Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02482722 2004-09-28
SNO~ CHAIN FOR VEHICLE ~JVHEELS
BACKGROUND OF TI-IE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a skidproof device for vehicle
wheels, and more particular ly to a snow chain to be mounted on a wheel of a
vehicle.
2. Descei.ption of the Related Ae~t
Under a normal environment, there is friction between wheels and ground,
therefore, an automobile can run or stop. If there is ice or snow on the
ground, the
friction will be reduced or vanished and the automobile will lose control. It
is
IO dangerous to drive in snowing days. It has to mount snow chains on wheels
of the
automobile to increase the Criction while driving in snowing days.
The conventional snow chains, however, have various designs and models,
but they still have several drawbacks, such as difficult to be mounted on
wheels. The
snow chains are made by several chain rings and the snow chain is bent at
where
IS between the chain rings but each chain ring is rigid so that the snow
chains can not be
attached on the wheels completely. To mount the snow chain on the wheel, the
snow
chain has a portion being pressed under the wheel that will make the rest
portion hard
to be moved. It has to adjust the chain rings to the right positions one by
one and that is
very hard and takes lots of time. To mount the snow chain on the wheel is a
heavy
20 w°ork, it's a hard job Cor a weak person, dvoman or a new hand and
if the snow chain is
not mounted finely, the chain might be loosed and cause danger.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a snow chain,
25 which can be mounted on a wheel in a simple, safe, fist and easy way.
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According to 111e objective of the present invention, a snow chain comprises
a connection set having a plurality of planks, each of which has an arch
portion having
a curvature meeting a curvature of a rim of a tire that the snow chain is
mounted and a
connection portion having .a hook portion; a radial chain set having a
plurality of radial
chains having ends coupled wish the planks respectively; a main chain coupled
with
distal ends of the radial chains, wherein the main chain has a hook device to
connect
opposite ends of the main chain into an annular form; a coupling assembly set
having a
plurality of coupling devices to tighten two of the planks, each of which has
a rotary
member v~d a connection member movably mounted on the rotary member, wherein
the rotary member is turned to move the connection member outwardly or
inwardly.
i3RlEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FICx t is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present
invention, which the snow chain is in an expanded form;
FICA 2 is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the present
invention, which the snow chain is in an expanded form;
FICA 3 is a back view of a wheel on which the snow chain of the first
preferred embodiment is mounted;
FIG 4 is a front view of the wheel on which the snow chain of the first
preferred embodiment is mounted;
FIGS 5 is a front vievv of the wheel on which the snow chain of the first
preferred emhodiment is mounted and the coupling devices are mounted;
FICA C is a front view of a wheel on which the snow chain of a third preferred
embodiment is mounted;
FICx 7 is a fronfi view of a wheel on which the snow chain of a fourth
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preferred embodiment is mounted;
FIG t~ is a front view of a wheel on which the snow chain of a Cfth preferred
embodiment is mounted;
FIG 9 is a perspective view of an alternate coupling device, and
FIG 10 is a perspective view of the coupling device used in the first
preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in hIG I and FIC2, a snow chain of the first preferred
embodiment ofthe present invention comprises:
A connection set 10 has a plurality of planks 11 and the planks 11 are
connected to each other by chains, rings or other suitable devices. Each of
the planks
1 l respectively has an arch portion 12 at a side thereof The arch portions 12
have a
curvature respectively that meets the curvature of the rim of the tire. The
planks 11
further have a connection portion 13 respectively on each of which has a hook
portion
14. In the Crst preferred embodiment, there are four of the planks 12, namely
the first,
the second, the third and the fourth planks 12 from the left to right as shown
in FIG 1,
wherein the first and the third planks 12 respectively are provided with a
hook device
15 at a left side thereof a~~d the second and the fourth planks 12
respectively are
provided with a ring device IC, at a right side thereof. The hook devices 15
are coupled
with the neighboring ring devices IG respectively to connect the planks 12 in
an
annular form. The hook portions 14 can be rings, holes or recesses on the
connection
portions 13. The first preferred embodiment provides the hook portions 14 as
holes
recesses on the connection portions 13 respectively as shown in FIG 1 and the
second
preferred embodiment provides the hook portions 14 as recesses on the
connection
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portions 13 respectively as shown in F1G 2.
