GB2510170A

GB2510170A - A security device for connecting together adjacent wheel nut covers

Info

Publication number: GB2510170A
Application number: GB1301450.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Marczynski
Original assignee: Business Lines Ltd
Current assignee: Business Lines Ltd
Priority date: 2013-01-28
Filing date: 2013-01-28
Publication date: 2014-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 2033-01-28
Also published as: GB2510170B; GB201301450D0

Abstract

A security device for connecting together wheel nut covers (30), which also serve as rotation indicating devices by virtue of including respective pointers (34) and are mounted non-rotatably onto adjacent vehicle wheel nuts (40). The covers (30) are connected together by respective security devices (10) to inhibit rotation of the wheel nuts on which the covers (30) are fitted. Each security device (10) comprises an annular body (12) to receive the cylindrical body of the respective wheel nut cover (30) with a rim (32) of the cover (30) retained by formations (15, 18) on the annular body (12). A flexible arm (14) extends from the annular body (12) and has a first connector, such as a plug or socket (20), at its end. A second connector (16) is provided on the annular body (12) at a position spaced from the flexible arm (14), so that the second connector (16) in use attaches to the first connector (20) of the adjacent security device in a manner permitting relative rotation of the connectors (20,16) and also arrangements having different spacing between respective wheel nuts (40).

Description

Security device for connecting together adjacent wheel nut covers (0001] This invention relates to a device and method whereby adjacent wheel nut covers or adjacent wheel nut rotation indicating devices of known form may be connected together. When such wheel nut covers or wheel nut rotation indicating devices are adapted to be mounted onto the wheel nuts in a manner which prevents relative rotation, such connection of the covers/devices has the consequence of also inhibiting loosening of the wheel nuts.

BACKGROUND

(0002] Various prior art devices have been proposed to inhibit the loosening of vehicle wheel nuts by linking together adjacent pairs of such nuts. Devices which accomplish this by comprising a looped wire including portions which encircle the respective nuts are described in GB 2132301A and the applicant's own earlier GB 2437538A. Other devices which accomplish this by having respective sockets which fit over the respective wheel nuts and securing together these sockets by integrally formed straps of material (metal or plastics) are described in GB 2283551A and the applicant's own earlier GB2406365A, which each disclose a 7-shaped strap extending between the sockets. Further, GB2260177A and US 2011/012 9318 Al each disclose a substantially planar strap in which two spaced apart sockets are formed, but the latter document more specifically discloses the strap as having a central section which is flexible in a concertina like manner.

In all of these devices the portions which engage the wheel nuts are integrally formed with the portions which provide the connection there between and only two adjacent nuts are thereby connected.

(0003] Other prior art devices are disclosed in GB 2393487A and the applicant's own earlier GB 2409251A whereby individual wheel nut covers and/or wheel nut rotation indicating devices for respective wheel nuts are linked together in a circular array by a ring or circular holder in which the individual covers and/or indicators are retained. The primary objective for these is to be able to mount all of the individual covers and/or indicators onto all of the wheel nuts of any particular wheel at the same time to avoid the time-consuming task of fitting them one by one onto each nut of each wheel of a vehicle. The indicator devices are provided with tabs or pointers and change of direction of these, which occurs upon rotation of the underlying nut, signifying loosening of that nut, is visually indicated in conventional manner. Thus, loosening of wheel nuts is not prevented, but it can be limited by abutment of the tab or pointer against part of the ring or holder and complete disconnection of any wheel nut is prevented by virtue of the cover or indicator device which is fitted over it being held captive as part of a larger wheel trim assembly.

(0004] Another prior art proposal, disclosed in WO 2011/027164, for locking adjacent wheel nuts is a device for fitting to each nut which has a main body part with a castellated central opening and an elongate locking part connected to the main body part by a resiliently deformable connecting part. The device comprises a flat sheet of material, such as spring steel, that is twisted to provide a flat main body part and a flat locking part which lies in a plane that is generally perpendicular to the plane of the body part so that the locking part can be resiliently deflected relative to the main body part. The free end of the locking part is provided with a recess so that the end has a two pronged fork shape and this engages with a set of radially extending teeth arranged around part of the circumference of the main body part of an adjacent identical locking device mounted on an adjacent wheel nut.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an improved and more effective device and method for locking adjacent nuts or bolts in position to prevent them working loose. A more specific objective is to provide a device and method whereby wheel nut covers or wheel nut rotation indicating devices of known form, as mounted onto each one of the wheel nuts of a given wheel, may be connected together in a generally circular arrangement in a manner which will significantly inhibit loosening of the wheel nuts.

