TIRE SPRAY COLLECTOR APPARATUS

• US 3,834,732 A
• Filed: 07/02/1973
• Issued: 09/10/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pete A. Schons
• Original Assignee: Pete A. Schons
• Inventors: Schons, Pete A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rolla, Joseph J.
• Application Number:
  US05/375,620
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 280/154.5R
• US Class Current: 280/851
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/168 Mud guards for utility vehicles

Abstract

A tire spray collector apparatus for reducing the water spray at the side of a vehicle is described, including a shield member and an apertured collector member positioned below such shield member and above the tires of a truck, automobile or other wheeled vehicle. The collector member and shield member are attached together to form a closed spray collecting chamber that is sealed around the entire periphery of such members. As a result, water spray from the tires enters the chamber through the openings in the collector member and is prevented from leaving the chamber, except through drains provided at the opposite ends of the spray collector apparatus. Flexible hoses are connected to these drains and have their outlet ends positioned adjacent the ground to discharge the drain water inwardly of the wheels to prevent such drain water from producing further tire spray. In one embodiment, the collector member is in the form of a corrugated sheet having a plurality of upward opening longitudinal channels separated by longitudinal ridges which have a plurality of openings provided in the tops of such ridges so that water spray enters the collector chamber through said openings, is reflected from the shield member and flows along the bottoms of the channels to the discharge hoses. The tire spray collector apparatus does not extend over the side of the tires, so that it does not cause overheating of such tires, and also enables easy removal of the tires and installation of tire chains.

Claims

1. Tire spray collector apparatus in which the improvement comprises:

a collector member adapted to be mounted over a tire on a wheeled vehicle and having a plurality of openings which enable water spray from said tire to pass through said collector member;

a shield member provided on the opposite side of said collector member from said tire so that water spray passing through said openings in said collector member strikes said shield member; and

closure means for attaching said shield member to said collector member to form a spray collecting chamber which is closed along the entire periphery of said members including their ends, sufficiently to prevent water particles from leaving said chamber between said member.

2. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 1 which also has drain means for draining the water from said chamber.

3. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 2 in which the drain means includes discharge means for discharging the drain water to the ground at a position inward of said tire.

4. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 3 in which the discharge means includes a flexible tube connected at its input end to a drain member sealing one end of said collector member to one end of said shield member.

5. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 2 in which the drain means includes channel means provided on said collector member below said openings for collecting and transmitting the water to drain members at the opposite ends of said collector member.

6. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which the channel means includes a plurality of longitudinal channels extending longitudinally along said collector member and a plurality of longitudinal ridges extending longitudinally between said channels and having said openings provided in rows at the tops of said ridges.

7. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 1 which also includes cleaning means for directing a pressurized stream of water into said chamber through an inlet aperture in said shield member.

8. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the closure means includes spacer means for causing the collector member to be substantially uniformly spaced from said shield member along its entire length.

9. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 1 which includes mounting means for mounting the collector member and the shield member on a vehicle body so that they are spaced above the periphery of the tire and do not extend down over the side of such tire.

10. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 9 in which the collector member and shield member extend over two pairs of tires, said pairs of tires being mounted on different axles and longitudinally spaced from each other, and a deflector member extends downward over the space between said two pair of tires.

11. Collector apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the closure means includes a resilient seal member between said collector member and said shield member.

12. Tire spray collector apparatus for collecting water spray from the tires of a wheeled vehicle, comprising:

an elongated collector portion extending longitudinally of said vehicle over said tire and provided with a plurality of openings through which said spray can pass, said collector portion having means to restrict return of the spray water to the tire through said openings;

a shield portion positioned above and spaced from said collection portion for stopping spray passing through said openings;

closure means for securing said collector and shield portions together to provide a spray collecting chamber which is closed along the entire periphery of said collector portion including the ends of said collector portion;

conduit means connected to said chamber for delivering collected water from said chamber to a position inwardly of the tires of said vehicle and discharging it on the ground out of the path of travel of said tires; and

mounting means for mounting the collector apparatus on the vehicle so that the collector portion and the shield portion are spaced above the periphery of the tire and do not extend down over the side of said tire.