US20140110992A1
Active / In Force
US
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Wheel and tire assembly
Assignee: Lindsay Corp
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Filing: 2012-10-18
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2032-10-18
Abstract
Abstract A wheel assembly includes a rigid wheel and an airless flexible tire with certain performance characteristics of a pneumatic tire. The rigid wheel includes a central portion and a plurality of circumferentially spaced mounting elements removably attached to a radially outer margin of the central portion. The tire is mounted on the wheel and engages the mounting elements such that portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements are separated radially from the wheel by a space. The tire is configured such that portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements flex inwardly toward the wheel when subject to ground engaging pressure, thereby minimizing ground penetration and soil disruption. The tire may include one or more tension elements embedded in the tire to increase the tire's strength and resilience.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas J. Korus
- 👤 Michael Fredenburg
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 23:19
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60B; B60B15/00; B60B15/02; B60B15/023; B60B15/025; B60C; B60C7/00; B60C7/24; B60B21/00; B60B21/10; B60B23/00; B60B23/04; B60C11/00; B60C11/03; B60C11/0311; B60C15/00; B60C15/02; B60C15/0233; B60C7/10; B60C7/22; B60B2320/00; B60B2320/10; B60B2320/14; B60B2900/00; B60B2900/10; B60B2900/113; B60B2900/30; B60B2900/323; B60B2900/325; B60B2900/50; B60B2900/541; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49481; Y10T29/49492; Y10T29/49496; Y10T29/49499
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
1 . A wheel assembly comprising: a rigid wheel including a central portion, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced mounting elements removably attached to a radially outer margin of the central portion; and an airless flexible tire mounted on the wheel and engaging the mounting elements such that portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements are separated radially from the wheel by a space, the portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements being configured to flex inwardly toward the wheel when subject to ground engaging pressure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
90 words
1 . A wheel assembly comprising: a rigid wheel including a central portion, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced mounting elements removably attached to a radially outer margin of the central portion; and an airless flexible tire mounted on the wheel and engaging the mounting elements such that portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements are separated radially from the wheel by a space, the portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements being configured to flex inwardly toward the wheel when subject to ground engaging pressure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
66 words
2 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , the plurality of mounting elements including a plurality of mounting element pairs, each mounting element pair including a first mounting element removably attached to a first side of the central portion of the wheel and a second mounting element removably attached to a second side of the central portion of the wheel opposite the first mounting element.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
3 . The wheel assembly of claim 2 , each pair of mounting elements presenting an elongated, transversely oriented outer edge that engages the tire.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
4 . The wheel assembly of claim 3 , a first axial side of the outer edge corresponding to the first mounting element, a second axial side of the outer edge corresponding to the second mounting element and being separated from the first axial side by a space, the tire including an inwardly-extending flange positioned between the first and second sides of the outer edge.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
49 words
5 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , the central portion of the wheel being constructed of a single, unitary piece of material, and each of the mounting elements being constructed of a single; unitary piece of material and being identical to all of the other mounting elements.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
6 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , the tire including a pair of drive lugs positioned to engage opposite sides of one of the mounting elements, the drive lugs extending radially inwardly from the tire.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
7 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , the tire including a plurality of traction lugs extending radially outwardly from the tire.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
8 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , the tire including a cylindrically-shaped body with a transversely flat outer side, the tire body presenting a width to thickness ratio of between five and twenty.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
9 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , the tire including a cylindrically-shaped body with a transversely flat outer side, the tire body being between one-half inch and three inches thick and between six inches and eighteen inches wide.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
119 words
10 . A method of assembling a wheel assembly, the method comprising: removably fastening a first plurality of mounting elements to a radially outer margin of a first axial side of a wheel, the mounting elements being spaced circumferentially around the wheel; placing the wheel in an airless tire such that each of the first plurality of mounting elements engages an inner surface of the airless tire; and removably fastening a second plurality of mounting elements to a radially outer margin of a second axial side of the wheel such that each of the second plurality of mounting elements engages the inner surface of the airless tire, the second plurality of mounting elements being spaced circumferentially around the wheel.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
