Patent ID: 7744165

Claim:
A spoked wheel for use with a tire comprising: a rim having a plurality of holes; a respective plurality of nipples; an axial bidirectional locking means formed on a portion of each of said respective plurality of nipples, said axial bidirectional locking means comprising a shoulder at one end of the shank of the nipple and also an external thread on the shank of the nipple which engages with a female thread disposed in a nut adjacent an outside portion of the rim to hold said nipple on the rim with said shoulder abutting against said rim; a resilient seal fitted onto the shank of the nipple close to said shoulder; a seating coaxial with the hole and adapted for fitting said seal is formed as a counter bore in the hole in the rim, said seating having a substantially cylindrical wall and forming an abutment for said shoulder; and an equal plurality of spokes secured to said rim by means of said respective plurality of nipples, wherein each nipple is disposed in the respective hole in the rim and retained in said hole by a respective one of said axial bidirectional locking means so as to be substantially gastight in the rim.