Partial wheel cladding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10449801-B2
Application number	US-201816028823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2018
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A wheel assembly including a cover portion permanently attached to a wheel. The wheel includes a wheel central hub portion, a wheel outer peripheral rim portion, a plurality of wheel spoke portions extending between the wheel central hub portion and the wheel outer peripheral rim portion, and a plurality of wheel turbine openings disposed between adjacent ones of the plurality of wheel spoke portions. A cover portion is configured to overlie a portion of the wheel portion. The cover portion is configured to overlie one or more of the wheel central hub portion; the plurality of wheel spoke portions, and the plurality of turbine openings or the wheel outer periphery. An adhesive is disposed between an outboard surface of the wheel and the inboard surface of the cover portion to permanently secure the cover portion to the wheel portion. When the cover portion is secured to the wheel, substantial portions of the plurality of wheel spokes, the wheel central hub, or wheel outer periphery remain exposed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wheel assembly, comprising:
a wheel portion including:
a wheel central hub portion;
a wheel outer periphery;
a plurality of wheel spoke portions extending generally between the wheel central hub portion and the wheel outer periphery;
a plurality of wheel turbine openings, each of said wheel turbine openings defined generally by adjacent wheel spoke portions, the wheel outer periphery and the wheel central hub portion;
the wheel central hub portion, the plurality of wheel spoke portions and the wheel outer periphery generally defining a wheel outboard surface; and
a plurality of individual cladding portions separately disposed on and permanently secured via an adhesive to the wheel outboard surface, said plurality of cladding portions at least partially disposed on the plurality of wheel spoke portions.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cladding portions extend generally between the wheel central hub portion and the wheel outer periphery.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cladding portions are disposed on each of the plurality of wheel spoke portions.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the outboard surface of the plurality of wheel spoke portions remains exposed adjacent the plurality of cladding portions.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cladding portions include a plurality of cladding turbine opening portions separately disposed on and permanently secured to a plurality of surfaces which define the plurality of wheel turbine openings.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of cladding turbine opening portions are annular such that they surround each of the wheel turbine openings.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the cladding turbine opening portions are nested within the plurality of wheel turbine openings such that an underside of each of the plurality of cladding turbine opening portions overlie an outboard surface of the plurality of wheel turbine openings.

8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cladding portions include a plurality of clad spoke portions separately disposed on and permanently secured only to the plurality of wheel spoke portions.

9. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the wheel spoke portions include recesses and the plurality of clad spoke portions are disposed in the recesses.

10. A wheel assembly, comprising:
a wheel portion including:
a wheel central hub portion;
a plurality of wheel spoke portions extending generally outwardly from the wheel central hub portion, the plurality of wheel spoke portions having inner ends adjacent the wheel central hub portion, outer ends disposed outwardly from the inner ends, and side surfaces extending generally between the inner and outer ends;
a plurality of wheel turbine openings located generally between adjacent ones of the plurality of wheel spoke portions;
a wheel outer periphery adjacent the outer ends of the plurality of wheel spoke portions;
the wheel central hub portion, the plurality of wheel spoke portions and the wheel outer periphery generally defining a wheel outboard surface;
a plurality of separate claddings detached from one another, each of said claddings having an inboard surface configured to overlie at least a portion of the wheel outboard surface; and
an adhesive for permanently securing the inboard surfaces of the plurality of claddings to the wheel outboard surface.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of claddings are nested with the wheel turbine openings such that they completely overlie the side surfaces of the wheel spoke portions.

12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of claddings has an annular outer periphery such that they entirely surround each of the wheel turbine openings.

13. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of claddings are disposed at least partially on the plurality of wheel spoke portions such that they extend substantially from the wheel central hub portion to the wheel outer periphery.

14. The wheel assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of claddings are disposed on the wheel outboard surface such that they contact at least a portion of the wheel spoke portions and surround a perimeter of the plurality of wheel spoke portions.

15. The wheel assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of claddings are entirely disposed on the wheel spoke portions.

16. The wheel assembly of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of claddings are disposed in recesses formed in the wheel outboard surface in the wheel spoke portions.

17. The wheel assembly of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of claddings are disposed on each of the plurality of wheel spoke portions.

18. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein at least a portion of the wheel central hub portion is exposed after the plurality of claddings are secured to the wheel outboard surface.

19. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein a portion of each of the plurality of wheel spoke portions remains exposed after the plurality of claddings are secured to the wheel outboard surface.

20. A wheel assembly, comprising:
a wheel portion including:
a wheel central hub portion;
a wheel outer periphery;
a plurality of wheel spoke portions extending generally between the wheel central hub portion and the wheel outer periphery;
a plurality of wheel turbine openings, each of said wheel turbine openings being generally bounded by adjacent wheel spoke portions, the wheel central hub portion, and the wheel outer periphery; and
a plurality of separate claddings detached from one another, each of said claddings being permanently secured at least partially along one of the plurality of wheel spokes.

21. The assembly of claim 20 , wherein the plurality of claddings are disposed such that they border a perimeter of the plurality of wheel turbine openings.

22. The assembly of claim 21 , further comprising:
a second set of separate claddings that are disposed and permanently secured to the plurality of the wheel spokes generally along a middle portion thereof.

23. The assembly of claim 20 , wherein the plurality of claddings at least partially overlie side surfaces of the plurality of wheel spoke portions.

24. The assembly of claim 20 , wherein each of the plurality of claddings has an annular outer periphery.

25. The assembly of claim 24 , wherein each of said claddings is permanently secured about the entirety of separate ones of the plurality of wheel turbine openings.

Assignees

• Lacks Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Stratton Jim
• Lutt Brian
• Wrase Brian
• Chinavare Kevin
• Nowicki Mark

Classifications

• Y02T10/88

  Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses · CPC title

• Y10T29/49492

  Land wheel · CPC title

• B60B7/061

  characterised by the part of the wheels to which the discs, rings or the like are mounted · CPC title

• B60B2900/111

  Weight · CPC title

• B60B7/0066

  the dominant aspect being the surface structure · CPC title