Patent ID: 6409278
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: B60B

Abstract:
A spoked hub assembly comprising:a hub having a body portion and a first tubular mounting portion coupled to a first end of said body portion, said first tubular mounting portion being formed by four spoke attachment projections coupled together in a circumferentially spaced arrangement, each of said spoke attachment projections being formed of a pair of circumferentially spaced attachment sections connected to each other by an outer connecting section to form a spoke nipple receiving recess therebetween, each pair of said spoke attachment sections of each of said spoke attachment projections being angled to converge at a point radially outwardly of said connecting section to form an acute angle therebetween, each of said spoke attachment sections having a spoke attachment opening formed therein, each pair of said spoke attachment openings of each of said spoke attachment projections being arranged to form a limited axial space less than about twenty millimeters between each pair of said spoke attachment openings of each of said spoke attachment projections; a plurality of spoke nipples arranged in said spoke attachment openings, each spoke nipple including a head portion arranged on said first side of one of said spoke attachment openings and a shaft portion extending axially from said head portion through one of said spoke attachment openings, said head portion having an end surface with a hexagonal bore formed therein and a first predetermined width, said shaft portion having an axial bore with internal threads and a second maximum predetermined width that is smaller than said first predetermined width of said head portion, each of said hexagonal bores having a depth configured to be angularly engageable with a ball-hexagon wrench to rotate said spoke nipples within said spoke attachment openings during assembly; and a plurality of outwardly extending spokes with each of said spokes having an inner threaded end portion, an outer end portion, and a center portion located between said inner and outer end portions, each of said inner threaded end portions being coupled to one of said spoke nipples such that each pair of said spokes coupled to each of said spoke attachment projections diverge from each other to form an obtuse angle therebetween, each of said outer end portions of said spokes having an enlarged head member adapted to be retained by a rim.