Resilient tires and wheels – Tires – resilient – Anti-skid devices
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-14
2004-01-13
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Resilient tires and wheels
Tires, resilient
Anti-skid devices
C152S172000, C152S219000, C301S042000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06675850
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire anti-skid apparatus which is mounted on each tire of a vehicle when it is snowing and a linking apparatus and, in particular, to a tire anti-skid apparatus including anti-skid members made of non-metal such as rubber and plastic and a linking apparatus suitable for such tire anti-skid apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a tire anti-skid apparatus, there has been widely used a chain made of metal. However, the metal-made chain produces large noises when a vehicle runs, vibrates the vehicle to thereby make a driver and occupants uncomfortable, and damages the road surface greatly to thereby have an ill effect on the environment. For these reasons, recently, there has been developed a tire anti-skid apparatus which is made of non-metal (For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,271).
FIG. 16
is a plan view of a tire anti-skid apparatus which is disclosed in the above-cited Patent. As shown in
FIG. 16
, a tire anti-skid apparatus
10
includes a plurality of (here, six) anti-skid members
12
(
12
a
-
12
f
) which are disposed in the peripheral direction of a tire tread surface. These anti-skid members
12
are respectively made of plastic (for example, polyurethane elastomer) which is non-metal, and each of the anti-skid members
12
includes a mesh-shaped anti-skid tread portion
13
. The anti-skid tread portion
13
includes a plurality of metal-made anti-skid pins
14
disposed on a spike surface a which is the front-side surface of the anti-skid tread portion
13
. Each anti-skid member
12
includes a pair of leg portions
16
and
18
which are respectively disposed on the end portions thereof that, when the anti-skid member
12
is mounted on the tire, respectively provide the outside of the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle.
The leg portion
18
providing the vehicle inside is mounted through a hook
20
serving as a connecting portion and a fixing member
22
to an inner linking member
24
, whereby the anti-skid members
12
are connected together to the inner linking member
24
. The inner linking member
24
is formed of a plastic-made tube
26
, which is relatively hard and non-flexible, and a flexible metal-made stranded wire
28
which is penetrated through the tube
26
. Joints
30
a
and
30
b
are disposed on the two ends of the wire
28
, so as to form a loop by connecting together the joints
30
a
and
30
b.
On the other hand, the leg portion
16
, which provides the vehicle outside when the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
is mounted onto the tires, is connected through the hook
20
to an outer linking member
32
(
32
a
-
32
h
) which connects together two mutually adjoining anti-skid members
12
. The outer linking members
32
a
,
32
h
for tightening together the anti-skid members
12
a
,
12
f
at the two ends of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
and the outer linking members
32
d
,
32
e
for tightening together the anti-skid members
12
c
,
12
d
in the central portion of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
can be linked to each other and separated from each other by linking hooks
34
. Also, the respective outer linking members
32
are formed of elastic material which can be expanded and compressed, such as polyurethane elastomer and, therefore, they can be mounted on tires having different sizes.
And, tightening lock mechanisms
36
are interposed between the outer linking members
32
b
and
32
c
as well as between the outer linking members
32
f
and
32
g
. This tightening lock mechanism
36
includes two V-shaped tightening arms
40
disposed on the two sides of its main body portion
38
: that is, by rotating the main body portion
38
, the tightening arm
40
is pulled toward the main body portion
38
and is locked, thereby reducing the diameter of a loop formed by the outer linking members
32
, metal-made connecting hooks
42
and tightening lock mechanisms
36
, so that the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
can be fixed to the peripheral surface of the tires.
Now,
FIGS. 17A and 17B
are views of the appearance of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
, showing a state thereof in which it is mounted on a tire
44
. Specifically,
FIG. 17A
is a front view thereof, when it is viewed from outside the vehicle and
FIG. 17B
is a back view thereof, when it is viewed from inside the vehicle.
By the way, in the case of generally known metal-made chain and non-metal-made tire anti-skid apparatus, when they are mounted onto a tire, the tire must be rotated to a certain degree. However, in the case of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,271 as the related art, when it is mounted onto a tire, the tire need not be rotated at all (that is, to rotate the tire by a quarter of the entire periphery of the tire is not necessary), and the mounting of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
can be carried out easily with a slight force.
Here, description will be given below of the process for mounting the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
shown in
FIG. 16
onto the tire
44
with reference to
FIGS. 18
to
22
.
Firstly, in a state where, as shown in
FIG. 16
, the anti-skid pin
14
projecting side of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
, that is, the spike surface a thereof faces upward, the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
is inserted from the side of the tire
44
into the inside
44
A of the tire
44
and is placed on the ground (snow surface). At the then time, while the linking hook
34
is removed from the outer linking member
32
d
, as shown in
FIG. 18
, the inner linking member
24
of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
is set on this side (on the operator's side) and also the inner linking member
24
is bent in such a manner that the two end portions of the inner linking member
24
are set nearer to the operator' side than the outside
44
B of the tire
44
.
Next, as shown in
FIG. 19
, an operator holds by hands the joints
30
a
and
30
b
in such a manner that the spike surface a of the anti-skid tread portion faces on the front side, and puts the joints
30
a
and
30
b
on the upper portion of the tire
44
and connects them together (see FIG.
20
), thereby turning the inner linking member
24
into a loop. After then, the loop-shaped inner linking member
24
is dropped down into the inside
44
A of the tire
44
and, at the same time, with the spike surface a facing on the front side, the outer linking members
32
are pulled out to the outside
44
B of the tire
44
. And, as shown in
FIG. 21
, in a state where the back surface b of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
is contacted with the tread surface
44
C of the tire
44
, the outer linking members
32
d
and
32
e
are connected together by the linking hook
34
and, next, the outer linking members
32
a
and
32
h
are connected together by the linking hook
34
.
Further, the main body portions
38
of the pair of tightening lock mechanisms
36
are respectively rotated by a tightening member
46
, and the tightening arm
40
is pulled toward the main body portion
38
side and is locked, whereby, as shown in
FIG. 22
, completing the mounting of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
onto the tire
44
. In this manner, by connecting the respective outer linking members
32
with the linking hook
34
, the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
can be turned from its developed state into a state for enveloping the tire
44
.
And, after the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
envelopes the tire
44
, in case where the respective main body portions
38
of the pair of tightening lock mechanisms
36
are rotated and the tightening arms
40
are pulled toward the main body portion
38
side and are locked to thereby reduce the diameter of the loop formed by the outer linking members
32
, metal-made connecting hooks
42
and tightening lock mechanism
36
, as shown in
FIG. 22
, the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
is closely contacted with the tire
44
, thereby completing the mounting of the tire anti-skid apparatus
10
onto the tire
44
.
As can be seen clearly from th
Bellinger Jason R.
Carmate Mfg. Co., Ltd.
Morano S. Joseph
Varndell & Varndell PLLC
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