Patent Application
20050173969
1) Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to automotive parts and accessories, specifically an extensional hubcap docking structure having structural simplicity, wherein when a hubcap so-equipped is installed onto a tire wheel and subjected to an outward force, an appropriate degree of spring-loaded extension is provided for to thereby prevent hubcap damage.
2) Description of the Related Art
As indicated in
Since the main purpose of such a conventional hubcap 1 is to conceal the unattractive wheel 2, the design of the round contoured surface 11 is such that its outer diameter is equal to or slightly smaller than the circumferential extent of the rim 21, which only accomplishes the objective of covering the wheel 2. However, motor vehicles are virtually indispensable means of transportation and although the wheels 2 on which their tires 3 are mounted do not only facilitate the rotation of the tires 3, many vehicle drivers often replace original 13-inch wheels 2 with those of 14-inch specifications or move up from 14-inch to 15-inch ones in hopes of increasing mileage for the same number of revolutions. But given the wheel well area limitations of vehicle chassis, tire size cannot be increased indefinitely. Consequently, vehicle horsepower and torque allowing, as wheel dimensions are increased, if the maximum diameter at the tread pattern of a tire does not change, then the tire becomes correspondingly thinner, and many drivers are more interested in these thinner, low-profile tires. Even so, the desire for such tires of lesser thickness cannot be fulfilled for every driver unless a vehicle's engine is modified to achieve greater horsepower because the horsepower and torque of most vehicles at the time of factory release often does not allow for replacement wheels of larger dimensions. However, U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,537 (Double Deck Wheel Cover) provides a design in which after installing an enlarged circumference wheel cover, if tire pressure is insufficient and the distended tire is impacted, the wheel cover is capable of elastic extension. However, the design requires the use of an inner and an outer cover as well as insertion slots and tabs, while also having numerous retaining elastic members within the inner and outer cover which is not only structurally complex, but at the same time when users of such wheel cover only want an outer cover and do not need an inner cover, the patent cannot satisfy consumer requirements.
The objective of the invention herein is to provide an extensional hubcap docking structure comprised of anchoring mounts disposed on the back surface of a hubcap and clip components coupled onto the anchoring mounts; elastic components are situated between the hubcap anchoring mounts and the clip components; when the hubcap is fully installed onto the tire wheel and the hubcap is subjected to an outward force that displaces the anchoring mounts outward, the elastic components deform and shift such that the hubcap is kept safely and tightly positioned on the wheel rim.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, identical elements are indicated by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to
An anchoring mount 32; the anchoring mount 32 has a support section 321, a suspension arm 322 is horizontally postured on the support section 321, and a pin 323 protrudes from the suspension arm 322 at each of the two sides of the support section 322 towards the anchoring mount 32.
A clip component 33 consisting of a backing seat 331, an inset seat 332 articulated at one end of the backing seat 331, a support seat 333 bent at the other end, two check seats 334 formed immediately thereafter at a suitable distance apart, and a latch seat 335 contoured into the inset seat 332.
A spring-type elastic component 34 is sleeved over each of the two pins 323 on the suspension arm 322 of the said anchoring mount 32 and the other extremity of each elastic component 34 is against the support seat 333 of the clip component 33.
Referring to
The hubcap docking structure of the preferred embodiment is of a simple arrangement that averts hubcap dislodging when tire pressure is insufficient or when a flattened tire becomes laterally distended and, at the same time, since the extensional structure is entirely and purely derived from the design of the docking structure itself, the structural design does not affect the hubcap interior as is the case with the related art; furthermore, since the design of the hubcap does not necessitate an excessive quantity of additional parts and higher complexity, the packaging material and installation advantages of the present invention greatly exceeds that of the said double deck wheel cover.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.
