Material or article handling – Vehicle attached auxiliary carriers – For rim – tire – or wheel
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-29
2001-10-09
Fischetti, Joseph A. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Vehicle attached auxiliary carriers
For rim, tire, or wheel
C414S477000, C414S558000, C224S042210, C254S323000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299403
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spare tire carrier, and more particularly to a spare tire carrier mounted on a truck or a freight car.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, space is limited in an automobile, particularly a truck or a freight car for accommodating a spare tire, such that a separate carrier is mounted underneath the automobile for accommodation of the space tire.
The spare tire carrier includes, as illustrated in
FIGS. 4
to
6
, a housing
50
fixedly mounted underneath an automobile and formed in “U” shape, a roller assembly
53
rotatably mounted to the housing
50
via a rotary shaft
51
and wound by a wire
52
, and a hitching device so constructed as to enable the roller assembly
53
to rotate to a wire's winding direction and to be hitched to a wire's unwinding direction. The roller assembly
53
is constructed such that first and second roller plates
54
and
55
are coupled by a pin
56
and the wire
52
is wound therebetween.
Furthermore, the hitching device is provided with a gear plate
58
coupled to one side of the first and second roller plates
54
and
55
and formed with a first gear
57
having a predetermined diameter and a rotary plate
61
formed with a second gear
59
having a diameter smaller than that of the first gear
57
and eccentrically inserted with the first gear
57
and rotatably supported by an eccentric cam
60
of the rotary shaft
51
.
At this location, the wire
52
is provided with an oval accommodation plate
62
at a longitudinal end thereof for a spare tire (T) to be accommodated therein and a guide plate
63
for preventing the wire
52
from being dislodged from the roller assembly
53
, where the rotary plate
61
is resiliently supported by a spring
64
to be pulled downwards at all times. The accommodation plate
62
is protrusively formed with a plurality of support ribs
65
in order to support a position of the spare tire (T).
Now, operation of the spare tire carrier thus constructed will be described.
First of all, the spare tire (T) is inserted through a smaller diameter of the oval accommodation plate
62
to cause the support rib
65
to support the spare tire (T). Under this state, when a rotating force is input via the rotary shaft
51
, part of the second gear
59
at the rotary plate
61
is meshed with the first gear
57
and rotated.
At this time, the rotary plate
61
is rotated by the eccentric cam
60
formed at the rotary shaft
61
, where the second gear
59
is meshed towards the rotating direction of the first gear
57
and rotated.
When the first gear
57
is rotated by the rotary plate
61
, the gear plate
58
formed with the first gear
57
couples with the roller assembly
53
to cause the roller assembly
53
to rotate and to make the wire
52
wind or unwind. At this time, if the force rotating the rotary shaft
51
is excessive, the rotary plate
61
copes with the resilience of the spring
64
by being rotated clockwise, by which the excessive force is absorbed to prevent breakage of the first and second gears
57
and
59
.
Under a state where the wire
52
is wound, the wire
52
remains wound even though it is pulled downwards by the load of the spare tire (T). The reason the wire
52
is not unwound is that the first and second gears
57
and
59
are eccentrically meshed. In other words, if the force is applied towards the rotary shaft, the wire
52
is not disentangled.
In other words, only if the force is applied towards the rotary shaft
51
, the roller assembly
53
is rotated to wind or unwind the wire
52
.
However, there is a problem in that, when the first and second roller plates are adhered and coupled by a pin in order to wind the wire to which the force is applied, the pin cannot restrain the first and second roller plates if an excessive force is applied via the wire, such that the housing and roller plate are widened to cause the wire to be caught in between the housing and the roller plate, resulting in an inoperable state.
In other words, the first and second roller plates are relatively easily widened when an excessive force is applied to the wire because the pin only restrains the position of the first and second plates and the housing apply a pressure for adhering and coupling the first and second roller plates, thereby causing the wire to be wedged therebetween.
Furthermore, there is another problems in that because the support rib at the accommodation plate where the spare tire is accommodated is relatively weak, and when the spare tire is frequently replaced, the support rib can be easily broken or deformed.
There is still further problem in that, because the rotary plate, provided to prevent breakage of the first and second gears when an excessive force is applied toward the rotary shaft, is rotated around the eccentric cam and is operated at a part relatively long distanced from the part where the excessive force is applied, response to the operation is slow, and if the resilient adjustment of the spring is not accurate, operating force can be deteriorated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the aforementioned problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a spare tire carrier adapted to prevent a wire from being wedged therein due to a widened roller assembly and to avoid the carrier from inoperability. The present invention is constructed to swiftly operate when an excessive force is applied to thereby prevent breakage of first and second gears.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a spare tire carrier adapted to improve strength of an accommodation plate where the spare tire is seated to thereby prevent its breakage even if frequent replacement of the spare tire occurs.
In accordance with the objects of the present invention, there is provided, a spare tire carrier having a housing fixed to the automobile body, a roller assembly rotatably mounted at a rotary shaft of the housing and constructed with a plurality of closely-adhered roller plates to allow a wire to wind and unwind therebetween, and a gear plate fixed to one side of the roller assembly and formed with a first gear having a predetermined length of diameter, the carrier comprising:
a plurality of split-constructed contact gears respectively meshed to a part of the first gear;
an eccentric cam formed at the rotary shaft; and
a resilient member mounted between the eccentric cam and the plurality of contact gears to apply a pressure to the plurality of contact gears towards the first gear.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
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patent: 4997164 (1991-03-01), Kito et al.
patent: 5027933 (1991-07-01), Barnum et al.
patent: 5110093 (1992-05-01), Rempinski et al.
patent: 5125628 (1992-06-01), Rempinski et al.
patent: 5251877 (1993-10-01), Rempinski et al.
patent: 5265708 (1993-11-01), Barnum et al.
patent: 5277288 (1994-01-01), Barnum et al.
patent: 6092790 (2000-07-01), Dobmeier et al.
patent: 6116579 (2000-09-01), Aldridge et al.
Fischetti Joseph A.
Hyundai Motor Company
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