Plastic wheel construction for utility vehicles

• US 3,907,370 A
• Filed: 05/01/1974
• Issued: 09/23/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bernard D. Bard
• Original Assignee: Bernard D. Bard
• Inventors: Bard, Bernard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wood, Jr., M. Henson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Keen, D. W.
• Application Number:
  US05/465,870
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 301/63PW,1,122,39R,63R,63C,65,66
• US Class Current: 301/63.102
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 5/02 made of synthetic material
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 7/00 Non-inflatable or solid tyres B60C1/00 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle wheel injection molded from plastic in one piece, including hub, web, rim and tire section. The tire section includes an outer rim which functions as a tread and is joined to the rim surrounding the web by a spaced series of radially extending fins disposed in planes perpendicular to the plane of the wheel. The web is serpentine in configuration. Decorative inserts are mounted on one side of the tire section in one form of the wheel.

Claims

1. A vehicle wheel, comprising:

a. hub means, b. web means formed unitarily with and extending radially from said hub means to an annular inner rim, and c. a tire section encircling said annular inner rim and formed unitarily therewith, d. said tire section including a series of annularly spaced fins extending radially of the wheel'"'"''"'"'s axis and lying in planes generally perpendicular to the plane of the wheel, e. said tire section including an annular outer rim connected to said annular inner rim by said series of fins, f. said annular outer rim defining a tread for said wheel.

2. The vehicle wheel of claim 1 further characterized in that:

a. said hub means, web means, annular inner rim and tire section are molded in one piece from a plastic material.

3. The vehicle wheel of claim 1 further characterized in that:

a. said web means has a serpentine configuration in annular cross-section whereby the web means has a similar structure and design as viewed from both sides of the wheel.

4. The vehicle wheel of claim 1 further characterized by and including:

a. an annular ring on one side of said wheel interconnecting corresponding edges of each of said fins.

5. The vehicle wheel of claim 4 further characterized in that:

a. said annular ring has at least one annular groove formed in its outer surface, b. a removable insert mounted in said groove, and c. means releasably locking said insert in said groove.

6. The vehicle wheel of claim 5 further characterized in that:

a. a plurality of concentric grooves are formed in said annular rim.