Patent Application
20170355922
The present invention pertains to bicycle chain and gear maintenance, and more particularly to an environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system and method of use.
Regardless of one's political persuasions or religious affiliations, most people agree that it is incumbent upon humans to be good stewards of the environment. Aside from the health benefits to participants, bicycling is largely agreed to have largely beneficial environmental impacts. Bicycles are a very “green” or environmentally friendly means of human transportation. The term bicycle within this application is not limited to only a two wheeled vehicle that is its namesake, but rather to any human powered, chain driven vehicle. Cyclists don't burn non-renewable fossil fuels in use, and they don't produce air pollution or other harmful emissions in operation. Additionally, a bicycle takes far less energy to make than an automobile or other motorized vehicle.
The U.S. Census estimates that about half of all Americans live within five miles of their workplace. Those who decided to bike those 5 miles (a little over 8 kilometers) every day rather than driving an average car could reduce total household emissions by six percent according to a National Geographic review of the environment impact of Bicycles (http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/buying-guides/bikes/environmental-impact/) Similarly, Australia's Department of Transport and Main Roads calculated that the Cycling 10 km (6.2 miles) each way to work would save 1500 kg (3307 lbs) of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Additionally, it has been estimated that about 40 percent of all travel is done within two miles (3.2 Kilometers) of home, which distances can be accomplished in 10 minutes by bike as discussed at length in a paper by Jonita Davis on “The Pros for the Environment of Riding Bikes” http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pros-environment-riding-bikes-79378.html).
Bicycles do have an environmental impact including both the environmental impact of producing the bicycle (including shipping and packaging) and the environmental impact of maintenance and of disposal of the bicycle. It is noted that proper maintenance of a bicycle effectively decreases environmental disposal impacts via a longer product life cycle and an associated delay in the disposal of the bicycle.
For environmentally conscious cyclists there is one aspect of bicycle maintenance that may be particularly troubling when it is brought to their attention, and that is chain lubricants. Chain lubricants are typically formed from petroleum based products, the use of which is what environmentally conscious cyclists are generally attempting to minimize. Further the wear of this material on the chain releases the petroleum based product directly into the environment. It is estimated that more than a billion bicycles are present in the world (http://www.worldometers.info/bicycles/). Consequently the dumping of petroleum based chain lubricant from each of the more than one billion bicycles in use directly into the environment, in the aggregate, is not insignificant.
It is an object of the present invention is to provide an effective and environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system.
The object of the present invention is achieved according to one embodiment of the present invention by providing an environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system which includes an ecologically friendly package of highly recyclable material, such as one of a metal or glass container, with an integral brush applicator; or a ridged or semi-ridged paper container with a wax or other oil-resistant, non-permeable interior. The environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system includes a lubricant contained within the package, the lubricant being substantially free of petroleum oil distillates and comprising one of either i) a lanolin based lubricant which comprises a mixture of lanolin within a carrier, wherein the carrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying, plant-based oil or ii) a water soluble lubricant comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of a surfactant which is a soap and 25% to 75% of glycerin.
These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
The features that characterize the present invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims which are part of this disclosure. These and other features of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects obtained by its use will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the operating examples.
The present invention provides an environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system 10. One key aspect of the present invention is to provide a biodegradable, non-toxic, ecologically friendly bicycle chain lubricant 15 (shown in the glass container 12 of
Lanolin Based Lubricant
Lanolin, also called wool wax or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans generally comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically for their wool. Lanolin's role in nature is to protect wool and skin against the ravages of climate and the environment; it also seems to play a role in skin (integumental) hygiene. A typical high purity grade of lanolin is composed predominantly of long chain waxy esters (approximately 97% by weight) the remainder being lanolin alcohols, lanolin acids and lanolin hydrocarbons.
Lanolin and its many derivatives are used extensively in both the personal care (e.g., high value cosmetics, facial cosmetics, lip products) and health care sectors. Lanolin is often used as a raw material for producing cholecalciferol using irradiation. (vitamin D3). Baseball players often use it to soften and break in their baseball gloves (shaving cream with lanolin is popularly used for this). Anhydrous lanolin is also used as a lubricant for brass instrument tuning slides. Lanolin has been used to create slippery surfaces on their propellers and stern gear to which barnacles cannot adhere. Lanolin is also found in rust-preventative coatings and shoe polish. In lubricant applications Lanolin is generally combined with a petroleum product such as in the MX4 LANOX™ brand Lanolin Lubricant from Candan Industries Pty Ltd.
