Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B7/00—Wheel cover discs, rings, or the like, for ornamenting, protecting, venting, or obscuring, wholly or in part, the wheel body, rim, hub, or tyre sidewall, e.g. wheel cover discs, wheel cover discs with cooling fins
  • B60B7/0026—Wheel cover discs, rings, or the like, for ornamenting, protecting, venting, or obscuring, wholly or in part, the wheel body, rim, hub, or tyre sidewall, e.g. wheel cover discs, wheel cover discs with cooling fins characterised by the surface
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B7/00—Wheel cover discs, rings, or the like, for ornamenting, protecting, venting, or obscuring, wholly or in part, the wheel body, rim, hub, or tyre sidewall, e.g. wheel cover discs, wheel cover discs with cooling fins
  • B60B7/0026—Wheel cover discs, rings, or the like, for ornamenting, protecting, venting, or obscuring, wholly or in part, the wheel body, rim, hub, or tyre sidewall, e.g. wheel cover discs, wheel cover discs with cooling fins characterised by the surface
  • B60B7/0066—Wheel cover discs, rings, or the like, for ornamenting, protecting, venting, or obscuring, wholly or in part, the wheel body, rim, hub, or tyre sidewall, e.g. wheel cover discs, wheel cover discs with cooling fins characterised by the surface the dominant aspect being the surface structure
  • B60B7/0073—Wheel cover discs, rings, or the like, for ornamenting, protecting, venting, or obscuring, wholly or in part, the wheel body, rim, hub, or tyre sidewall, e.g. wheel cover discs, wheel cover discs with cooling fins characterised by the surface the dominant aspect being the surface structure being completely closed, i.e. having no cooling openings for the brakes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B2900/00—Purpose of invention
  • B60B2900/20—Avoidance of
  • B60B2900/212—Damage
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B2900/00—Purpose of invention
  • B60B2900/50—Improvement of
  • B60B2900/511—Sealing
  • B60B2900/5112—Sealing against dust or dirt

Definitions

• This invention relates to a wheel transit protector. More specifically, the invention relates to a wheel transit protector that can be fitted to the face or rim of a wheel to protect the wheel from damage during transit.
• Newly manufactured wheel and second hand wheels are often transported around the world using a range of different transportation methods. During transportation wheels are in danger of being scraped, dented or otherwise damaged.
• Any damage to the wheel that occurs during transit can significantly reduce the value of the wheel, or render it unusable.
• the protection of alloy wheels during transit is particularly important, as any scratches to the wheel face or rim cannot be covered by the addition of a hubcap, and are expensive to recondition.
• Wheels are transported both as single parts and on vehicles. While it has been known to wrap wheels entirely in packaging to keep them clean and protected in transit, this method is not practical for wheels already on a vehicle, nor does it allow a user to fit a wheel to a vehicle without taking off the packaging . Ideally, it would be advantageous to have a wheel protection system that will protect the wheel from the point of manufacture until it was ready to be sold or displayed in a show room. It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
• a wheel transit protection device including; • an elongate member; and
• the elongate member is adapted for direct or indirect attachment to a wheel rim, tyre or face of a wheel; and the elongate member substantially corresponds to the circumference of the tyre, wheel rim or face of a wheel to which it is capable of being directly or indirectly attached; and the one or more sheets of protective material are able to cover at least a portion of the face of the wheel.
• the elongate member is attached near or at one edge of the protective material.
• the elongate member and protective material are formed as a single unit using a plastic molding or extrusion process.
• the elongate member is attached to the protective material using an adhesive.
• one edge of the protective material is wrapped over and attached to the elongate member.
• the elongate member forms a "side wall" on the protective material.
• the elongate member is formed from a plastics polymer. More preferably, the elongate member is formed from PVC, nylon or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
• the elongate member is formed from a biodegradable or recyclable material.
• the elongate member has a width within the range of 3mm - 15mm.
• the width of the elongate member is between 3.9mm and 4.2mm.
• the protective material is selected from plastic sheeting, cling film, bubble wrap, foam or compressed foam, cardboard, fabric or a solid sheet of plastic.
• the protective material may be any material that is suitable for covering the face of a vehicle wheel to protect it from scratching, abrasion, staining or contact with dirt or debris.
• the sheet of protective material is substantially rectangular.
