Collapsible wheels and methods of making collapsible wheels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12485701-B2
Application number	US-202418751024-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2024
Priority date	Oct 29, 2012
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments of collapsible wheels and methods of making collapsible wheels are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wheel configured to be in an expanded configuration or a collapsed configuration and comprising:
a hub defining a rotational axis; a plurality of spokes extending from the hub, wherein each spoke of the plurality of spokes comprises interior end; a plurality of rims; wherein: the hub comprises an extension system; wherein the extension system comprises at least one spoke extension, the at least one spoke extension comprises a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is rotatably attached to the hub, and the interior end of each spoke of the plurality of spokes is rotatably fastened to the second end; wherein: in the expanded configuration, the at least one spoke extension forms a portion of a spoke length, and in the collapsed configuration, the at least one spoke extension forms an acute angle with at least one spoke of the plurality of spokes.

2 . The wheel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spoke extension is configured to rotate about the second end and translate in a direction away from the hub when moving from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration.

3 . The wheel of claim 2 , wherein the at least one spoke extension rotates between 15 degrees and 40 degrees when moving from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration.

4 . The wheel of claim 1 , further comprising a tire configured to be mountable on the plurality of rims in the collapsed configuration or the expanded configuration.

5 . The wheel of claim 4 , wherein the tire comprises a plurality of tire portions, and each tire portion of the plurality of tire portions is provided on an associated rim of the plurality of rims.

6 . The wheel of claim 1 , wherein the hub, the plurality of spokes, and the plurality of rims are not rotatable relative to each other.

7 . The wheel of claim 1 , wherein each rim of the plurality of rims comprises a center section, a first end section, and a second end section; wherein
a thickness of first end section and the second end section of each rim of the plurality of rims is less than a thickness of the center section.

8 . The wheel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spoke extension forms an obtuse angle with at least one spoke of the plurality of spokes in the expanded configuration.

9 . The wheel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spoke extension forms a 180-degree angle with at least one spoke of the plurality of spokes in the expanded configuration.

10 . The wheel of claim 1 , wherein adjacent rims of the plurality of rims partially overlap each other in both the expanded configuration and the collapsed configuration.

11 . The wheel of claim 10 , wherein adjacent rims of the plurality of rims overlap more in the collapsed configuration than in the expanded configuration.

Assignees

• Karsten Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Solheim John A
• Cole Eric V
• Clark Neil J

Classifications

• B60B9/28

  with telescopic action · CPC title

• B60B2900/313

  Resiliency · CPC title

• B60B2340/30

  Wheel transporting or handling devices · CPC title

• B60B2320/50

  Securing · CPC title

• B60B9/26

  comprising resilient spokes · CPC title