Land vehicles: wheels and axles – Wheel – With wheel cover
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-19
2004-08-24
Stormer, Russell D. (Department: 3617)
Land vehicles: wheels and axles
Wheel
With wheel cover
C301S037110, C301S037106
Reexamination Certificate
active
06779852
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to wheels that are equipped with decorative overlays. More specifically, the present invention relates to a composite automobile wheel having a trim ring and a wheel cover attached to the wheel in an overlapping relationship, where the overlapping relationship permits a continuous bright appearance across the entire outboard surface of the wheel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wheel ornamentation and decorative overlays are widely used to enhance the aesthetic appearance of automobile wheels. Decorative overlays are used to improve the appearance of unadorned standard steel wheels and they are also used with cast aluminum wheels that are known to be expensive and difficult to plate with chromium. Examples of this technology include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,597,213 and 5,636,906 owned by the common assignee hereof.
In general, there are several requirements for composite wheel assemblies. For example, it is important that the composite wheel assembly be capable of receiving a standard clip-on balance weight at a rim flange thereof. In addition, the composite wheel assembly should also be durable so that it will not rust or corrode. Further, it is generally desirable that any wheel ornamentation closely follow the contours of the entire outboard surface of the underlying wheel, so as to provide the visible impression that the wheel itself is chrome finished. Finally, it is desirable that the composite wheel assembly construction be as insensitive to radial dimensional tolerance stack up between the overlay and the underlying wheel, across the outboard surface of the wheel to avoid any degradation of aesthetic characteristics. In other words, it is not desirable to be required to maintain a tight tolerance between an overlay and the wheel across the outboard surface of the wheel from an outer radial surface of a rim flange to a central locating feature on a disc or web portion of the wheel. Also it is costly to have to maintain a tight tolerance between mating elements from a central locating feature of the overlay that locates on the central locating feature of the wheel to a radially outermost portion of the overlay that engages or mounts on the rim flange of the wheel.
The prior art has disclosed various trim rings and wheel covers for concealing portions of an outboard surface of a wheel. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,158,125 to Horn et al. discloses a vehicle wheel having novel means for attaching a cover to the wheel. The cover includes a plurality of spaced axially extending projections located at a radially outermost periphery that is substantially equal in diameter to the periphery of the wheel. The integral projections at the periphery of the cover are bent over the edge of the wheel rim for rigidly connecting the cover thereto. A hubcap snaps into a large central opening of the wheel cover and is held thereto by a spring element such that the hubcap is piloted within an inner diameter of the wheel cover to conceal the center of the wheel. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 2,447,021 to Lyon discloses a cover member for a vehicle wheel that conceals a rim flange of the wheel. The cover member overlies an outer side of the rim flange and extends radially outwardly over an edge portion thereof. The cover member includes a flange at an outer part thereof that is disposed to abut an adjacent portion of a sidewall of a tire that is mounted to the rim flange. The flange includes a terminal portion that is disposed axially of the wheel to overlie the radially outer side of the tire rim. Specifically, the cover member has an outer peripheral edge and a reinforcing bead that combine to positively engage the rim flange therebetween. Accordingly, the cover member interlocks with the rim flange in a snap-on relationship. Additionally, a hubcap attaches to the wheel and abuts an inner diameter portion of the trim ring. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,639 to Lyon discloses a composite wheel assembly having wheel cover structure with a circular radially outer U-shaped ring that opens axially inwardly toward and mounts to a lip flange of a rim flange of the wheel using stiff fingers that firmly interengage the lip flange to hold the ring thereto. An outer portion of a central hubcap abuts an inner diameter of the ring to afford full coverage of the wheel.
Unfortunately, however, the three above listed prior art references have several drawbacks. First, none of the references include wheel ornamentation that closely follows the contour of the underlying wheel. Second, it is not possible to attach standard wheel balance weights over the trim ring and rim flange of the wheel, as is presently known in the art. It is impossible to attach a standard balance weight since the trim ring does not closely follow the contour of the rim flange and is substantially offset therefrom. Finally, none of the references teach or disclose a combination of a trim ring and cladding in an overlapping relationship that is capable of taking up radial dimensional tolerance variations across the face of the wheel. Therefore, the abutting surfaces of the different elements will have varying spaces between abutting surfaces resulting in detrimental aesthetic effects.
More recent examples of composite wheel assemblies having overlays attached to an underlying wheel include U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,566 to Beith, U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,276 to Spisak, U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,423 to Heck et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,791 to Chase, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,634 to Eikhoff. Chase teaches use of a plastic overlay for covering a wheel that extends radially outwardly to—but not covering—a flange lip of the rim flange of the wheel, so that a standard balance weight may be attached to the rim flange of the wheel. The plastic overlay cannot extend beyond or cover the flange lip of the rim flange of the wheel since the thickness of the overlay in addition to the thickness of the rim flange makes it impossible to attach a standard weight thereto. Accordingly, it is evident that the plastic overlay covers only most of the outboard surface of the wheel and a portion of the rim flange but does not cover the flange lip. The exposed flange lip circumscribing the periphery of the overlay is a clear manifestation that the wheel is cladded and not finished directly with chrome plating, thus resulting in detrimental aesthetic effects as perceived by an automobile purchaser.
In contrast, Heck et al. disclose the use of a stainless steel overlay that covers at least a portion of the outboard facing wheel surface including the flange lip of the rim flange. The overlay is preferably formed from stainless steel and adhesively attached to the wheel with an appropriate decorative surface on the outboard side of the overlay. This adhesive is applied on the outboard surface of the disc in a predetermined pattern, so that when the wheel cover is installed on the disc a smearing of the adhesive occurs over substantially the entire outboard surface of the disc. Since the adhesive covers substantially the entire interface between the wheel cover and the disc, it is effective to provide a seal and prevent water, mud, salt and other debris from entering between the wheel cover and the outboard surface of the wheel disc. At the outer peripheral edge of the rim flange is a smooth, rounded outer peripheral end and along the inboard side thereof is a circumferential, radially outwardly facing groove. The peripheral end and the groove are both formed by machining operations to a predetermined specification. The groove is formed in the inboard surface of the rim flange. The outer peripheral end portion of the wheel cover is assembled to the smooth, rounded outer peripheral end of the wheel by rolling the edge of the stainless cover over the rim flange into the radially outwardly facing groove. This technology, however, like the prior
Hauler Gregory R.
Van Houten Garry
Weidmayer Eldean
Lacks Industries Inc.
Stormer Russell D.
VanOphem & VanOphem P.C.
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