Abstract:
The wheel cover comprises collars ( 1 ) with elastic tabs ( 3 ) for mounting and fixing the collars on the heads of nuts or screws ( 2 ) used to fix the wheel. Said tabs ( 3 ) are provided with heels ( 4 ) consisting of a double ramp ( 5  and  5 ′), used to mount and dismount the collars ( 1 ) and the wheel cover in relation to the nuts or screws ( 2 ). The collars ( 3 ) are retained by locking the heels ( 4 ) on an annular projection ( 14 ) of the head of the nut or screw. Independent caps ( 10 ) which are locked by the heels ( 13 ) associated with the tabs ( 12 ) of said caps are mounted on the collars ( 1 ), wherein the heels ( 13 ) are locked on the edges ( 8 ) which are associated with the windows ( 6 ) of the collars ( 1 ). The caps ( 10 ) protect and conceal the screws or heads of the nuts ( 2 ) and remain locked while being able to turn freely.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application is a Continuation of co-pending PCT Application No. PCT/ES2005/000055, filed on Feb. 8, 2005 which in turn, claims priority from Spanish Application Serial No. P200400386, filed on Feb. 18, 2004. Applicants claim the benefits of 35 U.S.C. §120 as to the PCT application and priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 as to said Spanish application, and the entire disclosures of both applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
     
    
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     As stated in the title of this specification, the present invention refers to a wheel cover for the wheels of a vehicle, which displays the feature of having means of retention and/or locking on the associated fixing screws of the wheels, being complemented with a cap which is coupled and remains locked on each of the collars of the wheel cover via which access is gained to the screws or nuts which effect the retention on them. The cap defines a means of covering and therefore of protection and concealment of the associated screw or nut used to fix the wheel to the respective wheel hub.  
         [0003]     The object of the invention is to provide the automobile sector with a wheel cover which, as well as being effective in being fixed to the associated wheel of the vehicle, also has caps which protect and conceal the various fixing screws or nuts of the wheel, thereby preventing access and manipulation of those nuts, since, in its fitting or coupling, the cap is able to rotate freely and in turn be locked axially, discouraging any possible attempt at accessing the screws or nuts used to fix the wheel.  
       PRIOR ART OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     One of the methods of fixing the wheel cover to the wheel of a vehicle consists of using some pieces by way of sleeves which are embedded in respective collars provided for the purpose in the wheel cover, these collars being in turn coupled in the recesses or cavities of the wheel where the screws are positioned for fixing that wheel to the hub. Said pieces by way of sleeves usually have tabs ending in a harpoon-shape for their retention on the screws or on projections provided for the purpose in the cavities for housing the screws. Moreover, those sleeves are provided with appropriate means, such as external projections, for retention of the wheel cover, specifically an edge which the collars of said wheel cover have for that purpose.  
         [0005]     A retention device is described and claimed in American patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,780, where the fixing of the wheel cover to the wheel of a vehicle is done by means of a kind of cap which is introduced via the collar of the wheel cover and is retained by being screwed to a tubular piece forming part of the wheel of the vehicle. This means that a fixing nut or screw for the tyre is required that has such a thread, and the screw which is fixed by being screwed to the wheel itself axially passes through the tubular piece.  
         [0006]     Said cap has an upper polygonal section, and also an intermediate cylindrical section in which the thread has been provided for screwing of the cap on the piece arranged axially to the screw and forming part of the wheel.  
         [0007]     Also, the lower part of said body in the form of a cap presents a series of tabs with a harpoon or heel at the end projecting outwards which acts as a stop against the collar of the wheel cover through which passes the fixing screw, and in which is located the retention cap of the actual wheel cover.  
         [0008]     Said device, corresponding to patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,780, presents the feature of having an unthreaded edge, as a consequence of which the tabs provided at the harpooned end are free at their ends between the harpoon and the threaded zone of the cap, which permits the latter to be unscrewed with respect to the piece of the wheel in order to carry out the removal of the wheel cover. The unscrewing of the screw is carried out simultaneously with the unscrewing of the device or cap, due to being coupled in such a way that the polygonal head of the screw and the polygonal upper section of the device, or of the cap, which is the same thing, remain locked together in the direction of rotation.  
         [0009]     Mention can likewise be made of Spanish invention patent P-200300899 referring to a wheel cover for the wheels of a vehicle, in which the wheel cover presents collars with elastic tabs which permit retention on the associated screws screwed to the wheel hub for the fixing of the wheel. Also, introduced into the collars of the wheel cover and coupled there are some sleeves which act as means of centring and of covering of the grooves established between the elastic tabs of the collars of the wheel cover.  
