Strapping, seal and counterweight device for mounting tire pressure warning system sensors on tire rims

Claim 1

A mounting device for mounting a low tire pressure sensor transmitting means on a selected portion of a tire rim of a vehicle wheel including, a length of steel strapping conforming to the shape of the rim and engageable with a sensor having first and second strap ends; a strip-like metal counterweight having a lengthwise contour different from the curvature of a tire rim on which said sensor is to be mounted properly tensioned by said steel strapping; an elongated strip-like metal strapping seal having a body portion terminating in ears extending from the ends of the body portion, the body portion also terminating at its edges in reversely bent U-shaped seal flanges extending longitudinally of the body portion and laterally toward each other spaced above the body portion to form a seal channel; the seal ears being mounted on the counterweight with the elongated seal extending longitudinally of the strip-like counterweight; the first and second ends of the steel strapping being overlapped in and extending through said seal channel; and the strapping being engaged over and along the counterweight; whereby when the strapping engaged with a sensor is tensioned around a rim and the seal crimped by a strapping and sealing tool, the counterweight is deformed to conform generally with the rim curvature, and the sensor and counterweight are held in predetermined fixed relative positions on the rim within a tire mounted on the rim at all times and at all reasonable wheel speeds.