A MEANS AND METHOD OF MOVING DISABLED, WHEELED VEHICLES

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to a means and method of moving vehicles, particularly disabled, wheeled vehicles.

For the purposes of explanation, reference will be made to use of the present disclosure with respect to moving disabled cars. It would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art however that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to use with respect to cars, its application could potentially extend to use in moving larger vehicles, such as trucks or buses.

BACKGROUND ART

In this specification unless the contrary is expressly stated, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not to be construed as an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge; or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.

The time-tested technique for moving disabled cars short distances is to manually push them. However, the larger the vehicle, the greater the likelihood that the person pushing will suffer injury doing so.

Attempts have been made to devise devices for this purpose Examples of two such devices are disclosed in United States Patents US 4,289,212 and US 5,350,029. Each of these devices is adapted to push on a portion of the cars ^• bodywork; the disadvantage of doing this is that it creates a potential to damage this bodywork.

It is an object of the present disclosure therefore to provide a means and method of moving a disabled vehicle that substantially ameliorates the aforementioned difficulties.

What is more, neither of the devices disclosed in the abpvementioned US patents is suitable for the purpose of being carried about in the vehicle in case of an unexpected break down.

It is a further object of the present disclosure then to provide a means and method of moving a disabled vehicle that is suitable for this purpose.

Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

For the purpose of this specification the word "comprising" means "including but not limited to", and the word 'comprises' has a corresponding meaning.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present disclosure includes an apparatus for moving a vehicle including a motor, a support for the motor, and means for attaching the motor to the wheel of the vehicle so that the motor rotates the vehicle wheel.

Preferably, the means for attaching the motor to the wheel of the vehicle is a clamp assembly that clamps around the periphery of the wheel.

Preferably, n an alternative, the means for attaching the motor to the wheel is adapted to engage either of the wheel nuts, or even the wheel's spokes if applicable.

In a further form, the disclosure may be said to reside in a device for moving a disabled vehicle including a clamp assembly that clamps around the periphery of the wheel, and means for driving the clamp assembly so that this in turn rotates the wheel.

Preferably, the means for driving the clamp assembly includes a motor, and a support for the motor that is adapted to ensure that the clamp assembly turns, and not the motor.

Preferably, the support assembly comprises a framework that extends between the motor and a ground-engaging wheel.

Preferably, the support assembly comprises two or more ground-engaging wheels.

Preferably the motor is an electric motor powered by a battery.

Preferably, in an alternative, the motor is an internal combustion engine or hydraulic motor.

Preferably, the motor is remotely controlled, so that an operator may sit behind the steering wheel of the vehicle whilst operating the motor.

Preferably, the clamp assembly comprises a hub, and at least two arms extending radially from the hub.

Preferably, there are three arms extending from the hub.

Preferably, each of the arms has a first portion that is attached to the hub, and a second portion that can slide radially relative to the first portion.

Preferably, the second portion of each arm comprises a first portion that extends radially outward, and a second portion that extends normal to the first portion in the direction away from the motor.

Preferably, the second portion of each of the arms is biased inwardly toward the hub.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure may be said to reside in a kit of parts for a device for moving a disabled vehicle.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure may be said to reside in a method of moving a vehicle using the device described above, including the steps of applying the wheel clamp assembly to the wheel of the vehicle, and connecting the motor to the wheel clamp assembly.

Preferably, the method includes the further step of ensuring that the wheel clamp assembly is centrally located on the wheel.

Preferably, the method includes the further step of adjusting the support so that the mctor's output is supported at approximately the same height as the input shaft to the clamp assembly.

Preferably, the method includes the further step of coupling the output shaft of the motor to the input shaft to the clamp assembly.

Preferably, the method includes the further step of connecting the controller cable to the motor.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawing. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced

and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate certain embodiments of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilised as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, to recognise that the claims should be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of this disclosure it will now be described with respect to one or more exemplary embodiments, which shall be described herein with the assistance of drawings wherein:

Figures 1 , 3 and 4 are views of an exemplary apparatus for moving disabled vehicles, fitted to the wheel of a car, albert viewed from varying perspectives;

Figure 2 is a view of the wheel clamp assembly for the exemplary apparatus for moving disabled vehicles in Figures 1 and 3, fitted to the wheel of a car;

Figure 5 is a view of the controller for the exemplary apparatus in Figures 1 , 3 and 4;

Figure 6 is view of the exemplary apparatus in Figures 1 , 3 and 4 partially dismantled;

Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views of the legs for the exemplary apparatus for moving disabled vehicles in Figures 1, 3 and 4; and

Figure 9 is a view of the exemplary apparatus in Figures 1 , 3 and 4 with a housing applied, which covers and guards the unit's internals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to Figure 1 , where is illustrated a an exemplary apparatus 1 for moving a disabled vehicle 2 including a motor 4, a support for the motor, and means for attaching the motor to the wheel 6 of the vehicle so that the motor rotates the wheel.

