US-12623484-B2 - Removable aerodynamic wheel cover

Abstract

A removable wheel cover includes a disc and a shaft assembly. The shaft assembly is attached to the disc. The shaft assembly includes a splined shaft, a piston, a piston spring, a push button mechanism, and an internal shaft. The piston forms an opening in which the internal shaft extends and moves therein. An exterior walled structure of the push button mechanism surrounds at least a portion of the walled structure of the piston. A walled structure of the splined shaft surrounds at least a portion of the exterior walled structure of the push button mechanism. The piston spring biases the piston in a direction away from a top surface of the push button mechanism. The push button mechanism moves to assist in unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from a wheel.

Inventors

• Jeremiah Migas
• Raul Maturana
• Zachary McCoy

Assignees

• mantaLABS LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20231009

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A removable wheel cover comprising: a disc; and a shaft assembly being attached to the disc, the shaft assembly including a splined shaft, a piston, a piston spring, a push button mechanism, and an internal shaft, the piston including a walled structure forming an opening in which the internal shaft extends and moves therein, the push button mechanism further including an exterior walled structure that is bridged by a top surface, the exterior walled structure of the push button mechanism surrounding at least a portion of the walled structure of the piston, the splined shaft including a walled structure, the walled structure of the splined shaft surrounding at least a portion of the exterior walled structure of the push button mechanism, the piston spring biasing the piston in a direction radially away from the top surface of the push button mechanism, wherein the push button mechanism is configured to move to assist in unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from a wheel.
2. 2 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the disc is generally circular.
3. 3 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the disc forms a plurality of apertures therein.
4. 4 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the shaft assembly further includes a button spring, the button spring biasing the top surface of the push button mechanism in a direction radially toward the piston in an unlocked position.
5. 5 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the shaft assembly is removably attached to the disc.
6. 6 . The wheel cover of claim 5 , wherein the shaft assembly is removably attached to the disc via at least one screw.
7. 7 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the internal shaft is a piston screw.
8. 8 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the shaft assembly further includes a plurality of ball bearings, the plurality of ball bearings assisting in locking and unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from the wheel.
9. 9 . The wheel cover of claim 8 , wherein the splined shaft includes at least one opening and the push button mechanism includes at least one detent, the at least one opening of the splined shaft and the at least one detent of the push button mechanism configured to receive at least a portion of each of the plurality of ball bearings and assist in unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from the wheel.
10. 10 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the push button mechanism includes a plurality of detents, each of the plurality of detents having a semi-circular cross section.
11. 11 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the shaft assembly further includes an expanding ring, the expanding ring assisting in locking and unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from the wheel.
12. 12 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the shaft assembly is a splined shaft assembly.
13. 13 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the removable wheel cover is directly locked to the wheel.
14. 14 . The wheel cover of claim 1 , wherein the removable wheel cover is indirectly locked to the wheel.
15. 15 . A removable wheel cover assembly comprising: a removable wheel cover including a disc and a splined shaft assembly, the splined shaft assembly being attached to the disc, the splined shaft assembly including a splined shaft, a piston, a piston spring, a push button mechanism, and an internal shaft, the piston including a walled structure forming an opening in which the internal shaft extends and moves therein, the push button mechanism further including an exterior walled structure that is bridged by a top surface, the exterior walled structure of the push button mechanism surrounding at least a portion of the walled structure of the piston, the splined shaft including a walled structure, the walled structure of the splined shaft surrounding at least a portion of the exterior walled structure of the push button mechanism, the piston spring biasing the piston in a direction radially away from the top surface of the push button mechanism; and a splined hub including a walled structured with an opening formed therein, the opening of the splined hub configured to receive a portion of the piston of the removable wheel cover, the splined hub being configured to be attached to a wheel, wherein the removable wheel cover is configured to be locked and unlocked with the splined hub, wherein the splined hub further includes a detent to assist in locking with the removable wheel cover.
