Abstract:
A free wheeling spinner is mounted on a wheel by means of an adapter for accommodating wheels with similar bolt patterns and varying diameters. The spinner is mounted to the adapter by means of a bearing of inner and outer races secured respectively to the adapter and the spinner. Elongated lug nuts having a threaded free end receive bolts for securing the adapter to the automobile wheel.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is related to provisional application serial No. 60/339,410 filed Oct. 26, 2001. The teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention pertains to automotive wheel accessories. More particularly, the invention pertains to a wheel ornamentation that mounted for rotation to the wheel.  
           [0003]    The invention includes an adapter and a spinner. The spinner could be any design as long as it conforms to the subject wheel and does not interfere with the ability of the wheel to rotate during normal operation. The adapter is a universal adapter that can be used with any wheel with a corresponding lug nut pattern and supports the spinner to the wheel.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The automotive wheel market has evolved into a creative and competitive market. Typically, custom wheels are purchased as after-market accessories from non-automotive manufacturers. These custom wheels vary greatly in design, appearance and type. There are available, as after-market accessories, spinner ornamentation to add to the automobile wheel that enhance the appearance of the wheel. However, in order to use these spinner ornamentations, the consumer also needs to purchase a special wheel different from the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) wheel. There is a desire to customize OEM wheels without the need to purchase completely new wheels.  
           [0005]    It is desired to provide a wheel spinner ornamentation that adapts to OEM equipment, regardless of the bolt pattern on the OEM equipment.  
           [0006]    It is desired to provide a wheel spinner ornamentation that can be easily installed to after-market custom wheels, regardless of the bolt pattern on the wheels.  
           [0007]    It is desired to provide a wheel spinner ornamentation that spins, or remains stationary, irrespective of the rotation of the automotive wheel.  
           [0008]    It is desired to provide a wheel spinner ornamentation adapter to install a variety of different spinner ornamentations to be used with OEM or after-market wheels.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    A decorative accessory for attachment to an automobile wheel having a selected bolt pattern includes an adapter having a central aperture and a selected bolt pattern of bolt holes therein matching the corresponding automobile bolt hole pattern. A spinner having a central aperture for coaxial alignment with the aperture in the adapter, is mounted for rotation with respect to the adapter. A bearing having a central aperture, for coaxial alignment between the spinner and the adapter. A fastener engaging the coaxially alligned central apertures secures the spinner, the bearing and the adapter together. Supports the spinner for rotation with respect to the adapter. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the motor vehicle wheel showing the new ornamental accessory.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the wheel shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the wheel of FIG. 2 seen line  3 - 3  in FIG. 2.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the inventive adapter with spinner ornamentation.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the inventive adapter for a five bolt wheel.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 4 taken along line  5 - 5  of FIG. 4.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a front elevation of an alternative adapter for a six bolt wheel.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a front elevation of an alternative adapter of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]    FIGS.  1 - 4  illustrate an automobile wheel  10  having a spinner ornamentation assembly  20  according to the invention installed thereon. The detailed assembly  20  shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has a central axis A which corresponds to the axis of the wheel when mounted thereon, and includes an adapter  30  which is secured to the wheel  10  by elongated lug nuts  32  and lug nut bolts  34  hereinafter discussed. The adapter  30  has a central aperture  36  aligned with the axis A. A bearing recess  38  in the form of a counter-bore is formed in the rear side of the adapter  30  and is aligned with the aperture  36  as shown.  
         [0019]    A decorative spinner  40  has a central axis and is mounted for free rotation on the adapter  30 . When assembled, the axis for the spinner  40  and the adapter  30  are aligned with the wheel axis A. When mounted on the wheel  10 , the spinner  40  is free to rotate relative thereto. As the wheel rotates, the spinner  40  is carried therewith and rotates as well. When the wheel stops or decelerates the spinner  40  may continue to rotate by inertia.  
         [0020]    The spinner  40  is mounted on the adapter  30  by means of a bearing assembly  42  which includes a ball bearing  44  having inner and outer races  46 - 48  and a central aperture  50 . The ball bearing  44  is located in the bearing recess  38 . The interior wall  54  of the bearing recess  38  is formed with an annular recess  56 , which receives an annular split retaining ring  58 . The retaining ring  58  engages the outer race  48  and captures the bearing  44  between the bottom  60  of the bearing recess  38  and the inner margin  62  of the retainer  58 . As shown ball bearings  64  are captured between the inner and outer races  46  and  48  and the inner race  46  is free to rotate with respect to the outer race captured in the adapter.  
