Patent ID: 7726746

Claim:
A hubcap device for use with a vehicle wheel, said hubcap device comprising: a base; at least one fastener to couple said base to said wheel; a cover coupled to said base; a spinner member between said base and said cover, said spinner member having a light element and being rotatably coupled to at least one of said base or said cover; a battery for powering said light element; a processor for actuating said light element; a plurality of inserts, each insert having indicia different than indicia on any other of said plurality of inserts; wherein: said cover is removably coupled to said base; a respective insert is removably coupled to said cover, said spinner member being between said respective insert and said base; said cover is at least partially transparent; each of said plurality of inserts is at least partially transparent; a photocell in communication with said processor to provide said processor with data corresponding to ambient light conditions, and wherein said processor includes programming to actuate said light element only in predetermined light conditions; an optical interrupter coupled to one of said base and said cover; an optical sensor coupled to said spinner member to measure a rotational speed of said spinner member relative to a rotational speed of said base by detecting said optical interrupter, said optical sensor providing a relative rotational speed measurement to said processor; and wherein said processor includes programming to actuate said light element only upon receiving predetermined relative rotational speed measurements; wherein: said battery and said processor are coupled to said spinner member; said spinner member has an axis of rotation; said spinner member has a plurality of arms radiating outwardly from said axis of rotation; and said light element is a LED array coupled to a respective said arm to radiate outwardly from said axis of rotation.