Wheel beadlock design

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11780274-B2
Application number	US-202017134409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2020
Priority date	Jan 17, 2020
Publication date	Oct 10, 2023
Grant date	Oct 10, 2023

Abstract

An improved clamping mechanism to secure a tire between a bead ring and a wheel utilizing a bolt is provided. The bolt has a ball seat that pivots within an enlarged pilot hole in the bead ring as the bolt threads engage in threaded section of the wheel, pulling the bead ring toward the wheel. As the bead ring is tightened upon the wheel, eventually the bead ring contacts a fulcrum on the wheel, at which point the outer edge of the bead ring is leveraged against the tire bead bundle and pressing down the tire bead to lock it in place against the wheel. As the bead ring can pivot within the enlarged pilot hole around the bolt, the bolt is not stressed. Further, the wheel comprising a safety bead and non-skid coating on the inner wall of the wheel to prevent the wheel sliding around the wheel.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A combination for attaching a tire to a wheel, comprising: a wheel, where the wheel has a threaded section,
a bead ring, where the bead ring has a bead ring seat and an elongated pilot hole, and
a bolt, where the bolt has a head, a ball seat, a thread and bolt pilot, where the ball seat mates with the bead ring seat and the elongated pilot hole in the bead ring is elongated greater than the diameter of the thread of the bolt allowing the bead ring to pivot several degrees on either side of the bolt as the bolt's thread engage the wheel's thread section,
wherein the wheel additionally comprises a safety bead on a barrel of the wheel close to an inner rim flange of the wheel.

2. The combination of claim 1 , where the bead ring seat has a bead ring seat shape, and the bead ring seat shape is racetrack shaped, where the bolt ball seat nestles with the bead ring ball seat and the elongated pilot hole in the bead ring, allowing the bead ring to pivot around the bolt when the bolt tightens the bead ring against the wheel, where the thread of the bolt engages with threaded section of the wheel, the wheel having a fulcrum to increase clamp load pressure on a tight tire seal between the bead ring and the wheel, when the fulcrum touches the bead ring, where the bead ring and the wheel retain a tire with a tire bead bundle, where the tire bead bundle is retained between the bead ring and the wheel.

3. The combination of claim 2 , where the head of the bolt has a shape, and the shape is hexagonal.

4. The combination of claim 2 , where the head has a number of sides, and the number of sides is greater than 3.

5. The combination of claim 2 , where the thread of the bolt has a thread diameter.

6. The combination of claim 5 , where the thread diameter is ¾″.

7. The combination of claim 5 , where the thread diameter is ⅜″.

8. The combination of claim 5 , where the thread diameter is 5/16″.

9. The combination of claim 2 , where the thread of the bolt has a thread density.

10. The combination of claim 9 , where the density of threads per inch is minimum 20 and maximum 28 for a thread diameter of ¾″.

11. The combination of claim 9 , where the density of threads per inch is minimum 16 and maximum 24 for a thread diameter of ⅜″.

12. The combination of claim 9 , where the density of threads per inch is minimum 18 and maximum 24 for a thread diameter of 5/16″.

13. The combination of claim 9 , where the density of threads per inch is 14 for a thread diameter of 7/16″.

14. The combination of claim 9 , where the density of threads per inch is minimum 13 and maximum 20 for a thread diameter of ½″.

15. A composition for attaching a tire to a wheel, comprising;
a wheel, where the wheel has a threaded section,
a bead ring, where the bead ring has a bead ring seat and an enlarged pilot hole,
a bolt, where the bolt has a head, a bolt ball seat, a thread and a bolt pilot, where the ball seat mates with the bead ring seat and the enlarged pilot hole in the bead ring is enlarged greater than the diameter of the thread of the bolt allowing the bead ring to pivot several degrees on either side of the bolt as the bolt's thread engage the wheel's thread section, and
a tire, where the tire has a tire bead and a tire bead bundle,
where the ball seat nestles in the bead ring seat and the enlarged pilot hole in the bead ring, and, firstly, the thread of the bolt engages the threaded section, the head is rotated to further pull the bead ring toward the wheel, where the tire bead and the tire bead bundle extend into a gap between the wheel and the bead ring, where, secondly, as the head is further rotated, the tire bead is compressed between the bead ring and the wheel, where eventually the wheel contacts the bead ring at a fulcrum, where the enlarged pilot hole allows the bead ring to pivot around the bolt as an angle between the bead ring and the wheel changes, where, thirdly, after a pivot point is reached, further tightening of the head causes the bead ring and the wheel to further compress the tire bead through leverage, where, fourthly, the bead ring and the wheel put more pressure on tire bead compressors on either side of the tire bead bundle, such that the tire is effectively sealed within a gap between the tire bead and the wheel, wherein the tire bead compressors are on above and below the tire bead bundle, which will eventually be compressed between the wheel and the bead ring for sealing the tire bead bundle, where the tire bead compressors are parts of the tire which put pressure against the tire bead bundle during attachment of the tire to the wheel.

16. The composition of claim 15 , where the head has a shape, and the shape is selected from the group consisting of hexagonal and 12 point.

17. The composition of claim 15 , where the bead ring seat has a bead ring seat shape, and the bead ring seat shape is racetrack shaped.

18. A composition for attaching a tire to a wheel, comprising a wheel, a bead ring, a washer, a bolt and a tire, where the bolt has a head, a ball seat, a thread and bolt pilot where the washer has a washer seat attached to the bead ring to pivotally secure the bead ring over the tire against the wheel, wherein the wheel additionally comprises a safety bead on a barrel of the wheel close to an inner rim flange of the wheel, and where the ball seat mates with the washer seat of the washer and a pilot hole in the bead ring is enlarged greater than the diameter of the thread of the bolt allowing the bead ring to pivot several degrees on either side of the bolt as the bolt's thread engage the wheel's thread section.

19. The composition of claim 18 , where the wheel additionally comprises a fulcrum, against which the bead ring is leveraged.

20. The composition of claim 18 , where the safety bead prevents an inner side of the tire from moving away from an inner wall of the wheel or sliding around the wheel.

Assignees

• Wheel Pros Llc

Inventors

• Ricehouse Daniel I

Classifications

• B60C15/0213 Primary

  the bead being clamped by rings, cables, rim flanges or other parts of the rim · CPC title

• B60B25/04

  Rims with dismountable flange rings, seat rings, or lock rings · CPC title

• B60B25/045

  on both sides · CPC title

• B60B25/12

  with integral flange part · CPC title

• B60B25/20 Primary

  Arrangement of screws, bolts, or shouldered pins · CPC title