         [0010]     More specifically, this Spanish invention patent is characterised by the fact of incorporating a piece in the form of a sleeve which fits tightly under pressure into each of the tubular projections or collars of the wheel cover, being fixed to them by locking of some projections provided in the lateral surface of the additional piece or sleeve, in recesses made in the internal part of the respective tubular projection or collar. This additional piece or sleeve has an edge associated with its external opening which supports and acts as a stop against a stagger made for the purpose in the tubular projection or collar, the additional piece or sleeve also having associated with the edge of its internal opening some elastic tabs the internal part of which defines some means of adjustment and centring for a projection provided in the associated fixing screw, said screw or nut being the one used normally by the vehicle manufacturer, these elastic tabs of the additional piece or sleeve externally defining a means of positioning and retention for an elastic metallic compression ring, both for the flexible tabs associated with the tubular projections or collars of the wheel cover and for the actual elastic tabs of the additional piece or sleeve.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The wheel cover of the invention, being of the type that incorporates collars with elastic tabs for its retention on the head of the screw or nuts for fixing of the wheel of a vehicle, along with a cap associated with each of the said collars for concealing and protecting the respective fixing screw or nut for the wheel, presents the feature that the heel of the elastic tabs of the collars of the wheel cover for retention on the heads of the fixing screws of the wheel has a double ramp, one which permits introduction by pushing of the collars of the wheel cover on the fixing screws of the wheel and associated locking or retention of the wheel cover, and the other, the contrary to the above, for permitting removal of the wheel cover by means of pulling on it, by sliding of that second ramp via the annular projection which the screws or nuts have for that purpose in order precisely to establish the retention or locking on them.  
         [0012]     In addition to the double ramp mentioned, the heels present a third exterior ramp, defining an axial retention stop for an open metallic ring, by means of which the tension of the elastic tabs is maintained.  
         [0013]     In this way, the double ramp heels permit passage through the annular ring which the heads of fixing screws or nut for the wheel normally include, being retained once that projection of the screw has been passed by the heels of the elastic tabs, with which the wheel cover will be retained on the wheel.  
         [0014]     As well as those elastic tabs with the retention heels, in which these tabs will be surrounded by the metallic ring which tends to push them towards the interior in order to achieve an efficient locking, but which in turn permit the divergence of those tabs due to elasticity in order to carry out the fitting/removal of the actual wheel cover, other guide tabs are included for the protection and covering cap which will be fitted on each of the collars of the wheel cover provided precisely with the tabs.  
         [0015]     Provided in association with these guide tabs, in their initial zone, are some windows for locking the cap, the cap having tabs provided with an external heel which becomes locked in those windows without any possibility of detachment, due to which, once the caps have been fitted on the collars of the wheel cover, said caps become locked and it is necessary to remove the assembly of the wheel cover with the caps in order to be able to access the fixing screws or nuts for the wheels.  
         [0016]     As is conventional, the rear closing section of the caps have a polygonal shape complementary to the shape of the head of the fixing screws or nuts for the wheel, though these polygonal shapes of the head of the screw and end section of the caps do not become coupled when the fitting of the cap is carried out.  
         [0017]     So, the caps are fitted and retained axially in the collars of the wheel cover, though they are allowed to rotate freely, which will prevent any attempt at unscrewing by means of rotating the caps from being able to cause the undoing of the screw or nut to which the cap is retained with the ability to rotate freely. In this case, therefore, the upper polygonal end of the cap acts as a means of covering and protection of the fixing screw for the wheel, but without being coupled to the polygonal head of this screw. Said caps, in addition to protecting and concealing the nuts or heads of the fixing screws, also conceal the grooves defined by the elastic tabs.  
         [0018]     The removal of the wheel cover will be done by means of pulling on it towards the outside, since, by exerting an extraction force on that wheel cover, the heels of the elastic securing tabs will, by virtue of the double ramp of those heels, be able to slide and overcome the annular projection of the screws or nuts, with the caps becoming released with regard to those screws and it thereby becomes possible to remove the wheel cover jointly with its caps. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]     In order to complement the description that is going to be made forthwith and with the aim of aiding a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, this specification is accompanied by a set of drawings on the basis of which the innovations and advantages of the wheel cover for the wheels of a vehicle embodied in accordance with the object of the invention will be more easily understood.  
         [0020]      FIG. 1 .—Shows a general perspective of one of the collars of a wheel cover fitted on the associated head or threaded nut on the associated stud for the fixing of the appropriate wheel. In this figure, a polygonal nut has been represented which will screw on to one of the studs emerging from the hub of the wheel of the vehicle for the fixing of that wheel. This nut can be materialised by the actual head of the screw, in the event that these are independent and screw on to the hub instead of constituting studs for it.  
