Patent Application
20060066145
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a structure of wheel rim cover, especially for the wheel rim cover whose outlook is similar to the rim outer surface and its structure is suitable for covering on the outer surface of the rim and is embedded-buckling positioned via the engraved hole on the rim.
2. Desotiption of the Related Art
The traditional steel rim for buckling car tires has been replaced by aluminum alloy rim gradually. Traditional steel rim, normally, has a convex-concave reinforcing design disc outer surface. However, usually aluminum alloy rim is made by pressing aluminum alloy material as a whole body and being processed to the designed shape; normally, for saving aluminum alloy material, the outer surface would come into being many esthetic costal bodies and engraved holes. For covering bad-looking surface, traditional steel rim would have many wheel cover designs for covering its surface. Normally, the wheel cover covered on the rim has different design from the rim's type. As shown on the
Nevertheless, because aluminum alloy wheel rim is made of one-body forming aluminum alloy, after being shot by flying stone run over by a speeding car, scrapes will make the rim lose its shiny appearance. The only solution is to replace the four aluminum alloy wheel rims. This is costly. The traditional wheel cover of steel rim is not suitable for being adopted on the aluminum alloy wheel rim, since there is no specific arc concave inner circumference edge for supporting the fasteners on the wheel cover.
One design of overlay, called electroplate skin, has been adopted on the jeep or station wagon wheel rim, which is bigger and has sunken surface, such as the case of U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,973 ┌Method for compensating for tolerance variations between an overlay and wheel assembly ┘. It is formed by plastic and electroplated with shiny surface covering material. By means of adhesive applied between covering material and the surface of steel wheel rim or aluminum alloy wheel rim which is to be loaded, the covering material can stick on the wheel rim and the electroplated surface of the covering material can decorate the wheel rim. This method is pretty ideal, but the processes need professional technique and device; general drivers cannot implement the job. Besides, after being treated with adhesive between covering material and the surface of wheel rim, when the covering material is scraped, the covering material would not be able to be disassembled. This means that only one time of replacement can be done. Hence, the practicability is not ideal.
The objective of this invention is to provide an improved structure of wheel rim cover, includes: one cover body, which has a disc surface and a ring spoke edge formed on the circumference edge of the disc surface, and costal bodies and hole edge which is shrinking from outer toward inner and forms the arc curve are formed inside the spoke edge, and a engraved hole which forms an end hole at the inner side of the cover body. Fasteners are set at the near end hole of the same engraved hole, and such fasteners become a group, surrounding outside of the end hole of the same engraved hole, and are jointly supported by a coil spring. By means of above structures, the whole cover body can make use of the fasteners which are jointly surrounding outside of the end hole of the same engraved hole to latch on the end hole of the engraved hole of the targeted wheel rim and fasten the whole cover body 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, it should be noted that like elements are indicated by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to
Referring to
A cover body has a disc 31; ring spoke 32 is formed at the circumference edge of disc 31; costal bodies 33 are formed in the spoke 32; engraved holes 34 are formed between every two costal bodies 33; each engraved hole has specific shape and is shrinking from outer toward inner and forms end holes 35 at both sides inside of the cover body 3; the shape of each costal body 33 and engraved hole 34 is similar to the shape of each costal body 26 and engraved hole 22 of the targeted wheel rim 2. Engraved hole 34 is shrinking from outer toward inner and forms an arc curve hole edge 36; fasteners 37 are set at the near end hole 35 outer side hole edge 36; two fasteners 37 become a group and surround jointly at the hole edge 36 of the end hole 35 of the same engraved hole 34. Each end of the same group of fastener 37 is facing correspondingly the concave inlayed cave 371 set at the center of end hole 35 respectively, and each has a stem with suitable length sit between such hole edge 36 and inlayed cave 371. The fastener 37 is in one-body shaping with cover body 3; each fastener can have different setting up position, interval and amount, relying on the different shape of engraved hole 34 and end hole 35. In the case of the invention preferred embodiment, since end hole 35 is, roughly, a rectangle, fasteners 37 would be set up at hole edge 36 sit at both sides of end hole 35. A projecting buckle 373 is formed at the other side of fastener 37, in opposition to inlayed cave 371.
