Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02357374 2001-10-12
SAFETY WHEEL
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a safety wheel in which an auxiliary
tire is arranged to be supported adjacent a pneumatic tire of a vehicle and
more
particularly to an auxiliary tire which has an outer diameter which is less
than the
outer diameter of the pneumatic tire.
BACKGROUND
Flat tires as a result of punctures or blowouts in the wheels of vehicles
are a common problem which typically require that an individual change the
tire in
order to continue operation of the vehicle. In order to provide continued
operation of
a vehicle having a flat tire without requiring immediate replacement of the
tire, the
use of an auxiliary tire secured to an existing tire of the vehicle is known
for
supporting a vehicle on the auxiliary tire when the existing tire is deflated.
Examples of auxiliary tires are found in United States patents
5,551,762 to Roopngam, 4,666,216 to Smith, 3,866,978 to Fine, 2,617,689 to
Oliveri
and 1,992,078 to Ludwick. None of the above noted patents however provides an
auxiliary wheel which can be permanently mounted on the vehicle without
requiring
modification to the existing wheel rim of the vehicle.
SUMMARY
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
safety wheel for securement to a wheel hub of a vehicle having a plurality of
threaded lugs protruding therefrom, the safety wheel comprising:
a wheel rim arranged for securement to the threaded lugs, the wheel
rim having a first annular portion and a second annular portion formed
integrally
thereon and an annular rim flange protruding radially outward from a periphery
of the
wheel rim between the first and second annular portions;
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a first tire arranged to be mounted about the first annular portion of the
wheel rim, the first tire comprising a pneumatic tire arranged to be filled
with air; and
a second tire arranged to be mounted about the second annular
portion of the wheel rim, the second tire having an outer diameter which is
less than
an outer diameter of the first tire.
The wheel rim supporting both the first and second tires thereon
readily replaces the existing wheels of the vehicle by mounting onto the
existing lugs
of the wheel hub. The second tire thus remains ready for use at all times
without
requiring an additional wheel rim to be mounted on the vehicle once a flat
tire has
occurred.
The second tire may include a plurality of studs mounted
circumferentially spaced about an outer periphery thereof. The studs being
located
on the tire of lesser diameter ensures that the studs only engage the ground
when
the larger tire is deflated so as to permit selective use of the studs without
requiring
tires on the vehicle to be replaced by simply adjusting the amount of air in
the larger
tires on the vehicle.
The second tire is preferably a non-deflatable tire being formed of solid
rubber.
The first annular portion may be located adjacent an outer side of the
wheel rim with the second annular portion being located adjacent an inner side
of
the wheel rim.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided
a safety wheel for securement to an existing wheel of a vehicle having an
existing
tire supported on an existing wheel rim which is arranged to be secured to a
plurality
of threaded lugs protruding from an existing wheel hub of the vehicle, the
safety
wheel comprising:
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an auxiliary wheel rim arranged to be supported adjacent an outer side
of the existing wheel rim;
an auxiliary tire supported on the auxiliary wheel rim, the auxiliary tire
having an outer diameter which is less than an outer diameter of the existing
tire;
and
a plurality of extension lug nuts each having a respective first end
which is arranged to be secured to a respective one of the threaded lugs on
the
existing wheel hub for securing the existing wheel rim to the existing hub;
the plurality of extension lug nuts each having a respective second end
1 C) which is arranged to support the auxiliary wheel rim thereon such that
the auxiliary
wheel rim is axially aligned with the existing wheel rim adjacent the outer
side
thereof.
The use of extension lug nuts arranged to mount the auxiliary rim and
tire on an existing wheel rim enables the safety wheel to be readily mounted
on an
1 ~i existing vehicle wheel without modification to the existing wheel rim
while enabling
the safety wheel to remain secured to the existing wheel at all times.
The auxiliary wheel rim preferably includes a plurality of mounting
apertures therein in alignment with the respective threaded lugs on the
existing
wheel hub.
