Wheel assembly identification device

• US 20030150920A1
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Parks, Stefan A
• Granted Patent: US 7,243,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/487
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/04 characterised by the shape

Abstract

An identification device (6) modified to fit into a lug nut hole (20). The device (6) includes a conical body molded of plastic material and has an embedded codded chip.

Claims

1. An identification device modified to fit in a wheel lug nut hole to identify a wheel assembly prior to mounting on a vehicle.

2. The identification device defined in claim 1 wherein the device is formed of a plastic material.

3. The identification device defined in claim 1 wherein the device has a conical configuration.

4. The identification device defined in claim 1 wherein the device includes a resilient mount for removably mounting the device in the nut hole.

5. The identification device defined in claim 4 wherein the resilient mount includes at least one spring.

6. The identification device defined in claim 4 wherein the resilient mount includes a pair of spring strips extending alone opposed locations on the device.

7. The identification device defined in claim 1 wherein a chip is embedded in the tag.

8. The identification device defined in claim 7 wherein the chip contains an electronic circuit.

9. The identification device defined in claim 8 wherein the chip contains either an active or passive electronic circuit.

10. A method of providing identification of a wheel assembly having a rim and a tire mounted thereon including the step of inserting an identification device in a lug nut hole of the rim.

11. The method defined in claim 10 including the steps of forming the device of plastic;

and embedding an information chip within said plastic.

12. The method defined in claim 11 including the step of providing the chip with electronic circuitry to generate information to a remote interrogator.

13. The method defined in claim 10 including the step of molding the identification device of plastic material with a conical shape;

and securing a retention spring on the device.

14. The method defined in claim 13 including the step of forming the retention spring as a pair of opposed bowed spring strips;

and molding at least one end of said strips in the plastic material of the device.

15. The method defined in claim 11 including the step of providing the information chip with an active electronic circuit.

16. The method defined in claim 11 including the step of providing the information chip with a passive circuit.

17. The method defined in claim 10 including the step of aligning a top surface of the device generally with an adjacent surface of the rim when inserting the tag into the lug nut hole.

18. In combination a wheel assembly including a rim having a plurality of lug nut holes formed therein and a tire mounted thereon, and an identification device removably mounted in one of the lug nut holes of the rim.

19. The combination defined in claim 18 wherein the device is molded of plastic and contains an information chip embedded therein.

20. The combination defined in claim 19 wherein the chip contains a passive circuit for forwarding information stored in said chip to a remote interrogator in response to a signal from said interrogator.