(0006] Another objective is to provide such a device which can be used to link together adjacent wheel nut covers or wheel nut rotation indicating devices when these are applied to wheel nuts at different spacing, for example as is the case where an arrangement of four, five, or six wheel nuts are used to attach wheels to different styles of vehicle. Such different wheel nut arrangement and spacing occurs in respect of trucks and heavy goods vehicles manufactured in the UK, on the one hand and in continental European countries and USA on the other hand.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

(0007] A first aspect of the present invention is a security device for connecting together adjacent wheel nut covers or indicating devices which, in use, are mounted non-rotatably onto adjacent vehicle wheel nuts, and thereby inhibiting rotation of the wheel nuts to which said covers or indicating devices are fitted, said security device comprising: an annular body having an internal surface defining a bore sized to receive a substantially cylindrical body of a wheel nut cover or indicating device, said annular body and/or said bore being provided with formations for retention, preferably snap fit retention, of the wheel nut cover or indicating device; a flexible arm extending from the annular body and having a free end provided with a first connector portion; and a second connector portion provided on the annular body at a position spaced from the flexible arm, said second connector portion being adapted for attachment to a first connector portion of an adjacent security device of the same form in a manner permitting relative rotation of the attached first and second connector portions.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is a method of inhibiting rotation of each of a plurality of vehicle wheel nuts, typically four, five or six wheel nuts, which are arranged at a equi-angular spacing around a circle, the method comprising the steps of: mounting a respective wheel nut cover or indicating device onto each wheel nut, each cover or indicating device having a cylindrical body with an internal surface provided with means for non-rotatable engagement with the wheel nut; mounting a respective security device as claimed in any preceding claim onto the cylindrical body of each wheel nut cover or indicating device; and attaching the first connector portion of each security device to the second connector portion of the next adjacent security device to form a linked chain of security devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(0009] The invention, and other features and developments thereof, will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a practical embodiment of the security device of the invention and how it is attached to an adjacent device of the same form and also how it is to be attached to a known style of combined wheel nut cover/rotation indicator device; Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, from the underside, showing connection between first and second connector portions of the two security devices shown in figure 1; Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view further illustrating how the first and second connector portions of the two security devices are to be attached and also showing the known style of combined wheel nut cover/rotation indicating device in its fully inserted condition; Figure 4 is a reduced scale perspective view showing five security devices as in figure 1 linked together in a generally circular chain arrangement and each connected to respective wheel nut rotation indicator devices, and how these are to be mounted onto the wheel nuts ofonewheel;and Figures 5, 6 and 7 are underside plan views showing three different sizes of wheel nut indicator device mounted into a respective security device as shown in the preceding figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] As illustrated in figures ito 3, a preferred practical embodiment 10 of a device in accordance with the invention comprises an annular body i2 having a flexible curved arm 14 extending laterally therefrom at one position and having a connector button 16 extending laterally therefrom at another position. The device is moulded in one piece from a suitable grade of polypropylene.

[0011] The annular body 12 is provided internally of its central opening 13 with three spaced apart part-annular ledges 15. These ledges 15 each provide a shoulder 17 for supporting a known form of combined wheel nut dust cap and rotation indicator device 30 which is sold commercially under the name "Dustite" (registered trade mark). Additionally.

the annular body 12 is also provided, internally of its central opening 13, with three snap fit retention catches 18. These catches 18 are positioned opposite to the gaps between the discontinuous shoulders 17 for reasons of manufacturing convenience and they are arranged adjacent an upper surface of the annular body 12, while the ledges 15 are arranged adjacent a lower surface of the annular body 12. Thus, the ledges 15 and the catches 18 are spaced apart axially of the annular body 12 by a distance which is chosen to accommodate a projecting flange 32 of the Dustite device 30. The supporting shoulders 17 face upwards in the direction of the catches 18. The catches 18 are formed as wedges with upper surfaces sloping, namely tapering surfaces facing away from the shoulders 17.

[0012] The annular body 12 is also provided, in its upper surface, with a recess 19 of appropriate size to accommodate a pointer 34 of the Dustite device 30 projecting there through with relatively close clearance.

[0013] The flexible curving arm 14 has a free end provided with a first connector portion which, in this embodiment, is in the form of a ring 20. The inner surface 22 of the ring 20 slopes inwardly towards its lower edge, as best shown in figure 3.

