Patent Abstract:
Systems, apparatus, devices, brackets, assemblies, and methods for a wheel hub with interchangeable caps for changing the appearance of wheels having exposed lug nuts about a center hole. A bracket having both a small cap and a large cap can be used on an existing wheel which exposes a center hole and the lug nuts. A smaller cap can be used to cover only the center hole of the wheel. A larger cap can be used to cover both the center hole and the exposed lug nuts on the wheel. The bracket is a base that allows for either a small cap or large cap to be interchangeably used to change the exterior appearance of the wheel. The bracket can be integrated with the wheel, or be attachable onto the wheel.

Full Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to vehicles, and in particular to apparatus, devices, brackets assemblies, systems and methods for changing the appearance and style of wheels having lug nuts about a center hole with a bracket that allows for interchanging a small cap to cover only the center hole and a larger cap for covering both the center hole and surrounding lug nuts. 
     BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART 
     The majority of wheels used on vehicles, such as on automobiles have often showed lug nuts about a center opening. Various types of wheels and hubs have allowed for a single cap to close off the center hole in the middle of the wheel while others close off the surrounding lug nuts in addition to the center hole. However, to change the appearance of the wheel style by exposing or hiding the lug nuts, the vehicle owner would have to remove all the tires from the wheels and replace each entire wheel with another wheel which allows for a hub cap to completely cover the lug nuts and center hole or just the center hole. This is because automotive wheels are designed to accept one type of cap that has a single function to either cover the center hole only or both the center hole and also the lug nuts. 
     Having to remove the tires from the wheels to change the style is both time consuming and expensive. The user would have to purchase two separate wheels for each of the wheels on the vehicle, which would come to two sets of wheels for changing the appearance of the wheels on a normal vehicle having four wheels and tires. As a result, the time and labor to replace the wheels makes changing the appearance of the wheels undesirable and out of the reach to most vehicle owners. 
     Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide apparatus, devices, brackets, assemblies, systems and methods for changing the appearance and style of wheels having lug nuts about a center hole with a bracket that allows for interchanging a small cap to cover only the center hole and a larger cap for covering both the center hole and surrounding lug nuts 
     A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide apparatus, devices, brackets, assemblies, systems and methods for changing the appearance and style of wheels having lug nuts about a center hole without having to remove the tire from the wheel. 
     A third objective of the present invention is to provide apparatus, devices, brackets, assemblies, systems and methods for changing the appearance and style of wheels having lug nuts about a center hole, by just changing cap covers. 
     A wheel assembly for a vehicle, that includes a bracket on an exposed side of a vehicle wheel having a front side showing an appearance of lug nuts surrounding a center hole, and a plurality of interchangeable caps attachable to the front side of the bracket for changing the appearance of the wheel. 
     The plurality of caps can include a first cap attachable to the front side of the bracket for covering the center hole on the wheel, and a second cap larger than the first cap for being attachable to the front side of the bracket for covering both the lug nuts and the center hole. 
     The bracket can be integrated with the exposed side of the wheel. The bracket can have a rear side that is attachable to the exposed side of the wheel. 
     The wheel assembly can further include a second bracket on an exposed side of a second vehicle wheel having front side showing an appearance of lug nuts surrounding a center hole, a second plurality of interchangeable caps attachable to the front side of the second bracket for changing the appearance of the second wheel, a third bracket on an exposed side of a third vehicle wheel having a front side showing an appearance of lug nuts surrounding a center hole, a third plurality of interchangeable caps attachable to the front side of the third bracket for changing the appearance of the third wheel, a fourth bracket on an exposed side of a fourth vehicle wheel having a front side showing an appearance of lug nuts surrounding a center hole, and a fourth plurality of interchangeable caps attachable to the front side of the fourth bracket for changing the appearance of the fourth wheel. 
     Each of the plurality of caps can include a first cap attachable to the front side of the bracket for covering the center hole on the wheel, and a second cap larger than the first cap for being attachable to the front side of the bracket for covering both the lug nuts and the center hole. 