• the sheet of protective material extends from one or both of the long sides of the attached elongate member a length of between 10mm and 1 m. This range allows the transit protector to have enough protective material to cover at least a portion of the wheel face of a wide variety of different sized wheels.
• protective material on one side of the elongate member can be used to cover the wheel face and the protective material on the other side of the elongate member can be used to cover the tyre, or outer edges of the wheel if no tyre is attached.
• the protective material includes one or more fold lines. These fold lines aid in the folding of the protective material to cover the wheel during attachment.
• the elongate member of the wheel transit protector is of a length to substantially correspond to the circumference of wheels from 10 inches to 50 inches in diameter.
• the elongate member is formed from a soft material that is easy to cut, compress or fold. This allows the elongate member to be formed from a range of different materials, as well as improving the ability of the wheel transit protector to be rolled or stored.
• two or more wheel transit protection devices are formed in a continuous sheet or roll, wherein the devices are removably connected together
• the sheet when the wheel transit protection device is formed in a continuous sheet, the sheet includes perforations at set points along the sheet to allow a single unit to be removed that will fit a specified wheel size.
• a single unit can be cut or torn to a length suitable for a particular wheel size.
• the wheel transit protection device is formed as a single unit available in multiple sizes.
• the wheel transit protector is attached to the face of the wheel, tyre or wheel rim using a removable attachment means.
• This removable attachment means may be selected from an adhesive, clips, brackets, ties or any other suitable connection means as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art.
• a wheel protection system including; ⁇ a base elongate member having o a first substantially planar surface for adhesive attachment to a
• a wheel transit protection device as described above wherein the elongate member of the wheel protection device is received by and is capable of being removably attached to the second opposing outer surface of the base elongate member.
• the second elongate member is received by the base elongate member using a clip-fit mechanism or similar.
• the base elongate member is formed from a plastics polymer. More preferably, the base elongate member is formed from nylon or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
• ABS acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
• the base elongate member has a width within the range of 3mm - 25mm.
• the width of the elongate member is 3mm - 10mm. More preferably, the width of the elongate member is 6mm.
• the second portion is removable to expose the face of the wheel beneath while the first adhesive portion remains adhered to the face of the wheel, securing the protective material to the face of a wheel.
• the first adhesive portion is a sticker. More preferably, the first adhesive portion is a ring shaped sticker.
• the first adhesive portion is a ring shaped sticker with a diameter of between 70mm - 450mm.
• the diameter of the ring is 100mm - 250mm.
• the second portion of the securing means is removably attached to the first adhesive portion.
• the second portion is circular and is removably attached to the inside circumference of the ring shaped first adhesive portion.
• a dispensing apparatus adapted to dispense; - a wheel transit protection device as described above; and a securing means as described above; wherein the wheel transit protection device and securing means dispensed from the dispensing apparatus are able to be used on all wheel sizes.
• the dispensing apparatus includes a means to measure a length of wheel transit protection device.
• the dispensing apparatus includes a means for cutting a length of wheel transit protection device to a desired length. More preferably the means for cutting is a blade.
• a method for protecting vehicle wheels from damage including attaching to the wheel a vehicle wheel protection system as described above.
• a method for protecting vehicle wheels from damage the method including attaching to the wheel a vehicle wheel transit protector as described above.
• fold lines should be taken to mean any indicia that show where to fold the protective material, any pre-scored lines or weakness in the protective material that aid folding or any creases or seams.
• sheet of protective material for the purposes of this specification should be given its standard meaning, that being a substantially flat piece of material.
• the sheet claimed in this specification may be a range of shapes or materials, but should also include material that is a range of textures and thicknesses such as bubble wrap, foam rubber or other padded materials, provided they are in sheet form so as to be able to cover a portion of a wheel face.
• FIG 1 shows the wheel protection system disclosed in the prior art
• FIG 4 shows a wheel protection system of the present invention including the wheel transit protection device as shown in Figures 2 and 3;
• Figure 5 shows the wheel transit protection device as shown in Figures 2 and
• FIG 6 shows the wheel protection system as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4 and
• Figure 7 shows the wheel protection system as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 secured using the securing means of the present invention wherein the second portion of the securing means is removed to show the wheel nuts underneath;
• Figure 8 shows the wheel transit protection device of Figures 1 - 4 as a continuous roll.