[0014] The connector button 16 constitutes a second connector portion of the device and includes a downwardly directed hollow plug 26. Further, the plug 26 is subdivided into four prongs at 9Q0 intervals and each of these is formed with an outwardly directed wedge-shaped enlargement 28 at its free end. These prongs and their enlargements 28 are adapted in size to snap fit into a ring 20 of a comparable adjacent device 10'. The resilience and flexibility allowed by the subdivision of the plug 26 into prongs, and the slight inclination of the inner surface 22 of the ring ensures that the enlargements 28 will effectively and securely engage in snap fit manner behind the lower inner edge of the ring 20..

[0015] The manner of use of a plurality of devices 10! 10'.. etc. of the just described configuration is apparent by reference to figures 1 and 2.The known Dustite devices 30 each comprise a shaft 31 with a cylindrical outer surface and an inner surface formed with a plurality of alternate teeth 38 and grooves, typically 24 or 48 in number, equally spaced around the circumference, as shown in figures 5 to 7. These teeth and grooves enable the device 30 to fit in non-rotatable manner and in any desired rotational position onto the angular outer profile of a wheel nut 40 (see figure 4). An upper end of the cylindrical body of the device 30 is closed by a slightly domed cap 36. Adjacent this domed cap 36 is the outwardly projecting flange 32, mentioned above, which is extended to form the pointer 34 at one location.

[0016] Thus, in known manner, the Dustite devices 30 will be fitted over each of the wheel nuts 40 which secure a particular wheel. In the illustrated version of figure 4 there are five such wheel nuts 40 in a circular array each secured onto a respective stud 42 to attach the wheel hub 46. However, instead of individually fitting each combined wheel nut cover/indicator device 30 onto its respective wheel nut 40, the five devices 30 are firstly mounted into respective security devices 10, 10..etc which are themselves linked together in a closed circular chain, as illustrated in figure 4. Thus, the plug 26 of each second connector portion 16 is inserted into the ring 20 of the first connector portion of the next adjacent device 10 and is securely retained by the enlargements 28 of the plug prongs engaging through and snapping in behind the lower edge of the ring 20 and this is how the circular chain is formed. Also, each Dustite device 30 is inserted from above into the respective annular body 12 of its corresponding security device 10. the shaft 31 projecting through and the flange 32 engaging the ledges 15. resting on the shoulders 17, and being retained in snap fit manner behind the catches 18. The orientation of each device 30 is fixed because the pointer 34 has to fit through the corresponding recess 19 in the annular body 12, which recess 19, in this embodiment, is adjacent the position of extension of the arm 14 from the body 12. Fixing the location of the pointers 34 in this way ensures that they are all arranged in substantially identical manner, directed around the circle of the arrangement, but also at a position where they will not be prone to inadvertent contact with any protruding part of the wheel hub 46.

[0017] The Dustite devices 30 are commercially available in different diameters, at 19, 21 and 24 mm, as shown in figures 5, 6 and 7 respectively, to match the different diameters of known wheel studs. However, while the shaft diameter 31 varies in this way, the flange 32 and pointer 34 remain the same so all of these can equally well be fitted and securely retained in a common size of security device 30.

[0018] As a consequence of the devices 30 being non-rotatably mounted onto the wheel nuts 40. and of the devices 30 being retained in the respective security devices 10 in a fixed orientation, owing to the pointer 34 projecting through the recess 19 with minimal clearance, and of the security devices 10 being securely linked together by the aims 14 and the first and second connector portions 16, 20, any tendency for rotation of any one of the wheel nuts 40 is virtually eliminated. Certainly, any rotation and loosening of any one or more of these wheel nuts 40 is reduced to a minimum and would not result in loosening to such a degree as to result in its detachment.

[0019] A particular further advantage of this configuration of secunty device 10, provided with a resiliently flexible connecting arm 14 linking adjacent devices 10, 10'.., is that the same devices can be used for mounting on arrangements of wheel nuts which are differently spaced apart by virtue of flexing of the arm 14, as shown by the broken line position of the arm 14 in figure 1, for more closely spaced wheel studs, or conversely outward flexing for more widely spaced wheel studs. A particular practical embodiment can be used on arrangements of wheel studs and their corresponding wheel nuts which differ in centre to centre spacing by up to 1 cm. In this way, where there are arrangements of four, five or six wheel nuts where the difference in spacing varies between 9.5 and 10.5 cm, exactly the same security devices are applicable without need for production, distribution, stocking of a different range of sizes.

