Tire-inflation appraisal apparatus

Claim 2

Apparatus for appraising the road engagement pattern of a pneumatic vehicular tire while mounted on a vehicle, comprising: means providing a treadway; a plurality of parallel elongated levers disposed beneath said treadway in alignment therewith; means forming a common axis fulcrum transverse said treadway for said levers, said axis being located proximate the first ends of said levers, a minor fraction of the distance of said axis to the other ends of said levers; an upstanding depressible pin operably associated with each lever first end and extending through and above said treadway; and said treadway, including means providing a window located to permit viewing of the other ends of said levers while a tire is standing on said upstanding pins to permit appraisal of the road engagement patterns of such tire.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 in which the upstanding pins are spring biased upward.

Claim 4

The apparatus according to claim 2 in which each upstanding pin is pivotally coupled to its associated lever first end.

Claim 5

The apparatus according to claim 1 in which the treadway is disposed in spaced relation above a supporting surface, and ramps are provided at each end of the treadway.

Claim 6

Apparatus for appraising the road engagement pattern of the tread of a vehicular tire while mounted on a vehicle, comprising: means for guidingly supporting a plurality of depressible pins disposed in a row transverse the tread of a vehicle tire to be appraised; a first end of each of a series of elongated levers depressibly associated with a lower end of one of said pins; means forming a common transverse fulcrum for said series of elongated levers in spaced relation to their associations with said depressible pins; the other ends of said levers extending oppositely from said transverse fulcrum a distance several times the spacing between said common fulcrum and the lower ends of said buttons; and means providing a window disposed to permit viewing of said other ends of said elongated levers while the road engaging tread of the tire is standing on said plurality of buttons.

Claim 7

Apparatus for appraising the road engagement pattern of the tread of a vehicular tire while mounted on a vehicle, comprising: means for guidingly supporting a plurality of depressible pins disposed in a row transverse the tread of a vehicle tire to be appraised; a first end of each of a series of elongated levers depressibly associated with a lower end of one of said pins; means forming a common transverse fulcrum for said series of elongated levers in spaced relation to their associations with said depressible pins; the other ends of said levers extending oppositely from said transverse fulcrum a distance several times the spacing between said common fulcrum and the lower ends of said buttons; and means providing a window disposed to permit viewing of said other ends of said elongated levers while the road engaging tread of the tire is standing on said plurality of buttons.