Wheel having inner bead-lock
AssigneeCenter Line Wheel Corporation
InventorRay W. Lipper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a vehicle wheel system having an inner wheel half, an outer wheel half, a centering element, and a sleeve which are concentrically aligned with each other, where the centering element has a first bead lock for securing a first bead of a tire and where the sleeve has a second bead lock for securing a second bead of the tire, to enable a vehicle to continue to operate with a flat or deflated tire. For a heavier, military vehicle wheel system, a varied centering element is used in conjunction with segmented inner tire system.
Claims17
A wheel system having an inner wheel half and an outer wheel half, for use with a tire, comprising:
- a centering element located between the inner wheel half and the outer wheel half, the centering element having a first bead lock configured to lock a first bead of the tire;
- and
- a sleeve located between the inner wheel half and the outer wheel half, the sleeve having a second bead lock configured to lock a second bead of the tire,
- wherein the inner wheel half is inserted into the sleeve, and the sleeve comprises a shoulder that abuts the centering element.
A wheel assembly for a tire comprising:
- an inner wheel section having a rim;
- an outer wheel section having a rim;
- a centering element positioned between the inner wheel section and the outer wheel section;
- an inner bead lock for locking the tire between the inner bead lock and the rim of the inner wheel section;
- and
- an outer bead lock for locking the tire between the outer bead lock and the rim of the outer wheel section
- wherein the inner bead lock comprises a stop formed on a sleeve that engages the inner wheel section, and
- wherein the inner wheel section is inserted into the sleeve, and the sleeve comprises a shoulder that abuts the centering element.
A run-flat wheel assembly for a tire, comprising:
- an inner rim;
- an outer rim;
- a center segment clamped between the inner rim and the outer rim;
- an inner stop for clamping an inner bead of such tire between the inner stop and the inner rim;
- an outer stop for clamping an outer bead of such tire between the outer stop and the outer rim;
- and
- a sleeve mounted to the inner rim, and wherein the inner stop is formed on the sleeve,
- wherein the inner rim is formed on an inner wheel section, the inner wheel section being inserted into the sleeve, and the sleeve comprises a shoulder that abuts the center segment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.