WO2010070254A2

WO2010070254A2 - Wheel protector

Info

Publication number: WO2010070254A2
Application number: PCT/GB2008/004134
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Boreham
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-12-17
Filing date: 2008-12-17
Publication date: 2010-06-24
Anticipated expiration: 2011-06-17
Also published as: WO2010070254A3

Abstract

There is provided a wheel rim protector (201) for protecting the outer face (102, 302) and outer lip (104) of a wheel, especially an alloy, from minor impact damage and scuffs. The wheel protector (201) comprises an annular ring member (202) configured to attach to an outer rim (102, 302) of a wheel. The wheel protector (202) is held in place by a plurality of retaining means (206) which are attached to the wheel protector (201) and between the tyre (103, 303) and wheel rim (102, 302).

Description

WHEEL PROTECTOR

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wheel protector for protecting wheels, and 5 particularly although not exclusively, for protecting alloy wheels against minor impact damage.

Background to the Invention

Wheel protectors are known for example from US 5,967,212, WO/96/373710 and WO 2007/066077 which provide some form of protection and aim to extend the life of an alloy wheel.

One example of a wheel rim protector is found in US 5,967,212A which aims to provide protection for the outer lip of a wheel rim, especially an alloy5 wheel rim, from damage. The wheel rim protector provides a generally u-shaped ring which places over and encompasses the lip of the wheel rim whereby the inner wall has a flange which sits between the wheel rim and the beading of the tyre. The unit is secured in place by the pressure exerted upon it by the tyre beading. The sole purpose of the unit is to provide protection to the wheel rim o and not any further aspects of the wheel itself.

A further example of an alloy wheel protector can be seen as WO 2007/066077 which aims to provide protection of an alloy wheel against scuffs and impact damage. WO 2007/066077 provides a device which includes a disk 5 shaped cover which is secured to a wheel by attaching it to a number of elements in the form of t-bars. The device completely covers the alloy wheel and may be formed of either transparent, opaque or colored material and is attached via cable ties.

o Damage may occur to the alloy wheel through wear and tear of the bead of the tyre and its interaction with the rim of the alloy wheel. Further damage may occur through scraping or scratching the outer face of the wheel on roadside dθbris or kerb side furniture. The result of damage to an alloy wheel may cause weakening of the wheel and in worst cases the risk of Galvanic corrosion which may cause the tyres to lose air. Therefore, an objective of this invention is to provide a suitable method of protection which prolongs the life of the wheel and minimizes the risk of damage to both the rim and the external face of the wheel.

The devices as described in the prior art do not anticipate a solution to the problem addressed in this application.

Summary of the Invention

The present application seeks to provide a wheel protector for protecting alloy wheels against minor impact damage to either the rim or face of the wheel. There is a need to provide strong protection but with minimal addition to the rotating weight of the wheel. Therefore, the aim of the present invention is to provide a robust yet light weight external wheel rim protector in the form of an annular ring.

According to specific implementations of the present invention, an annular ring member is attached to an outer rim of a wheel. The attached annular ring protrudes from the wheel in order to provide a barrier layer, which minimises the risk of damage occurring to the wheel. The protective rim is able to absorb any initial impact and deflect it from the wheel rim of face.

The annular ring member may be pre-shaped to correspond to the contours of the specific rim to which is to be attached to. The pre-shaped inside edge may form either a concave, convex or even straight edge shape so as to provide a substantially close fit to the external rim of the alloy wheel.

Additionally, the inside edge of the wheel protector may be provided with an additional coating such as one sided adhesive tape, adhesive foam or a silicone backing in order to minimise metal to metal contact between the wheel protector and the rim of the wheel being protected. The additional benefit provided by the coating is a cushioning layer which further reduces the force exerted upon the rim.

The present invention may comprise a plurality of retaining means such as bendable tabs or fixing clips which are disposed of around the inside edge of the wheel protector. The fixing clips may be formed of stainless steel or a suitably strong and bendable material which may be securely fastened to the annular ring member. Preferably, three stainless steel fixing tabs would be electron welded to the annular ring member at substantially equidistant spacing. The fixing clips may be manipulated so that they substantially follow the contours of the wheel rim between the tyre bead and the rim itself.

