Tire repair plug and installation tool

摘要

A plug and installation tool for repairing punctures in vehicle tires mounted on motor vehicles. The plug is a generally cylindrical part made of a rubber material with enlarged end portions and an interconnecting cylindrical shank portion. One of the enlarged end portions is a cylindrical head portion and has a circumferential groove for engaging the insertion tool. The other end portion is a spherical tail portion. In the first aspect of the invention an assembly comprised of the plug and a rigid core disposed on the axis of the plug is mounted on the installation tool, elongated by the tool and inserted in a puncture. In the second aspect of the invention, the rigid core is installed in the plug after the plug is inserted into the puncture. When the plug is installed in a puncture it has a generally "hourglass" shape with sealing surfaces in the puncture and at the inner and outer ends of the puncture. The installation tool is an assembly of a frame and a plunger which slideably engages the frame to elongate and reduce its diameter.