Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02355628 2003-09-03
COLLAPSIBLE TIRE STAND
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the general field of storage accessories and
is
particularly concerned with a tire stand.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are many situations where it may be desirable to store tires in a
generally
upright configuration. One of such situations relates to the displaying of
tires for retail
sales or the like. Another situation is commonly seen during the changing of
tires of
trucks and cars where it is sometimes desirable to secure the tire in a
proximate and
upright relationship with the car so as to facilitate and expedite the tire
changing
operation.
Still another common situation where it may be desirable to secure the tire in
a
generally upright configuration, relates to the general storage of tires
between
seasons. Indeed, in most areas where seasons bring about different driving
conditions, such as in North America, where so-called winter tires are used
during the
winter to provide a better grip on snow and ice and so-called summer tires are
used
the remainder of the year.
It is often desirable to store the off seasons tires in such a manner that
they occupy
CA 02355628 2003-09-03
2
minimal storage space. Regardless of the reason why the tire must be supported
in a
generally upright condition away from the vehicle, it is also desirable that
the tire be
adequately supported so as to reduce the risk of deforming or otherwise
damaging
the tire.
The prior art offers some examples of structures adapted to secure a tire in a
generally upright position. In general, prior art developments with respect to
such
structures have taken two somewhat different approaches. One approach is
represented by stands which generally grasp a tire or other such article
proximate a
lower portion thereof such as to provide a support proximate a seating surface
for the
article to be supported.
Stands of this type however suffer from numerous drawbacks including the fact
that
they are generally not amenable to the display of articles of different sizes.
Furthermore, the gripping of a tire or other toroidal objects solely about a
lower
portion when in a generally upright position, tends to provide a decided lack
of
stability. The other approach to the supporting of generally toroidal articles
has been
to suspend them in some manner about a hook or other retaining device which is
in
some manner positioned a distance above a floor or other seating surface.
Stand of
this type have generally exhibited a number of problems in commercial
applications.
In order to withstand the weight of certain types of toroidal articles, these
stands have
often employed relatively massive structures which prove to be structurally
cumbersome. In addition, many of these devices are not capable of being
collapsed
CA 02355628 2003-09-03
3
or at least collapsing to an essentially planar form such that temporary
storage or
transposition become significant problems.
In other instances, this type of device has proven to be somewhat unstable due
to the
characteristics of the materials employed in the construction or because of
the
inherent structure of the device.
Accordingly, the various prior approaches to stands for the suspension of
generally
toroidal article has not produced a device which has achieved broad commercial
acceptance. Hence, there exists a need for an improved toroidal article stand.
Advantages of the present invention include the fact that the proposed stand
is
specifically adapted to support a tire or other toroidal articles in a
generally upright
position away from a ground surface. The proposed stand is specifically
designed so
as to support the tire in such a manner as to reduce the risk of altering or
damaging
the said tire.
Furthermore, the proposed stand is designed so as to be relatively stable even
when
the tire is mounted thereon. The proposed stand is further designed so as to
be
collapsible when not in use, thus reducing the need for storage space.
Still further, the proposed stand is particularly well suited to store a pair
of tires in an
overlying relationship relative to each other thus making better use of
storage space.
CA 02355628 2003-09-03
4
The proposed stand is designed to allow for ergonomic installation and
retrieval of the
tires into and out of the stand. Furthermore, the proposed stand is
specifically
designed to be manufacturable using conventional components and conventional
forms of manufacturing in order to provide a toroidal object stand which will
be
economical feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An embodiment of the present invention will now be disclosed, by way of
example, in
reference to the following drawings, in which:
FIG. 1: in an elevational view, illustrates a tire stand in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention, the tire stand being shown in an
operational
configuration.
FIG. 2: in an elevational view, illustrates a tire stand in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention, the tire stand being shown in a collapsed
configuration.
FIG. 3: in a side view, illustrates a tire stand in accordance with an
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 4: in a side view, illustrates a tire stand as shown in FIG. 3 with a
pair of
~nventional tires mounted thereon.
CA 02355628 2003-09-03
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
5 FIG. 1: A tire stand 1 has a collapsible frame 2 and said frame 2 is
preferably made
up of a pair of U-shaped members 3 each comprised of a base segment 4 and
toward each ends of the said base segment 4 extends supporting members 5, 5'
extending perpendicularity therefrom. The U-shaped members 3 are mounted so as
to be laterally offset relative to each other and, thus, one of the supporting
members
5' is inwardly laterally offset relative to the longitudinal end of the base
segment 4 so
as to accommodate the adjacent supporting segment 5 of the U-shaped member 3.
Moreover, the U-shaped members 3 are pivotally attached together by a pair of
hinge
means 6 taken from the group comprised of but not limited to rivets, screws,
bolts or
any other suitable means extending transversally though adjacent supporting
segments 5, 5'. The hinge means 6 allows the U-shaped members 3 to pivot
between
their operational extended configuration as shown here and the collapsed
configuration shown in FIG. 2. To limit the movement of the U-shaped members 3
to
a predetermined extended configuration, a limiting means 7 is taken from the
group
comprising but not limited to flexible strip, band or wire extending between
opposed
base segments 4.
FIG. 3: Nesting strips 8 are pivotally mounted behnreen the supporting
segments 5, 5'
of the U-shaped members 3 at predetermined Locations. The nesting strips 8 are
typically configured, sized and positioned so as to be able to receive and
support a
conventional pneumatic tire. Typically, although by no means exclusively, the
nesting
CA 02355628 2003-09-03
6
strips 8 are made out of a suitable polymeric resin such as nylon. The nesting
strips 8
are pivotally attached to the supporting segments 5, 5' by a suitable
pivotable
attachment means 9 taken from the group comprised of but not limited to pins,
rivets,
nuts or screws.
FIG. 4: The pivotal mounting of the nesting strips 9 allow the stand 1 to
accommodate
tires 10 of various diameters while the flexible nature of the nesting strips
9 allows the
said stand 1 to accommodate tires 10 of various widths. Preferably, the
nesting strips
9 are positioned in pair, one pair being located adjacent the distal tip of
the
supporting members 5, 5' while a second pair is positioned in a spaced
relationship
proximal to the base segment 4 to allow the tire 10 mounted thereon to remain
in a
spaced relationship relative to the ground surtace. Preferably, the hinge
means 6 is
located substantially intermediate the first and second nesting strips 8. In
order to
provide for a symmetrical support of the tires 10, in view of the lateral
offsetting
befinreen the U-shaped members 3, spacing segments 11 are preferably mounted
in a
generally perpendicular relationship relative to the supporting members 5, 5'
in order
to compenate for the lateral offsetting.
25