         [0021]    The spinner  40  has a central aperture  70 . A recess  72  is formed in the front side of the spinner  40 . When assembled, the adapter  30 , the bearing  42  and the spinner  40  are in alignment as shown. A bolt  74  is located with its head end  76  in the recess  38  in the adapter  30 . The threaded end  78  of the bolt  74  extends through the aperture  50  in the bearing  44  and the aperture  70  in the spinner  40 . The threaded end  78  of the bolt  74  has an annular recess  80  formed therein as shown. An inner nut  82  is threaded onto the end of the bolt  74 ; and split washer  84  is located on the bolt  74  in the recess  80  for capturing inner nut  82  on the bolt  74  and in the bottom  86  of the recess  72 .  
         [0022]    An outer end nut  88  is threaded into the threaded end  78  for bolt  74  to capture the split washer  84  between itself and the inner nut  82 . The split washer  84  has deformable radial tabs  90 . The end nut  88  is torqued against the inner nut  82  and washer  84 . Thereafter the tabs  90  are deformed and folded over to engage the outer surface of the end nut  92  to lock the same in place. A cap  94  having a cover portion  96  and depending sidewalls  98  formed with a detent  100  is snap fit into the recess  72  formed in the spinner  40 . The detent  100  engages corresponding surface portions  102  machined in the sidewalls of the recess  72  as shown.  
         [0023]    A spacer bushing  106  is located between the head end  76  and the inner race  46  as shown. The back side of the spinner  40  has an annular boss  108  which engages the front side of inner race  46 , capturing the same between the head  76  of the bolt  74  and spacer bushing  106 , and the spinner  40 , such that, when the spinner  40  rotates, the bolt  74 , the spacer bushing  106 , the inner race  46 , and the inner and outer nuts  82  &amp;  92  and the split washer  84  move together in fixed relationship with respect to the adapter  30 . In other words the spinner  40  is free to rotate on the adapter  30 .  
         [0024]    The adapter  30  is secured to the wheel  10  using elongated lug nuts  32 , each of which has a standard thread  112  and a tapered end  114  which engages corresponding conventional threaded studs  116  on the wheel. The elongated lug nuts  32  are substituted for selected standard lug nuts on the automobile. As shown in FIGS.  5 - 6 , the adapter has three elongated openings  120  which are positioned at selected circumferential spacing so as to be in alignment with three of the five bolts on a five lug nut pattern wheel, e.g. 144 degrees, 126 degrees and 0 (360) degrees relative to a first one of the openings shown in the drawing. Each opening  120  is formed with a counter-bore  122  to accommodate the head of the lug nut. The holes  120  are elongated so that the adapter  30  may be mounted on different wheel configurations for example, wheels having the same five bolt pattern, but wherein the bolts are located at various radial distances from the center. When mounted on a wheel the adapter  30  self centers with respect to the bolt pattern employed. The adapter  30  has one or more recesses  128  formed in the rear side to reduce the mass of the adapter and to adjust the mass distribution for balancing the adapter.  
         [0025]    In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, an adapter  124  has openings  120  which are equally spaced at 0 (360) degrees, 120 degrees, and 240 degrees relative to a first one of the openings. The openings correspond to three of six holes in a six lug nut pattern wheel.  
         [0026]    The elongated lug nuts  32  have a bolt-receiving end  130  which engages the back side of the adapter in alignment with the openings  120  as shown. Each lug nut bolt  34  has an outboard pan head  128  and a threaded portion  132  formed in the inboard end. A lug nut bolt  34  for each lug nut  32  secures the adapter  30  to the wheel. The threaded end  132  engages a corresponding threaded portion  116  of the elongated lug nut  32 . The pan head  128  has a keyed slot  134  which receives a corresponding keyed tool to install the device on the wheel. The shape of the keyed slot  134  is nonstandard and is designed to make it more difficult to remove the bolts without authorization.  
         [0027]    The spinner  40  is in the form of a circular member having radial spokes  140  and an outer rim  142 . The spinner  40  may take the form a decorative part, which may be formed with a curved front side  144  and a curved inner side  146  as shown. The spinner may also have opened spaces  148  between the spokes  140 . An annular disc member  150  may be mounted on the rear side of the spinner as shown. The disc  150  would be generally contoured to follow the corresponding contour of the inner side  146  of the spinner. The disc  150  provides for further decorative effect and is secured to the spinner by bolts  152  as shown. Decorative bolts  154  may be provided, and counter bored opening  156  in the outer edge of the spinner as shown. The spinner and adapter are well balanced.  
         [0028]    An alternative embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 8, employs an adapter  160 , having radial arms  162  with openings  164 , which arms and openings correspond the number to the number of bolts in the lug nut pattern as illustrated. The openings may be positioned radially at specific locations corresponding to the specific radial position of the bolts on a particular automotive wheel design. Alternatively, the openings may be elongated as discussed above allowing the adapter to be used on five bolt wheels with differing radial bolt positions.