Crude lanolin constitutes about 5-25% of the weight of freshly shorn wool. The wool from one Merino sheep will typically produce about 250-300 ml of recoverable wool grease. Lanolin is extracted by washing the wool in hot water with a special wool scouring detergent to remove dirt, wool grease (crude lanolin), suint (sweat salts), and anything else stuck to the wool. The wool grease is continuously removed during this washing process by centrifugal separators, which concentrate it into a wax-like substance melting at approximately 38 C (100 F). The lanolin used in the present invention may be referenced as lanolin oil or sheep oil, which is the liquid phase of processed lanolin.
When lanolin is removed from the freshly shorned wool, it is processed to remove any impurities such as dirt, plant matter, and other foreign debris. Different purity grades of lanolin result, depending on how much debris is removed. To insure that the lubricant of the current invention is non-toxic, the current invention perferably utilizes lanolin oil which meets or exceeds the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standard. USP grade lanolin is acceptable for food, drug, or medicinal use. The meaning of “meets or exceeds the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standard” means those standards in existence at the time of this filing.
As noted above, the bicycle chain lubricant 15 for use in the system 10 of the invention maybe a mixture of lanolin oil within a carrier, wherein the carrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying, plant-based oil. Non-drying oils do not harden when exposed to air, while semi-non-drying oils harden very slowly or only partially when exposed to air. Lanolin oil by itself is a thick, sticky, drying oil, hardening over time. Adding a non-drying or semi-non-drying oil lowers the viscosity of the lanolin oil allowing it to be applied more easily, and it also helps to prevent the lanolin oil from hardening, keeping it in a liquid state.
A plant-based oil is a triglyceride extracted from a plant. A triglyceride (TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride) is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids. The phrase “plant-based oil” is defined herein as referring only to plant oils that are liquid at room temperature. The present invention preferably utilizes canola oil, which at over 27 million metric tons consumed per year, represents one of the three most consumed vegetable oils (Palm oil exceeds 40 million metric tons consumed per year). In addition to canola oil, soy bean oil, palm oil, rapeseed oil, peanut oil, sunflower seed, cottonseed oil, palm kernel (from the seed of the Africa palm tree), coconut oil, olive oil and mixtures thereof are possible plant-based oil carriers for the mixture of the present invention.
The lanolin oil is present in the mixture in about 5% by weight to about 50% by weight. The plant-based oil, or mixture of plant based oils, is present in the mixture in about 50% by weight to about 95% by weight. One composition of the bicycle chain lubricant 15 of the invention for everyday use for bicycles (including electric bicycles) comprises a mixture of 20% by weight lanolin oil and 80% by weight canola oil. One composition of the bicycle chain lubricant 15 of the invention for road/racing bicycles comprises a mixture of 22% by weight lanolin oil and 78% by weight canola oil. One composition of the bicycle chain lubricant 15 of the invention for mountain bicycles comprises a mixture of 25% by weight lanolin oil and 75% by weight canola oil. One composition of the bicycle chain lubricant 15 of the invention is designated as an extra thick composition and comprises a mixture of 40% by weight lanolin oil and 60% canola oil by weight.
Water Soluble Lubricant
As noted above the bicycle chain lubricant 15 may be a water soluble lubricant comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% by weight of a surfactant which is a soap, particularly a liquid soap, and 25% to 75% by weight of glycerin. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids (or technically also between a liquid and a solid).
Soap is generally a cleansing agent created by the chemical reaction of a fatty acid with an alkali metal hydroxide. Soaps, in cleaning applications, generally act as surfactants, emulsifying oils to enable them to be carried away by water. Soaps are generally obtained by treating vegetable or animal oils and fats with a strong base, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, often in an aqueous solution.
Fats and oils are composed of triglycerides; three molecules of fatty acids attach to a single molecule of glycerol. The alkaline solution, which is often called lye (although the term “lye soap” refers almost exclusively to soaps made with sodium hydroxide), brings about a chemical reaction known as saponification. Vegetable oils and animal fats are the main materials that are “saponified”. Triglycerides can be converted to soap in either a one- or a two-step process generally known in the art.
