Patent ID: 7922260
Filing Date: 2011-04-12
Classification: B60B

Abstract:
1. A wheel assembly comprising: a wheel rim having an internal surface facing a wheel rotational axis, the wheel rim comprising at least a first external portion in the form of a first flange at an outer side of the wheel rim and at least a second portion in the form of a second flange at an opposite inner side of the wheel rim, the first and second flanges being associated to an intermediate portion provided with at least one bed-shaped shoulder having a disk-contacting surface an entire length of which is sloped at a positive non-zero angle relative to the wheel rotational axis such that the entire length of the disk-contacting surface continuously increases in diameter in a direction from the outer side to the inner side of the wheel rim; and a wheel disk having a first portion to be attached to a wheel hub, a second portion including a plurality of spokes that define ventilation windows, and a third portion including a circular peripheral flange having a rim-contacting surface in contact with the disk-contacting surface of the wheel rim, the circular peripheral flange having a width, an entire length of the rim-contacting surface of the circular peripheral flange extending at a positive angle relative to the wheel rotational axis that corresponds to the angle of the disk-contacting surface of the bed-shaped shoulder relative to the wheel rotational axis, and wherein the ventilation windows comprise non-circular openings with an external edge defined by the circular peripheral flange and at least two side edges defined by adjacent spokes wherein each spoke includes a central surface between two adjacent ventilation windows and fillets that slope from the central surface to respective side edges of the adjacent ventilation windows, the wheel disk and the wheel rim being associated with each other by the association between the peripheral circular flange of the disk and the bed-shaped shoulder of the intermediate portion of the rim.