US 7,013,548 B1Granted

Method for increasing friction between wheel and road using gliding preventer

AssigneeAutosock AS

InventorBärd Løtveit

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Abstract

A device to be fitted on a vehicle wheel in order to increase the friction between the wheel and the road surface during winter conditions, comprises a belt that can encircle the tread of the wheel and be held in place by means of flexible inner and outer side portions. The inner side portion is tightened on the inner side of the wheel by means of an elastic member. The internal circumference of the belt is at least 4% larger, preferably 5–6% larger than the largest circumference of the wheel. The belt can be made substantially of a woven polyamide material. The outer side portion of the device can be fully covering or be provided with one or more openings, and may in addition be provided with radially extending straps in order to facilitate fitting the device to the vehicle wheel or removing it therefrom. A method for such fitting without lifting the wheel from the road surface is also disclosed.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method for fitting a device on a vehicle wheel, resting against a road surface, to increase the friction between the wheel and the road surface during winter driving conditions, comprising the steps of:

providing a device comprising an endless annular belt made substantially from textile material and intended to encircle the outer circumference of the wheel;
a flexible inner side portion;
and a flexible outer side portion which is disposed against the outer side surface of the wheel when the device is fitted on the wheel, so that the device is kept stably in place on the wheel;
wherein only the flexible inner side portion of the device has an elastic member, the flexible inner side portion being tightened against the inner side surface of the wheel by the elastic member when the device is fitted on the wheel;
fitting the inner side portion of the device over the outer circumference of the wheel to the inner side surface of the wheel along as much as possible of that part of the outer circumference which does not rest against the road surface;
and
rotating the wheel by means of the vehicle, whereby the remaining part of the inner side portion of the device moves over the outer circumference of the wheel to fit on the inner side surface of the wheel and pulls the belt in place along the outer circumference of the wheel.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.