The present invention preferably utilizes an oil, particularly substantially a plant based oil, in a saponification process to form the soap used in the water soluble lubricant 15 used in the system 10 of the present invention, and as noted above the phrase “plant-based oil” is defined herein as referring only to plant oils that are liquid at room temperature. Palm oil is the preferred plant based oil in a saponification process to form the soap used in the water soluble lubricant of the present invention. Palm oil based liquid soap has a long history in the United States and the world. In 1898, the B.J. Johnson Company was making a liquid soap entirely of palm oil and olive oil, the formula of which was developed by the company, and sold under the now famous PALMOLIVE® brand name.
“Liquid Soap” goes back further than the PALMOLIVE brand, to at least an 1865 U.S. Pat. No 49,561 to William Sheppard, which liquid soap formulation is not quite practical for the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 121,930 to Dominick Cardulo, from 1871, discloses a method of manufacturing a liquid Castile soap (“Castile” soap is a plant oil based soap, traditionally olive oil) using “pure castile soap” and almond oil together with glycerin and water. U.S. Pat. No. 236,926 from 1881 discloses a plant oil based liquid soap using a blend of olive, cotton seed, “earth nut, or other oils extracted from oleaginous seeds, saponified with lyes of soda.” U.S. Pat. No. 475,413 discloses a process for making a coconut oil (or “cocoanut-oil”) based liquid soap. There are many other patents and publications on methods of making liquid soap and there exist a number of on-line tutorials for making liquid soap. The process of soap making, including liquid soap, is believed to be well known to those in the art.
The soap used as a surfactant in the water soluble lubricant 15 of the present invention is preferably a liquid soap, which within the meaning of this application is a soap that is a liquid at room temperature. The soap is typically in an aqueous solution or mixture, however it is possible to eliminate water from the liquid soap such as by using glycerin in its manufacture. The non-aqueous liquid soaps used in the present invention will be water soluble. Palm oil is preferred for use in the present invention due to the cost effective supply of both palm oil and palm oil liquid soap and the resulting properties of the soap and the resulting lubricant, as well as the ease in manufacturing a liquid soap and ease of manufacturing the mixture of the invention.
Palm oil may be blended with other plant based oils in the present invention such as, in particular olive oil, as found in commercially available liquid soaps, or lanolin as discussed below, or both. Preferably the blended palm oil soap which is present in the lubricant 15 mixture of the invention in amounts of 25% to 75% by weight will contain at least 50% Palm oil by weight of the oil forming the soap. Soap having at least 50% Palm oil by weight of the oil forming the soap and containing at least one other oil (such as olive oil or lanolin or both) will be referenced as a Palm oil blend soap.
Other commonly available plant oils may be used such as coconut oil. For example Coconut Vegetable Soap brand is a basic, natural soap made from a blend of fine grade coconut and other vegetable oils and is available from JTM Products 31025 Carter Street, Solon, Ohio 44139. Pure Coconut Oil Soap is also available from Nutribiotic, Inc.
There are a number of plant based oils that have been used in soap making that are also possible for use, alone or in combination, in forming the soap used in the lubricant 15 of the present invention. These include, in addition to the palm oil and coconut oil listed above, Almond Oil (Also called Sweet Almond Oil or SAO), Apricot Kernel Oil (a favorite choice oil for many professional massage therapists), Avocado Oil (a costly alternative), Canola Oil (also known as lear oil and comes from rapeseed, a member of the mustard family and a cost effective choice), Castor Oil, Cocoa Butter (a costly choice); Corn Oil, Cottonseed oil, Grapeseed Oil, Hempseed Oil, (cost is prohibitive), Jojoba oil, Meadowfoam Oil, Neem Oil , Olive Oil, Palm Kernel Oil (made from the kernels of the palm tree), Shea Butter, Soybean Oil, and Sunflower Oil. As noted above with palm oil and olive oil, it is well known to utilize combinations of these oils in a soap, including in liquid soaps.
In another alternative to the present invention, Lanolin, may be combined with plant based oils, such as palm oil, in forming the soap, particularly the liquid soap, utilized as the surfactant in the lubricant 15 of the present invention. The Lanolin may preferably be used in in amounts of 2%-10% weight of the oil forming the soap with 90-98% by weight of the oil forming the soap being formed of plant based oils, such as in particular palm oil and palm oil blends.
The soaps described above are natural soaps, but there are known “synthetic soaps” or synthetic detergents (in some fields the term detergent is used to define synthetic detergents and natural detergents are soap) that may be a surfactant in the present invention. The natural soaps above are preferred but a synthetic compound could be acceptable provided the synthetic detergent or soap substitute is formed as a compound that is free of petroleum and petroleum distillates such that it is not a byproduct of petroleum. It is further desired that any such synthetic compound not be formed using any fossil fuels, or fossil fuel derivatives, as a substantive component thereof.