In an embodiment, the wheel protector extends substantially from the outer rim of the wheel up to 25mm in order to provide an additional barrier which protects the rim and face of the wheel from minor scuffs and damage.

Brief Description of the Drawings

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, there will now be described by way of example only, specific embodiments, methods and processes according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a prior art example of a known alloy wheel.

Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of a wheel protector.

Figure 3 illustrates schematically a rear view of a wheel protector.

Figure 4 illustrates schematically a front view of the fixing clip.

Figure 5 illustrates schematically a side view of the fixing clip. -A- Figure 6 illustrates schematically a sectional view of a wheel protector.

Figure 7 illustrates schematically a sectional view of a wheel protector.

Figure 8 illustrates schematically a sectional view of a wheel protector.

Detailed Description

There will now be described by way of example a specific mode contemplated by the inventors. In the following description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding. It will be apparent however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In other instances, well known methods and structures have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the description.

Referring to figure 1 herein, there is illustrated an example of a known alloy wheel 101. The wheel 101 comprises an alloy rim 102 with which a tyre 103 is seated upon. The rim lip 104 is susceptible to damage by collision with roadside debris and more commonly the kerb. It is vital that the structural integrity of the wheel is maintained in order for the wheel to functions correctly.

Alloy wheels are made from an alloy of either magnesium or aluminium metals and are mainly used in automobiles such as cars, motorcycles or trucks.

Alloy wheels have become more common place in the market due to the enhanced performance they offer and also the aesthetic qualities which have made them more desirable.

In comparison with traditional steel wheels, alloy wheels are generally lighter on a like for like size due to using light weight metals such as aluminium or magnesium. As a result of the lighter weight, the car is offered better performance due to reduction of the cars unsprung weight. This provides a reduction in the rotating mass at the ends of the suspension components which produces improved steering and greater braking response.

Alternatively, due to the lighter weight of the materials used alloy wheels may be produced with a larger diameter which further enables larger brakes to be used. In conjunction with the increasing wheel diameter the thickness of the tyre is reduced which therefore diminishes the proportion of flexible tyre side wall to rigid alloy. This reduction in tyre wall thickness improves the response of the tyre as it keeps the tyre tread square to the road. Alloy wheels are also better at heat dissipation from the brakes which increases performance and reliability.

Referring to figures 2 and 3 herein, there is illustrated schematically a rear view image of a wheel protector 201. The wheel protector 201 comprises a rigid annular ring member 202 having a pair of spaced apart side walls 203 and 204 connected by a base plate 205. A plurality of stainless steel fixing clips 206 are electron welded to the inner edge 203 of the fixed annular ring 202.

The annular ring member 202 is formed from a suitable hard metal which would provide adequate protection to minor impacts, for example, stainless steel. The annular ring 202 may be electron welded to form a complete ring in order to provide increased rigidity and strength of the wheel protector. If the annular ring 202 was not a complete and solid circle it would weaken the structural integrity of the wheel protector as any impact to the wheel protector may cause it to deflect and scratch the rim.

A plurality of retaining means in the form of bendable tabs or fixing clips 206 are attached to the annular ring 202 to provide a mechanism by which to attach the wheel protector to a wheel. The fixing clips 206 are preferably formed from stainless steel and are electron welded onto the inner edge 203 of the annular ring member 202. Preferably, the fixing clips 206 are formed from the same material as that of the ring member 202 in order to strengthen the bond of the fixing clips to the annular ring member 202. The clips 206 are of sufficient strength and thickness to provide adequate means by which to securely attach the wheel protector 201 to the wheel. This is achieved by bending the fixing clip 206 over the rim of the wheel in order to provide a close fitting binding.

The annular ring member 202 is substantially 'u' shaped in profile in order to minimise the additional rotating weight that would be added to a wheel. Furthermore, this allows the wheel protector 201 to transfer the energy of an impact into deflection of the external wall 204 thereby minimising the risk of damage to the wheel rim itself.

The inner side wall 203 of the wheel protector 201 is provided with an additional coating in order to minimise the metal to metal contact between the wheel protector 201 and the wheel being protected. Preferably, this is in the form of one sided adhesive tape, silicone or rubber. However, various other materials known in the art may be utilised so as to achieve the same result.