     Each of the second bracket, the third bracket and the fourth bracket can be integrated with the exposed side of the their respective wheel. Each of the second bracket, the third bracket and the fourth bracket can have a rear side that is attachable to the exposed side of the respective wheel. 
     A method of changing the appearance of a wheel having lug nuts surrounding a center hole with interchangeable caps, can include the steps of providing a wheel with a bracket on an exposed side of the wheel, the bracket having a front side with lug nuts surrounding a central opening, providing a plurality of caps that are each attachable to the front side of the bracket, and changing appearance of the exterior surface of the wheel with each of the interchangeable caps. 
     The step of providing a plurality of caps, can include steps of providing a first cap, and providing a second cap having a larger diameter than the first cap. 
     The step of changing the appearance of the exterior surface of the wheel can include the step of attaching the first cap to the front of the bracket to cover the center hole of the exterior surface of the wheel, while leaving the lug nuts exposed. 
     The step of changing the appearance of the exterior surface of the wheel can include the step of attaching the second cap to the front of the bracket to cover both the lug nuts and the center hole of the exterior surface of the wheel. 
     The step of changing the appearance of the exterior surface of the wheel can include the step of interchangeably attaching the first cap and the second cap to the front of the bracket in order to cover only the center hole or to cover both the lug nuts and the center hole. 
     The method can include the step of providing the bracket is integrated with the exposed side of the wheel. 
     The method can include the steps of providing the bracket with a rear side, and attaching the rear side of the bracket to the exposed side of the wheel. 
     The method can include the steps of providing a second bracket on an exposed side of a second wheel, the second bracket having a front side with lug nuts surrounding a central opening, providing a second plurality of caps that are each attachable to the front side of the second bracket, changing appearance of the exterior surface of the second wheel with each of the second interchangeable caps, providing a third bracket on an exposed side of a second wheel, the third bracket having a front side with lug nuts surrounding a central opening, providing a third plurality of caps that are each attachable to the front side of the third bracket, changing appearance of the exterior surface of the third wheel with each of the third interchangeable caps, providing a fourth bracket on an exposed side of a fourth wheel, the second bracket having a front side with lug nuts surrounding a central opening, providing a fourth plurality of caps that are each attachable to the front side of the fourth bracket, and changing appearance of the exterior surface of the fourth wheel with each of the fourth interchangeable caps. 
     A base bracket for changing appearances of a wheel hub, can include a bracket on an exposed side of a wheel hub having a front side showing an appearance of lug nuts surrounding a center hole, and interchangeable caps attachable to the front side of the bracket for changing the appearance of the wheel. The interchangeable caps can include a first cap attachable to the front side of the bracket for covering the center hole on the wheel hub, and a second cap larger than the first cap for being attachable to the front side of the bracket for covering both the lug nuts and the center hole of the wheel hub. 
     The base bracket can further include a second bracket on an exposed side of a second wheel hub having a front side showing an appearance of lug nuts surrounding a center hole, second interchangeable caps attachable to the front side of the second bracket for changing the appearance of the second wheel hub, a third bracket on an exposed side of a third wheel hub having a front side showing an appearance of lug nuts surrounding a center hole of the wheel hub, third interchangeable caps attachable to the front side of the third bracket for changing the appearance of the third wheel hub, a fourth bracket on an exposed side of a fourth wheel hub having a front side showing an appearance of lug nuts surrounding a center hole of the fourth wheel hub, and fourth interchangeable caps attachable to the front side of the fourth bracket for changing the appearance of the fourth wheel hub. 
     Each of the interchangeable caps can include a first cap attachable to the front side of the bracket for covering the center hole on each wheel hub, and a second cap larger than the first cap for being attachable to the front side of the bracket for covering both the lug nuts and the center hole of each wheel hub. 
     Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a vehicle wheel with large cover bracket assembly and large cap assembly installed. 
         FIG. 2  is a front right perspective view of the wheel of  FIG. 1  with base bracket of the large cover assembly installed on the wheel and the large cap pulled out. 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the wheel of  FIG. 1  with a small cover bracket assembly installed over the base bracket. 