As noted above the lubricant of the present invention may be a water soluble lubricant 15 comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% by weight of a surfactant which is a soap, particularly a liquid soap, and 25% to 75% by weight of glycerin. Glycerin (also called Glycerol and glycerine) is a simple polyol compound. The glycerol backbone is found in all triglycerides. Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its solubility in water and its hygroscopic nature. Glycerin is widely available and highly cost effective.
Glycerins role is as an anti-drying agent and, secondarily as a lubricant. Other anti-drying agents which have lubrication properties may be utilized provided they are free of petroleum and petroleum distillates wherein the anti-drying agent is not a byproduct of petroleum. It is further desired that any such alternative anti-drying agent have lubrication properties similar to glycerin (i.e. within 20% of the lubricity of glycerin) further it is preferred that any alternative anti-drying agent not be formed using any fossil fuels, or fossil fuel derivatives, as a substantive component thereof.
Examples of the present invention include a first water soluble lubricant 15 according to the invention formed with a mixture of 25% by weight of a surfactant which is a soap, namely a aqueous based liquid palm oil blend soap, and 75% by weight of glycerin; a second water soluble lubricant 15 according to the invention formed with a mixture of 50% by weight of a surfactant which is a soap, namely a aqueous based liquid palm oil blend soap, and 50% by weight of glycerin; and a third water soluble lubricant 15 according to the invention formed with a mixture of 75% by weight of a surfactant which is a soap, namely a aqueous based liquid palm oil blend soap, and 25% by weight of glycerin. All three examples formed excellent bicycle chain lubricants 15 in field testing. Additionally the soap as the surfactant will act as a lubricant during lubrication and as an inherent detergent during removal, possibly with only water.
Use
The above compositions for the bicycle chain lubricants 15 of the present invention yields an effective, non-toxic, bio-degradable, ecofriendly bicycle chain lubricant 15. Soap (preferably an earth friendly soap) and water can be used for chain degreasing with the chain lubricant 15 composition of the present invention. The water soluble lubricant 15 version of the present invention may only require the use of water and wiping the chain or other components with a drying cloth. The replacement of the petroleum based lubricant is a significant ecological advantage representing a 1 for 1 or 100% petroleum replacement. Further the elimination of the need and the use of petroleum degreasers yields a greater than 1 for 1 or greater than 100% petroleum replacement. In other words the ecofriendly bicycle chain lubricant 15 of the present invention replaces an equal amount of petroleum lubricant plus an additional amount of petroleum based degreasers.
Ecofriendly Packaging
The rise in environmental consciousness in recent decades has included a focus on waste. Packaging has come to symbolize the issue of waste. It has expanded rapidly in recent times; most adults today remember growing up in a world that used much less packaging. Perhaps most important of all, packaging feels wasteful: used once and then promptly discarded, it seems like only an ephemeral presence in our lives as it rushes from factory to landfill. Yet packaging remains ubiquitous; it is impossible to imagine an urban, industrial society functioning without it.
The present invention has designed the bicycle chain and gear maintenance system 10 following sustainable packaging concepts. Sustainable packaging is the development and use of packaging which results in improved sustainability. This involves increased use of life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to help guide the use of packaging which reduces the environmental impact and ecological footprint. It includes a look at the whole of the supply chain: from basic function, to marketing, and then through to end of life (LCA) and rebirth. Additionally, an eco-cost to value ratio can be useful. The goals are to improve the long term viability and quality of life for humans and the longevity of natural ecosystems. Sustainable packaging must meet the functional and economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is not necessarily an end state but is a continuing process of improvement. The sustainable packaging concepts have been used in the present invention to develop an ecologically friendly package of highly recyclable material (that is greater than 95% of the packaging by weight is easily recyclable, such as paper, metal and glass) such as one of a metal or glass container 12 with an integral brush applicator 14; or a paper container 16 with a wax or other oil-resistant, non-permeable interior.
