertight seal. |
| 11. | An openended container for holding contents, comprising: a tire having an opening; a bead formed along an edge of said opening; a flexible, planar discshaped seal plate; a first protrusion and a second protrusion, said first and second protrusions being flexible and extending circumferentially radially outwardly from the seal plate; a notch defined by said first and second protrusions, said notch being flexible and complimentary in size to said bead such that said bead is snapped into said notch and securely held within said notch, said first protrusion flexibly sealingly engaging a first wall of the tire and said second protrusion flexibly sealingly engaging a second wall of the tire and form a seal between said seal plate and said tire to provide a continuous bottom surface for the container, said first wall of the tire forming an inside wall of the container and said second wall of the tire forming an outside wall of the container. |
| 12. | A container according to claim 11 wherein the tire is inverted such that the inverted tire has a greater axial depth than a similar noninverted tire in order to hold a greater amount of contents. |
| 13. | A container according to claim 11, further comprising: a water sealant positioned between said first protrusion and said first wall of said tire to form a watertight seal between the tire and the seal plate. |
| 14. | A container according to claim 13 wherein the seal plate and the tire are made of rubber, the water sealant being a vulcanizing agent to adhere the seal plate to the tire to form said watertight seal. |
| 15. | A container according to claim 11 wherein said first protrusion is oriented above said second protrusion and said planar seal plate is oriented in a horizontal position to provide a support base for supporting the container on a support surface, only the planar seal plate being positioned between the inside of the container and the support surface. |
Background of the Invention This invention relates to a container and a seal plate incorporated into a container.
There is a problem in disposing of used tires. There has also been a longstanding need to provide a suitable container for feeding and watering livestock that will withstand the hostile environment of the outdoors. Virtually all prior known containers for livestock feeding and watering are made, at least in part, of materials subject to corrosion or damage from livestock.
The present invention is intended to make use of old tires by converting such tires into useful containers. The container of the present invention may be used, for example, for feeding or watering livestock. Since the tire and the seal plate are constructed entirely of rubber, the resulting container is virtually indestructible. The combined tire and seal plate are also capable of withstanding weathering and corrosion from the elements placed inside the container. Further, since the entire construction is made of flexible, pliable rubber, the container will not be damaged from common occurrences such as kicking, stepping on, standing in, stomping, or hoofing by livestock animals.
Further, when the vehicle tire is turned inside out (i.e., inverted), the tire is converted into a container having a greater axial depth as compared to a tire that has not been turned inside out. Such an inverted tire is capable of holding more contents as compared to a noninverted tire.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention involves a container formed by a used tire and a seal plate which is inserted in the wheel opening of the tire. The entire seal plate is molded and made of rubber, and therefore is completely flexible. The seal plate has a formed circumferential edge which snaps into place around the bead of the tire. A sealant, such as a cold vulcanizing agent, may be used to bond the circumferential edge of the seal plate to the tire to form a water tight container.
More specifically, the container is preferably an inverted rubber vehicle tire having a wheel opening in combination with a disc shaped seal plate. The seal plate has a circumferential edge formed with an upper protrusion and a lower protrusion. A notch is formed between the upper protrusion and the lower protrusion. When installing the seal plate into a tire, the size of the seal plate and the notch require a bead of the vehicle tire to be forced into the notch. An interference fit forcibly traps the bead inside the notch. In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle tire is turned inside out or inverted before installation of the disc plate on the tire. Additionally, a water sealant may be used to bond the periphery of seal plate to the bead of the tire to form a unitary container made entirely of rubber. This construction serves to prevent water or other liquid from leaking past the area where the seal plate engages the bead of the tire.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an inverted used tire with the seal plate installed according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a top view of the device shown in Fig. 1 ; and
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.
Best Modes for Carrying Out the Invention As shown in Fig. 1, container 10 is shown constructed of a used rubber vehicle tire 12 which has been turned inside out and a disc-shaped seal plate 14. In a preferred embodiment, the seal plate 14 is formed of rubber material. The rubber-to-rubber connection of the seal plate and the tire has several advantages. As discussed above, the container will not be damaged from livestock abuse, adverse weather conditions, or materials inside the container. Since the seal plate and tire are both made of rubber, they will expand and contract with changing temperatures at a similar rate as compared to materials of different types, thus maintaining an effective seal.
Referring to Fig. 3, the seal plate 14 includes a circumferential edge having an upper protrusion 16 and a lower protrusion 18. A notch 20 is formed between these two protrusions. Since the seal plate is molded out of rubber, the notch 20 can be molded to precisely conform to a particular tire bead. Notch 20 is sized to receive a bead of the inverted tire with the upper protrusion 16 lying along the wall of the tire on the inside of the container 10 and the lower protrusion 18 lying on the wall of the tire outside the container 10. When the bead is snapped into the notch, the upper and lower protrusions flexibly sealingly engage the respective outside and inside walls of the tire to create a seal between the seal plate and the tire. The upper protrusion acts in combination with the weight of any contents inside the tire to enhance the seal between the seal plate and the tire.
The seal plate 14 is sized to be snapped into place in the wheel opening of the used tire, thereby trapping the bead of the tire within the notch so that the seal plate is not easily removed once it is inserted. The seal plate 14 provides the entire base which engages a support surface (e.g., the ground) for supporting the container.
In a preferred embodiment, a sealant such as a cold vulcanizing agent 22 is used to adhere the seal plate 14 to the tire 12. In one embodiment, the vulcanizing agent may be applied to the upper protrusion 16 to the wall of the tire to effect the seal so that the container may be used for holding water or other liquids. The groove 20 provides over 180° of area for bonding between the seal plate and the tire.
While the fundamental novel features of the invention have been shown and described, it should be understood that various substitutions, modifications and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, all such modifications or variations are included in the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.