         [0021]     In any case, this  FIG. 1  shows an exploded view of the cap which has to be detached from the collar of the wheel cover coupled to the said nut or head of the screw.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2 .—Shows a lower perspective view of the fitting of a cap on the associated collar of the wheel cover, in this case showing the elastic tabs with double ramp of the collar of the cap for the retention and release of it with respect to the head of the fixing screw or nut for the wheel of a vehicle. Also shown is the fastening of the tabs associated to the cap in one of the windows which the collar of the wheel cover has for the purpose. The metallic ring for tensioning the elastic tabs has not been represented in this figure.  
         [0023]      FIG. 3 .—Shows an upper perspective view of a collar of the wheel cover with the cap fitted, showing the polygonal closing end of the cap.  
         [0024]      FIG. 4 .—Shows a view in cross-section of the coupling between a collar of a wheel cover and the associated nut or head of a fixing screw for the wheel, with the metallic ring fitted around the elastic tabs; with the cap being seen in exploded view, also in cross-section.  
         [0025]      FIG. 5 .—Shows a view like that of the previous figure with the cap fitted on the respective collar of the wheel cover and the latter retained via its tabs on the nut or head of the fixing screw for the wheel. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MANNER OF EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]     During the course of the present description, when reference is made to the fixing screw of the wheel of a vehicle, it must be understood that the head of that screw can equally correspond to the nut which has to screw on to the associated stud emerging from the assembly hub of the wheel for the vehicle.  
         [0027]     So, as can be seen in the figures, the wheel cover of the invention includes, as is conventional, a plurality of collars  1 , as many screws  2  as required for fixing of the wheel to the vehicle, the collars  1  being provided with a series of elastic tabs  3  which can be fixed and pressing towards the outside, in other words, tensioned by means of an open ring  3 ′. These elastic tabs  3  are provided at their ends, and following a double bend, with respective heels  4  with a double ramp, a lower one  5  and another upper one  5 ′, with the function that is going to be explained further below. It also includes an external ramp  5 ″ for the retention of the metallic ring  3 ′.  
         [0028]     Interspersed with the said elastic tabs  3 , the collar  1  of the wheel cover also has a series of tabs  9  at the start of which as many windows  6  have been provided for the locking of the cap  7  which has to be fitted in the collar  1  of the wheel cover, covering and protecting the polygonal head  2 ′ which can correspond to a fixing nut or screw  2  for the wheel of the vehicle.  
         [0029]     Windows  6  associated with the tabs  5  present an internal projection  8 , which is straight on its lower face, and which has the task of achieving the locking of the cap  7 , the latter, as its conventional, having a polygonal upper closing section  10 , as is clearly shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 .  
         [0030]     That cap  7 , in addition to the polygonal section  10  and the associated cylindrical section referenced with  7  in  FIG. 1 , is also provided with an annular projection  11  and after that, in other words, towards its end or opening, with a plurality of tabs  12  provided with a heel  13 , in such a way that these heels are positioned in association with the windows  6  of the collar  1  of the wheel cover and the heels  13  are locked with the projections  8  of that collar  1  of the wheel cover, thereby establishing a fastening between the cap  7  and the collar  1  of the wheel cover, without any possibility of removal due to the straight locking that is made of the heels  13  of the tabs  12  of the cap and the projections  8 .  
         [0031]     In accordance with the description that is made, the fitting of the wheel cover is done by coupling of its collars  1  on the heads or nuts  2 ′ of the fixing screws  2  of the wheel, in such a way that in this coupling the ramp  5  of the heels  4  associated with the elastic tabs  3  of the collars  1  slide on the annular projection  14  which the head of the screw or, as the case might be, the nut  2 ′ has been provided with for that purpose, the locking being embodied as represented in  FIG. 4 , in order to then couple the cap  7 , which is introduced into the collar  1  until the heels  13  of the tabs  12  of said cap  7  become locked in the windows  6 , and specifically on the projections  8  of the collar  1 , with the cap  7  becoming fastened without any possibility of removal by virtue of the straight stagger defined by the locking between the projections  8  and the heels  13 , as represented in  FIG. 5 , though the said cap  7  remains fitted with the ability to rotate freely.  
         [0032]     In this way, in an attempt to rotate the caps  7 , as a consequence of the fact that the polygonal section  10  of the caps  7  does not lock with the polygonal head  2 ′ of the nut or screws  2 , this free rotation of the cap  7  will discourage any manipulation in an attempt to remove the wheel cover, since in order to perform that removal it is necessary to pull on the wheel cover, due to the fact that the ramp  5 ′ of the heels  4  permits sliding via the projection  14  associated with the nut or screw and with it the removal of the wheel cover together with the caps  7 , leaving the head  2 ′ or nut of the screw  2  free for carrying out the unscrewing in the event that it is wished to remove the wheel.