Patent Application
20150375567
The present invention relates generally to bicycle tools and accessories, and particularly to a device for storing a bicycle inner tube.
Cyclists often carry tools to facilitate bicycle repair during a ride. In order to attend to a flat tire, cyclists often carry a spare tube, a tire lever that assists with removing the tire from the rim, and a pump or compressed gas for inflating the tire.
The present invention provides a spool and tube assembly comprising a spool body having a first spool surface spaced (e.g., including a raised lip) from a second spool surface (e.g., also including a raised lip), and an inner tube wrapped around the first and second spool surfaces of the spool body. Preferably, the spool body includes a stem recess (e.g., formed in the first spool surface) for receiving a valve stem on the inner tube. The second spool surface can include a notch adapted to receive and hole a pump head. In addition, the spool body can include a cutout adapted to receive and hold a pressurized gas cartridge, and a protrusion adapted to receive and hold a tire lever. A strap can be provided for securing the inner tube on the spool body.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
As used herein, integral means that the parts are formed from the same piece of material, without a seam separating the parts. Secured is a broader term that means two portions are held together, such as by a seam, a zipper, or by making the portions integral.
The inner tube 22 includes a hollow, resilient and flexible tube and a valve stem 36 coupled to the inner tube 22. The inner tube 22 is formed in the shape of an annulus and is designed to receive pressurized air through the valve stem 36, as is known in the art.
The spool 24 includes a spool body 40 made from a relatively rigid but slightly flexible material, such as nylon plastic, glass-reinforced plastic, or composite. The spool body 40 includes a first spool surface 42 spaced from a second spool surface 44. The first spool surface 42 includes a pair of spaced, raised first lips 46 that cooperate to define a first concave profile dimensioned to receive the inner tube 22. Similarly, the second spool surface 44 includes a pair of spaced, raised second lips 48 that cooperate to define a second concave profile dimensioned to receive the inner tube 22. As best shown in
The spool body 40 further includes a stem recess 50 in the form of a through hole formed in the first spool surface 42. Referring to
The second spool surface 44 of the spool body 40 includes a partially-cylindrical notch 52 dimensioned to securely receive the pump head 26. The pump head 26 is designed to be used when introducing pressurized gas into the inner tube 22. Specifically, the pump head 26 is designed to be engaged with the valve stem 36 to facilitate transfer of pressurized gas from the pressurized gas cartridge 28 into the inner tube 22, as is known in the art.
The spool body 40 further includes a cutout 54 between the first and second spool surfaces 42, 44 and a cartridge recess 56 in communication with the cutout 54. The illustrated cartridge recess 56 also communicates with the first spool surface 42, as shown in
The spool body 40 further includes a side surface 62 having a protrusion 64 with side walls 66 that are dimensioned to support the tire lever 30. Specifically, the tire lever 30 includes side rails 68 that define an elongated aperture 70 dimensioned to be snapped onto the protrusion 64 and held in place on the spool body 40.
The spool body 40 further includes a slot 72 formed through the side surface 62 in the center of the protrusion 64. The slot 72 is dimensioned to receive the strap 32 in order to facilitate securing of the inner tube 22 onto the spool body 40. The strap 32 can be threaded all the way through the slot 72, or one end of the strap 32 can be secured in the slot 72 or otherwise to the spool body 40. The strap 32 includes a hook and loop fastener 74 that facilitates wrapping the strap 32 around the tube 22 and spool body 40 and securing it in place, as best shown in
In operation, the various accessories are mounted onto the spool body 40 as follows. First, if the strap 32 is not already secured to the spool body 40, the strap 32 is threaded through the slot 72 in the spool body 40. The neck portion 60 of the cartridge 28 is inserted into the cartridge recess 56, and the body portion 58 of the cartridge 28 is pivoted toward the spool body 40 until it snaps into the cutout 54. The snapping engagement is facilitated by a slight flexing of the spool body 40. The pump head 26 is snapped into and held in the notch 52, again facilitated by the slight flexibility of the spool body 40. The elongated aperture 70 of the tire lever 30 is snapped onto the protrusion 64 on the side surface 62 of the spool body 40, which is facilitated by flexing of the side walls 66 of the protrusion 64 and corresponding side rails 68 of the tire lever 30.
In order to mount the inner tube 22 onto the spool body 40, the valve stem 36 of the inner tube 22 is first inserted into the stem recess 50 in the spool body 40. The tube 22 is then repeatedly wrapped around the first and second spool surfaces 42, 44 until the tube 22 is completely spooled around the spool body 40. The strap 32 is then wrapped around the tube 22, and the hook and loop fastener 74 is engaged together to hold the strap 32 in place.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