Metal, particularly steel, is a highly recyclable material. According to the Steel Recycling Institute, more steel is recycled every year than paper, plastic, glass and aluminum put together. Thus a steel can/container 12 with a steel screw on or threaded lid 18 having the brush applicator 14 for the container 12 is a particularly advantageous ecologically friendly container 12. The lid 18 has internal threads matching external threads of the container 12. A label 20 of recycled paper is also useful. The applicator 14 is preferably a horse hair brush coupled directly to the lid 18 to integrate these elements in a known “brush-in-can” configuration. A brush applicator 14 is a very effective lubricant application mechanism and results in less waste than some “spray on” applicators. A seal or gasket 22 may be added inside the lid 18 to minimize leakage in shipping and storage, but tight tolerance containers 12 can avoid this additional element. If provided, the seal 22 may be formed of bio-degradable rubbers, or recycled cardboard or paper to minimize the ecological impact of the seal 22. Minimizing the size of the seal 22, if present, may also an important aspect of this design. The horse hair brush applicator 14, or other natural fiber brush construction is also generally known in the art and the use of natural fibers is preferred over synthetic fibers.
Steel containers such as shown by container 12 of
Glass is also a highly recyclable. When glass is used for new container manufacturing, it is virtually infinitely recyclable. The processing and use of recycled glass in manufacturing conserves raw materials, and reduces energy consumption. Thus a glass container 12 such as shown in
Single use containers also serve a viable ecological purpose allowing users to obtain only that lubricant they are going to use in the near future. The present invention also contemplates a single use paper container 16 as shown in
The above described system 10 provides an environmentally friendly method of bicycle chain and gear maintenance. The significant steps of the environmentally friendly method of bicycle chain and gear maintenance include: first, selecting an ecologically friendly package 12 of highly recyclable material comprising one of i) a metal or glass container 12 with an integral brush applicator 14 and lid 18; or ii) paper container 16 with a wax or other oil-resistant, non-permeable interior; second, providing a lubricant 15 contained within the package 12, the lubricant 15 being substantially free of petroleum oil distillates and comprising one of either i) a lanolin based lubricant 15 which comprises a mixture of lanolin within a carrier, wherein the carrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying, plant-based oil or ii) a water soluble lubricant 15 comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of a surfactant which is a soap and 25% to 75% of glycerin; and third at least once or periodically lubricating a bicycle chain with the lubricant 15.
The lubrication step preferably includes the cyclist first cleaning the chain and drivetrain with an earth friendly cleaner to remove dirt and debris and any remaining prior manufacturer's lubricant. Once the chain and drivetrain are clean the biodegradable, non-toxic lubricant 15 is applied. The steel can and glass container 12 include the integral natural fiber brush applicator 14 to assist application to the individual links of the chain and to the front and rear cogs and to the rear derailleur cogs. In one lubricant 15 version, the lanolin oil and the carrier of the biodegradable, non-toxic lubricant 15 of the invention are both lubricants in a conventional sense, thus 100% of the mixture of the lubricant 15 is a lubricant allowing minimal amounts of the mixture to effectively lubricate the bicycle components. In an alternative lubricant 15 version, the soap and glycerin of the biodegradable, non-toxic lubricant 15 of the invention are also both lubricants in the conventional sense of the term, thus, again 100% of the mixture forming lubricant 15 is a lubricant allowing minimal amounts of the mixture to effectively lubricate the bicycle components. The paper and wax, or other oil-resistant, non-permeable interior of the single use container 16 also help the user apply the lubricant 15 in that container embodiment of the present invention. After the application of the lubricant 15, the user should wait for a few minutes, then wipe of any excess lubricant 15 with a clean cotton cloth, then take the bicycle for a very quick ride and again wipe of any excess lubricant.
The bicycle chain and gear maintenance biodegradable, non-toxic lubricant 15 provides rust proofing and anti-corrosion to the chain and drivetrain. The lubricants 15 disclosed herein can easily handle dirt, grit, grime, water, sand, mud, plant matter and the like that bicycle chains are exposed to on a regular basis. Further the environmentally friendly aspects of the design allow the ecology minded cyclist to more fully enjoy the cycling experience and to more fully extoll the environmentally helpful aspects of cycling. The system 10 is a USDA certified biobased product and meets US EPA “Safer Product Standards”. The system 10 provides the only known EPA SAFER CHOICE® and USDA BIOPREFERRED® designated bike chain lubricant.
It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications to the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 62/348,373 and 62/411,095 filed Jun. 10, 2016 and Oct. 21, 2016 each of which was entitled “An Environmentally Friendly Bicycle Chain and Gear Maintenance System and Method of Use”, which applications are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62411095 | Oct 2016 | US | |
| 62348373 | Jun 2016 | US |
