A process and device for inflating a tire by forming, within an enclosure in which there are enclosed the rim and the beads of the tire, an inflation orifice between a first seat of the rim and a first bead, then introducing compressed air into said orifice and closing it such that the tire is inflated and mounted hermetically on the rim. Before forming this orifice, the first bead of the tire is located axially to the outside of the first seat and the second bead is mounted hermetically on the second seat, then, to form the orifice, points on the first bead are pressed. The device for implementing the process includes a bell formed of a fixed part and a mobile part intended to slide relative thereto to tightly surround the tire on the rim for its inflation, and including, within the bell, a finger for pressing at points on said bead.

A method and apparatus for bead seating a tubeless tire onto a rim. Air stored in a portable tank is released as a single pneumatic pulse having an extremely fast rise time. This is accomplished using a charging reservoir having a fill/quick-release port, an inlet and an outlet. A piston divides the charging reservoir into two sections, a control section containing the fill/quick-release port and an outlet section containing the inlet and the outlet. The portable tank is connected to the inlet of the outlet section. Air that is introduced into the fill/quick-release port fills the control section of the charging reservoir. Since the piston is a loose fit, air is able to slowly leak past the piston and fill the outlet section of the charging reservoir and the portable tank that is connected to the inlet. The pressure differential across the piston keeps the piston tightly against the outlet, holding the pressurized air in the outlet section and the portable tank. Once the pressurized air in the quick-release section is released, the pressure differential is reversed and the piston is propelled away from the outlet, thereby explosively releasing the air from outlet section and the connected portable tank as a single pneumatic pulse. The pneumatic pulse is directed between the rim of the wheel and the bead of the tire by a unique nozzle to seat the bead of the tire.

A portable device for seating the beads of a tubeless tire and rim assembly, the device including an air tank containing pressurized air, the air tank being mounted substantially within a bracket, the bracket having a surface for supportably receiving the tire and rim assembly, and a means for directing the pressurized air between a bead of the tire and the rim.

A pneumatic tire sealing device that seals the beads of a tire to a wheel rim preferably includes a split nozzle that directs pressurized air in two diverging directions such that when the split nozzle is inserted between a tubeless pneumatic tire and a wheel rim, the air exiting through the split nozzle will travel in opposite directions around the wheel rim and within the tire. The tire sealing device also can include a locking mechanism by which the tire sealing device is safely and securely locked to the wheel rim during the sealing process. This prevents the tire sealing device from being propelled away from the wheel (and vice versa) when a burst of pressurized air is discharged through the nozzle. The locking mechanism can be used with tire sealing devices that include standard nozzles as well as those having a split nozzle. Other safety features also are disclosed.

A portable device for seating the beads of a tubeless tire and rim assembly, the device including an air tank containing pressurized air, the air tank being mounted substantially within a bracket, the bracket having a surface for supportably receiving the tire and rim assembly, a means for directing the pressurized air between a bead of the tire and the rim, and a positioning member which selectively stores the means for directing the pressurized air between a bead of the tire and the rim during seating.