Tire-mounting structures with internal self-locking feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11358512-B2
Application number	US-202016899405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2020
Priority date	Jun 11, 2020
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

A tire-mounting structure, the tire-mounting structure having a laterally extending end wall, two protrusions longitudinally extending from the end wall, the two protrusions spaced apart from one another, and a recess formed between the two protrusions. The recess is dimensioned such that a first distance between the two protrusions at a distal location relative to the end wall is longer than a second distance between the two protrusions at a proximal location relative to the end wall, where the first distance corresponds to a first tire dimension and the second distance corresponds to a second tire dimension, the second tire dimension being narrower than the first tire dimension.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tire-mounting structure, comprising:
a laterally extending end wall;
two protrusions longitudinally extending from the end wall and spaced apart from one another to define a recess between the two protrusions, the recess dimensioned such that a first distance, corresponding to a first tire dimension, between the two protrusions at a distal location relative to the end wall is longer than a second distance, corresponding to a second tire dimension narrower than the first tire dimension, between the two protrusions at a proximal location relative to the end wall, the recess comprising a plurality of step-wise tire-receiving slots that narrow from the distal location to the proximal location.

2. The tire-mounting structure of claim 1 , wherein each step-wise tire-receiving slot of the plurality of step-wise tire-receiving slots comprises a pair of curved sidewalls, a first distance between the pair of curved sidewalls at a proximal location relative to the end wall is longer than a second distance between the pair of curved sidewalls at a distal location relative to the end wall.

3. The tire-mounting structure of claim 1 further comprising an insertable wall, wherein:
the insertable wall comprises the laterally extending end wall; and
the insertable wall is securable to an interior surface of a truck bed.

4. A tire-mounting structure, the tire-mounting structure comprising:
a laterally extending end wall;
two protrusions longitudinally extending from the end wall, the two protrusions spaced apart from one another to define a recess between the two protrusions, the recess dimensioned such that a first distance between the two protrusions at a distal location relative to the end wall is longer than a second distance between the two protrusions at a proximal location relative to the end wall, the first distance corresponding to a first tire dimension and the second distance corresponding to a second tire dimension, the second tire dimension being narrower than the first tire dimension; and
an insert, wherein:
the insert is dimensioned to correspond to the recess; and
the insert reduces the first distance between the two protrusions at the distal location relative to the end wall such that the first distance corresponds to a third tire dimension, wherein the third tire dimension is smaller than the first tire dimension; and
the insert reduces the second distance between the two protrusions at the proximal location relative to the end wall such that the second distance corresponds to a fourth tire dimension, wherein the fourth tire dimension is smaller than the second tire dimension.

5. The tire-mounting structure of claim 4 , wherein:
a plurality of inserts are dimensioned to correspond to the recess; and
each of the plurality of inserts comprises a different thickness, the different thickness resulting in a unique third tire dimension and a unique fourth tire dimension.

6. The tire-mounting structure of claim 4 , wherein the insert comprises a plurality of step-wise tire-receiving slots, the plurality of step-wise tire-receiving slots narrowing from the distal location relative to the end wall to the proximal location to the end wall.

7. The tire-mounting structure of claim 6 , wherein each step-wise tire-receiving slot of the plurality of step-wise tire-receiving slots comprises a pair of curved sidewalls, a first distance between the pair of curved sidewalls at a proximal location relative to the end wall is longer than a second distance between the pair of curved sidewalls at a distal location relative to the end wall.

8. A vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
a truck bed; and
a tire-mounting structure integral with the truck bed, the tire-mounting structure further comprising:
a laterally extending end wall;
two protrusions longitudinally extending from the end wall, the two protrusions spaced apart from one another to define a recess between the two protrusions, the recess dimensioned such that a first distance between the two protrusions at a distal location relative to the end wall is longer than a second distance between the two protrusions at a proximal location relative to the end wall, wherein the first distance corresponds to a first tire dimension and the second distance corresponds to a second tire dimension, the second tire dimension being narrower than the first tire dimension, and wherein the recess comprises a plurality of step-wise tire-receiving slots that narrow from the distal location to the proximal location.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 further comprising an insert, wherein:
the insert is dimensioned to correspond to the recess; and
the insert reduces the first distance between the two protrusions at the distal location relative to the end wall such that the first distance corresponds to a third tire dimension, wherein the third tire dimension is smaller than the first tire dimension; and
the insert reduces the second distance between the two protrusions at the proximal location relative to the end wall such that the second distance corresponds to a fourth tire dimension, wherein the fourth tire dimension is smaller than the second tire dimension.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Reyes-Crespo Edgardo

Classifications

• B60R9/06 Primary

  at vehicle front or rear {(rear luggage compartments within vehicle extensible externally of the vehicle body B60R5/041)} · CPC title

• B60P3/077 Primary

  Wheel cradles, chocks, or wells · CPC title

• B60R9/10

  for cycles · CPC title