Plastic wheel and method of making same

• US 5,782,540 A
• Filed: 09/30/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pacific Cycle LLC (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
• Inventors: Brashear, Daniel F., Camfield, David K., Conn, Robert N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stormer, Russell D.
• Application Number:
  US08/723,860
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 301/63.1, 301/64.2, 301/64.3, 301/64.4, 301/64.5, 301/64.7, 301/104, 301/95, 29/894.322, 29/894.341, 29/894.342, 29/894.34
• US Class Current: 301/64.202
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 25/002 Rims split in circumferential direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 25/22 Other apurtenances, e.g. for sealing the component parts enabling the use of tubeless tyres
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 3/004 in the hub section
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 3/007 in the intermediate section
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 3/082 especially for light-weight wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 3/087 Discs having several mutual contact regions
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 3/10 apertured to simulate spoked wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 3/16 by bolts or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 5/02 made of synthetic material

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.

Claims

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.

2. The wheel assembly of claim 1 wherein the rim is metal.

3. The wheel assembly of claim 1 wherein the hub assembly further comprises a hub housing and two hub flanges, one on each end of the hub housing.

4. The wheel assembly of claim 3 wherein the plastic wheel halves are each riveted to one of said hub flanges.

5. The wheel assembly of claim 3 wherein the plastic wheel halves connect to the hub assembly on the outside of said hub flanges.

6. The wheel assembly of claim 1 wherein the plastic wheel halves each include a wheel flange adjacent one of the rim side walls.

7. The wheel assembly of claim 1 wherein the plastic wheel halves are snap-fit together.

8. The wheel assembly of claim 1 wherein the plastic wheel halves are riveted to the rim.

9. The wheel assembly of claim 1 wherein the plastic wheel halves mate at the wheel circumference.

10. The wheel assembly of claim 9 wherein the plastic wheel halves have a plurality of attachment tabs spaced around the circumference.

11. The wheel assembly of claim 10 wherein the plastic wheel halves each have a plurality of indentations spaced around the circumference, the indentations of one wheel half mating with the attachment tabs of the other wheel half.

12. The wheel assembly of claim 1 wherein the two plastic wheel halves are identical to one another.

13. The wheel assembly of claim 1 wherein the plastic wheel halves are spaced apart from one another on the hub assembly.

14. The wheel assembly of claim 1 wherein the wheel has a plurality of spokes and spaces therebetween.

15. The wheel assembly of claim 14 wherein the wheel has three spokes.

16. The wheel assembly of claim 1 having outer surfaces extending between the hub assembly and the rim and wherein the outer surfaces include a plurality of curved ridges.

17. A wheel assembly comprising:

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.

18. The wheel assembly of claim 17 wherein the rim is metal.

19. The wheel assembly of claim 17 wherein the rim is riveted to the plastic wheel.

20. The wheel assembly of claim 17 wherein the wheel flanges slope away from one another as they extend outwardly from the circumference.

21. The wheel assembly of claim 17 wherein the plastic wheel comprises two molded plastic wheel halves connected together.

22. The wheel assembly of claim 21 wherein the wheel halves mate with one another at the wheel circumference.

23. The wheel assembly of claim 21 wherein each of the two wheel flanges is attached to a separate wheel half.

24. The wheel assembly of claim 23 wherein the wheel flanges are molded as monolithic portions of the wheel half to which they are attached.

25. The wheel assembly of claim 17 wherein the wheel flanges are approximately the same height as, and extend parallel to, the rim side walls.

26. A method of making a wheel assembly comprising the steps of:

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.

27. The method of claim 26 comprising the step of riveting the first wheel half to the rim.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the second wheel half is connected to the combination of the first wheel half and rim prior to the first wheel half and rim being riveted together.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the first wheel half is riveted to the rim before the second wheel half is connected to the combination of the first wheel half and rim.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein the second wheel half is connected to the combination of the first wheel half and rim by snap-fitting the first and second wheel halves together.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein the hub assembly comprises a hub housing with first and second hub flanges, one on each end thereof, and the step of connecting the hub assembly to one of the wheel halves comprises attaching one of the hub flanges to the respective wheel half.