Background of the Invention Rims for accommodating tires of the conventional type are already known and are constituted by a profiled element which is curved in a circular fashion, is symmetrical with respect to a centerline plane, and forms an outer annular seat and an inner annular seat; the outer and inner annular seats are divided by an annular partition provided with slots. The outer annular seat is provided, on the side directed toward the center of the rim, with coupling holes through which slots guide nipples for connecting the spokes to the rim. The inner annular seat defines lateral shoulders, which form a receptacle for retaining the beads of the tire.

These rims have a severe drawback, which is due to the fact that they only allow to mount conventional tires and therefore necessarily entail interposing an inner tube between the receptacle and the tire; accordingly, such rims cannot be used as means for supporting tubeless-type tires.

Disclosure of the Invention The aim of the present invention is to obviate the cited drawbacks by providing a rim that does not suffer the above noted drawbacks.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a rim that can have usefulness and economical industrial application.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a structure that is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use and effective in operation.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by the present rim for mounting tubeless tires, particularly for bicycles, motorcycles and mopeds, constituted by a profiled

element which is curved in a circular fashion and is symmetrical with respect to a centerline plane, said profiled element forming an outer and inner annular seats which are divided by an annular partition provided with slots arranged opposite the nipples associated with the spokes of said rim, a tire of the tubeless type being associated with said outer annular seat so as to form a pressure chamber, characterized in that it comprises closure elements that engage said slots in order to hermetically separate said outer annular seat from said inner annular seat.

Brief description of the drawings Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the detailed description of a preferred non-exclusive embodiment of a rim for mounting tubeless tires, particularly for bicycles, motorcycles and mopeds, according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the rim according to the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of said rim, on which a tire of the tubeless type is fitted hermetically; Figures 3 and 4 are, respectively, an axial sectional view and a top view of a sealing plug; Figures 5 and 6 are views of a second embodiment of the plug of Figures 3 and 4; Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a side view and a sectional view of a third embodiment of the sealing plugs; Figures 9 and 10 are sectional views of the sealing plugs of figure 7 and 8 respectively in a mounting position and in a mounted position; Figures 11 and 12 are views of a fourth embodiment of the sealing plugs; Figures 13 and 14 are views of a fifth embodiment of the sealing plugs; Figures 15 and 16 are views of a sixth embodiment of the sealing plugs.

Ways to carrying out the Invention With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally

designates a bicycle wheel rim constituted by a profiled element, which is curved in a circular fashion and is symmetrical with respect to a centerline plane P. The rim 1 has an outer annular seat 2 and an inner annular seat 3, which are separated by a partition 4. The outer annular seat 2 is provided with a plurality of receptacles 5, in which the nipples 6 connected to the ends 7 of a respective plurality of spokes are inserted. Two ridges 8 and 9 for stiffening the rim 1 are provided on the opposite side with respect to the plurality of receptacles 5, in order to provide resistance to the mechanical stresses affecting the rim 1. The partition 4 is interposed rigidly in a bridge- like fashion between the two ridges 8 and 9 and further stiffens the rim 1.

Slots 10 are provided in the partition 4, in opposition to each seat 5, in order to allow access to the annular seat 2 and therefore allow to fix the nipples 6 in a fully automatic manner.

The inner annular seat 3 defines lateral shoulders 11 suitable to retain the beads 12a of the tire 12, so that the association of said tire 12 with the inner annular seat 3 forms a pressure chamber 13.

The slots 10 can be engaged removably and hermetically by closure elements constituted by sealing plugs 14, shown in Figures 3-6. Each one of the sealing plugs 14 comprises a head 15 and a shank 16, between which sealing means 17 are formed in an annular fashion and engage hermetically the edge 10a of the slot 10. The sealing means 17 is constituted by an annular groove 18, which is delimited, in an upward region, by an expandable lip 19 associated with the head 15 and by an annular tooth 20 associated with the shank 16. The head 15 has, on its upper face 21, mutually perpendicular recesses 22 shaped so as to allow the compression of the head 15 toward the center, thus allowing easy insertion/extraction of the sealing plug 15 in and from the corresponding slots 10 and thus allowing to separate hermetically, once the mounting of the tire 12 has been completed, the pressure chamber 13 from the outer annular seat 2.

In practical operation, the nipples 6 are guided through the slots 10 and

are fixed in the corresponding receptacles 5. After fixing the nipples and connecting the spokes to the rim by means of the nipples 6, the slots 10 are closed hermetically by means of the sealing plugs 14. This allows to separate hermetically the outer annular seat 2 from the pressure chamber 13 when the tubeless tire 12 is applied to the inner annular seat 3.

It has thus been found that the invention achieves the proposed aim and objects.

In particular, the fact is stressed that a tubeless-type tire can be mounted on the above described rim.

Furthermore, it is very easy to assemble the spoke set, since the nipples and the corresponding spokes can be guided very easily through the plurality of receptacles.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.

A third embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings 7 to 10.

In this third embodiment, the closure elements consist of sealing plugs 23 having a frustum-like shape that forms a head 24 and a shank 25 which can expand and are provided with respective coaxially opposite cylindrical cavities 26 and 27. The head 24 comprises an annular groove 28, which is delimited in an upward region by an expandable lip 29 and in a downward region by a tooth 30. The expandable lip 29 and the tooth 30 form opposite abutments 29a, 30a which, by acting against the outer and inner edges of the slot 10, prevent the axial extraction of the sealing plug 23.

Complementary sealing plugs 23 are detachably associated with the sealing plug 23 and have a head 32 and a shank 33 on which expansion elements 38, constituted by frustum-shaped annular protrusions 39, are provided. The complementary sealing plug 31 is inserted with its shank 33 in the cylindrical cavity 26, which by way of the transverse pressure of the expansion elements 38 on the walls of said cavity 26 causes the expansion of the head 24 and therefore a tighter seal of the sealing plug 23 on the slot 10.

Advantageously, as shown in Figure 11, there are expansion elements 38 formed by the frustum-shaped profiled of the shank 33. In this case also, the result of the insertion of the complementary plug 31 in the sealing plug 23, by means of the frustum-shaped profile, is of the same type described above.

In a fourth embodiment, Figures 11 and 12, the expansion elements 38 are constituted by a threaded expandable insert 39, which is accommodated substantially at the bottom of the cavity 26. In this case, the complementary plug 31 is screwed into the insert 39 through the cavity 26, and said insert 39, by expanding against the walls of said cavity 26, causes the head 32 to expand.

Conveniently, a fifth embodiment of the sealing plug 23 is provided which has a head 24 and a shank 25 having a cylindrical shape. The sealing plug 23 is designed to removably enter the slot 10, which protrudes into the outer seat 3 by means of an undercut 40. The insertion and sealing of the sealing plug in the slot 10 are achieved by way of sealing means, which in this case consist of corresponding helical threads 41,42 provided respectively on the facing surfaces of the shank 25 and of the undercut 40.

Furthermore, in order to increase the seal and improve the hermetic separation between the outer annular seat 2 and the inner one 3, a ring 43 is interposed between the head and the passage hole.

In a sixth embodiment, the closure elements consist of adhesive bands 44, which are applied so as to provide a hermetic closure at the slots 10. The adhesive bands 44 can be distributed with a constant spacing at each slot 10 or continuously along the annular partition 4.

It has thus been shown that the invention achieves the proposed aim and objects.

All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the shapes and the dimensions, may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the scope of the protection of the appended claims.

The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Applications No.

B02000U000139 and B02001U000017 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.