A radial chain set 20 has a plurality of radial chains 21, each of which has
an
end thereof coupled with the arch portions 12 of the planks 11 respectively.
In the first
preferred embodiment, there are twelve of the radial chains 21 and each of the
planks
11 has three of the radial chains 21 coupled therewith. In practice the number
of the
radial chains 21 is various and it depends on the real requirement of the snow
chain.
A main chain 3() has a hook device 31 at an end thereof. The distal ends of
the radial chains 2l are coupled with the main chain 30 respectively.
A couh(ing assembly set 4() has a plurality of coupling devices 41 as shown
in FIG 5 and FIG. 10. The; coupling devices 41 each has two connection members
42
a~~d a rosary member 43. v~~herein each of the coupling devices 41 has a
thread section
44 and a hook 4~ and the rotary member 43 has iwo thread holes 45 at opposite
ends
thereof and the connection members 42 are screwed into the thread holes 45
respectively. The orientations of the threads on the sidewall of the thread
holes 45 are
opposite so that rotates the rotary member 43 can make both of the connection
members 42 moving outwardly or inwardly simultaneously.
As shown in FIG 3 to FIG 5, to mount the snow chain of the present
invention on a tire, the main chain 30 is arranged on an interior side of the
tire grad the
radial chains 21 lie on a tire thread of the tire. The hoof: device 31 is
coupled with the
aiher end of the main chain 30 to connect the main chain 30 into an annular
chain as
SI70VVI1 Ifs I~ IG. 3. As shown in FIG 4, the planks 11 are left al an
exterior side of the tire
and user might exert the planks I 1 io move the radial chains 21 to suitable
positions.
Each plank 1 I is coupled \>uth three of the radial chains 21, in other words,
each plank
11 can move three radial chains 21 simultaneously that makes the radial chains
21
being moved to the suitable positions easier. After the radial chains 21 are
moved to the
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suitable positions, the coupling devices 40 have the hooks 46 coupled with the
hook
portions l4 of the planks t 1 respectively and the rotary members 43 a1-e
turned to pull
the planks 11 tight as shotvn in FIGS 5. The rotary members 43 are rotated
until the
snow chain of the present invention is firmly mounted on the tire.
The present inventian provides each plank coupled with a plurality of the
radial chains respectively so that user holds one plank can move the radial
chains and
that make the adjustment the radial chains easier and faster. The present
invention also
provides the coupling devices to tighten the radial chains. The radial chains,
therefore,
are tightened equally.
'fhe main art of the present invention is to provide the coupling devices
tightening the planks and f;ach plank is coupled with a plurality of radial
chains. User
just has to move the planks to adjust the radial chains to the suitable
positions and turn
the coupling devices to tighten the radial chains. The radial chains are
adjusted in a~~
easier and fast way and are tightened equally. In practice, the length of the
main chain
I 5 algid the number o f the radial chains depend on the sire of the wheel to
be mounted.. The
number of the planks is various, such as FICi C shows a snow chain having
three
planks and FIG 7 shows sip planks.
FIG 8 sho'vs a snoev chain furthee- comprising a ring C. The coupling devices
40 have ends coupled with the planks and the other ends thereof coupled with
the ring
C. F(G ~) shows an alternate coupling device 41 having a rotary member 43, a
feed
hooking portion 4C, pivoted on an end of the rotary member 43 and a movable
connection member 42 provided to the other end of the rotary member 43.
FIQ 5 shows the coupling devices connecting two of the planks at opposite
respectively and FICA G and FIG. 7 shows coupling devices connecting two of
the
neighboring planks respectively.
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