Patent US4337003A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4337003A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Lockable or free-wheeling device insertable between a driven vehicle-wheel and its axle connector
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1980-02-28
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Granted: 1982-06-29
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Expires: 2000-02-28
Abstract
Abstract A device provides free-wheeling four-wheel towing of an automotive vehicle without damage to its (especially automatic) transmission. It is easily insertable co-axially between the power-driven wheel-mounting structure and the removed and replaced wheel. It comprises a base plate, a shaft on the base plate, a hub rotatable around the shaft, and a second wheel-mounting plate fixed to the hub by short lug-screws. The free-wheeling can be locked-out by substituting long lug-screws for half of the short ones. The long lug-screws enter threaded bores in posts fixed to the base plate to lock-out the free-wheeling, and they are slightly thinner then the short lug-screws to facilitate their placement.
Inventors
- 👤 Barker J. Juhl
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 05:27
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60B; B60B3/00; B60B3/14; B60B3/147; B60B27/00; B60B27/02; B60B27/04; B60B27/047; B60B3/16; B60B37/00; B60B37/10; B60B27/001; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T403/00; Y10T403/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
150 words
A device for co-axial insertion between a vehicle wheel and its conventional wheel-mounting means, comprising: a base plate adapted for quick and easy detachable and vertically disposed and co-extensive connection to said wheel-mounting means, said base plate having spaced apertures to receive therethrough standard wheel-mounting threaded elements for attaching said device to said wheel-mounting means, a shaft rigidly and co-axially fixed to said base plate, a hub member surrounding and rotatable about said shaft, a platelike member fixed to said hub member and being roughly parallel to and co-extensive with said base plate, said plate-like member having spaced blade-like arms to define a plurality of open areas therebetween for facilitating access to said wheel-mounting elements, a plurality of elements for detachably co-acting between the conventional spaced lug apertures in the conventional disk-like central portion of a vehicle wheel for fastening said wheel to said plate-like member co-axially with said shaft.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
150 words
A device for co-axial insertion between a vehicle wheel and its conventional wheel-mounting means, comprising: a base plate adapted for quick and easy detachable and vertically disposed and co-extensive connection to said wheel-mounting means, said base plate having spaced apertures to receive therethrough standard wheel-mounting threaded elements for attaching said device to said wheel-mounting means, a shaft rigidly and co-axially fixed to said base plate, a hub member surrounding and rotatable about said shaft, a platelike member fixed to said hub member and being roughly parallel to and co-extensive with said base plate, said plate-like member having spaced blade-like arms to define a plurality of open areas therebetween for facilitating access to said wheel-mounting elements, a plurality of elements for detachably co-acting between the conventional spaced lug apertures in the conventional disk-like central portion of a vehicle wheel for fastening said wheel to said plate-like member co-axially with said shaft.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
A device according to claim 1 wherein said co-acting elements are lug-screws passing through standardized apertures in said wheel and into aligned tapped bores in said plate-like member.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
154 words
A device for co-axial insertion between a vehicle wheel and its conventional wheel-mounting means, comprising: a base plate adapted for quick and easy detachable and vertically disposed and co-extensive connection to said wheel-mounting means, a shaft rigidly and co-axially fixed to said base plate, a hub member surrounding and rotatable about said shaft, a plate-like member fixed to said hub member and being roughly parallel to and co-extensive with said base plate, a plurality of elements for detachably co-acting between the conventional spaced lug apertures in the conventional disk-like central portion of a vehicle wheel for fastening said wheel to said plate-like member co-axially with said shaft, and at least one post fixed to said base plate and having a tapped bore therein aligned to receive a threaded anchoring screw passing through an aperture in said plate-like member to arrest relative movement between said base plate and said plate-like member to lock-out free-wheeling operation.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
154 words
A device for co-axial insertion between a vehicle wheel and its conventional wheel-mounting means, comprising: a base plate adapted for quick and easy detachable and vertically disposed and co-extensive connection to said wheel-mounting means, a shaft rigidly and co-axially fixed to said base plate, a hub member surrounding and rotatable about said shaft, a plate-like member fixed to said hub member and being roughly parallel to and co-extensive with said base plate, a plurality of elements for detachably co-acting between the conventional spaced lug apertures in the conventional disk-like central portion of a vehicle wheel for fastening said wheel to said plate-like member co-axially with said shaft, and at least one post fixed to said base plate and having a tapped bore therein aligned to receive a threaded anchoring screw passing through an aperture in said plate-like member to arrest relative movement between said base plate and said plate-like member to lock-out free-wheeling operation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
A device according to claim 3 wherein said last-mentioned aperture is one of said aligned tapped bores in said plate-like member and wherein said anchoring screw has a diameter slightly smaller than that of said lug-screws to facilitate its insertion through said plate-like member and into the bore of said post.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A device according to claim 3 wherein said plate-like member has at least one open area therein to facilitate access to said wheel-mounting elements.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
A device according to claim 4 wherein said anchoring screw has a non-threaded shank portion adapted to conform to the crests of the threads of the threaded aperture in which it replaces a removed lug-screw.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-06-28 | 1985-12-28 | 1986-06-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-06-28 | 1989-12-28 | 1990-06-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-06-28 | 1993-12-28 | 1994-06-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |