Patent Application
20150202920
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
One or more embodiments of the invention generally relate to automotive equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for handling a vehicle wheel.
The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon. Vehicle wheels are often heavy and cumbersome, which may make the handling of wheels, especially when mounting wheels on wheel hubs, a difficult task for one person to accomplish. Vehicle wheels may be removed and replaced for a variety of reasons such as, but not limited to, maintenance, repair, customization, etc. Even though an average person is typically capable of lifting a tire-mounted wheel of a passenger car off of the ground, one can expect that this may be a physically-demanding endeavor for some individuals when attempting to align the lug nut holes of the rim with the wheel studs on the wheel hub while lifting the wheel.
The following is an example of a specific aspect in the prior art that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon. By way of educational background, an aspect of the prior art generally useful to be aware of is that a variety of devices are currently available for aiding in the task of removing and/or mounting vehicle wheels. For example, without limitation, some hydraulic car jacks and dollies may be used for handling wheels. These devices are generally designed for jacking up cars, not for mounting wheels and may not be easily adapted for use with wheels. Moreover, it is believed that hydraulic jacks typically provide a choppy or step-like movement which may make precise height adjustment difficult, and hydraulic jacks are typically heavy. Some current wheel handling devices may be useful for removing wheels yet not suitable for wheel-mounting. For example, without limitation, some devices may not comprise means for lug nut hole alignment or may have no elevating mechanism. Some existing wheel handling and lifting mechanisms may use a toe-lift mechanism. It is believed that toe lift mechanisms typically require the use of strong, thick materials and joints or plenty of bracing for structural rigidity due to the potential of several high stress points within the toe lift structure. The need for strong, thick materials typically rules out the use of lightweight material, which may result in making the overall structures of these mechanisms heavy and cumbersome to use. This may also increase material and manufacturing costs. One may expect that the use of braces may lead to ergonomic issues. For instance, without limitation, the braces may get in the way of the wheel movement trajectory. Some current devices for handling a vehicle wheel may not work on all wheels. For example, without limitation, some devices may only be used on rims with a specific groove. In addition, some existing devices may be cumbersome, heavy, unwieldy, or simply difficult or inconvenient to use. For example, without limitation, one such device has several moving parts and may be inconvenient to operate. Other such devices may require a great deal of space to operate. In other such devices height adjustment may be achieved by turning a stub or nut on the apparatus, which may be inconvenient as this may require an additional socket driver. Furthermore, this type of turning mechanism may not feel responsive to the user as translating rotational motion into linear motion by hand is typically a slow process.
In view of the foregoing, it is clear that these traditional techniques are not perfect and leave room for more optimal approaches.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The present invention is best understood by reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein.
Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the Figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. For example, it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art will, in light of the teachings of the present invention, recognize a multiplicity of alternate and suitable approaches, depending upon the needs of the particular application, to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. That is, there are numerous modifications and variations of the invention that are too numerous to be listed but that all fit within the scope of the invention. Also, singular words should be read as plural and vice versa and masculine as feminine and vice versa, where appropriate, and alternative embodiments do not necessarily imply that the two are mutually exclusive.
It is to be further understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular methodology, compounds, materials, manufacturing techniques, uses, and applications, described herein, as these may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “an element” is a reference to one or more elements and includes equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, for another example, a reference to “a step” or “a means” is a reference to one or more steps or means and may include sub-steps and subservient means. All conjunctions used are to be understood in the most inclusive sense possible. Thus, the word “or” should be understood as having the definition of a logical “or” rather than that of a logical “exclusive or” unless the context clearly necessitates otherwise. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. Language that may be construed to express approximation should be so understood unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Preferred methods, techniques, devices, and materials are described, although any methods, techniques, devices, or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used in the practice or testing of the present invention. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
From reading the present disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known in the art, and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein.
Although Claims have been formulated in this Application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the present invention also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalization thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any Claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the present invention.
Features which are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination. The Applicants hereby give notice that new Claims may be formulated to such features and/or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present Application or of any further Application derived therefrom.
References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” “various embodiments,” etc., may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment,” or “in an exemplary embodiment,” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may.
As is well known to those skilled in the art many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal manufacture of a commercial implementation any system, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.
It is to be understood that any exact measurements/dimensions or particular construction materials indicated herein are solely provided as examples of suitable configurations and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Depending on the needs of the particular application, those skilled in the art will readily recognize, in light of the following teachings, a multiplicity of suitable alternative implementation details.
An embodiment of the present invention may provide an apparatus for handling a vehicle wheel. This embodiment may be used mainly for mounting wheels yet may also be used for removing wheels and may act as a counter weight. Some embodiments provide an efficient mechanism for a user to mount a wheel on a vehicle's wheel hub comprising means of adjusting the position and orientation of the wheels such that the wheel can be smoothly slid onto the wheel hub of a vehicle. In some embodiments this mechanism may allow multiple degrees of freedom in the motion of the wheel including, without limitation, vertical height, arbitrary motion along the plane of the ground, and clockwise or counterclockwise rotation along the axis of the wheel. In this manner, a wheel can be adjusted to the proper position and its lug nut holes aligned with the studs on the wheel hub such that the wheel can be easily slid into position on the wheel hub.
In the present embodiment, a lever mechanism comprising lever arms 109 on pivots 111 may be used to elevate mobile frame 105. Lever aims 109 are connected at one end by a handle bar 113, and the other ends of each lever arm 109 are positioned under elevating rods 115, which are connected to mobile frame 105 near elevation guides 107. To raise mobile frame 105, a user may push handle bar 113 downward, which typically causes the opposite ends of lever arms 109 to raise, thus lifting elevating rods 115 and mobile frame 105. Conversely, to lower mobile frame 105, the user may allow handle bar 113 to move up to a higher position while controlling the speed of the movement with resistance. The position of pivots 111 along the length of lever arms 109 typically affects the amount of leverage provided by lever arms 109. In the present embodiment, pivots 111 are positioned ¾ of the length of lever aims 109 away from handle bar 113, thus generally providing a force of leverage of 1:4 meaning the user typically needs to exert only 1 lb. of force for every 4 lbs. of weight exerted by the load. The placement of the pivot in some embodiments may vary depending on a multiplicity of factors such as, but not limited to, the size of the apparatus, the size of the wheel being lifted, user preference, etc. For example, without limitation, a user may wish to increase the leverage ratio so as to lighten the effort required while performing height adjustment. The use of a lever mechanism to lift a wheel is illustrated by way of example in
Attempting to hold the wheel at a certain elevated height may be challenging, especially while the user is trying to rotate the wheel or maneuver the apparatus horizontally to align the wheel with the lug nuts. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the apparatus comprises a braking system. A close-up view of a braking system for a wheel handling apparatus is illustrated by way of example in
In typical use of a wheel handling apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a wheel to be mounted on the wheel hub of a vehicle is placed on the two roller axles such that the wheel can be rotated on the rollers. The user can release the braking system and adjust the height of the wheel by pressing the brake linkage against the handle bar and then adjusting the position of the handlebar to the desired height. This typically only requires one hand, so the user can use his other hand to hold the wheel for stability or to rotate the wheel if he so desires. When the desired height is achieved, the user re-engages the braking system by letting go of the brake linkage. The apparatus as a whole can typically be rolled freely on the ground anytime for horizontal positioning. Once the lug nut holes and the wheel studs are aligned, the user simply rolls the entire apparatus forward towards the vehicle to mount the wheel on the wheel hub of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the apparatus may be able to achieve the task of wheel mounting without the use of auxiliary assistive devices such as, but not limited to, hydraulic jacks or sockets for turning any parts of the apparatus. However, a separate jack may be required to jack up a vehicle to have its wheel removed or mounted. Some embodiments may only require vehicles to be jacked up a small distance in order to mount a wheel. For example, without limitation, a car vehicle may only need to be jacked up such that the tire is about 1 inch off the ground. Furthermore, by avoiding structural designs that put a great deal of stress on certain parts or joints, for example, without limitation, toe-lift structures, some embodiments can be manufactured using lightweight materials throughout while still supporting a good range of vehicle wheels with structural rigidity. These embodiments may result is an apparatus that is lightweight, compact and easy-to-use.
It is contemplated that some embodiments may implement the use of retractable frames so that the size of the apparatus can be changed at the user's discretion. Changing the size of the apparatus may enable the user to achieve various different actions including, without limitation, accommodating of more wheel sizes, making the apparatus more compact for storage in tight spaces, increasing the leverage ratio so as to reduce the effort required while performing height adjustment, etc. Retractable frames can easily be achieved by using hollow tubes of different sizes such that the tubes with smaller diameters can slide into the tubes with larger diameters. In some embodiments, the components of the apparatus may be made available separately or unassembled as a kit. For example, without limitation, a company may buy the frame from Manufacturer 1, a braking mechanism from Manufacturer 2, rollers from Manufacturer 3 and a counterweight spring from Manufacturer 4. The company may then package these parts together to be sold to end users as a kit. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize, in light of and in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, that some embodiments of the present invention may comprise a multiplicity of suitable features such as, but not limited to, foot actuated brakes, a foot actuated lever frame, a shelf or container for tools, lights, etc.
All the features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Having fully described at least one embodiment of the present invention, other equivalent or alternative methods of implementing an apparatus for handling a vehicle wheel according to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Various aspects of the invention have been described above by way of illustration, and the specific embodiments disclosed are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. The particular implementation of the apparatus for handling a vehicle wheel may vary depending upon the particular context or application. By way of example, and not limitation, the apparatus for handling a vehicle wheel described in the foregoing were principally directed to personal vehicle implementations; however, similar techniques may instead be applied to mount or replace wheels on other types of vehicles such as, but not limited to, commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, tractors, heavy machinery, etc., which implementations of the present invention are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention. The invention is thus to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims. It is to be further understood that not all of the disclosed embodiments in the foregoing specification will necessarily satisfy or achieve each of the objects, advantages, or improvements described in the foregoing specification.
Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.
The present Utility patent application claims priority benefit of the U.S. provisional application for patent Ser. No. 61,755,458 entitled “Apparatus for Handling a Vehicle Wheel”, filed on Jan. 22, 2013, under 35 U.S.C. 119(e). The contents of this related provisional application are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes to the extent that such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith or limiting hereof.