         FIG. 4  is a front right perspective view of the wheel of  FIG. 3  with base bracket of the small cover bracket assembly installed and small cap assembly pulled out. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded front right perspective view of the wheel of the preceding figures with separated base bracket and both the large cap and small cap. 
         FIG. 6  is a front right perspective view of the large cover assembly with large cap. 
         FIG. 7  is a front right perspective view of the small cover assembly with small cap. 
         FIG. 8  is another perspective view of the large cover assembly of  FIGS. 5-6  with large cap assembly pulled out. 
         FIG. 9  is a rear perspective view of the large cover assembly with large cap assembly of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is another perspective view of the small cover assembly of  FIG. 7  with small cap assembly pulled out. 
         FIG. 11  is a rear perspective view of the small cover assembly with small cap assembly of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a top side view of the cover assembly of  FIG. 10  with small cap installed. 
         FIG. 13  is a front view of the cover assembly and small cap of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  is a right side view of the cover assembly with small cap of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 15 . A cross-sectional view of cover assembly with small cap of  FIG. 13  along arrow  15 X showing how the ball bearing retaining system works. 
         FIG. 16  is another view of the cover assembly of  FIG. 15  with emblem/release button pushed up showing that the ball bearings fall away from the base bearing pockets allowing the cap assembly to be removed from the base. 
       The system is the same for both cap sizes. 
         FIG. 17  is another view of the cover assembly of  FIG. 15  with the cap assembly removed from the base bracket. 
         FIG. 18  is a front right exploded perspective view of the wheel cover assembly with the small cap. 
         FIG. 19  is a rear perspective view of the exploded wheel cover assembly and small cap of  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 20  is a rear view of the cover assembly of the preceding figures. Both cap variations are the same from this side. 
         FIG. 21  is a rear perspective view of the cover assembly of  FIG. 20 . 
         FIG. 22  is a top side view of the cover assembly of  FIGS. 19-20  with large cap installed. 
         FIG. 23  is a front view of the cover assembly with large cap installed of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 24  is a right side view of the cover assembly with large cap installed of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 25  is a cross-sectional view of the cover assembly with large cap installed of  FIG. 23  along arrow  25 X. 
         FIG. 26  is a front exploded view of the wheel cover assembly showing large cap installed of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 27  is a rear view of the exploded view of the wheel cover assembly with large cap of  FIG. 26 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applications to the details of the particular arrangements shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. 
     In the Summary above and in the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally. 
     In this section, some embodiments of the invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments. 
     A list of components will now be described.
       10  Wheel cover bracket assembly with small cap.     20  Wheel cover bracket assembly with large cap.     30  Small cap assembly.     35  Small cap.     38  Bearing retaining bore in small cap.     40  Large cap assembly.     45  Large cap.     48  Bearing retaining bore in large cap.     50  Car wheel/hub.     70  Base.     75 . Cylindrical center receptacle     80  Center bore of wheel.     90  Lug nut hole of wheel.     100  Lug nut.     110  Base retaining tabs.     120  Base retaining tab hoop spring.     125  Retainer groove in wheel.     130  Emblem/release button.     140  Screw.     150  Cap retainer.     160  Cap retainer bearing guide.     170  Base bearing pocket.     180  Ball bearing.     190  Cap retainer coil spring.     200  Lug nut hole in base.   

       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a vehicle wheel  50  with large cover bracket assembly  20  and large cap assembly  40  installed.  FIG. 2  is a front right perspective view of the wheel  50  of  FIG. 1  with base bracket  70  of the large cover assembly  20  installed on the wheel  50  and the large cap assembly  40  pulled out. The exterior of the large cap assembly  40  includes a large cap  45  along with a push button emblem  130 , that will be described in more detail later. 
       FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the wheel  50  of  FIG. 1  with a small cover bracket assembly  10  installed over the base bracket  70 .  FIG. 4  is a front right perspective view of the wheel of  FIG. 3  with base bracket  70  of the small cover bracket assembly  10  installed and the small cap assembly  30  pulled out. The exterior of the small cap assembly  30  includes a small cap  35  along with a push button emblem  130 , which will be described in more detail later. 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded front right perspective view of the wheel  50  of the preceding figures with separated base bracket  70  and large cap assembly  20  and small cap assembly  10 . The cap retainer coil spring  190  can be sized to fit inside the cylindrical center receptacle  75  in the base bracket  70   
       FIG. 6  is a front right perspective view of the large cover assembly  20  with the large cap assembly  40 , with the base bracket  70  with base retaining hoop spring  120  held to the bracket  70  by base retaining tabs  110 . 
       FIG. 7  is a front right perspective view of the small cover assembly  10  with small cap assembly  30  with the base bracket  70  with base retaining hoop spring  120  held to the bracket  70  by base retaining tabs  110 . 
       FIG. 8  is another perspective view of the large cover assembly  20  of  FIGS. 5-6  with large cap assembly  40  pulled out.  FIG. 9  is a rear perspective view of the cover assembly with large cap of  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 10  is another perspective view of the small cover assembly  10  of  FIG. 7  with small cap assembly  30  pulled out, and showing base retaining hoop spring  120  held to the bracket  70  by base retaining tabs  110 . 
       FIG. 11  is a rear perspective view of the small cover assembly  10  with small cap assembly  30  of  FIG. 10 , and showing base retaining hoop spring  120  held to the bracket  70  by base retaining tabs  110 . 
       FIG. 12  is a top side view of the small cover assembly  10  of  FIG. 10  with small cap assembly  30  installed.  FIG. 13  is a front view of the small cover assembly  10  and small cap assembly  30  of  FIG. 12 .  FIG. 14  is a right side view of the small cover assembly  10  with small cap assembly  30  of  FIG. 12 . 
       FIG. 15 . A cross-sectional view of small cover assembly  10  with small cap of  FIG. 13  along arrow  15 X showing how the ball bearing retaining system works. 
       FIG. 16  is another view of the small cover assembly of  FIG. 15  with emblem/release button  130  pushed up in the direction of arrow P into the small cap  35  showing that the ball bearings  180  (in bearing retaining bore  38 ) fall away from the base bearing pockets  170  pushing to compress coil spring  190  allowing the small cap assembly  30  to be removed from the base bracket  70 . The system is the same for both small and large cap sizes. 
       FIG. 17  is another view of the small cover assembly  10  of  FIG. 15  with the cap assembly  30  removed from the base bracket  70 . 
     The small cap assembly  30  of  FIG. 15  is held in place by the ball bearings  180  which are, in turn, held captive by the small cap  35  and the cap retainer  150 . The bearing retainer bore  38  can be conical with the larger opening on the inside closest to the cap retainer  150 . Therefore, the ball bearing  180  cannot move beyond the inner surface of the small cap  35 . However, it does protrude enough to engage the base bearing pocket  170  when the cap retainer  150  is pushed out or down, with respect to  FIG. 15 , by the retainer coil spring  190 . 
     As the cap retainer  150  is pushed out, the cap retainer bearing guide  160  becomes narrower and, as a result, the ball bearing  180  is pushed fully into the conical bearing retaining bore  38  and base bearing pockets  170 . At that point, the movement of the cap retainer  150  is limited, as is that of the emblem  130 , since they are attached with a screw  140 . With the pressure on the ball bearing  180  into the base bearing pocket  170  from the coil spring  190  and the cap retainer  150 , and the ball bearing being enclosed by the conical bearing retaining bore  38 , the cap small cap assembly  30  is locked onto the base  70 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 16-17 , the small cap assembly  30  can be removed from the small cover assembly  10  by first holding the small cap  35  with one hand. With the small cap being held firmly, the emblem  130  is depressed until its stopping point where the underside of the emblem meets the small cap  35 . The direction of movement of the emblem is shown with the arrow in  FIG. 16 . Note that the small cap is already touching the cylindrical center receptacle  75  of the base  70  and will remain stationary. 
     The emblem  130  and the cap retainer  150  can be attached with a screw  140 . This ensures that the emblem  130  and the cap retainer  150  move as one piece yet can be separated for assembly and disassembly. Once the emblem  130  and the cap retainer  150  are fully depressed, the ball bearing  180  is free to move into the wider portion of the cap retainer bearing guide  160 . 
