Hub-cap for a vehicle wheel

Land vehicles: wheels and axles – Wheel – With wheel cover

Patent

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Details

301 3725, 301 3737, 3011084, 301 3742, B60B 704

Patent

active

06048036&

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of motor vehicle accessories and relates more specifically to wheel hub-caps.
The wheels of most vehicles are fitted with decorative plates covering the hubs of the wheels, one of the purposes of which plates is to avoid the wheel-mounting bolts becoming dirty. In some cases, it has already been proposed that these plates be used as advertising supports. When the decorative element carries an advertising slogan it is contrived for the plate to remain in a predetermined position, especially when the vehicle is stationary, that is to say when an on-looker can view the advertising slogan at leisure.
In European patent 0 466 622 in the name of the applicant, there is described such a hub-cap which consists, on the one hand, of an attaching and support device secured to the hub or rim and, on the other hand, of a screen element mounted on said device in rotation. This screen element has an asymmetric distribution of its mass so that it always remains in a fixed angular position with respect to the horizontal.
The problem raised by this type of embodiment is that the attaching and support device has to be adapted to each type of wheel. The object of the present invention is to provide a device for attaching and supporting a hub-cap which can be readily adapted to any type of wheel.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This device is characterized by a cylindrical body with a base located at one end thereof and provided with a frustoconical shoulder for engaging the heads of the wheel-mounting bolts, while the other end of said body is provided with a cover for attaching said hub-cap.
In a preferred alternative form, the base and the cylindrical body consist of modular elements.
The invention also extends to a method for manufacturing a wheel hub-cap support and attaching device, wherein a molded part in which the base and the lateral cutouts corresponding to the wheel to be equipped is produced. It also extends to a method of manufacture wherein modular elements are combined to suit the dimensions of the wheel to be equipped.
The appended drawing depicts, by way of non-limiting examples, some embodiments of the subject of the invention.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross section of part of the rim of a wheel, on which a device for attaching and supporting the hub-cap is held by the wheel-mounting nuts.
FIGS. 2 to 4 depict, in cross section, alterative forms of a device for attaching and supporting the hub-cap, in an embodiment with modular elements. More specifically:
FIG. 2 depicts three alternative forms A, B and C of base plates for such a device.
FIG. 2A depicts another alternative form of a base plate.
FIG. 3 proposes two alternative forms A and B of a cylindrical cover.
FIG. 4 shows a hub-cap support.
FIG. 5 is a cross section of a ball bearing used in specific instances.
FIG. 6 is a cross section through a hub-cap with asymmetric distribution of mass.


DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the overall view of FIG. 1, the rim 1 of a vehicle and the wheel-mounting bolts 2 have been depicted diagrammatically. These mounting bolts have a frustoconical part 21 intended to fit into a corresponding opening in the wheel.
In order to hold the device according to the invention in place, a base 3 which externally has a frustoconical shoulder 31 is provided at its end that faces the wheel rim.
The base 3 is extended by a cylindrical body 4 forming a cover, the wall 41 of which has cutouts 42 for the passage of the wrench for tightening the bolts 2 and the bottom 43 of which consists of a cheek intended to interact, at least indirectly, with the hub-cap according to the invention.
In the alternative form depicted in FIG. 1, the bottom 43 comprises a raiser 5 intended to take a hub-cap 6, which is attached thereto, for example, by means of a central screw 7. It will be noted in this figure that the base 3, the cylindrical body 4 and the raiser 5 are manufactured as a single piece. It may be envisaged for this piece to be mass-produced

REFERENCES:
patent: 2280584 (1942-04-01), Horn
patent: 2997344 (1961-08-01), Whiteman
patent: 4123111 (1978-10-01), Renz et al.
patent: 4280293 (1981-07-01), Kovalenko et al.
patent: 4929030 (1990-05-01), Park
patent: 5016944 (1991-05-01), Schultz
patent: 5190354 (1993-03-01), Levy et al.
patent: 5490342 (1996-02-01), Rutterman et al.
patent: 5588715 (1996-12-01), Harlen
patent: 5659989 (1997-08-01), Hsiao et al.
patent: 5707113 (1998-01-01), Russell

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