2C~ There may be provided a plurality of mounting bolts arranged to be
received through the respective mounting apertures wherein the second ends of
the
respective extension lug nuts are preferably arranged to threadably receive
the
respective mounting bolts therein.
The auxiliary tire is preferably a non-deflatable tire being formed of
25 solid rubber.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary
embodiments of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a sectional elevational view of a first embodiment of the
safety wheel.
Figure 2 is a side elevational view along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevational view of a second embodiment of the
safety wheel.
Figure 4 is a sides elevational view along the line 4-4 of Figure 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a safety
wheel generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The safety wheel 10 is
arranged
to be supported on the existing wheel hub 12 of a vehicle to reduce the
nuisance
and possible danger associated with the occurrence of flat tires. The existing
wheel
1 ~i hub 12 is of the type having threaded lugs 14 protruding outwardly
therefrom in an
axial direction of the hub at circumferencially spaced locations about the
hub.
Referring initially to Figures 1 and 2 a first embodiment of the safety
wheel 10 is illustrated. The first embodiment of the safety wheel 10 includes
a
safety rim 16 which is arranged to replace the existing wheel rim of the
vehicle. The
safety rim 16 generally comprises a cylindrical collar 18 extending about a
periphery
of the rim. The collar 18 includes an inner rim flange 20 which is generally
annular
so as to project radially outwardly from the collar 18.
The inner rim flange 20 is positioned intermediate the ends of the collar
18 so as to divide the collar into a first annular portion 22 and a second
annular
2~i portion 24. The first annular portion 22 is bound at an outer side by a
first outer rim
flange 26 at an outer end of the collar 18 while the second annular portion 24
is
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bound at an outer side by a second outer rim flange 28 located at an inner end
of the
collar 18.
A web 30 is arranged to span the interior of the collar 18
perpendicularly to an axis of the collar. The web 30 includes a plurality of
mounting
apertures 32 therein which are circumferencially spaced about an axis of the
collar
18 in alignment with the threaded lugs 14 on the hub of the vehicle. The
safety rim
16 is secured to the hub 12 using conventional lug nuts 34 secured to the lugs
14
which extend through the mounting apertures 32 in the web 30 of the safety rim
16.
The safety rim 16 includes a first tire 36 in the form of a conventional
pneumatic tire which mounts on an outer side of the rim within the first
annular
portion 22. The first tire 36 is arranged to fit snugly between the first
outer rim flange
26 and the inner rim flange 20.
A second tire 38 is provided which is arranged to be secured about the
second annular portion 24 at an inner end of the safety rim 16. The second
tire 38 is
1;i arranged to fit snugly between the inner rim flange 20 and the second
outer rim
flange 28. The second tire 38 has an outer diameter which is slightly less
than an
outer diameter of the first tire ;.~6.
The second tire 38 includes a plurality of studs 40 mounted in an outer
periphery of the tire at circumferencially spaced locations about the tire.
The studs
40 are embedded into the outer periphery of the second tire which comprises a
non-
deflatable type tire shown in figure 1 having a cross-section of solid rubber.
By installing the safety rim 16 onto the existing wheel hub 12 of a
vehicle in replacement of an existing wheel rim of the vehicle, the danger
associated
with having a flat tire is reduced as the second tire 38 formed of solid
rubber
supports the vehicle and permits continued operation thereof in the event that
the
first tire 36 is punctured or blown out so as to become deflated. The studs 40
in the
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second tire 38 are arranged so as not to project beyond an outer diameter of
the first
tire 36 when the first tire is in a normal deflated position.
If use of the studs 40 is desired, partially deflating the first tire 36
permits the second tire 38 to support the load of the vehicle with the studs
40 being
~i arranged to engage the ground. For maximum traction, the first tire 36 is
only
partially deflated to a point where the first and second tires share the load
of the
vehicle while the studs 40 remain engaged with the ground in operation.
Engagement of the studs 40 within the ground is thus controlled by controlling
the
amount of inflation of the first tire 36.