Referring to Figure 3 herein, the annular ring member 202 is formed so it will closely fit to the outer rim 302 of a wheel 301 so as to protect the wheel from impact damage. This is achieved by providing the wheel protector 201 with retaining means such as bendable tabs which fit between a tyre 301 and the outer rim of the wheel 302. When attached to the wheel 301 , the annular ring member 202 protrudes in a substantially horizontal direction for a distance of between 8mm and 25mm (preferably 15mm) beyond an outer most portion of the alloy wheel 301.

The outer surface edge 204 of the annular ring member 202 is rolled over in order to provide increased strength of the wheel protector. The rolled over edge provides a curved outer surface 207 which further protects the wheel protector by strengthening the external leading edge.

The interior face 203 of the annular ring member 202 is shaped so as to closely fit an outer rim of the alloy wheel. In the current embodiment it features a straight edge which corresponds closely with the wheel rim 302. However, as alloy wheels provide aesthetic qualities as well as functional attributes, the outer rim may be formed to be concave, convex or curved. Therefore, it is envisaged a plurality of internal wall designs would be required.

Referring to figures 4 and 5 herein there is shown an example of the fixing clip 206. The fixing clip 206 may be between 5mm and 45mm wide with an approximate thickness of 0.5mm to 3.5mm. The back plate 401 of the clip features a plurality of welding positions with which to allow the clip 206 to be for instance electron welded into the correct position on the main body of the annular ring member 202. The placement of the electron weld positions is sufficiently high enough in relation to the base plate 205 of the wheel protector 201 to provide enough strength in the bond between the clip 206 and the annular ring member 202 but also substantially far from the top of the clip in order to provide adequate length for the clip to function as intended. The clip further features a curved portion 402 which aides in the attachment of the clip to the rim of the wheel to be protected. The depth of the curve may be between 0.5mm to 5mm but preferably approximately 2.5mm. The total length of the clip would be between 5mm to 40mm in length but preferably approximately 25mm in length. Furthermore, the clip is formed from stainless steel preferably a spring quality stainless steel which provides optimum strength and functionality for the clip 206.

Once the wheel protector 201 has been placed in position, the fixing clips 206 are placed between the tyre tread 303 and the rim 302 of the wheel 301. A suitable force is applied to the fixing clip 206 in order to allow the clip to follow the contours of the inside edge of the wheel rim 302 in order to securely fix it in place. The lip 402 of the fixing clip 206 is curved so as to provide a smooth surface with no sharp edges in order to minimise the risk of damaging the tyre bead 303 or tyre itself upon insertion of the fixing clip 206 on to the wheel rim 302. In one embodiment, the wheel protector 201 would be a retrospectively suitable component which would be intended to fit without removal of the tyre from the wheel in order to facilitate the ease of installation.

A further embodiment of the invention may have extended fixing clips 206 which may require installation prior to the fitting of the tyre 303 to the wheel 301.

Referring to figure 6, 7 and 8 herein there is illustrated a schematic sectional view of the profile of the annular ring member. The inside edge profile of the wheel protector may be pre-shaped to correspond to the contours of the wheel rim. This is to aid stability of the wheel protector once it is secured in place. Furthermore, the outer profile of the wheel protector may take the form of a straight edge or a curved surface.

Claims

1. A wheel protector for protecting alloy wheels against minor impact damage, said protector comprising:

a rigid annular ring member configured to attach to an outer rim of an alloy wheel; and

a plurality of retaining means configured to retain said annular ring member to said alloy wheel;

characterized in that said ring member is arranged to fit closely to said outer rim of said alloy wheel, so as to protect said alloy wheel from impact damage.

2. A wheel protector according to claim 1 , wherein said retaining means comprise bendable tabs which fit between a tyre and said outer rim of said wheel.

3. A wheel protector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein an interior face of the said ring member is shaped so as to closely fit an outer rim of said alloy wheel.

4. A wheel protector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said wheel protector is made from stainless steel.

5. A wheel protector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said wheel protector has a curved profile at its outer surface.

6. A wheel protector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said inner face of the said ring member features a cushioning self adhesive annular member attached.

7. A wheel protector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said inner face has surface shaped to closely match a perimieter of an alloy wheel.