Go kart wheel

Details Go kart wheel Go kart wheel

1998-12-04

2001-02-20

Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)

Land vehicles: wheels and axles

Wheel

With wheel cover

C301S108500, C152S379500

Reexamination Certificate

active

06189977

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to wheels for go karts.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Go karts are motor vehicles used for recreational purposes including racing. They are similar to conventional racing motor vehicles, but are generally of smaller scale.
A go kart normally has four wheels comprising pneumatic tires mounted on hub assemblies.
The hub assembly of a typical go kart wheel includes a, generally cylindrical rim with peripheral flanges, adapted for the mounting and retention of a tire, and a central part within the rim. The central part, herein for convenience called the web, may in an undriven wheel accommodate rolling element bearings with inner races adapted to fit on to a stub axle, or in a driven wheel include a mounting flange for bolting to a collar which is secured to a drive shaft.
A generally cylindrical space is defined by an inner surface of the rim, a plane passing through the outboard (that is, remote from the go kart's chassis) peripheral flange of the hub and an outboard face of the web and may be a considerable fraction of a go kart wheel's volume, particularly if the gap between the peripheral flanges is comparable to or larger than the diameter of the rim, as is commonly the case. That is, the wheel may be deeply “dished”.
This space contributes to eddying of air and therefore to the aerodynamic drag of a wheel, and may be prone to accumulate grease and road grime
0
and, given its small size compared to the corresponding space on a full size vehicle's wheel, be difficult to clean. The present invention may alleviate these problems.
A further problem associated with go karts is that as they operate in close proximity to each other when racing, there is a danger of accidental contact between their wheels, with an attendant risk of injury to drivers. A first go kart driver's visual perception of the position of the wheels of a second go kart close to his own may be enhanced, and the possibility of an accident may thereby be reduced, if the second go kart is fitted with wheels according to the invention.
The invention may be applied to both existing go kart wheels and to wheels of new manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INENTION
According to the invention there is provided a go kart wheel comprising;
a hub assembly including a hub adapted for mounting on an axle;
a tire mounted to the hub; and
a hub cover secured to the hub assembly,
wherein the hub cover is adapted to be visually distinguishable from a sidewall of the tire adjacent to the hub cover.
PREFERRD ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION
Preferably, the hub cover is secured to the hub assembly by at least one first screw fastening means.
Preferably, the hub cover lies at least approximately in a plane which includes an outboard peripheral flange of the hub.
The hub assembly may include a support member, which support member is secured to the hub by at least one second screw fastening means, and to which support member the hub cover is secured by the at least one first screw fastening means thereby to secure the hub cover to the hub assembly. The hub assembly in this aspect may be a conventional go kart wheel hub assembly.
At least one first screw fastening means may then comprise either: a bolt passing through the support member; or a stud secured to the support member, and a nut threadably engaged with the bolt or stud.
The first screw fastening means may be located in line with the center of the axle on which the go kart wheel is mounted.
The second screw fastening means may comprise a bolt or screw or stud passing through the hub.
In that case, an end of a bolt, stud or screw may project from a surface of the hub so as to lie adjacent to a bead of the tire, thereby to at least partially limit relative movement of the bead and the hub in the event of deflation of the tire.
Where the second screw fastening means comprises a bolt or screw or stud passing through the hub, the go kart wheel may be adapted to be secured to a collar keyed to the axle by at least one of the second screw fastening means.
In any of the above embodiments, the go kart wheel may include retaining means comprised of two engaging parts, wherein one part is included in the hub cover and the other is included in the hub assembly, so that the hub cover is retained on the hub assembly in combination with the first screw fastening means and the retaining means.
In this case, preferably the number of the screw fastening means is one.
Preferably, the hub cover is at least in part made of a reinforced or unreinforced plastic material.
The plastic material is preferably colored differently from the sidewall of the tire adjacent to the hub cover.
Preferably, the hub cover is generally in the form of a disc.
The hub cover may include a spigot or projections adapted to be received in a circular recess in the hub.
The invention will now be described in detail by way of four non-limiting examples of its application.


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