Plastic wheel and method of making same
First Claim
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1. A wheel assembly comprising:
- a) a hub assembly comprising an axle and a bearing assembly;
b) two molded plastic wheel halves connected to said hub assembly so as to form a wheel rotatable about said axle and having a circumference, said wheel halves including a plurality of stiffening ribs extending generally radially on the inside of the plastic wheel halves and terminating at free ends spaced from the hub assembly; and
c) a rim attached to said circumference and having two side walls adapted to hold a tire onto said rim.
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Abstract
A plastic wheel assembly comprises a wheel, a hub assembly and a rim having two side walls adopted to hold a tire onto the rim. Preferably the wheel is made of two molded plastic wheel halves, each having a wheel flange extending outwardly from the circumference of the wheel and contacting the rim side walls. The rim fits between the wheel flanges and is preferably made of metal. The wheel halves are preferably riveted to the flanges on the hub assembly. A method of making the wheel assembly involves connecting the first wheel half to the rim and then connecting the second wheel half to the combination of the rim and first wheel half.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A wheel assembly comprising:
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a) a hub assembly comprising an axle and a bearing assembly; b) two molded plastic wheel halves connected to said hub assembly so as to form a wheel rotatable about said axle and having a circumference, said wheel halves including a plurality of stiffening ribs extending generally radially on the inside of the plastic wheel halves and terminating at free ends spaced from the hub assembly; and c) a rim attached to said circumference and having two side walls adapted to hold a tire onto said rim. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A wheel assembly comprising:
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a) a plastic wheel having a circumference with a plurality of stiffening ribs extending generally radially on the inside of the wheel and two wheel flanges extending outwardly from said circumference; b) a rim attached to said plastic wheel on said circumference and in between the wheel flanges, the rim having two side walls adapted to hold a tire onto the rim and the rim side walls contacting the wheel flanges; and c) a hub assembly having an axle and a bearing assembly, the wheel being attached to the hub assembly so as to allow the wheel to rotate about the axle, and the stiffening ribs terminating at free ends spaced from the hub assembly. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of making a wheel assembly comprising the steps of:
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a) providing i) first and second molded, plastic wheel halves each having a plurality of stiffening ribs extending generally radially on the inside thereof and a wheel flange thereon, ii) a rim having two side walls adapted to hold a tire onto said rim, and iii) a hub assembly; b) connecting said first wheel half to the rim to form a combination; c) connecting the second wheel half to the combination of the first wheel half and rim such that the wheel flanges on the first and second wheel halves contact the rim side walls; and d) connecting the hub assembly to one of the wheel halves before connecting the second wheel half to the combination of the first wheel half and rim, the stiffening ribs terminating at free ends spaced from the hub assembly. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification