Patent Application
20100207359
The present invention is a small, light weight, single wheel trailer that turns into a wheelbarrow, thus providing flexibility in carrying cargo.
Increase in health awareness, overcoming heavy traffic jams, environmentally friendliness, and increase in gas prices has resulted in a significant increase in bicycle usage. Unlike automobiles and motorbikes, bicycles are economical and cheap to maintain. However, one of the major drawbacks of bicycles is their limited ability to carry extra load or cargo other than the rider. Typically, simple bicycle baskets are used to carry cargo, however, their use is limited to small loads. A back-pack is also used by the rider to carry certain amount of load or cargo, however, it is very difficult to fetch the load and simultaneously peddle the bicycle. A simple way to carry a cargo on a bicycle is by using a trailer. Trailers can be attached to the rear end of a bicycle. A bicycle trailer has to be light weight, easy to connect and disconnect, and should not alter the bicycle balance.
Bicycle trailers can be categorized into two wheeled and single-wheeled trailers. Two wheeled trailers are used for relatively large and heavy loads. Most two wheeled trailers are designed such that most of the load is on the trailer wheels. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,723, issued to Fahey, discloses a two wheeled bicycle trailer which comprises of a T shaped fixture supporting a wire basket to carry cargo. The basket is located away from the bicycle so that most of the load is put on the trailer wheels. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,813, issued to Gottschalk, discloses a two wheeled trailer for carrying people or small cargo, which is designed to provide stability to the bicycle. In this case, the trailer is so closely positioned to the bicycle that the combined system behaves like a tricycle. Similar two wheeled trailers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,077,646, 4,381,117, 4,037,853, 4,077,645, 4,342,467, 3,829,125, 730,193.
One of the disadvantages of two wheeled trailers is that they do not align properly with the wheels of the bicycle, resulting in loss of maneuverability. The bicycle movement becomes limited to the movement of the trailer. For instance, if the bicycle leans over to one side while going around a bend, there is a probability that the cyclist loses the control of the bicycle because of the heaviness or the rigidity of the trailer. Also, if the trailer hits a bump or a pothole in the road, its sudden movement may cause lose balance by the bicycle rider.
The next group of bicycle trailers are single wheeled trailers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 660,598, 4,756,541, 5,011,170, 5,076,600, 5,171,034 and 5,641,173. One of the disadvantages of the previous designs has been high center of gravity of the trailer. Although, this has been recognized as being one of the important design issues, most trailers still have high center of gravity, and therefore, less stable. Another issue that most bicycle trailers have is the difficulty in connecting and disconnecting the trailer from the bicycle. The connection mechanism between the bicycle and trailer should be easy, stable, and flexible enough to allow for proper trailer motion behind the bicycle. The prior art describes a number of methods for attaching a trailer to the bicycle, mainly by using a hitch assembly. One of the problems with most bicycle hitch assemblies is that they may result in flipping of the trailer. Another problem with most bicycle hitch assemblies is that they attach under the seat of the bicycle. This makes the bicycle more unstable. Small oscillations in the trailer, translates directly to the bicycle seat, making the bicycle oscillate and go out of control.
Another issue in design of bicycle trailers, is the method of connection between the bicycle and the trailer. The method of connection dictates not only the stability of the bicycle, but also jerky movement of the trailer and the potential for tipping of the trailer when the bicycle would fall.
None of the prior art disclosing a trailer that converts into a wheelbarrow and can be used to carry cargo without the bicycle.
The present invention provides a hitch assembly which is easy to use and connects to the bicycle rear wheel axel. This results in better bicycle maneuverability and does not hinder the balance of the bicycle. The bicycle trailer described in this invention can be used for shopping or visiting a grocery store etc. The present bicycle trailer can be easily removed and converted into a wheelbarrow, and therefore be used inside grocery stores and shopping malls.
The object of present invention is to provide an improved small size, light weight trailer particularly for bicycles. Another object of present invention is to provide a trailer which can be easily converted into a wheelbarrow for further transportation. Another object of the present invention is a trailer than can be converted to a wheelbarrow without any modifications of the existing trailer. Said wheelbarrow comprising of handles which allows the wheel barrow to move around. Another object of present invention is to provide a trailer that allows the bicycle to maneuver easily around sharp turns and corners and generally do not disturb the bicycle functionality. A further object of the present invention is to have a trailer which follows in line with bicycle wheels. Another object of the present invention is a bicycle trailer which can easily attach to and detach from the bicycle, without a need to have any instruments. Another object of the present invention is having a kick off stand (kickstand) under the trailer wheelbarrow, which allows for the trailer/wheelbarrow to stand by itself, when detached from the bicycle. The kick stand also holds the bicycle upright; no extra stand is required for the bicycle. Another object of present invention is novel hitch which can be removed and fixed very easily during the attachment and removal of the bicycle with trailer. Another object of present invention is to provide a trailer that can be attached to various bicycle wheel sizes: 26″ and above.
The main features of the present trailer are the followings: Transforms into a wheel barrow for further transportation; maneuvers easily around sharp turns and corners; follows bicycle in-line with bicycle wheels; attaches to a bicycle via quick release or specially designed nut sets; detaches from bicycle quickly and easily; trailer kickstand holds bicycle upright; fits most bicycles with 26″+size wheels; carries up to 30 kgs (66 lbs); and weighs about 5.8 kg (12.8 lbs).
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
In the figures, which illustrate, by way of example only, embodiments of the present invention,
Trailer 2 has a single wheel 40, having an axle 41, and having two pairs of supporting bars 42 and 43, connecting the wheel to the trailer. Trailer wheel is smaller than the bicycle wheel, preferably 16″ in size. This keeps the trailer closer to the ground and therefore more stable. The two supporting bars 42 are inclined forwards from the wheel axel and extends from the wheel axle 41 to the back bar of the trailer 27, each bar from one side of the wheel. The two supporting bar 43 are substantially longitudinal and extend from the wheel axle 41 to the left 24 and the right 25 frame, respectively, each bar from one side of the wheel. The wheel may have a fender 44 and reflective lights 45.
Trailer 2 has two handles, a left and a right handle 51, as illustrated in
Kickstand 61 is pivotably connected to the left 24 and the right 25 frames, respectively. Brackets 62 are welded to the frame to hold the kickstand. Kickstand holds the trailer and the bicycle in the upright position. Kickstand aligns along the trailer frame in the closed position 66, as shown in
In order to easily connect and disconnect the trailer from a bicycle wheel, a special nut 71, as shown in
In order to attach the fork to the trailer, the trailer is first positioned inline with the back wheel of the bicycle and the short tube of the fork is inserted into the trailer sleeve, as illustrated in
In the installed position, the trailer main frame is slightly angled upwars towards the bicycle, as illustrated in
In the preferred embodiment of the present trailer, the front section 22 makes a 15.6 degree counterclockwise angle 48 with the vertical when the trailer is connected to a 26″ wheel bicycle. This angle is 14.3 degrees when the trailer is connected to a 28″ wheel bicycle. In the preferred embodiment of the present trailer, the whole length of the trailer from the axel of the trailer wheel to the axel of the bicycle rear wheel is about 1165 mm.
The center of the gravity of the whole trailer is only 220 or 260 mm above ground when connected to 26″ or 28″ bicycle wheels, respectively.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
