Self-tightening traction assembly having tensioning device

A self-tensioning snow chain for attachment to a wheel of a vehicle, the self-tensioning snow chain comprising:

• a snow chain;
• and
• a tensioning device including:
• a housing having at least one aperture, a bottom having a top surface and a top having a set of housing teeth;
• an actuator engaged with the housing;
• a ratchet spool including upper and lower surfaces;
• the ratchet spool having a set of ratchet teeth on the upper surface, the ratchet teeth constructed and arranged to mate with the housing teeth;
• a cord;
• the cord being interconnected with the ratchet spool;
• and
• a tension spring interconnected with the ratchet spool, the tension spring constructed and arranged to place a bias on the ratchet spool in a wind-up direction so that the cord can be wound up on the ratchet spool;
• wherein the ratchet spool is biased upwardly in the direction of the housing teeth so that the ratchet teeth will be engaged with the housing teeth when the ratchet spool is in an up position;
• wherein the actuator can push the ratchet spool downward, against the biasing force, into a down position to disengage the ratchet teeth and the housing teeth;
• and wherein the snow chain is interconnected with the tensioning device and the cord can be connected with the snow chain so that the tensioning device can secure the snow chain to the wheel;
• wherein the ratchet spool further includes a catch on the lower surface of the ratchet spool and the tensioning device further includes a stopper having an up position and a down position, the stopper being biased toward the up position in which the stopper will block the catch when the ratchet spool is in the down position so that the ratchet spool will not rotate more than 360 degrees in the wind-up direction when the ratchet spool is in a down position.

A tensioning device for placing tension on a snow chain for attachment to a wheel of a vehicle to provide traction, the tensioning device comprising:

• a housing having at least one aperture, a bottom having a top surface and a top having a set of housing teeth;
• an actuator engaged with the housing;
• a ratchet spool including upper and lower surfaces;
• the ratchet spool having a set of ratchet teeth on the upper surface, the ratchet teeth constructed and arranged to mate with the housing teeth;
• a cord;
• the cord being interconnected with the ratchet spool;
• and
• a tension spring interconnected with the ratchet spool, the tension spring constructed and arranged to place a bias on the ratchet spool in a wind-up direction so that the cord can be wound up on the ratchet spool;
• wherein the ratchet spool is biased upwardly in the direction of the housing teeth so that the ratchet teeth will be engaged with the housing teeth when the ratchet spool is in an up position;
• wherein the actuator can push the ratchet spool downward, against the biasing force, into a down position to disengage the ratchet teeth and the housing teeth;
• and wherein the snow chain is interconnected with the tensioning device and the cord can be connected with the snow chain so that the tensioning device can secure the snow chain to the wheel;
• wherein the ratchet spool further includes a catch on the lower surface of the ratchet spool and the tensioning device further includes a stopper having an up position and a down position, the stopper being biased toward the up position in which the stopper will block the catch when the ratchet spool is in the down position so that the ratchet spool will not rotate more than 360 degrees in the wind-up direction when the ratchet spool is in a down position.

A self-tensioning snow chain for attachment to a wheel of a vehicle to provide traction, the self-tensioning snow chain comprising:

• a snow chain for securing around the wheel of the vehicle;
• and
• a tensioning device including:
• a housing including at least one aperture;
• a bottom having a top surface;
• and a top having an opening and a set of housing teeth on an underside of the top;
• a tensioning cord;
• a ratchet spool including an upper surface and an under surface;
• a set of ratchet teeth on the upper surface, the ratchet teeth being constructed and arranged to mate with the housing teeth;
• the tensioning cord being interconnected with the ratchet spool;
• a tension spring interconnected with the ratchet spool and the housing, the tension spring constructed and arranged to place a bias on the ratchet spool in a wind-up direction;
• a wave spring positioned between the top surface of the bottom of the housing and the under surface of the ratchet spool so as to bias the ratchet spool upward in engagement with the housing teeth;
• and
• an actuator engaged at least partially within the opening in the top of the housing;
• the actuator including a rotation disc and a cam disc;
• the cam disc having an up position and a down position and the rotation disc having a first position and a second position;
• wherein, when the cam disc is in the up position, the wave spring can push the ratchet spool upward such that the ratchet teeth are engaged with the housing teeth and, when the cam disc is in the down position, the ratchet teeth are disengaged from the housing teeth;
• wherein the rotation disc can rotate within the opening so as to move from the first position to the second position;
• wherein the rotation disc depresses the cam disc from the up position to the down position when the rotation disc rotates from the first position to the second position;
• wherein the tensioning device can be interconnected with the snow chain so that the tensioning cord can place a tension on the snow chain to secure the snow chain to the wheel.