• the wheel transit protection device of the present invention is design to be attached to wheel rims, the face of a wheel or a tyre attached to a wheel to provide a protective material that substantially covers the face of the wheel. This protective material protects the wheel from damage from scratching, dirt, dust or other debris it may come in contact with during transit.
• the wheel transit protector When used in the preferred embodiment, the wheel transit protector is attached to the outer circumference of the wheel or inner circumference of the tyre (if attached) by the elongate member.
• the protective material extends from the elongate member towards the centre of the wheel. The protective material is then folded in a pleated fashion and secured at the edge of the protective material to the centre of the tyre.
• the protective material may also be formed with the elongate member in a number of other ways as would be clear to a person skilled in the art.
• the elongate member may be formed as a continuous circle in a set size, with a single circular covering of protective material attached.
• This material may be in the form of a solid plastic disc that may be reused, or a more disposable material that can be discarded once the transit protector is removed. While there are numerous attachment methods that would be suitable for attaching the elongate member to the face of the wheel rim such as clips, screws, brackets or adhesive, the preferred method is through the use of a wheel protection system which will be described in more detail below with reference to the figures.
• the wheel protection system combines the wheel transit protection device of the current invention together with a corresponding elongate member that has been attached to the face of the wheel rim.
• the elongate member attached to the wheel rim includes a channel to into which the transit protection device can be clipped.
• the elongate member attached to the face of the wheel rim forms part of the wheel rim protection device as disclosed in PCT/NZ2009/000170, the contents of which is incorporated by reference.
• This device is currently being sold under the trade name RimProTecTM and is shown in more detail in Figure 1.
• the RimPro TecTM device is designed to protect wheel rims from damage during driving and parking. This system is briefly described below with reference to Figure 1.
• the RimProTec device includes a first elongate member 30 is attached to a wheel rim by adhesive 20.
• adhesive 20 is a double sided adhesive tape such as 3MTM VHBTM tape.
• Adhesive 20 is preferably placed in a continuous strip along flat surface 15 of elongate member 30 and elongate member 30 is mounted on the face of the wheel, close to the edge on the wheel rim.
• the RimProTec device further includes a second elongate member 30A that is received inside elongate member 30 via a clip-fit mechanism.
• Member 30A can be removed to change the colour of elongate member 30A, or to replace elongate member 30A when it becomes damaged, without having to remove elongate member 30.
• the wheel transit protector 100 of the present invention is shown in a preferred embodiment in Figure 2.
• Protector 100 includes an elongate member 101 which is attached to a protective material 102 at a first edge.
• Elongate member 101 is preferably formed from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), but may be made of other materials such as nylon or other plastic polymers.
• ABS acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
• the purpose of the elongate member 101 is to hold the protective material in position on the face of the wheel.
• elongate member 101 must be robust enough to hold the protective material in place throughout transport, storage and other handling of the wheel, but does not need to be so strong that it resists any large forces such as would be encountered by hitting a curb while driving a vehicle. It would therefore be clear to a person skilled in the art that elongate member 101 may be of various sizes or thicknesses as necessary to perform the above function.
• Protective material 102 may be made from a wide range of materials such as plastic sheeting, cling film, bubble wrap, foam or compressed foam, cardboard, fabric or a solid sheet of plastic.
• the protective material is a transparent plastic sheeting. The transparency allows the wheel to be identified once protector 100 is in place, while still providing protection against scratching, abrasions, dirt and dust.
• the plastic sheeting may include fold lines 103 which can be seen in Figure 2 and 3.
• Protector 100 is fitted to a wheel with the elongate member 101 covering the circumference of the wheel rim, while protective material 102 faces inwards toward the centre of the wheel. Given the circular nature of wheels, without any folding there will be an excessive amount of protective material to cover a single wheel face.
• protective material 102 is folded in a pleat like fashion along the folding lines provided in order to cover the wheel in a neat folded covering of protective material 102. Once folded over the wheel face, the inside edge 104 of protective material 103 is secured to the wheel face as will be described in further detail below.
• Wheel transit protector 100 of the present invention may be attached directly to the face of the wheel using any well known attachment technique such as adhesive tape or glue, clips, screws or even welding.
• wheel transit protector 100 is included as part of a wheel protection system that incorporates a base elongate member as shown in Figure 4.
