Vehicle wheel spoke connection

Abstract

A vehicle wheel, comprising a rim, a hub, a plurality of spokes extending between the rim and hub, a bracing element including a hole with a central axis, a sidewall, a longitudinally inward entrance, and at least one of an engagement surface and an engagement edge outward of the entrance, a connecting element connected to the bracing element, including an opening extending along an opening axis, and a multiplicity of prongs, with at least one of the prongs including a lateral overhang surface. The connecting element is resilient and may be flexed between collapsed and expanded orientations and is positioned within the hole, with the overhang surface overlying one of the engagement surface and engagement edge in a first overlie engagement. The spoke includes a laterally projecting surface to overlie the connecting element in a second overlie engagement that is preferably located longitudinally outwardly of the first overlie engagement.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority of the following U.S. provisional patent applications:[0002]61 / 575,380, filed Aug. 19, 2011, and entitled “VEHICLE WHEEL SPOKE CONNECTION”;[0003]61 / 575,381, filed Aug. 19, 2011, and entitled “VEHICLE WHEEL SPOKE CONNECTION”; and[0004]61 / 575,374, filed Aug. 19, 2011, and entitled “VEHICLE WHEEL SPOKE CONNECTION”.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0005](1) Field of the Invention[0006]This invention is related to the means of attachment between the spoke and the rim of a vehicle wheel and between the spoke and the hub of a vehicle wheel. This invention is particularly related to the connection of a spoke with a rim structure having a “double-wall” construction with an unpierced tire bed wall for tubeless tire applications.[0007](2) Description of the Related Art[0008]Bicycle wheel rims have historically been constructed to accept pneumatic tires that are designed to work in conjunction with an inner tube. This is the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a spoke connection that can be blindly installed and is resistant to tension loads. The connection involves a resilient connecting element that is inserted through a spoke hole in the rim and connected to the spoke using an overlie engagement. The connecting element can be made of high strength material and has a large overlap with the spoke bed for increased strength. The connection eliminates the necessity of a rim strip or rim tape and is exceptionally robust. The longitudinal engagement between the connecting element and the spoke further strengthens the connection.

Problems solved by technology

This offset places additional tensile and bending stress on the eyelet due to spoke tension forces, further weakening his spoke connection: Thirdly, Thulbon does not contemplate a longitudinal engagement between his spoke and eyelet and instead utilizes only a single overlie engagement at a single longitudinal location.

Such a single overlie engagement requires a very large laterally projected area of overlie to resist spoke tension loads, which results in a larger eyelet and a correspondingly larger hole in his rim.

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