FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS
The inventions described below relate the field of solid wheels for skateboards, and more particularly to Multicolor wheels and methods for making them for skateboards.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS
Skateboard wheels are currently offered in a few solid colors. What is needed is a process for making skateboard wheels with two or more different colors that may be arranged in a multiplicity of shapes and designs.
SUMMARY
Skateboard wheels according to the present disclosure may be made of a solid color and have a secondary color applied on the surface. The colored surface may be ground, etched or otherwise removed to form a variety of patterns exposing the underlying color against the surface color.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, a skateboard wheel may be formed of two or more different colors in a variety of patterns. The two or more different colors may be contrasting or complimentary. The resulting wheel may be coated in another color, the same or different than the constituent colors. The wheel coating may be ground, etched or otherwise removed to form a variety of patterns exposing the underlying color or colors against the surface color.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blank wheel according to the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a cross section view of the wheel of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a coated wheel according to the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a finished wheel according to the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the steps of finishing a simple multi-color wheel.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the steps for grind finishing a lettered, multi-color wheel.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the steps of finishing a multi-core, multi-color wheel.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view the steps of etch finishing a multi-color wheel.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the steps of finishing a multi-layer, multi-color wheel.
FIG. 10A-10D are a perspective view of the steps of finishing a multi-color wheel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONS
In FIGS. 1-4, wheel 10 has a core 11 that may be formed of one or more core portions such as core portions 12A and 12B. Each of the one or more core portions may be a different color. Core 11 has a first side surface 13, a second side surface 14 and a rolling surface 15. One or more coatings such as coating 16 may be applied to each surface or surfaces and at least a portion of the coating may be ground, etched or otherwise removed to form at least one opening 18 to reveal the color or colors of underlying core portion or portions such as core portion 12B.
If wheel core 11 is composed of two or more core portions such as core portions 12A and 12B, wheel 10 may exhibit at least three different colors as shown in FIG. 5. By grinding side 13 second core portion 12B may be revealed adjacent coating 16 and first core portion 12A.
Referring now to FIG. 6, wheel 19 may include text, graphics or any suitable combination formed as raised elements 20 that may be located on any suitable surface of wheel 19. A coating 21 may be applied to wheel 19, the coating covering raised elements 20. Using any suitable technique, raised elements 20 may be reduced to flush with the surface of wheel 19 on which they are formed. This will reveal the color of wheel core 22 through coating 21. One or more other areas such as rolling surface 23 may also be ground or etched to reveal the color of the wheel core.
Wheel 24 of FIG. 7 may be formed with two or more colors such as first color 26 and second color 28 in core 30. Adding a coating such as coating 32 permits one or more surfaces or portions of a surface to be treated to remove a portion of the coating revealing colors 26 and 28 in core 30.
Referring now to FIG. 8, wheel blank 33 may be coated as before and one or more portions of the coating removed by any suitable selective process such as etching to form one or more display elements 34 that may include text, graphics or any suitable combination.
Wheel blank 35 of FIG. 9 might be provided and require grinding to proper size to form wheel 36. Wheel 36 may be coated, painted or otherwise covered with a generally opaque layer 37 to obscure the color or colors of wheel 36 from view. Layer 37 may be selectively removed creating one or more patterns such a striped pattern 38.
Thus, while the preferred embodiments of the devices and methods have been described in reference to the environment in which they were developed, they are merely illustrative of the principles of the inventions. Other embodiments and configurations may be devised without departing from the spirit of the inventions and the scope of the appended claims.
Patent Application
20070138858
