초록 ▼

A wheel assembly adaptable for use with a motor vehicle, a light aircraft, and the like, or in a pulley system or gear train. The wheel assembly comprises an axle or spindle-retained hub member, and a removable wheel member that is releasably connected by unique snap/lock pins. The hub member is mad

A wheel assembly adaptable for use with a motor vehicle, a light aircraft, and the like, or in a pulley system or gear train. The wheel assembly comprises an axle or spindle-retained hub member, and a removable wheel member that is releasably connected by unique snap/lock pins. The hub member is made of a more dense material than the material of which the wheel member is made. In the adaption for use with a motor vehicle, light aircraft, and the like, the wheel member (with a tire mounted on it) is significantly lighter than the conventional rim-mounted tire, because of the absence of the hub portion; and, therefore, the wheel member can be easily changed or removed by even the weak, the aged, and the handicapped. Additionally, because the customary bolt/nut or lug/lug nut fastening combinations are not used, the wheel member is easy to change or remove, and, as importantly, the need for a “lug wrench”is eliminated.

대표청구항 ▼

A wheel assembly, for use in combination with an axle, comprising: a. a wheel member having an inner hollow hub portion and an outer protruding hub portion; b. a hub member configurated and dimensioned to fit into and complement with said inner hollow hub portion of said wheel member, with said hub

A wheel assembly, for use in combination with an axle, comprising: a. a wheel member having an inner hollow hub portion and an outer protruding hub portion; b. a hub member configurated and dimensioned to fit into and complement with said inner hollow hub portion of said wheel member, with said hub member connected, for rotatable motion, to an axle; c. means for guiding said hub portions of said wheel member over and onto said hub member, with said hub member guided into, removably positioned in, and abutting said inner hollow hub portion of said wheel member, wherein said guiding means includes: (1) a plurality of guide pins projecting outwardly from said hub member; (2) and, a plurality of corresponding complementary guide pin holes, with one said hole for each said guide pin, and with said guide pin holes disposed in and through said outer protruding hub portion of said wheel member, and into which said guide pin holes are inserted said guide pins; d. means for releasably connecting said wheel member and said hub member, wherein this releasable connecting means includes: (1) a plurality of snap/lock pins, wherein each one of said plurality of snap/lock pins comprises: (a) a hollow, essentially cylinder-shaped member having a cylindrical surface with a plurality of holes therein, a closed base end, and an open base end; (b) a spring disposed within said hollow, cylinder-shaped member, with said spring abutting said closed base end of said hollow, cylinder-shaped member; (c) a center shaft disposed within said hollow, cylinder-shaped member and having a first end, a second end, and a body portion therebetween with a plurality of hemispherically-configurated cavities therein, with one each of said cavities for a corresponding each one of said holes in said cylindrical surface of said cylinder-shaped member, and with each one of said plurality of hemispherically-configurated cavities disposed rearward of its corresponding hole in said cylindrical surface of said cylinder-shaped member, and also with said center shaft so disposed that it abuts said spring with its first end and also simultaneously abuts said cylinder-shaped member with its body portion; (d) a plurality of ball bearings, with one ball bearing for each hole in said cylindrical surface of said cylinder-shaped member, selectively capturable within, and between, said holes in said cylindrical surface of said cylinder-shaped member and said corresponding cavities in said body portion of said center shaft; (e) a push button means for selectively urging and moving said center shaft slidably forward and rearward within said cylinder-shaped member, with this push button means disposed at the second end of said center shaft, and in contact therewith, wherein this push button means includes a push button actuating member, whereby when said center shaft is selectively urged and moved slidably forward of said push button actuating member, said plurality of ball bearings are releasably captured within and between said holes in said cylindrical surface of said cylinder-shaped member and said corresponding cavities in said body portion of said center shaft, and whereby when said push button means is released said ball bearings are caused to protrude from said holes in said cylindrical surface of said cylinder-shaped member, and thereby also causing said snap/lock pin to lock said wheel member to said hub member; (f) and, means for grasping and holding said snap/lock pin, with this grasping and holding means integrated with said cylinder-shaped member, whereby said snap/lock pin may be grasped, held, and removably inserted into its respective and corresponding hole both in said first plurality of snap/lock pin holes in a outer protruding hub portion of said wheel member, and also in a second plurality of snap/lock pin holes in said hub member; (2) said first plurality of corresponding complementing snap/lock pin holes being such that each hole receives one of said snap/lock pins in said outer protruding hub portion of said wheel member; (3) and, said second plurality of corresponding complementary snap/lock pin holes being such that each hole receives one of said snap/lock pins in said hub member, wherein said first and second plurality of holes are in registration; e. and, means for breaking a seal that may develop, between said inner hollow hub portion of said wheel member and said abutting hub member, as a result of releasably connecting said wheel member and said hub member with said releasable connecting means.