Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho

Noboru Ohtsuka

Takashi Ichikawa

Masakazu Iwatsuki

Hisato Yamada

A mechanism for connecting a flexible annular molding to a peripheral edge part of a wheel cap body which prevents an appearance of a wheel cap having the annular molding and the wheel cap body from being degraded when the annular molding is detached from the wheel cap body. The flexible annular molding is connected to the peripheral edge part of the wheel cap body by an annular clamping member. The annular molding has a radially inward peripheral edge part provided with a plurality of through-holes, whereas the annular clamping member has a plurality of engaging claws each of which has a stem part that extends through the corresponding through-hole, and a locking tip part which bends radially inwardly from a tip portion of the stem part. Both the peripheral edge part of the wheel cap body and a part of the radially inward peripheral edge part of the annular molding are sandwiched between an annular base part and the locking tip part of the clamping member with the stem part thereof penetrating through the through-hole. When the annular molding is detached from the wheel cap body, the appearance of the wheel cap body is not spoiled because the annular molding has no through-hole.

Wheel cap for automobile

A wheel cover includes a wheel cover body and a flexible annular member positioned therearound. The wheel cover body is formed in approximately a disk form, and a plurality of a through-holes are formed at the outer periphery thereof. The body of the flexible annular member is formed in a configuration that the inner periphery overlaps the outer periphery of the wheel cover body. On a side of the body, there are formed retaining projections at the position corresponding to the through-holes of the wheel cover body. Each retaining projection has a base portion, an intermediate retainer portion, and an extremity grip portion. The base portion is formed to be engaged with the through-hole. The intermediate retainer portion has a larger cross section than the base portion so as to be constricted to pass through the through-hole when it is pressed into the through-hole and hold the wheel cover body in collaboration with the body when the base portion is engaged in the through-hole. The extremity grip portion has a cross section smaller than that of the through-hole.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi, Japan

Noboru Ohtsuka