RELATED APPLICATION
Priority is claimed from Canadian patent application 2464018 filed Apr. 8, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable device that is attachable to a vehicle tire for enhancing the traction in order to assist the vehicle to escape from being stuck in mud or snow.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The tires of cars and other vehicles often get stuck in deep mud or snow. The driver typically relies on “rocking” the vehicle backwards and forwards by accelerating and reversing to try to escape from being stuck. If that does not work, one may need the assistance of people or a tow truck to push or pull the vehicle out, neither of which may be readily available.
Alternatively, one can try to create an artificial surface for the tires to travel along, for example, putting sand or ash, or wood or cardboard on top of the snow or mud in the tires' path. Often this approach is messy or doesn't work, or one does not have access to such materials at the time one's vehicle becomes stuck.
There are known traction devices, typically in the form of flat plates that may be inserted between the tire and the mud or snow or other ground material to provide an artificial surface for the tire to grip. The problem with these devices is that they may sink into the snow or mud with the weight of the vehicle, and they require careful attention to positioning, which often results in the installer becoming covered with snow or mud in the process. Additionally, such plate type devices are generally not of sufficient length to ensure that the vehicle will have traversed to stable ground after traversing the plate, and it would be impractical to carry enough plates to ensure that sufficient cumulative length could be available. Also, if the tires are accelerated to sufficient velocity to get the required momentum to free the vehicle, the plate can be pushed rapidly away from the vehicle following the tire's traverse, “shooting out” and potentially injuring a bystander and increasing the risk of the device becoming damaged or lost. The plate devices are also easily susceptible to being broken.
Other known devices include snow chains, but these are generally time consuming and cumbersome to install, and would generally be installed in advance of a vehicle becoming stuck, rather than once a vehicle has become stuck. Such chains damage road surfaces and do not prevent side-to-side slipping of the vehicle.
Other more modern versions of snow chains include portable devices, which wrap around a vehicle tire. These devices tend to be complicated, labour intensive, time consuming and dirty to install, often requiring additional tools, mechanical ability or modification to the vehicle tire in order to operate.
What is desired therefore is a novel apparatus that overcomes the limitations and problems associated with earlier devices.
Preferably, such a device would be portable, durable, compact, flexible, and lightweight. It would be easy to install and remove by one person without any additional tools or mechanical knowledge, and it would be safe and clean to operate. Such a device would preferably attach to a vehicle tire to form a semi-continuous area of extra traction when the tire rotates. It would provide sufficient lateral resistance in order to minimise side slippage of the vehicle. It would not damage the tires or roads.
The present invention provides such a solution to overcoming the foregoing difficulties.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the device, namely a tire traction enhancing device, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a portion of the device;
FIG. 3 is a close up side view of a portion of the device;
FIG. 4 is a close-up top view of a portion of a preferred embodiment of the device;
FIG. 5 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the device in operation around the outer surface of a tire; and
FIG. 6 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the device in operation around the inner surface of a tire.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 show a preferred embodiment of a tire traction enhancing device, indicated generally by reference numeral 10, comprising a body 20, grip members 30 fixedly attached to said body 20, and fastening means 40 to connect said tire traction enhancing device 10 to a standard vehicle tire 50. Preferably, said body 20 of said tire traction enhancing device 10 is rectangular, of width equivalent to or slightly smaller than the width of said vehicle tire tread area 50, and of sufficient length to cover ⅔ of the circumference of said vehicle tire 50 tread surface. Preferably, said body 20 is made from ⅛″ thick known polyester fabric impregnated with PVC on both sides, rendering said body 20 impervious to moisture and rot, and resistant to ripping, tearing or gouging. Preferably, a plurality of said grip members 30, preferably of generally U-shaped steel, preferably 4 inches long, 3/4 inch wide and 3/8 inch high are fixably attached to said body 20, preferably with fastening means 40. Preferably, said fastening means 40 comprises pan head bolts 60 as shown in FIG. 2 and 3/16″ flat washers 70 are fixably attached to said pan head bolts 60 on a bottom surface of said body 20. Preferably, said pan head bolts 60 are of a width and length which enables insertion thereof into the tread space or groove of said tire 50 as shown in FIG. 6, and are thereby gripped by said tire's tread spaces but do not puncture said tire. For an ordinary vehicle, a preferred dimension of said pan head bolts 60 would be 3/16″×⅝″.
As shown in FIG. 4, said grip members 30 are preferably arranged in a manner such that each of said grip members 30 is oriented at 90 degrees to the next nearest of said grip members 30 and at substantially forty-five degrees to a lengthwise edge 80 of said body 20, in a known “tractor tire” tread pattern. This is a preferred pattern to reduce side slippage of the vehicle during operation of the device. In a preferred embodiment for an average car tire, there are sixteen of said grip members 30, but the number would vary depending on the size of said body 20 which would vary in proportion to the size of said tire 50.
In the preferred embodiment, at each end 90 of said body 20 are two rows of drilled or punched holes 100, preferably 3/16″ wide.
As shown in FIG. 2, a channel 110 of said body 20 is created at each end 90 as shown in FIG. 1 of said body 20 by folding the edge 120 as shown in FIG. 2 under itself through 180 degrees such that said holes 100 as shown in FIG. 3 align. As shown in FIG. 3, preferably, ordinary bolts 130, preferably of dimensions 3/16″×⅝″ are inserted into holes 100 and fixed preferably using 3/16″ flat washers 140 on both top surface 150 and bottom surface 160 of said body 20 and preferably a 3/16″ lock washer 170 and nut 180 on the bottom surface 160 of said body 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, preferably, a length of bungee type cord 190, preferably of a length which, when pulled tense, is sufficient to encircle diametrically said vehicle tire 50, is threaded through both of said channels 110 of said body 20. If said bungee type cord 190 is too long, the device is less likely to remain positioned securely about the tire. A standard hook member 210 is attached to each end of said bungee type cord 200.
As shown in FIG. 5, in use, said body 20 is placed over the tread surface 210 of a vehicle tire 50 such that said pan head bolts 60 of said grip members 30 contact or protrude into said tread surface 210, a majority of said pan head bolts 60 inserting into spaces in said tread surface 210 thereby attaching and stabilizing said body 20 to said vehicle tire 50. The user then pushes the said bungee type cord 200 down about the inner surface (sidewall) of said tire such that said bungee type cord 190 rests on the vehicle axle 220, as shown in FIG. 6, and then clips said hooks 210 together at the outer surface (sidewall) of said tire, as shown in FIG. 5, to form a tensioned closed loop that holds said tire traction enhancing device 10 in place about said vehicle tire 50. The vehicle may then be moved slowly forward or backward, said device enhancing the traction of said vehicle tire 50 to provide the vehicle with sufficient traction to escape from being stuck in mud or snow. The above description is intended to be illustrative rather than construed in a restrictive sense, and variations to the specific configurations described may be apparent to skilled persons in adapting the present invention to specific applications. Such variations are intended to form part of the present invention insofar as they are within the spirit and scope of the claims below.
Patent Application
20050224152
