Wheel substitutes for land vehicles – Endless belt having nonmetallic track or tread – Track formed of endless flexible belt
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-04
2001-07-24
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Wheel substitutes for land vehicles
Endless belt having nonmetallic track or tread
Track formed of endless flexible belt
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264293
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a stud mount for mounting a traction stud on a vehicle drive member and more particularly to a one-piece stud mount and method of making a one-piece stud mount which is slidably received on a reinforcing rod that is thereafter embedded in an endless yieldable snowmobile drive track.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objects
A snowmobile is a motor driven machine which is propelled by an endless drive track typically formed of resilient material such as rubber. Early attempts at improving traction on ice included a relatively complicated and expensive multiple piece grouser assembly such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,040,696 issued to E. A. Johnston on May 12, 1936. More recent attempts at improving the traction capability of the snowmobile while traversing slippery surfaces include traction improving products, such as the ice stud illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,808 issued on August 10 to Jansen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,894 issued to Donald G. Reedy on Oct. 1, 1974 discloses a so-called “T-nut” which includes a head mounted on the inside of a snowmobile track and an integral threaded cylinder received in an aperture extending between the inside and outside surfaces of the track. In the Reedy patent, an ice stud is mounted on the outside of a snowmobile track and threadedly received in the outer end of the threaded cylinder.
Another “push through” ice stud which has been used heretofore, such is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,266 issued to James R. Musselman on Aug. 10, 1993, includes a head disposed on the inside of the track and an integral threaded shank which passes through the snowmobile drive belt and is secured to the belt via a threaded fastener on the outside of the belt.
Both of the prior art T-nut and push through style studs require a threaded fastener for securing the stud to the drive belt. During travel, tremendous transverse forces are exerted on the snowmobile traction studs and the mounts which tend to laterally deflect or twist relative to the resilient snowmobile drive belt. Such studs are typically mounted with a backer plate or washer disposed between the stud and the track surface to help laterally stabilize the stud and preclude the stud from pulling through the track. Such prior art stud assemblies thus also include a plurality of parts which must be assembled. The turnaround time required to replace broken studs is particularly important to snowmobile racers and the assembly and disassembly of the various stud mounting components are time consuming. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which facilitates a faster turnaround time for replacing traction studs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel method for mounting a traction stud on an endless drive track.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which will allow snowmobile racers to quickly change the snowmobile traction studs, mounted on an endless snowmobile drive track, without the necessity of replacing and/or accounting for a plurality of stud fastener parts threadedly coupled to a stud.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount of the type described which eliminates the need for a separate fastener.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a stud mount and method for mounting a traction stud which utilizes a decreased number of parts to mount a traction stud on the track.
Prior art studs and stud mounts are typically not installed in original equipment snowmobile tracks but are installed as after market items and require the user to drill or cut holes into the track at a plurality of locations throughout the drive belt. It has been found that there are certain track patterns which if used, increase the traction capabilities of the stud. The cutting of such holes is time consuming and the user may not optimally place the holes to maximize traction. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which will facilitate the mounting of traction studs on original equipment endless drive tracks.
Yet another object of the present invention to provide a stud mount and method of manufacturing same which will enhance the production of an original equipment endless resilient drive track that includes a stud mount and polyester cords embedded therein and with the polyester cords passing, undamaged, around the stud mounts.
Still another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount and method of manufacturing same which will increase the speed of manufacture and assembly of an original equipment studded snowmobile drive belt.
The snowmobile drive tracks typically also include transversely extending fiberglass reinforcing bars or rods which have heretofore been embedded in the track for strengthening the track. Sometimes, the track includes a plurality of laterally spaced apart parallel endless drive belts which have laterally confronting, lateral edges that are integrally coupled together via transversely disposed, integral molded ribs. The reinforcing rods span the adjacent parallel belts and are located so as to be embedded in the transverse integrally molded ribs for increasing track strength.
Such reinforcing rods typically have a semi-circular cross section. During travel, tremendous transverse forces are exerted on the snowmobile traction studs and the mounts which tend to laterally deflect in the holes provided in the resilient snowmobile drive belt. Studs which are deflected relative to the track, tend to deflect or tip into a negative attitude. In a negative attitude, studs will have decreased traction capabilities or holding power than studs which are not so deflected. Stated another way, during a turn, a deflected stud, rather than assuming a digging position, will tend to assume a sliding position. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a stud mount which will minimize deflection of a traction stud mounted on an endless resilient drive belt.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stud mount of the type described which will improve the traction capability of a stud mounted therein.
It has been found, according to the present invention, that it is extremely advantageous to mount a plurality of the stud mounts directly to a transverse reinforcing bars and embed them in the track along with the bars. Accordingly, it is a still further object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which is mounted to a transverse bar that is subsequently embedded in a snowmobile drive track.
It is another object of the present invention to anchor the threaded stud mounts to a rigid portion of the track.
It is another object of the present invention to anchor the new and novel stud mounts to the reinforcing bars which are thereafter embedded in the resilient drive track.
Another object of the present invention to provide a one-piece stud mount having a stud receiving threaded receptacle to which a stud is mounted and a transversely disposed integral head with a transversely disposed aperture therein for slidably receiving a transverse rod which is subsequently embedded in a snowmobile drive belt.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a stud mount for a traction stud including a stud receiving cylinder for mounting a stud and a transversely extending integral cylinder which is slidably received on the aforesaid reinforcing rod.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a one-piece stud mount of the type described including a stud receiving receptacle having an aperture therein for detachably receiving a stud and a mounting head including a U-shaped base having a pair of confronting legs with apertures therethrough which are aligned to receive a transverse reinforcing rod therein.
It is another object of the present invention to pro
Musselman James
Musselman Mark
Musselman Robert
International Engineering & Manufacturing Inc
Morano S. Joseph
Nguyen Long Bao
Swartz John J.
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