Support structure
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorCeyhan Celik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wheel assembly includes a mounting plate for attachment to a rotatable axle; a plurality of friction plates each engaging one of a plurality of parts of a tire assembly; and a plurality of cable members each connecting the mounting plate to the tire assembly such that each cable member extends radially outward through a first hole in one of the friction plates and radially inward through a second hole in the one friction plate to form a loop about the one friction plate and the one part of the plurality of parts of the tire assembly.
Claims18
A wheel assembly comprising:
- a mounting plate for attachment to a rotatable axle;
- a plurality of friction plates each engaging one part of a plurality of parts of a tire assembly;
- and
- a plurality of cable members each connecting the mounting plate to the tire assembly such that each cable member extends radially outward through a first hole in one of the friction plates and radially inward through a second hole in the one friction plate to form a loop about the one friction plate and one part of the plurality of parts of the tire assembly.
A method for rotationally securing a wheel assembly to a tire assembly, the method comprising the steps of:
- extending each cable member of a plurality of cable members radially away from a central plate;
- extending each cable member of the plurality of cable members radially through a first through-hole in a first end portion of each friction plate of a plurality of friction plates;
- radially and axially curving each cable member of the plurality of cable members back toward the central plate;
- extending each cable member of the plurality of cable members radially through a second through-hole in a second end portion of each friction plate of the plurality of friction plates;
- extending each cable member of the plurality of cable members axially along a radially bottom portion of each friction plate of the plurality of friction plates;
- extending each cable member of the plurality of cable members to converge on another part of each cable member of the plurality of cable members at an intersection;
- and
- securing each cable member of the plurality of cable members to itself at the intersection.
A method for rotationally securing a wheel assembly to a tire assembly, the method comprising the steps of:
- extending each cable member of a plurality of cable members radially away from a first central plate;
- extending each cable member of the plurality of cable members radially through a first end portion of each friction plate of a plurality of friction plates;
- curving each cable member of the plurality of cable members radially and axially back toward a second central plate;
- and
- extending each cable member of the plurality of cable members radially through a second end portion of each friction plate of the plurality of friction plates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.