1 CI In further embodiments, the first and second tires may have the same
diameter and may both comprise pneumatic tires with each tire being arranged
to
support the load of the vehicle thereon should the other tire become deflated.
The
first and second tires in this instance would again be integrally mounted on
the
common safety rim 16.
1 C~ Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, an alternative embodiment of the
safety wheel 10 is shown in which an auxiliary wheel rim 50 is arranged to
mount
onto the existing wheel rim 52 of a vehicle which remains secured to the
existing
wheel hub 12 of the vehicle. The existing wheel rim 52 is a conventional type
wheel
rim having an existing pneumatic tire 54 secured about the existing wheel rim.
20 The auxiliary wheel rim 50 is similar to conventional wheel rims and
includes a collar 56 about an outer periphery thereof. The collar 56 includes
an
annular rim flange 58 located at each end of the collar so as to project
radially
outwardly from the collar 56. The annular rim flanges 58 are arranged to
support an
auxiliary tire 60 snugly therebetween similarly to the manner in which the
existing tire
25 54 is supported on the existing wheel rim 52.
The auxiliary tire 60 is a non-deflatable type tire formed of solid rubber
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having an outer diameter which is smaller than the outer diameter of the
pneumatic
tire 54.
The auxiliary wheel rim 50 includes a web 62 which spans the interior
of the collar 56 between respective ends thereof perpendicularly to an axis of
the
collar. The web 62 includes a plurality of mounting apertures 64 which are
spaced
circumferencially about an axis of the auxiliary wheel rim in a manner so as
to be
aligned with the lugs 14 on the wheel hub 12.
A plurality of extension lug nuts 66 are provided for replacing the
existing lug nuts which would normally secure the existing wheel rim to the
wheel
hub 12. Each extension lug nut 66 is an elongate member of hexagonal cross-
section so as to permit gripping with a wrench. A first end 68 of each
extension lug
nut 66 is internally threaded so as to permit securement onto a respective lug
14 of
the wheel hub so that the extension lug nuts 66 secure the existing wheel rim
52
onto the existing wheel hub by replacing the existing lug nuts. The first ends
68 are
1 ~i threaded in a direction which corresponds to conventional lugs on the
existing wheel
hub.
Each extension lug nut 66 includes a second end 70 which is similarly
internally threaded for receiving the threaded end of a respective mounting
bolt 72
therein. The mounting bolts ~2 are arranged to be received within the
respective
2C) mounting apertures 64 in the web of the auxiliary wheel rim 50 for
mounting the
auxiliary wheel rim on the second ends of the respective extension lug nuts
66. The
second ends of the lug nuts 66 are arranged to be spaced from the first end 68
thereof at a fixed spacing which corresponds to mounting of the auxiliary
wheel rim
50 directly adjacent to the existing wheel rim 52 on an outer side of the
existing
25 wheel rim co-axially therewith in use.
The internal threads at the respective first and second ends of the
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extension lug nuts 66 are in the same direction so as not to loosen the lug
nuts from
the lugs 14 of the wheel hub when the auxiliary wheel rim 50 is secured
thereto. In
order to use the safety wheeil 10 of the second embodiment, the lug nuts of
the
existing wheel rim 52 are first removed and then replaced by attaching the
extension
Ei lug nuts 66 which thereafter secure the existing wheel rim 52 to the
existing wheel
hub 12. The auxiliary wheel rim is then attached to the extension lug nuts 66
by
inserting the mounting bolts 52 through the respective mounting apertures 64
and
threadably attaching the bolts to the second ends of the lug nuts 66. The
extension
lug nuts 66 permit the auxiliary wheel rim to be readily attached to the
existing wheel
1 C) rim of the vehicle without modification to the existing wheel rim in a
manner which is
secure for permanent installation on the existing wheel rims of the vehicle.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been
described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are
possible within the scope of the invention. The invention is to be considered
limited
1 ~> solely by the scope of the appended claims.
