Resilient tires and wheels – Tires – resilient – Anti-skid devices
Patent
1990-07-24
1991-12-31
Ball, Michael
Resilient tires and wheels
Tires, resilient
Anti-skid devices
152219, 152225R, 152241, B60C 2720
Patent
active
050763350
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a crossband device for an automobile tire, which is attached to the automobile tire to prevent tire slips during travel on snow-covered roads.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a prior application, Japanese Patent Application 63-155675, the present inventor proposed an anti-slip crossband device of this sort, which is composed of a main body detachably attachable to the outer side of an automobile wheel, a plural number of leaf springs operable to turn in both forward and reverse directions about the respective axes and extended radially outward from the main body, and anti-slip crossbands attached to the fore ends of the leaf springs to lie in abutting contact with the tread surface of the tire to prevent slips. When driving on a snowy road, this cross-band device is attached to the outer side of an automobile wheel, and the crossbands are brought into abutting engagement with the tread surface of the tire by turning the leaf springs. When not used, the crossbands are displaced into receded positions away from the tread surface by turning the leaf springs, and then the crossband device is removed from the automobile wheel and put away in a folded state in a trunk room or other suitable place on the vehicle.
The above-described crossband device has advantages that it can be easily attached to the outer side of an automobile wheel by the use of wheel nuts and that, when not necessary, it can be removed from the wheel and folded into a compact form suitable for storage in a trunk room of the vehicle. However, it is arranged to turn the leaf springs in forward and reverse directions by a handle operation through a gear mechanism, which is complicated in construction, troublesome to manipulate, and high in production cost.
Further, it is important for a crossband device of this sort to take into account the variations in tire diameter which occur during travel of a vehicle due to flexing of the ground-contacting portion of the tire, as well as the displacements of the crossbands in the circumferential direction along the tread surface at the ground-contacting portion of the tire.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Under these circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a crossband device for use on snowy roads, which in inexpensive and of simple construction dispensing with the complicated rotational operating mechanism including a handle and gears, and which permits a user to turn the leaf springs easily and securely to move the crossbands to and from a position in abutting engagement with the tread surface of a tire and a position away from the tread surface, while coping with variations in tire diameter and displacements of the crossbands in a reliable manner during vehicle travel.
In accordance with the present invention, for achieving the above-mentioned objectives, there is provided a crossband device to be attached to an automobile tire on snowy roads, which essentially includes: an inner ring removably attachable to the outer side of an automobile wheel through wheel nuts; an outer ring supported by the inner ring rotatably about the center axis thereof to follow movements of crossbands in the circumferential direction along the tread surface of the tire; a number of elastically deformable leaf springs extended radially outward from the outer ring; anti-slip crossbands attached contiguously to the fore ends of the leaf springs in intersecting relation with the tread surface of the tire; and an endless circumferential band connecting the respective crossbands.
With the cross-band device of the present invention, after attaching the inner ring to the outer side of an automobile wheel through wheel nuts, the crossbands can be positioned in intersecting relation with the tread surface of the tire simply through elastic deformation of the respective leaf springs. At this time, the circumferential band and crossbands cannot be placed under the tread surface at the ground-contacting portion of the tire. However,
REFERENCES:
patent: 1320916 (1919-11-01), Randolph
patent: 3380779 (1968-04-01), Albright
patent: 4262723 (1981-04-01), Bourcier de Caron
patent: 4275781 (1981-06-01), Riedel
patent: 4799522 (1989-01-01), Ilon
patent: 4922982 (1990-05-01), Metraux
Ball Michael
Wilber Gregory J.
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