     With the emblem  130  still being depressed, the small cap assembly  30  is now rotated to the right or left. This motion will cause the ball bearing  180  to fully dislodge from the base bearing pocket  170  and move partially into the wider portion of the cap retainer bearing guide  160  and not protrude beyond the smaller hole of the conical bearing retaining bore  38 . Note that the base  70  is held in place in the wheel by the base retaining tabs  110  and the retainer groove in the wheel  125 . 
     The tension of the base retaining hoop spring  120  firmly locks the base retaining tabs  110  into the retainer groove in the wheel  125  and keeps the base from moving once installed onto the wheel. Note that as the small cap assembly  30  is rotated, both the emblem  130  and the cap retainer  150  move with the small cap  35  since tabs on the cap retainer  150  pass through the small cap  35  and engage the emblem  130 . 
     Now that the small cap assembly  30 , has been rotated about the center of the base  70 , moving the ball bearing  180  to a flat portion of the base, yet still held captive by the cap retainer  150  and the conical bearing retainer bore  38 , the small cap assembly can be removed. The cap retainer coil spring  190  will also push the small cap assembly out of the base  70  and release the small cap assembly  35  as shown in  FIG. 17 . 
     The installation of the small cap assembly  30  is the exact reverse procedure for removal of the small cap. 
       FIG. 18  is a front right exploded perspective view of the small wheel cover assembly  10  with the small cap assembly  30 .  FIG. 19  is a rear perspective view of the exploded small wheel cover assembly  10  and small cap assembly  30  of  FIG. 18 . 
       FIG. 20  is a rear view of the cover assembly  10 / 20  of the preceding figures. Both cap variations  10 / 20  are the same from this side.  FIG. 21  is a rear perspective view of the cover assembly  10 / 20  of  FIG. 20 . The lug nut holes  120  allow for the lug nuts that attach the vehicle wheel  50  to the axle to be exposed. The nut  140  is visible because it secures the cap retainer  150  and the emblem  130  about the small cap  35  and, thus, forming the small assembly  30 . The cap retainer  150  functions to lock and unlock the ball bearings into the base bearing pockets  170 . There can be more than 1 ball bearing  180  but no less than 2. The cap retainer  150  can be a separate piece of the small cap assembly  30  or large cap assembly  40  but is affixed to and part of those assemblies. The center receptacle is a feature of the base  70  that engages the ball bearings and the small cap  35  or large cap  45 . 
       FIG. 22  is a top side view of the large cover assembly  20  of  FIGS. 19-20  with large cap assembly  40  installed.  FIG. 23  is a front view of the large cover assembly  20  with large cap assembly  40  installed of  FIG. 22 .  FIG. 24  is a right side view of the large cover assembly  20  with large cap assembly  40  installed of  FIG. 22 . 
       FIG. 25  is a cross-sectional view of the large cover assembly  20  with large cap assembly  40  installed of  FIG. 23  along arrow  25 X. 
       FIG. 26  is a front exploded view of the large wheel cover assembly  20  showing large cap assembly  40  installed of  FIG. 22 .  FIG. 27  is a rear view of the exploded view of the large wheel cover assembly  20  with large cap assembly  40  of  FIG. 26 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 22-27 , the large cover assembly  20  and large cap assembly  40  work similar to the small cover assembly  10  and small cap assembly  30 , with the exception that the large cap  45  covers both the central receptacle  75  and all of the lug nut holes  20  in the base bracket  70 . The large cap assembly  40  and the small cap assembly  30  can share all parts with the exception of the small cap  35  and the large cap  45 . Therefore, the installation, function and removal of the large cap assembly  40  is exactly the same as the small cap assembly  30 . 
     The invention can also be practiced with a wheel  50  having a cylindrical center receptacle  75  or base  70  as part of the wheel  50  shown in  FIG. 5 . The base  70  can be either independent or integrated into the wheel  50  or made part of the wheel  50   
     While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1