GB2298833A - Wheel covers - Google Patents

Abstract

A wheel cover 1 for a vehicle wheel 12 is secured to a hub 5 by wheel nuts 3. The cover has features 2 each in the form of lugs 6 with detents 7 which engage with the nuts by a one way push fit. As the wheel cover is push fitted to the nuts, each detent 7 will come into contact with the nut shoulder 9, each detent 7 having a tapered surface (11, Fig 2) which causes the lugs 6 to flex. The one way push fit is complete when the detents 7 snap into engagement with the flat annular section 8. Once the wheel cover 1 has been push fitted on to the nuts 3 it may not be removed without undoing the nuts.

Description

Wheel covers This invention relates to wheel covers for motor vehicle wheels.

Known motor vehicle wheel covers may be fixed to the wheel in different ways. In one way, the wheel cover has suitable brackets or grips to be removably fixed to the wheel or the wheel nuts. This has the advantage that the wheel cover is very easy to snap into place, but the wheel cover may also be easily and quickly removed or stolen.

Such a wheel cover may also come loose if a wheel hits a curb, or if the cover has not been correctly fitted in the first place.

In another way, the wheel cover may be held and fixed securely in place by the wheel nuts which hold the wheel to the motor vehicle. This has the advantage that the wheel cover is more secure because it may not be removed without first removing all the wheel nuts. However, this is inconvenient when fitting a wheel to the vehicle, particularly during the production process, because of the need to assemble and hold two components in place at the same time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a secure wheel cover which may be fitted to the wheel after the wheel has been fitted to the motor vehicle.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a wheel cover for a motor vehicle wheel which is secured to the vehicle by wheel nuts, the cover having engaging features adapted to engage with the nuts by a one way push fit engagement which allows the cover to be push fitted onto the nuts and prevents it thereafter being removed without undoing the nuts.

Some motor vehicles use threaded bolts, rather than nuts, to secure the wheel to the vehicle. The present invention for a wheel cover may equally be applied to such vehicles, which would therefore be provided with bolt heads to match the wheel nut described herein. It is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to cases where wheel nuts secure the wheel to the motor vehicle, but extends equally to cases in which the wheel is attached with bolts.

The engaging features preferably comprise flexible tangs which flex upon contact with a nut and then seat into engagement with the nut during the one way push fit.

According to one preferred embodiment t-he cover has a plurality of tangs arranged to engage around the periphery of a nut.

The tangs may have a camming surface which engages with a nut during the one way push fit to cause the tang to flex. The nut may also be provided with a shoulder or camming surface to deflect the lug. Each tang may have a retention surface which snaps under a flange on the nut to retain the wheel cover on the nut to prevent removal -of the cover without undoing the nuts Once the wheel cover is fitted to the wheel, it is advantageous if the tangs remain in positive contact with the nut to provide a firm fit of the wheel cover, and limit any movement between the wheel cover and the wheel.

In one preferred embodiment, the tangs are in the form of lugs attached at one end to the wheel cover, and which have a detent at the other end which engages with a nut.

In one preferred embodiment, the wheel cover is substantially in the form of a disc with open ended sockets extending from the outer face of the cover in a direction which, in use, will be towards the wheel to which the cover is to be fitted, the nut engaging features being provided in the walls of the sockets, and the sockets allowing access, in use, for a nut undoing tool, whereupon the nut may be removed from the wheel through the socket. Once all the nuts have been removed, the wheel cover may be removed from the wheel.

The wheel cover may advantageously be formed of a plastics material.

The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a part of an assembly of a wheel and wheel cover according to the invention; Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the wheel cover of Figure 1, before the one way push fit engagement with a wheel nut; and Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the wheel cover of Figure 1, during the one way push fit engagement with a wheel nut.

Figure 1 shows part of an assembly of a steel wheel rim 12 with a wheel hub 5 and wheel cover 1. The central axis of the assembly is shown by the line C.

For clarity, the wheel cover 1 and wheel 12 are shown cut away in cross section through a plane which passes through the axis of the wheel stud 4 and central axis C. The wheel cover 1 is fitted by an engaging feature 2 to a wheel nut 3. The wheel cover is provided with other engaging features which are similarly fitted to other nuts around the periphery of the wheel hub 5. The wheel nut 3 is threaded to the wheel stud 4 and tightened to attach the wheel 12 to the wheel hub 5.

