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US 2021/0276364 A1Published application
Adaptive wheel assembly with interchangeable decorative faces
OwnerMichael Raveloinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wheel assembly that provides a simulated center lock wheel look that also enables exchanging of ornamental face plates with a center hub attachment device that will allow car enthusiasts to easily change the look of their automotive wheels while maintaining a center lock wheel appearance. The assembly includes three components: a base wheel, a plurality of ornamental face plates, and a center hub attachment extending from one of either the hub or the ornamental face plate.
Claims28
A wheel assembly for use on a vehicle and for use with a plurality of ornamental face plates, the wheel assembly comprising:
- a barrel having a sidewall that circumscribes an interior having a first end and a second end, the barrel having a rotational axis;
- and
- a hub located in the interior of the barrel and capable of coupling the barrel to the vehicle and supporting weight of the vehicle, the hub having a longitudinal axis that is coincident with the rotational axis of the barrel, the hub further comprising at least one threaded attachment point that does not bear any vehicle weight when the wheel assembly is mounted on the vehicle, the at least one threaded attachment point sized and shaped to enable selective positioning of one or more of the ornamental face plates on the hub along the longitudinal axis of the hub and the rotational axis of the barrel that allows for selection in a level of concavity between the ornamental face plate and the barrel.
A vehicle, comprising:
- a wheel assembly for use on the vehicle, the wheel assembly comprising:
- a plurality of ornamental face plates having a plurality of ornamental spokes, each ornamental spoke having an interior side;
- a barrel having a sidewall that circumscribes an interior having a first end and a second end;
- a plurality of barrel spokes attached to the barrel and extending radially inward in the interior of the barrel, each spoke of the plurality of barrel spokes having a top and opposing sides, and wherein each barrel spoke is structured to receive a corresponding ornamental spoke from the ornamental face plate such that the interior side of each ornamental spoke from the ornamental face place can snap over and be removably attached to the corresponding barrel spoke and cover the top and opposing sides of a respective barrel spoke;
- and
- a hub located in the interior of the barrel and capable of coupling the barrel to the vehicle to bear at least a portion of vehicle weight, the hub coupled to the barrel by attachment to the plurality of spokes that form windows or spaces in the barrel to enable one or more of cooling of vehicle components and visualization of components on the vehicle, and the hub further having at least one threaded attachment point formed along a longitudinal axis of the hub to receive at least one ornamental face plate of the plurality of ornamental face plates without the attachment point or the ornamental face plate bearing any vehicle weight and to enable changing a concavity between the ornamental face plate and the barrel sidewall.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.