• Base elongate member 200 is attached around the outer circumference of a wheel face (in a similar position to elongate member 101 in Figure 3) using an adhesive tape.
• Base member 200 may be identical to the elongate member 30 as shown in the prior art of Figure 1 and may be sold with wheel transit protector 100 or with the RimProTec system as described above.
• wheel transit protector 100 is clipped into the base member 200 via elongate member 101.
• protective material 102 is wrapped around elongate member 101 , elongate member 101 creating an edge to the protector 100.
• Securing means 300 preferably includes a first adhesive portion 301 and a second portion 302.
• First adhesive portion 301 is preferably in the form of a ring shaped sticker.
• the sticker will attach the inner edges of folded protective material 102 to the wheel face, keeping the protective covering firmly in position.
• protective material 102 will be of a width to suit a particular wheel size, so than when mounted on a wheel, the protective material will reach far enough towards the centre of the wheel to provide adequate protection.
• protective material 102 is of a width that the centre of the wheel containing the wheel nuts remains exposed.
• First adhesive portion 301 of securing means 300 holds protective material 102 in position.
• Second portion 302 of securing means is ideally located within the adhesive ring portion 301 and does not contain an adhesive backing. As shown in Figure 6, second portion 302 may be removed in order to access the wheel nuts without removing wheel transit protector 100.
• Figure 7 shows protector 100 in position on a wheel with second portion 302 completely removed.
• the securing means 300 described herein is a preferred method of securing protective material 102 to the centre of a wheel. Other methods of securing protective material 102 into position may also be used such as tape or providing an adhesive means directly to protective material 102 itself.
• Vehicle wheels are often manufactured with a badge or trademark located on the centre of the wheel.
• protective material 102 may extend to the centre of the wheel and remain held in place by attachment of the wheel badge over the top of protective material 102.
• the wheel transit protector and wheel protection system described above are ideally mounted onto vehicle wheels during manufacture. Once the wheel, or vehicle with wheel attached is ready for sale, the wheel transit protector 100 can be removed, leaving the base elongate portion 200 in position on the wheel. The protector 100 can then be replaced with an inner elongate member designed to protect the car wheel from curb damage as described earlier and as claimed in PCT/NZ2009/000107.
• the wheel transit protector 100 is manufactured as a continuous roll as shown in Figure 8. This can be supplied to a car manufacturer in this form, allowing them to cut the roll to any length needed to fit to a wheel of any diameter.
• the continuous roll may include perforations 106 at certain lengths to fit specific vehicles, or have a measurement guide or folding lines 103 printed on the protective material.
• the wheel transit protector 100 and securing means 300 are available in a custom made dispensing apparatus.
• the dispensing apparatus houses a roll of continuous transit protector 100 and a number of securing means 300.
• a user may extract a required amount of transit protector 100 from the dispensing apparatus together with a securing means, allowing then to fit the device easily to the wheel.
• the dispensing apparatus may include instructions, measurement guides, blades or other cutting mechanisms to cut the transit protector to the desired length.
• the wheel transit protector of the present invention has a number of advantages.
• the protector may be used in conjunction with or complement the existing
• RimProTec product that is designed to protect wheels from curb damage, providing a protective product that is very easy to install over wheels.
• the base component of the wheel protection system can remain in place over the lifetime of the wheel (or until it needs to be replaced through damage).
• the base component can be used initially with the wheel transit protector and then with the rim protection system once the wheel is used on a moving vehicle or once the vehicle is in the showroom. This allows the system to be attached to the wheel at the point of manufacture, saving costs due to damage over the entire lifespan of the wheel.
• the system can be easily removed at any time by the consumer or sales person.
• the ability to be able to access the wheel nuts while the wheel protector remains in place is a distinct advantage, as the protector can them remain on the wheel from manufacture to installation without risk of damaging the wheels by removing or replacing covers. This also reduces the amount of time a wheel is unprotected, resulting in significant savings to amounts spent on wheel refurbishment.
• the ability to produce the protector on a continuous roll makes it inexpensive to produce as well as being effective for those looking to protect a wide number of wheel of different sizes. There is no need to buy specifically sized protection devices for individual wheels, but a single product may be used across a wide range of wheel sizes.

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Citations (9)

• 2012
  • 2012-09-10 WO PCT/NZ2012/000162 patent/WO2013036148A2/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (9)

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