Material or article handling – Vehicle attached auxiliary carriers – For rim – tire – or wheel
Patent
1997-04-18
1999-02-16
Young, Karen M.
Material or article handling
Vehicle attached auxiliary carriers
For rim, tire, or wheel
414466, 224 4212, 224 4221, B62D 4300
Patent
active
058713271
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a vehicle wheel handling device and especially but not exclusively to a device for assisting in the mounting and demounting of a vehicle wheel from the external spare wheel mounting of an off road vehicle or from a spare wheel storage position inside a car. In this context the word "wheel" refers to a wheel and the tire fitted thereto.
It is convenient for any person driving a particular vehicle to be able to change a wheel in the event of a puncture. However, vehicle wheels for use on, for example, off road vehicles may be heavy and difficult to handle. In particular, difficulty may be experienced in demounting such a wheel from a typical mounting point on, for example, the outside of the rearmost door of an off road vehicle. Still more difficulty may be experienced in attempting to mount the replaced, and possibly wet and muddy, wheel onto the mounting point. A wheel may drop from the mounting point and may bounce or roll away, or injure the person handling it. Similar problems may occur in the removing or replacing of a wheel which is stored in the boot or under the bonnet of a car.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle wheel handling device for assisting in the mounting or demounting of a vehicle wheel onto or from the spare wheel storage position of a vehicle, comprising wheel support means for supporting the wheel, coupling means for coupling said device to said vehicle and handle means for allowing manual operation of said device, wherein said coupling means and said handle means are connected to said wheel support means and said device is configured such that raising or lowering of said handle means causes raising or lowering of a wheel supported on said wheel support means.
Preferably, said wheel support means supports the wheel to permit pivoting of the wheel between a mounted position and a demounted position.
Preferably, said pivoting is effected by raising or lowering of said handle means.
Preferably, said wheel support means comprises an elongate flexible wheel support member.
Preferably, during at least part of the raising or lowering of a wheel, said device is adapted to cause pivoting of the wheel about a substantially horizontal axis.
Said pivoting may be such that for at least part of the pivoting a first outer part of the wheel remains substantially vertically fixed, whilst a diametrically opposed outer part of the wheel is vertically displaced by a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the wheel.
Preferably, said wheel is caused to pivot through an angle greater than 90 degrees between said mounted position and said demounted position. This angle may be substantially 180 degrees, or even greater than 180 degrees,
Preferably, said handle means includes a plurality of handles.
Preferably, said handles are spaced apart along the length of said wheel support member.
Preferably, the device is configured such that consecutive operation of said plurality of handles causes said pivoting of the wheel.
Preferably, said wheel support member is adapted to wrap around the wheel upon said pivoting of said wheel.
Preferably, said coupling means is adapted to couple said device to said vehicle via at least one wheel engaging member provided on a spare wheel mounting point of said vehicle.
Preferably, said device includes retaining means for retaining a wheel in contact with said device.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle wheel handling device comprising an elongate lever portion and a wheel supporting portion inclined with respect to said lever portion, the elongate lever portion having a first end further from the wheel supporting portion and a second end closer to the wheel supporting portion; and a pivot member adjacent the second end of the lever portion and adjacent said wheel supporting portion, said pivot member providing a pivot point about which said elongate member may rotate, enabling raising or lowering of the wheel supporting portion by respective lowering o
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Hess Douglas
Young Karen M.
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