The means for attaching the motor 4 to the wheel 6 of the vehicle may be a clamp assembly 8 that clamps around the periphery of the wheel 6. This clamp assembly 8 can be better seen in Figure 2, where the remainder of the device has been removed to assist visibility.

The support assembly includes framework 10, said framework including a pair of legs 11 that extend between the motor 4 and a pair of ground-engaging wheels 12 positioned on either side of the motor 4. The support assembly serves to p ^r event the motor 4 from rotating about its output shaft 4a when activated i.e. it ensures that the motor 4 turns the wheel 6 via the clamp assembly 8. The framework 10 and wheels 12 support the weight of the motor 4, which is an electric motor, and a rechargeable battery 14 that powers the motor 4. They also prevent the motor 4 from spinning about its own axis when activated, as discussed above.

The rechargeable battery can be charged using either a mains (240V) charger or a 12V charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter of the vehicle. Alternatively, the battery can be connected directly to the vehicle battery.

Referring now to Figure 6 and 7, the legs 11 are telescopic, this way their length can be varied so that the device 1 can be applied to vehicle wheels 6 of varying sizes.

Referring now to Figure 4 where it can be see that the wheel 12 on one side of the motor 4 is in contact with the ground, and the other wheel 12 is suspended (in this case) approximately 1 inch above the ground. This allows the unit 1 to rock from one wheel to the other when the leading wheel (with respect to the direction of travel) comes into contact with an object such as a pothole, speed bump, euro or drain. Herein lies a significant advantage of the present invention, :hat being that it is capable of traversing ground that is not substantially flat and smooth. This has been a significant shortcoming of the devices of the prior art, most of which only worked successfully on flat, hard surfaces, such as cement floors.

Referring now to Figure 4, the motor 4 is remotely controlled via a hand controller 20, which is connected to the motor 4 by a long cable 22, so that an operator may sit behind the steering wheel of the vehicle 2 whilst operating the motor 4, thereby effectively driving the otherwise disabled vehicle 2.

Referring back to Figure 2 now, the clamp assembly 8 comprises a hub 30, and three equi-spaced arms 32 extending radially from the hub 30.

Each of the arms has a first portion 32a that is integral with the hub 30, and a second portion 32b that can slide radially, relative to the first portion 32a.

The seconc portion 32b of each arm 32 comprises a first portion that extends radially outward, and a second portion 34 that extends normal to the first portion in the direction away from the motor 4.

The second portion 32b of each of the arms 32 is biased inwardly toward the hub 30 by a spring or simitar, so that portion 34 is biased against the outer perimeter of the tyre 6.

When it is not use, the device 1 can be quickly dismantled into its major components, as shown in Figure 5 (where all but the wheel clamp assembly 8 is shown), and stored in a bag in the boot of the car 2. When needed, these major components can be quickly assembled.

In use, the operator would first apply the wheel clamp assembly 8 to the wheel 6 of the vehicle 2, ensuring that the wheel clamp assembly 8 is centrally located on the wheel, as shown in Figure 1.

The legs 11 , replete with wheels 12 are then attached to the remainder of the framework 10, and adjusted so that the output shaft 4a of the motor 4 is supported at approximately the same -height as the input shaft 8a to the clamp assembly. The output shaft 4a from the motor 4 is then coupled to the input shaft 8a to the clamp assembly 8. The cable 22 is then connected to motor 4.

The operator can then position himself or herself in the driver seat of the vehicle and operate the device 1 using hand controller 20, which is equipped with buttons that allow the operator to select either forward or reverse drive.

It is considered that the device for moving disabled vehicles according to the present invention will be of particular use to people who may have cause to move a disabled vehicle, be they mechanics, panel beaters, or merely an unfortunate motorist.

Although the disclosure has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures can be made within the scope of the disclosure, which is not to be limited 1o the details described herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the appended claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.