[0020] The invention is not restricted to the details of the embodiment which has been illustrated and described above. Many variations in detail are possible as will be evident to a person skilled in the art. In particular, the number! spacing and arrangement of the parts of the snap fit connections between the first and second connector parts and in the interior of the annular body of the security device may vary. Further, the configuration for the snap fit connection between the known wheel nut cover and/or indicating device and the annular body may vary. In any event, in other embodiments within the scope of the invention the means of retention of the known wheel nut cover and/or indicating device in the annular body of the security device and the means of interconnection of the first and second connector portions may be entirely different involving any known or yet to be devised means of secure interconnection. Also, the security devices and the method of the invention are not only applicable to the commercially available Dustite devices in the form which has been illustrated here in, but are equally applicable, with suitable adjustment of retention means, to any other form of combined wheel nut cover and wheel nut rotation indicator devices, such as any devices which fall within the scope of the applicant's earlier patent specifications GB 2325505 or GB 2335720. Indeed other embodiments of the invention could readily be adapted for use with any other forms of wheel nut cover, whether having pointers or other indicating means or not, or any other forms of wheel nut indicating device, whether dust excluding or not, such as those which consist of only an annular body with pointer, for example those commercially available under the registered trademark "Checkpoint" . In those cases, the annular body of the security device of the invention will be adapted appropriately for engagement with such other wheel nut covers and indicating devices.

[0021] Moreover, the invention need not be limited to use on a vehicle wheel nuts and could be applicable to any other arrangement of adjacent nuts or bolts or comparable fasteners, whether arranged in a generally circular pattern or in any other pattern where the security devices can be interlinked.

[0022] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words "comprise" and "contain" and variations of them mean "including but not limited to", and they are not intended to (and do not) exclude other components or steps. Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires [0023] Features described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith.

Claims

Claims 1. A security device for connecting together adjacent wheel nut covers or indicating devices which, in use! are mounted non-rotatably onto adjacent vehicle wheel nuts, and thereby inhibiting rotation of the wheel nuts to which said covers or indicating devices are fitted, said security device comprising: an annular body having an internal surface defining a bore sized to receive a substantially cylindrical body of a wheel nut cover or indicating device, said annular body and/or said bore being provided with formations for retention of the wheel nut cover or indicating device; a flexible arm extending from the annular body and having a free end provided with a first connector portion; and a second connector portion provided on the annular body at a position spaced from the flexible arm, said second connector portion being adapted for attachment to a first connector portion of an adjacent security device of the same form in a manner permitting relative rotation of the attached first and second connector portions.
2. A security device according to claim 1 wherein the internal surface defining the bore of the annular body is provided with at least one ledge forming a shoulder for supporting the wheel nut cover or indicating device relative to the formations for retention of said wheel nut cover or indicating device.
3. A security device according to claim 2 wherein the formations for retention are in the form of a least one wedge with a tapered surface facing away from the shoulder thereby providing for snap fit retention or the wheel nut cover or indicating device.
4. A security device according to any preceding claim wherein the annular body has an upper surface provided with a recess to accommodate a pointer of the wheel nut indicating device.
5. A security device according to any preceding claim wherein one of the first and second connector portions is in the form of a plug and the other of the first and second connector portions is in the form of a socket adapted to receive and retain the plug.
6. A security device according to claim 5 wherein the plug comprises two or more parts which are capable of flexing relative to each other.
7. A security device according to claim 5 orG wherein the plug is hollow.
8. A security device according to any of claims 5 to 7 wherein the plug or at least one part of the plug is formed with a snap fit retention feature.
9. A security device according to claim 8 wherein the snap fit retention feature is a wedge-like protrusion at or adjacent the end of the plug or at least one part of the plug.
10. A method of inhibiting rotation of each of a plurality ot vehicle wheel nuts which are arranged at a equi-angular spacing around a circle, the method comprising the steps of: mounting a respective wheel nut cover or indicating device onto each wheel nut, each cover or indicating device having a cylindrical body with an internal surface provided with means for non-rotatable engagement with the wheel nut; mounting a respective security device as claimed in any preceding claim onto the cylindrical body of each wheel nut cover or indicating device; and attaching the first connector portion of each security device to the second connector portion ot the next adjacent security device to form a linked chain of security devices.
11. A security device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.