Wheel assembly

• US 5,236,027 A
• Filed: 02/24/1992
• Issued: 08/17/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tsai-Chuan Lu
• Original Assignee: Tsai-Chuan Lu
• Inventors: Lu, Tsai-Chuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Stormer, Russell D.
• Application Number:
  US07/840,275
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 152/1, 152/5, 152/11, 152/12, 152/151, 152/246, 152/247, 152/251-255, 152/258, 152/259, 152/260, 152/270, 152/275, 152/276, 152/196, 152/197, 152/198, 152/200, 152/201 , 152/202, 152/256, 152/271, 152/272, 301/5.1, 301/64.7
• US Class Current: 152/250
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 19/00 Wheels not otherwise provided for or having characteristics specified in one of the subgroups of this group
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/02 adapted to be rotatably arranged on axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 7/00 Non-inflatable or solid tyres B60C1/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 7/22 having inlays other than for increasing resiliency, e.g. for armouring

Abstract

The improved wheel assembly includes a hub member having a cylindrical casing with an axial bore adapted to receive the end of a wheel axle, and a plurality of threaded bolts which threadably engage conventional lug nuts; a tubeless, airless tire member having three continuous supporting belts, a plurality of reverse inclined Z-shaped supporting rods connected to each other and to each supporting belt, and a transverse central opening adapted to receive the hub; and an annular cap member adapted to engage the outer periphery of the central opening of the tire member and to receive the bolts of the hub member.

Claims

1. An improved wheel assembly:

a tubeless and airless tire member having a central continuous circular belt and two outer continuous circular belts substantially equidistantly spaced from said central continuous circular belt, a plurality of upper and lower reverse inclined Z-shaped supporting rods connected to each continuous circular belt to form a supporting mesh network, a wire gauze enclosing said supporting mesh network, an elastic outer layer enclosing said wire gauze to define a contour of said tire member, and a transverse axial opening extending through said tire member;

a hub member having a cylindrical casing adapted to be received by said transverse opening of said tire member, said cylindrical casing having an axial bore, a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections extending outwardly from an outer end of said casing, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures formed in said outer end of said casing and concentric with said projections for receiving bolts of a wheel axle; and

,

an annular cap member having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures adapted to receive respective projections of said hub member, and a central opening through which said bolts of said wheel axle extend.

2. An improved wheel assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein each upper and lower reverse inclined Z-shaped supporting rod member comprises an inclined leg segment, and first and second leg segments integrally attached to opposed ends of said inclined leg segment, said first and second leg segments extending in opposite and parallel directions.

3. An improved wheel assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein a first leg segment of a first reverse inclined Z-shaped upper supporting rod overlies and is connected to a first leg segment of a first reverse inclined Z-shaped lower supporting rod, a second leg segment of said first reverse inclined Z-shaped upper supporting rod overlies and is connected to a second leg segment of a second reverse inclined Z-shaped lower supporting rod, and an inclined leg segment of said first reverse inclined Z-shaped upper supporting rod intersects and is connected to an inclined leg segment of a third reverse inclined Z-shaped lower supporting rod.