Portable traction track for vehicle driving wheel

Claim 2

A portable traction track for the driving wheel of a vehicle disposed in a ground surface depression significantly greater than the surrounding ground surface level comprising, in combination, an elongate strip having a traction surface including a plurality of flexibly connected base sections; each of said base sections provided with opposing side wall means; said side wall means being provided with longitudinally spaced edges, each of said edges having a predetermined angular relationship with the edge of the side wall means associated with the immediately adjacent base section to define an increasing limitation of the degree of flexible movement of said base sections relative to one another in at least one direction for a given major portion of the length of said strip; releasable locking means provided between each of said side walls upon engagement between adjacent edges thereof to reinforce the limitation of the movement of said base sections; whereby said strip tends to form a decreasing degree of curvature relative to the configuration of said depression upon increasing the length of said strip inserted under said driving wheel within said depression.

Claim 3

The traction track defined in claim 1 wherein certain of said base sections include vertically extending laterally spaced runners disposed on the groundwardly facing surface of the base sections.

Claim 4

A traction track for a driving vehicle wheel comprising, in combination, a plurality of base sections flexibly connected to one another to form a generally elongate strip, each of said base sections including a top and bottom surface and integrally formed longitudinally extending side portions, each of said side portions having outer longitudinally spaced edges forming a predetermined angular relationship with the edges of the side portion of the immediately adjacent base section with said angular relationship between adjacent sets of said side portions generally decreasing from the forward to rearward end of said strip for at least a substantial portion of the length of said strip and each of said side portions being provided with a tongue and groove on opposing longitudinally spaced edges thereof adapted to mate with a corresponding tongue and groove provided on the next adjacent side portions upon movement of said side portions toward one another; the top surface of each of said base sections provided with an abrasive surface; and a gripper member connected to the rearward most base section.

Claim 5

A traction track for a driving vehicle wheel comprising, in combination, a plurality of base sections flexibly connected to one another to form a generally elongate strip, each of said base sections including a top and bottom surface and integrally formed longitudinally extending side portions, each of said side portions having outer longitudinally spaced edges forming a predetermined angular relationship with the edges of the side portion of the immediately adjacent base section with said angular relationship between adjacent sets of said side portions generally decreasing from the forward to rearward end of said strip for at least a substantial portion of the length of said strip and each of said side portions being provided with a tongue and groove on opposing longitudinally spaced edges thereof adapted to mate with a corresponding tongue and groove provided on the next adjacent side portions upon movement of said side portions toward one another; the top surface of each of said base sections provided with an abrasive surface; and a gripper member connected to the rearward most base section.

Claim 6

A traction track for a driving vehicle wheel comprising, in combination, a plurality of base sections forming an elongate strip, each of said sections being connected to one another along a longitudinally spaced edge for relative pivotal movement about said edge of said base section; said base sections including opposing longitudinally extending side walls provided with longitudinally spaced edges forming a predetermined angular relationship with the edges of the side walls of the immediately adjacent base sections, the angular relationship between the edges of adjacently disposed side walls generally decreasing from the forward toward the rearward end of said strip to define a limit to the degree of pivotal movement at least in one direction of each of said base sections relative to the next adjacent base section upon the engagement of said edges of said side walls with the next adjacent side walls.

Claim 7

A traction track for a driving vehicle wheel comprising, in combination, a plurality of base sections forming an elongate strip, each of said sections being connected to one another along a longitudinally spaced edge for relative pivotal movement about said edge of said base section; said base sections including opposing longitudinally extending side walls provided with longitudinally spaced edges forming a predetermined angular relationship with the edges of the side walls of the immediately adjacent base sections, the angular relationship between the edges of adjacently disposed side walls generally decreasing from the forward toward the rearward end of said strip to define a limit to the degree of pivotal movement at least in one direction of each of said base sections relative to the next adjacent base section upon the engagement of said edges of said side walls with the next adjacent side walls.

Claim 8

The traction track defined in claim 4 wherein said side walls of each of said base sections include releasable locking means which cooperate upon engagement between the immediate adjacent side walls with one another to fix the degree of pivotable movement of said base sections relative to one another upon the application of a load in at least one direction upon said base sections.

Claim 9

A portable traction track for the driving wheel of a vehicle comprising, in combination, a plurality of base sections connected to one another along longitudinally spaced edge portions to form an elongate flexible strip having an upwardly facing traction surface, at least a substantial portion of adjacently disposed base sections each being provided with opposing laterallly spaced side walls, each of said side walls including longitudinally spaced edges having a predetermined angular relationship with the edge of the side wall associated with the immediately adjacently disposed base section to define a stop means limiting the flexible movement of said base sections provided with side walls at least in one direction, and wherein said angular relationship between said edges of said side walls generally decreases from the forward toward the rearward end of said strip.

Claim 10

A portable traction track for the driving wheel of a vehicle comprising, in combination, a plurality of base sections connected to one another along longitudinally spaced edge portions to form an elongate flexible strip having an upwardly facing traction surface, at least a substantial portion of adjacently disposed base sections each being provided with opposing laterallly spaced side walls, each of said side walls including longitudinally spaced edges having a predetermined angular relationship with the edge of the side wall associated with the immediately adjacently disposed base section to define a stop means limiting the flexible movement of said base sections provided with side walls at least in one direction, and wherein said angular relationship between said edges of said side walls generally decreases from the forward toward the rearward end of said strip.

Claim 11

A portable traction track for the driving wheel of a vehicle disposed on a surface depression significantly greater than the surrounding ground surface comprising in combination, an elongate strip having a traction surface formed by a plurality of relatively rigid base sections each provided with vertically disposed side wall means, each of said base sections being connected to an adjacent base section along a longitudinally spaced, laterally extending edge for relative pivotal movement about said edge; stop means mounted on each adjacent base section which interferingly engage one another to limit the degree of said relative pivotal movement between said base sections in at least one direction, said stop means being formed to increasingly limit the degree of said relative movement between said base sections in a direction from the front toward the rear of said strip upon the application of a vertical downward component of force by said driving wheel upon said base sections whereby said strip tends to form a decreasing degree of curvature relative to the configuration of said depression upon increasing the length of said strip inserted under said driving wheel within said depression.

Claim 12

A portable traction track for the driving wheel of a vehicle disposed on a surface depression significantly greater than the surrounding ground surface comprising in combination, an elongate strip having a traction surface formed by a plurality of relatively rigid base sections each provided with vertically disposed side wall means, each of said base sections being connected to an adjacent base section along a longitudinally spaced, laterally extending edge for relative pivotal movement about said edge; stop means mounted on each adjacent base section which interferingly engage one another to limit the degree of said relative pivotal movement between said base sections in at least one direction, said stop means being formed to increasingly limit the degree of said relative movement between said base sections in a direction from the front toward the rear of said strip upon the application of a vertical downward component of force by said driving wheel upon said base sections whereby said strip tends to form a decreasing degree of curvature relative to the configuration of said depression upon increasing the length of said strip inserted under said driving wheel within said depression.