16. 16 . The removable wheel cover assembly of claim 15 , wherein the splined hub is configured to be removably attached to the wheel.
17. 17 . The removable wheel cover assembly of claim 15 , wherein the splined hub is attached to the wheel via a nut.
18. 18 . The removable wheel cover assembly of claim 15 , wherein the shaft assembly further includes a button spring, the button spring biasing the top surface of the push button mechanism in a direction radially toward the piston.
19. 19 . The removable wheel cover assembly of claim 15 , wherein the internal shaft is a piston screw.
20. 20 . The removable wheel cover assembly of claim 15 , wherein the shaft assembly further includes a plurality of ball bearings, the plurality of ball bearings assisting in locking and unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from the wheel.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/379,331 filed Oct. 13, 2022 and entitled “Removable Aerodynamic Wheel Cover,” the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to an aerodynamic wheel cover. More specifically, the wheel cover locks indirectly or directly with a wheel and is configured to be easily released by a user. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Wheel covers have been used to cover wheels in the automotive industry for many years. One disadvantage of many such wheel covers is the difficulty for users to install and release the wheel cover from the wheel. This is especially important in wheel covers that are used with electric vehicles due to the increased emphasis on range. Improved aerodynamics are more important on longer high-speed trips, and aesthetics are more important on shorter, low-speed trips. It would be desirable to provide an easily removable aerodynamic wheel cover that overcomes such problems. SUMMARY According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a removable wheel cover includes a disc and a shaft assembly. The shaft assembly is attached to the disc. The shaft assembly includes a splined shaft, a piston, a piston spring, a push button mechanism, and an internal shaft. The piston includes a walled structure forming an opening in which the internal shaft extends and moves therein. The push button mechanism further includes an exterior walled structure that is bridged by a top surface. The exterior walled structure of the push button mechanism surrounds at least a portion of the walled structure of the piston. The splined shaft includes a walled structure. The walled structure of the splined shaft surrounds at least a portion of the exterior walled structure of the push button mechanism. The piston spring biases the piston in a direction away from the top surface of the push button mechanism. The push button mechanism is configured to move to assist in unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from a wheel. According to a configuration of the above implementation, the disc is generally circular. According to another configuration of the above implementation, the disc forms a plurality of apertures therein. According to a further configuration of the above implementation, the shaft assembly further includes a button spring. The button spring biases the top surface of the push button mechanism in a direction toward the piston. In a further aspect of the above implementation, the shaft assembly is removably attached to the disc. The shaft assembly is removably attached to the disc via at least one screw in one embodiment. In yet a further aspect of the above implementation, the internal shaft is a piston screw. According to a configuration of the above implementation, the shaft assembly further includes a plurality of ball bearings. The plurality of ball bearings assists in locking and unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from the wheel. According to another configuration of the above implementation, the splined shaft includes at least one opening and the push button mechanism includes at least one detent. The at least one opening of the splined shaft and the at least one detent of the push button mechanism is configured to receive at least a portion of each of the plurality of ball bearings and assist in unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from the wheel. According to a further configuration of the above implementation, the push button mechanism includes a plurality of detents. Each of the plurality of detents has a semi-circular cross section. In a further aspect of the above implementation, the shaft assembly further includes an expanding ring. The expanding ring assists in locking and unlocking the removable wheel cover indirectly or directly from the wheel. In a further aspect of the above implementation, the shaft assembly is a splined shaft assembly. In yet a further aspect of the above implementation, the removable wheel cover is directly locked to the wheel. In another aspect of the above implementation, the removable wheel cover is indirectly locked to the wheel. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a removable wheel cover assembly includes a removable wheel cover and a splined hub. The removable wheel cover includes a disc and a splined shaft assembly. The splined shaft assembly is attached to the disc. The splined shaft assembly includes a splined shaft, a piston, a piston spring, a push button mechanism, and an internal shaft. The piston includes a walled structure forming an opening in which the internal shaft extends and moves therein. The push button mechanism further includes an exterior walled structure that is bridged by a top surface. The exterior walled structure of the push button mechanism surrounds at least