WO1997011011A1

WO1997011011A1 - Free wheel cover for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO1997011011A1
Application number: PCT/FI1996/000489
Authority: WO
Inventors: Armas Herman Saastamoinen
Original assignee: Armas Herman Saastamoinen
Priority date: 1995-09-20
Filing date: 1996-09-18
Publication date: 1997-03-27
Also published as: FI97711B; FI97711C; FI954429A0

Abstract

The invention relates to a free-wheel cover for motor vehicles in situations where summer and winter tyres are used. The prevailing current practise is to use two sets of wheels per motor vehicle. This being the case, wheels need to be moved to and fro between the place where wheels are changed and where they are stored, and the wheels need to be stored in storage facilities. Each wheel is enclosed in separate covers carried by means of a handle. The said cover complies with the shape of the tyre and it is soft. It bears fixed markings indicating the position of the wheel under the motor vehicle and a receptacle for exchangeable markings, e.g. the registration number of the motor vehicle. The size of the cover is adjustable. Wheels accommodating tyres of similar widths and diameter fit in covers of the same products size. The adjustability of the cover is achieved by means of the load-bearing body part, to which the handle is attached, which is tightened over the tyre, and the flexible side parts, which fold over in an overlapping manner. When the wheels are in storage, the side parts are kept open. Wheels covered in this manner are clean and easy to move about and store in storage, e.g. they can be hung on the wall by their handle. When storing wheels in a visible place, wheel covers completely covering the wheel prevent premeditated theft and the markings on the wheel covers indicating the position of the wheels under the vehicle prevent errors in mounting.

Description

FREE WHEEL COVER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES

The invention relates to a free-wheel cover for motor vehicles facilitating the moving about and storage of wheels.

Examples of known art usage of motor vehicle wheel protection when a wheel serves as a spare wheel include US patent 4932573 and EP application publication 361631, and a wheel-covering cover of the kind described in WO application publication 95/19906. US patent 4315569 presents a solution for protecting wheels not in use. Additionally, there are the known-art solutions involving round luggage cases WO 80/01639 and US 3301358.

The invention achieves the protective function for the free wheels of a motor vehicle in a situation where summer tyres and winter tyres are used. In such regions, the general practice is to have two sets of wheels per motor vehicle. This being the case, the motorist has at his/her disposal two sets of wheels, i.e. there is a set of replacement wheels, which has to handled detached and stored in storage facilities. Problems associated with the handling and storing of wheels involve the rubber and dirt released from the tyre tread and the pricks made by tyre studs. The service life of used tyres would be enhanced were their previous direction of rotation taken into account when remounting such tyres, and thus fixed markings on the wheel covers indicating the position of the wheels under the vehicle prevent errors in mounting. When storing wheels in a visible place, wheel covers completely covering the wheel prevent premeditated thef . When stored in a facility in common use, the wheels forming the replacement set of wheels can be readily locked to one another in a manner required by insurance companies. When storing wheels in a garage or some other similar storage facility, where wheels can be hung on the wall, wheels with covers can be readily hung on wall mountings by means of a handle attached to the cover. In order to achieve the aforementioned effects, the invention is characterised by the aspects presented in the patent claim.

In the following, the invention is described by means of drawings. The cover is soft and conforms with the outline of the tyre up to its widest part. The cover is adjustable.

Figure 1 shows a situation where a wheel of maximum size in terms of both its diameter and width is inside the cover. The load-bearing body part in the figure is provided by part 1, extending to the sides of the tyre. Flexible side parts 2 and 3 are attached to the said load-bearing body part. Part 4 depicts the opening-up line provided with a velcroed fastener. To facilitate air change, the velcroed fastener strips on either side of the wheels when storing them. Figure 5 depicts the adjustable locking system. Known-art locking devices are used to tighten the cover around the wheel. Carry handle 6 functions as a draw handle when closing the cover, otherwise it serves as a means of carrying the wheel when moving the wheel. Part 7 shows the fixed markings indicating the wheel s position under the motor vehicle and part 8 shows a receptacle for exchangeable markings, e.g. the motor vehicle s registration number. Part 9 indicates guides on either side of the cover.

Figure 2 shows a situation where a cover of the same size contains a wheel that is narrower and smaller in diameter, Flexible side parts 3 fold over side parts 2. Body part 1 extends further along the sides of the tyre.

The cover is designed to be pulled down from above over a wheel without the wheel needing to be raised.

Claims

Patent claims:

1. Soft and tyre-shape-compliant free wheel cover for motor vehicles, CHARACTERISED IN THAT the cover is designed to facilitate the moving about and storing in storage of what may be referred to as replacement wheels of summer- and winter-tyred wheels, and that the cover is adjustable in size and that its adjustability is achieved so that the body part (1) is tightened around the tyre by means of an adjustable locking device (5) via a carry handle (6) attached adjacent to it, the said handle thereby functioning as a draw handle, and flexible side parts (2) and (3) fold over on top of one another, and that the structure also includes a guide part (9) , which is flexible in the direction of the circular segment .

2. A free wheel cover as claimed in claim 1, CHARACTERISED IN THAT the cover has markings indicating the wheel s position under the motor vehicle.

3. A free wheel cover as claimed in claims 1 and 2 , CHARACTERISED IN THAT the cover is provided with air exchange to facilitate storage.

4. A free wheel cover as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, CHARACTERISED IN THAT the cover opens up in the direction of its circular diameter or eccentrically.