119 words
10 . A method of assembling a wheel assembly, the method comprising: removably fastening a first plurality of mounting elements to a radially outer margin of a first axial side of a wheel, the mounting elements being spaced circumferentially around the wheel; placing the wheel in an airless tire such that each of the first plurality of mounting elements engages an inner surface of the airless tire; and removably fastening a second plurality of mounting elements to a radially outer margin of a second axial side of the wheel such that each of the second plurality of mounting elements engages the inner surface of the airless tire, the second plurality of mounting elements being spaced circumferentially around the wheel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
48 words
11 . The method of claim 10 , the wheel being constructed of a single, unitary piece of material and each of the mounting elements being constructed of a single, unitary piece of material, each of the mounting elements being identical to all of the other mounting elements.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
48 words
12 . The method of claim 10 , the second plurality of mounting elements being fastened to the wheel such that an elongated outer edge of each of the second plurality of mounting elements aligns with an outer edge of one of the first plurality of mounting elements.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
13 . The method of claim 10 , the tire including a cylindrically-shaped body with a transversely flat outer side, the tire body presenting a width to thickness ratio of between five and twenty.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
39 words
14 . The method of claim 10 , the tire including a cylindrically-shaped body with a transversely flat outer side, the tire body being between one-half inch and three inches thick and between six inches and eighteen inches wide.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
177 words
15 . A wheel assembly comprising: a rigid wheel including a disc shaped central portion including a plurality of circumferentially spaced flanges corresponding to a radially outer margin of the central portion, and a pair of mounting elements removably attached to each of the flanges, each of the mounting element pairs including a first mounting element removably attached to a first side of the flange and a second mounting element removably attached to a second side of the flange opposite the first side of the flange, the pair of mounting elements presenting an elongated, transversely oriented radially outer edge; and an airless flexible tire mounted on the wheel and engaging the outer edges of the mounting elements such that portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements are separated radially from the wheel by a space, the portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements being configured to flex inwardly toward the wheel when subject to ground engaging pressure, the tire including a tension element embedded in the tire and extending longitudinally around the tire.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
177 words
15 . A wheel assembly comprising: a rigid wheel including a disc shaped central portion including a plurality of circumferentially spaced flanges corresponding to a radially outer margin of the central portion, and a pair of mounting elements removably attached to each of the flanges, each of the mounting element pairs including a first mounting element removably attached to a first side of the flange and a second mounting element removably attached to a second side of the flange opposite the first side of the flange, the pair of mounting elements presenting an elongated, transversely oriented radially outer edge; and an airless flexible tire mounted on the wheel and engaging the outer edges of the mounting elements such that portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements are separated radially from the wheel by a space, the portions of the tire not engaging the mounting elements being configured to flex inwardly toward the wheel when subject to ground engaging pressure, the tire including a tension element embedded in the tire and extending longitudinally around the tire.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
35 words
16 . The wheel assembly of claim 15 , the tire including a cylindrically-shaped body with a transversely flat outer side, the tire body presenting a width to thickness ratio of between five and twenty.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
40 words
17 . The wheel assembly of claim 15 , the tire including a cylindrically-shaped body with a transversely flat outer side, the tire body being between one-half inch and three inches thick and between six inches and eighteen inches wide.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
18 . The wheel assembly of claim 15 , the tension element including a metal band.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
49 words
19 . The wheel assembly of claim 15 , the central portion of the wheel being constructed of a single, unitary piece of material, and each of the mounting elements being constructed of a single, unitary piece of material and being identical to all of the other mounting elements.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
84 words
20 . The wheel assembly of claim 15 , a first axial side of each outer edge corresponding to a first mounting element of the pair of mounting elements, a second axial side of the outer edge corresponding to a second mounting element of the pair of mounting elements, the second axial side of the outer edge being separated from the first axial side by a space, the tire including an inwardly-extending flange positioned between the first and second sides of the outer edge.
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