Several coil springs 4, which are made of steel thread and encircled to be a specific annularity, that is for matching the shape of above mentioned end hole 35 of the engraved hole 34 of the cover body 3. Coil spring 4 can be inserted into inlayed cave 371 of the fastener 37 corresponding to end hole 35, and can offer a force to prop out the projecting buckle 373 of fastener 37. Coil spring 4 is set at the suitably sunk concave area 41, where is formed at the inlaying-and-buckling area of the fastener 37, and this make coil spring 4 be set in the fastener 37 firmly. The shape of the other part of coil spring 4—ring frame is following the shape of end hole 35 of the engraved hole 34 of the cover body 3, but a bit bigger.
Painting or electroplating can be proceeded at disc 31 of the cover body 3 for polishing the surface. In assembly, each coil spring 4 can be inserted in the interval of inlayed cave 371 of the same group of fastener 37 at the sunk area of each corresponding outer end hole 35 of the outer hole edge 36 of each near end hole 35 of the engraved hole 34 of the cover body 3, in advance; then, as shown in
Referring to the invention preferred embodiments, the projecting buckle 373, on each group fasteners 37 of the outer hole edge 36 of the near end hole 35 of each engraved hole 34 of cover body 3, has enough capacity on buckling the buckle edge 25 of end hole 24 of each engraved hole 22 of wheel rim 2 to fix cover body 3 in position. Hence, each coil spring 4, inserted in each group of fasteners 37 to prop the buckling function for buckling each group of fasteners 37 on the buckle edge 25 of the end hole 24 of each engraved hole 22 of the wheel rim 2, is only for increasing the buckling strength.
Referring to the invention preferred embodiments, each group of fasteners 37 set on the outer hole edge 36 of the near end hole 35 of each engraved hole 34 of cover body 3 is for making the coil spring 4, inserted in the interval of inlayed cave 371 of each group of fasteners 37, be bigger than end hole 35 of each engraved hole 34 of cover body 3 to avoid coil spring 4 shown on the end hole 35 of engraved hole 34. In the meanwhile, when each group of fasteners 37 set on the arc hole edge 36, shrinking from outer toward inner, of engraved hole 34, this can offer each fastener 37 a suitable-length stem 372 from hole edge 36 to inlayed cave 371 set with coil spring 4 to increase the propping flexibility of coil spring 4.
Referring to the invention preferred embodiments, every 2 fasteners 37 is set as a group to surround the same outer hole edge 36 of end hole 35 of engraved hole 34 and jointly inlay the same coil spring 4. In applicable preferred embodiment, it can also rely on the shape of end hole 35 to set more than 2 fasteners as a group for surrounding on the same outer hole edge 36 of end hole 35 of engraved hole 34 and jointly inlaying the same coil spring 4. Referring to the invention preferred embodiments, the buckling processes, for inlaying each group of fasteners 37 of cover body 3 in the buckle edge 25 of end hole 24 of engraved hole 22 of wheel rim 2, can be selective. This means that it is not necessary that every outer hole edge 36 of near end hole 35 of engraved hole 34 of cover body 3 need to set a group of fasteners, for example: if there are 5 engraved hole 34 on cover body 3, you can only select inlaying on a triangle configuration of 3 engraved holes 34; but, of course, you can select all engraved holes 34 are inlayed. Inlaying assembly is an easy operation and no professional knowledge or device is needed. Every driver can complete it easily. The processes of inlaying cover body 3 on aluminum alloy wheel rim without applying any adhesive would affect nothing, if disassemble old cover body 3 and replace a new one.
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.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93215498 | Sep 2004 | TW | national |
