Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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¦¦ BACKGROUND OF THE INVE:NTION
The present invention relates to tire traction devices and
more particularly to such a device adapted to be removably
l¦attached to a vehicle tire by members which repose within the
I j circumferentially extending tread grooves of the tire. ',
Tire traction devices for improving the traction of vehicle
¦ tires on wet and/or snow or ice covered roads have of course
¦ been known heretofore. Conventionally such devices have taken
the form of chains. As is commonly known, the mounting of such
¦ chains on the tires of a vehicle is time consuming and lre- ¦
I quently requires the attendance of more than one personD In use
I ¦ the chains tend to be noisy and often strike the fenders or tail
pipe of the vehic'e so as to cause damage to such parts. The
¦¦anti-skid chains employed heretofore were also often deficient
¦ in respect of their capacity to inhibit lateral or side skid- 'I
¦ ding. Further, the chains generally resulted in excessive wear
on the tires including the side walls of the tires.
In an attempt to obviate certain of the disadvantages of
chains a tire encircling track was developed and United States
¦ Patent 3,675,701 issued July 11, 1972 to George E. Garrison on
such a device. The Garrison device is in the nature of an over-
tire and includes a pair of flexible molded rims and traction
bars connected transversely therebetween. The rims and bars are
adapted to overlie the tread of a tire. Connector means must be
employed to secure the ends of the rims once the device is posi-
tioned upon the tire. The device is rather complex and, while
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avoiding certain of the disadvantages of chains, is relatively 'i
expensive and still requires a mounting procedure similar to the
conventional chain anti-skid device. United States Paten~s
¦2,952,290 and 3,043,356 issued September 13, 1960 and July 10,
¦il962 respectively to M. S. Gaspardo and to K. W. Mayhercy dis-
¦lclose tire traction devices which include elements adapted for
¦disposition within the circumferentially extending tread
grooves; however such devices also must be mounted on the tire
¦in the manner of a chain and require locking elements to connect
¦¦the ends of the device. The constructions of Gaspardo and
l Mayhercy are also both rather complex and reLatively expensive.
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I SI~MMARY OF THE INVENTION
..
It is one object of the invention to provide a tire trac-
tion device of simple construction which can be mass-produced
for marketing at relatively low cost.
It is another object of the invention to provide a tire
traction device which can easily be mounted upon and removed
from a vehicle tire without the need for any tools or special
e~uipment. ¦ -
It is still another obj ct of the invention to provide a
tixe traction device which is not unduly noisy in use and which
will not strike the adjacent parts of the vehicle to cause
I damage thereto. ¦ ;
¦ It is yet another object of the invention to provide a tire
traction device which affords resistance against lateral or side
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skldding~ . . .
Other ob~:ects and advantages of the invention will become
readily apparent from the. following description of the invention..
According to the present invention there is provided a tire
traction device .comprising at least two continuous circumferen-
tially extending tread groove bead members adapted to nest
with n corresponding circumferential tread grooves of a vehicle
tire; a plurality of circumferentially spaced transverse trac-
tion elements integrally. connected to the ~ead members; the
traction elements being configured and dimensioned.to o.verlie
the tread.of the tire and to pro~ect outwardly therefrom.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more .~ully comprehended
.it will now be .described, by way of example, with reference to
the ~ccompanying drawings, in which: .
Figure 1 is a perspective. view of a vehicle tire having an
anti-skid or traction device embodying the .features of the ln-
. vention mounted thereon;
Figure.2.is a partial perspective. view. of the tire traction
..device of Figure 1 removed from the tire;
Figure.3 is a top plan view of a segment of the tire trac~
. tion device shown in Figure 2; and
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tire traction de-
. vice of the invention mounted on the tire illustrated in Figure
1 taken along line 4-4 thereof.
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' DETAILRD DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referrlng to.the: drawings, there is shown generally as
indicated by reference numeral 10,. a tire traction device which
is made o~ a synthetic pla~tics material. Nylon is a preferred
material since it is easily..formed into.the :desired configura- '
. tion, such as by' molding or extrusion, is relativeIy indestruct- .
ible and posses.ses some 'resiliency which latter charac.teristic
. facilitates.mounting of the: device on a vehicle tire 12
. . The' traction device.. comprises at :least two.. continuous cir-
..cumferentially extending tread groove bead members 14. Such ' I
. bead members are desirably given a.round cross-sectional con- !
figuration; howe.ver, the particular shape is not critical and a
. sauare configuration may be. employed with simila.r effectiveness: .
.: The beads are dimensioned to fit within the: circumferential
. ~ . tread groov'es 16 of a vehi'cle ti.re. Since .the'be'ads have a pre- !
. determined circumference .they aré .designed.to be mounted upon a
. tire having a specif.ic size. Furthe'r~ although the :device
shown in the' drawings is pr.ovided wi:th two be.ads it will be
. . understood that .the invention also cont'emplates the :formation Of !
. the' devi.ce wi.th:three or'e.ven four of such :beads if there are
. tires available with 'tread patterns presenting a sufficient
; number of tread grooves to accommodate 'the beads. Howe.ver, with ¦
. tires having four tread grooves it is possible .to. utilize a pair
.. . of traction devices. each having a pair of bead members.
The .device 'also includes a plurality of circurllferentially
spaced transverse traction elements 18. Such elements are
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. ," for~ed integrally with bead members 14 and are thus connectsd
. . therewith, The transverse traction eIements are adapted to over-
: lie the 'tread 20,of .the tlre to afford the' intended enhancement
: . of the tire traction. To afford maximum gripping of the -road-
: way by.such'traction elements.they are given a triangular cross- ~,
: æectional configuration. Other non-planar surfaces may also be
. used; hbwever, such other. configurations should be .selected as
will protrude outwardly, from the' base :~f the tire tread.
In its.preferred, form the traction device includes a cir-
. cumferentially. extendirg traction element 22 positioned between
..the'.tread groove bead members 14. This circumferential trac~ion !
. el'ement may be given the' same cross-sectional configuration as
. . that of the transverse traction'elements. . As can be 'seen most
clearly. from Figure.3, one erd of each of the trar.sverse trac-
. ti.on elements. is..connected to.'one of the bead members and the
. other. end is.connected to the. circumferential traction element.
,~ .. The::transverse 'traction e.lements are preferably arranged between !
..the bead members in a herringbone pattern.
It will.be 'appreciated that the dev.ice is constructed in
. . various sizes so as.to be: mounted upon tires having a predeter-
. ' mined range 'of sizes:. In order to' mount .the':device 'on a t-ire
:, .. the' tire is deflated and the device expanded.to fit .over the
. tire. Once the tire is surmounted by the 'device the' bead mem-
.bers are .positioned within the'.corresponding tread grooves and
. the' tire is inflated to loc'ate the bead members securely there-
within for use.' The resiliency of the material from which the
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device is formed serves to facilitate expansi-on cf the device
over the' tire'during the' mountlng procedure.:
: It will be' recognized that since 'the. entire .dev.ice' may be
, formed in a single molding step' or may be made by. extruding the
. circumferential beads and traction element, and by. fus1r.g such
,. components to the' transverse traction'elements, mass production !
. techniques may be. utilized to 'advantage. llhi's leads to a reduc- !
. tion'in fabr.ication costs and enables the marketing of the de-
.' vice at generally lower prices than previously available anti-
¦ ~kid dev es.
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