GB2403937A - Removable cover for vehicle wheel trims - Google Patents

Abstract

The cover 5, which can be used to display various indicia on the wheels, for example company advertising material, company logos, sport's team emblems and/or colours, national flags, club and society emblems, details of future events, seasonal such as Christmas and the New Year or celebratory events such as weddings, etc, are made of flexible materials such as flexible fabrics, plastics materials or paper. It can be held over the trim 3 by an elasticated edge 7 or ties.

Description

Vehicle Wheels This invention concerns vehicle wheels and especially

decorative elements for vehicle wheel trims.

Many vehicle wheels, for example on motor vehicles, are provided with removable trims which hide the securing nuts for the wheels. Such trims are generally made from rigid plastics materials, and they are provided with various types of spring clip arrangement which enable the trims to be attached to the vehicle wheels themselves so they do not fall off when the vehicle is in motion.

Vehicle manufacturers frequently provide wheel trims for their vehicles with their company logo which is formed into the outer surface of the trims. Generic or replacement wheel trims generally do not include a manufacturer's logo are often to one of a variety of designs giving the effect of a metal wheel hub with various configurations and numbers of spokes. - 2

According to the present invention there is provided a removable cover for a motor vehicle wheel trim.

The use of removable covers for motor vehicle wheel trims enables various indicia to be displayed on the wheels. For example, they can display company advertising material, company logos, sport's team emblems and/or colours, national flags, club and society emblems, details of future events, seasonal such as Christmas and the New Year or celebratory events such as weddings, etc. Wheel trim covers in accordance with the present invention can be constructed in a variety of ways and from a variety of materials.

The covers will usually be made of a flexible material which can be of a fabric, a plastics material or paper.

The covers can be attached to the wheel trims using flexible ties, for example of fabric or plastics tape, secured behind the trims, or elastic bands which pull the covers taut over the trims.

As will be appreciated, the covers can be provided with means for avoiding their interference with the mechanism for securing the trims to the wheels with which they are used.

A particularly preferred form of cover in accordance with the present invention is in the form of a circular flexible sheet with indicia thereon, the periphery of the sheet being attached to an elastic band with a diameter less than that of the trim so that when placed on the trim, the cover is pulled taut over the trim by the elastic band.

The elastic band is preferably free to move in a seam around the periphery of the cover. Alternatively, a fabric or plastics tie could be used in such a seam, and the tie pulled taut before being tied off. - 3 -

Covers in accordance with the present invention will in general be made from a fully flexible material, but regions can be made of more rigid materials. Preferably, covers in accordance with the present invention are made at least in part of biodegradable materials.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the front half of a motor car including an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the front wheel of the car shown in Fig. 1 with a wheel trim cover in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 3 is a rear view of the wheel trim and cover shown in Fig. 2 with the trim removed from the wheel; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view from the rear of the trim and cover shown in Fig. 3.

The car 1 in Fig. 1 has the normal four wheels 2 (only one being shownJ with clip-on wheel trims 3 which clip on to the wheel hubs in conventional manner.

Fig. 2 shows the wheel 2 with its tyre 4 and trim 3 with a flexible cover 5 in accordance with the present invention, for example made of a flexible plastics material, located over the trim 3. The cover 5 has a design 6 thereon which can be chosen as desired.

As will be seen more clearly from Figs. 3 and 4, the cover 5 extends over the trim 3 and is held in place by an elasticated edge 7 which pulls the flexible cover 5 tight over the external surface of the trim 3. Other methods of securing covers in 4 - accordance with the invention to wheel trims will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Depending on the manner in which the trims 3 are clipped onto the wheel hubs, the covers 5 can be tailored to reduce interference with this clipping action. For example, they can be provided with cut-outs, e.g. to match the trims of a particular make of car, or they can be provided with markings indicating where the user should cut away portions of the covers. Alternatively, end users can simply cut away portions of the cover as they desire.

Covers in accordance with the present invention can be used on the trims of motor vehicles, trailers and other forms of road going transport.

Claims (6)

1. -

   ClaimS 1. A removable cover for a vehicle wheel trim.
2. 2. A cover according to claim 1, which is flexible.
3. 3. A cover according to either of the preceding claims, comprising a flexible fabric, plastics material or paper.
4. 4. A cover according to any of the preceding claims, including an elastic member for holding it in place on the vehicle wheel trim.
5. 5. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 3, including one or more ties for holding the cover in place on the vehicle wheel trim.
6. 6. A cover for a vehicle wheel trim, the cover being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.