The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 03, 1987
Filed:
Sep. 17, 1985
Joseph M FitzGerald, Buena Park, CA (US);
James P FitzGerald, Buena Park, CA (US);
FitzGerald Corporation, Buena Park, CA (US);
Abstract
An air deflector for the rear wheels of vehicles such as trucks and trailers is disclosed. The deflector consists of a fairing suspended beneath the truck or trailer body immediately in front of the rear wheels and extending completely across the width of the body. The surface of the fairing is curved in both a lateral and a vertical direction to deflect impinging air and entrained water or snow around or under the wheels. In a preferred form, the device is formed with a plurality of generally vertical grooves angled toward the center line of the vehicle. The grooves direct impinging air downwardly and between the rear wheels. The air deflector serves to suppress splashing and spraying of water from the roadway and of rain or snow, and reduces aerodynamic drag to improve handling and reduce fuel consumption.