Wheel cover retention system

A wheel cover for a vehicle including a wheel and a plurality of lug nuts holding the wheel on the vehicle, the lug nuts each including an engageable surface for retaining a wheel cover on the vehicle, comprising:

• a wheel cover base including a show surface adapted to aesthetically cover at least part of the vehicle wheel and a side opposite said show surface, said wheel cover base including protrusions extending from said side at locations corresponding to at least some of the lug nuts and further including a wall extending at least partially around each protrusion and forming a space therebetween;
• and
• a plurality of cup-shaped retainers each including a planar central body shaped to fit within said space and fingers extending in a parallel fashion from the perimeter of said central body, said central body having an aperture of sufficient size to receive one of said protrusions and including first barbs positioned around said aperture to engage said one protrusion so that said central body resists being removed when positioned in said space, a portion of said fingers also being received into said space, said portion including second barbs shaped to engage the wall extending around said one protrusion so that said portion of said fingers resist being removed when positioned in said space, said fingers defining a pocket for receiving one of the lug nuts and further including a tip adapted to frictionally engage the engageable surface of the one lug nut, whereby said retainers are securely held on said wheel cover base in said space by said first and second barbs with a desirable minimum level of force in both hot and cold environments despite a difference of thermal expansion of the retainers and the wheel cover base.

A wheel cover for a vehicle including a wheel and further including a plurality of lug nuts for holding the wheel on the vehicle, comprising:

• a wheel cover base adapted to aesthetically cover the wheel;
• a plurality of retainers each including a plurality of resilient fingers extending generally in a common direction, said fingers having a length and a tip configured to releasably frictionally engage one of the lug nuts, said fingers having a natural unsupported stiffness and being adapted to resiliently bias said tip into engagement with one of the lug nuts to hold said wheel cover on the vehicle wheel;
• and
• said wheel cover base including a plurality of cylindrically-shaped walls located on said wheel cover base in a spaced arrangement corresponding to several of the lug nuts, each of said shaped walls defining a space to closely receive one of said retainers and, in particular, a portion of the length of said fingers, one of said retainers being inserted into each of said spaces in said shaped walls so that said shaped walls support said fingers in a manner increasing the resilient stiffness in said fingers over the natural unsupported stiffness in said fingers as said fingers engage a particular lug nut, whereby said retainers hold said wheel cover on the vehicle wheel with a desired level of retention force.

A retainer for retaining a wheel cover to a wheel on a vehicle, the vehicle wheel being secured to the vehicle by a plurality of lug nuts, the lug nuts each having one of a groove and a ridge extending around the lug nut, comprising:

• a planar central body including material defining an aperture, said material including first barbs extending inwardly around said aperture which are angled with respect to the plane of said central body to permit a closely fitting protrusion to be extended through said aperture slideably past said first barbs but which are adapted to bite into the protrusion to prevent removal of the retainer once inserted therein;
• and
• a plurality of fingers connected to said central body extending generally perpendicular to said central body so as to form a cup-shape, said plurality of fingers each including a length with side edges and a tip, one or both of said edges including a second barb extending outwardly, said second barbs defining an angled surface with respect to said finger to permit the retainer to be inserted into a closely fitting cylindrical sleeve-like wall with the wall extending slideably past said second barbs around at least a portion of said plurality of fingers but which second barbs are adapted to bite into the cylindrical sleeve-like wall to prevent the retainer from being removed once inserted, said tips including means for frictionally engaging the one groove or ridge on the lug nut, whereby high strength retainers can be securely attached to the wheel cover by being pressed thereon, and further can continue to be attached thereto with a predetermined minimum retention force in hot or cold environments despite any difference in thermal expansion between the retainer and the wheel cover base to which the retainer is to be attached.

A method of manufacturing a wheel cover, comprising:

• providing a wheel cover base including at least one protrusion and an associated wall, said protrusion and said wall extending from one side of the base, said protrusion and said wall defining a space therebetween;
• providing cup-shaped retainers shaped to fit partially into said space and including barbs shaped to engage said protrusion and wall once installed, said retainers being adapted to releasably frictionally engage a vehicle wheel lug nut;
• and
• pressing the retainers into the space, the barbs of said retainers slideably engaging said protrusion and said wall in a first direction but biting into said protrusion and said wall in a second direction opposite the first direction so that the retainer are not removable once installed.

A method of manufacturing a wheel cover, comprising:

• providing a wheel cover base including at least one protrusion and an associated wall, said protrusion and said associated walls extending from one side of the base, each said protrusion and said associated wall defining a space therebetween;
• said wheel cover base, said protrusions and said walls being injection molded as a unit;
• providing a plurality of cup-shaped retainers each shaped to fit partially into said space and including barbs shaped to engage said protrusion and wall once installed, said retainers including a wheel nut engaging portion adapted to releasably frictionally engage a vehicle wheel lug nut, said walls supporting said wheel nut engaging portion when said retainers are assembled into said space;
• pressing the retainers into the space, the retainers each slideably engaging a selected of said protrusion and said walls in a first direction but biting into said selected protrusion and said wall in a second direction opposite the first direction so that the retainers are not removable once installed;
• and
• varying the height of individual of said walls to vary the retention strength of said wheel nut engaging portions as desired.

A wheel cover for a vehicle including a wheel and a plurality of lug nuts holding the wheel on the vehicle, the lug nuts each including an engageable surface for retaining a wheel cover on the vehicle, comprising:

• a molded plastic wheel cover base including a show surface adapted to aesthetically cover at least part of the vehicle wheel;
• a plurality of metal cup-shaped retainers including lug nut engaging fingers constructed to engage the engageable surface of a selected lug nut;
• and
• means for retaining said retainers on said wheel cover base in positions corresponding to at least some of the lug nuts, said means including a plurality of cup-shaped members on said base and further including barbs on said retainers for permanently engaging said cup-shaped members.

A wheel cover for a vehicle including a wheel and a plurality of lug nuts holding the wheel on the vehicle, the lug nuts each including an engageable surface for retaining a wheel cover on the vehicle, comprising:

• a molded plastic wheel cover base including a show surface adapted to aesthetically cover at least part of the vehicle wheel;
• a plurality of metal cup-shaped retainers adapted to engage the engageable surface of a selected lug nut;
• and
• means for retaining said retainers on said wheel cover base in positions corresponding to at least some of the lug nuts, said retainers each including fingers adapted to frictionally engage the lug nuts, and said means for retaining including a wall supporting said fingers to increase the frictional force of engagement of said fingers on the lug nuts over an unsupported frictional force of engagement, thus increasing the overall force of retention of the wheel cover of the vehicle wheel.

A wheel cover for a vehicle including a wheel and a plurality of lug nuts holding the wheel on the vehicle, the lug nuts each including an engageable surface for retaining a wheel cover on the vehicle, comprising:

• a molded plastic wheel cover base including a show surface adapted to aesthetically cover at least part of the vehicle wheel;
• a plurality of metal cup-shaped retainers adapted to engage the engageable surface of a selected lug nut;
• and
• means for retaining said retainers on said wheel cover base in positions corresponding to at least some of the lug nuts, said retainers each including first opposing barbs for gripping said means for retaining and second opposing barbs for gripping said means for retaining in a direction different than said first opposing barbs so that said first and second opposing barbs maintain a minimum level of retention in hot and cold environments despite differences in thermal expansion between the base and the retainers.