The cover has an engaging feature 2 which consists of four flexible lugs 6, three of which can be seen in the drawings, arranged around the periphery of the nut 3. The lugs 6 form the walls of a roughly cylindrical socket 10 with open ends and a mainly circular cross section. Each lug 6 is attached at one end to the wheel cover 1, and has at the other end a detent 7 which projects inwardly towards the nut 3, and engages with a retaining flange in the form of a flat annular section 8 under a shoulder 9 of the nut to hold and retain the wheel cover to the wheel assembly.

The wheel 12 is first secured to the wheel hub 5 in the conventional way, by first locating the wheel 12 over the hub boss 13 so that the studs 4 pass through the apertures in the wheel. Each nut 3 is then threaded onto each stud 4 and tightened by means of a standard hexagonal socket wrench until the wheel 12 is secured to the wheel hub 5.

Referring next to Figure 2, the wheel cover 1 is fitted to the wheel assembly by first aligning each socket 10 with each wheel nut 3, and then engaging the head of each nut 3 within each socket 10. As the wheel cover is push fitted to the nuts, each detent 7 will come into contact with the shoulder 9, as shown in Figure 3. Each detent 7 has a tapered camming surface 11 which by a camming action during the push fit causes each lug 6 to flex away from the nuts. The one way push fit is completed once all the detents 7 have cleared each shoulder 9, and snap into engagement with each flat annular section 8.

In the engaged position, the lugs 6 remain slightly flexed by the wheel nut 3. This keeps each nut centered within the socket 10 and provides a positive contact for a firm fit of the wheel cover 1 with respect to the wheel hub 5.

This prevents any play or vibration between the wheel cover and the wheel hub.

The wheel nut 3 can rotate within the socket 10. The diameter of the socket, and the depth of the nut within the socket is also sufficient to permit the use of a standard hexagonal socket wrench to remove or tighten the nut while engaged within the socket.

Once the wheel cover 1 is fitted to the wheel assembly, the cover cannot be readily disengaged from the wheel assembly without undoing all the wheel nuts 3. If the cover is forced off, it will break before disengaging.

Such a secure wheel cover will deter or foil any casual thief.

To remove the wheel cover 1, the wheel nuts 3 are loosened and removed in turn in the conventional way with a standard hexagonal socket wrench. Once all the nuts have been removed, the wheel cover comes away freely to expose the wheel assembly. The wheel 12 may then be removed, or the nuts 3 threaded back onto the studs 4.

It is envisaged that it will normally be most convenient to fit and tighten each nut 3 before the wheel cover 1 is push fitted into place. However, because the lugs 6 remain slightly flexed when the nuts 3 are fully inserted within the socket 10, the sockets may be used as a convenient receptacle to hold and retain the nuts during a wheel change operation.

Claims (1)

1. Claims

   1. A wheel cover for a motor vehicle wheel which is secured to a vehicle by wheel nuts, the cover having engaging features adapted to engage with the nuts by a one way push fit engagement which allows the cover to be push fitted onto the nuts and prevents it thereafter being removed without undoing the nuts.

   2. A wheel cover according to Claim 1, in which the engaging features comprise flexible tangs which flex upon contact with a nut and then seat into engagement with the nut during the one way push fit.

   3. A wheel cover according to Claim 2, in which each tang has a camming surface which engages with a nut during the one way push fit to cause the tang to flex and wherein each tang has a retention surface which snaps under a flange on the nut to retain the wheel cover on the nut to prevent removal of the cover without undoing the nuts.

   4. A wheel cover according to Claims 2 or Claim 3, in which the tangs when engaged remain in positive contact with a nut to provide a firm fit of the wheel cover.

   5. A wheel cover according to any one of Claims 2 to 4, in which the tangs are in the form of lugs attached at one end to the wheel cover, and which have a detent at the other end which engages with a nut.

   6. A wheel cover according to any preceding claim, in which the wheel cover is substantially in the form of a disc with open ended sockets extending from the outer face of the cover in a direction which, in use, will be towards the wheel to which the cover is to be fitted, the nut engaging features being provided in the walls of the sockets, and the sockets allowing access, in use, for a nut undoing tool.

   7. A wheel cover according to any preceding claim formed of a plastics material.

   9. A wheel cover substantially as described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.