Patent ID: 7448421

Claim:
A safety traction device for use with a vehicle tire having laterally spaced inner and outer sidewalls and a tread area for engaging the ground or a roadway, comprising: an annular rim for supporting the vehicle tire and having a generally curved radially inner contour; a hub assembly disposed coaxially within the rim and having laterally spaced inner and outer sides, said hub assembly comprising a hub body forming the inner side of the hub assembly and a cap forming the outer side of the hub assembly, said body and said cap each having abutting central hubs to be secured together within said rim and said rim and said cap defining gaps therebetween on the radially outer side of the hub assembly; a plurality of traction assemblies angularly spaced around the inner contour of said rim and mounted on said body, each of said traction assemblies having a curved traction element having one end portion mounted on said body to lie alongside the inner sidewall of the tire in a retracted position and an outer end disposed in one of the gaps between said cap and said rim; a track secured to said body and supporting said traction element slidably thereon, and rollers holding the traction element slidably in the track for movement from the retracted position into an extended position in which said outer end overlies the tread area and said one end portion is secured in said track within the rim; and power actuators for said traction assemblies comprising reversible motors housed in said hub assembly and drivingly coupled to said traction assemblies to move said traction elements back and forth between said retracted and extended positions on demand.