Patent Application
20190144063
The present disclosure relates to the field of a bicycle rack, and more particularly the present invention relates to an integrated rack connection assembly detachably attached to the front or the rear portion of a bicycle to carry baskets and bags.
A bicycle rack is a great convenience to carry goods on a bicycle. Generally, a rack for a bicycle is known for having a baggage bearing surface. However, the existing racks and mechanisms to carry the bags or the baskets are often insufficient and fail to carry large bags or baskets. Further, these racks do not provide driving stability to the user while carrying the luggage. In addition to that, a lot of electric bicycles use the rear rack to carry the battery and as such inactivates it for carrying goods. Additionally, the existing racks are generally not designed to carry heavy loads. Furthermore, most of the bicycles do not come with the front carriers and adding a front carrier is difficult given the lack of generically attachable front carriers.
Therefore there is a dire need of an integrated rack connection assembly which is detachably attached to a frame of the bicycle so that a user may carry a heavy baggage on the rack without any intrusion. Further, there is also a need for an integrated rack connection assembly detachably for a bicycle which provides the user with a stable drive while carrying the large load of baggage. Additionally, an integrated rack is optimally fitted when it can either fit in front or in the rear of a bicycle.
Thus, in view of the above, there is a long-felt need in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art through comparison of described systems with some aspects of the present disclosure, as set forth in the remainder of the present application and with reference to the drawings.
The present invention mainly solves the technical problems of the prior art existed. In response to these problems, the present invention provides an integrated rack connection assembly detachably attached to a frame of a bicycle, as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
The present integrated rack connection assembly detachably attached to the front or the rear portion of a bicycle. The integrated rack connection assembly includes a tube clamp assembly, a platform, a bracket, a side frame extension, and a top frame extension. The tube clamp assembly includes a plurality of tubes. The plurality of tubes is integrated with a clamp plate for an attachment at the front portion of a down tube or with the rear portion of a seat tube of the bicycle. The down tube or the seat tube is clamped with tube clamp assembly by utilizing four screws. A horizontally aligned platform is attached to the clamped part of the rack by utilizing at least four screws. Two screws are used for each side of the platform portion.
The platform can be horizontally aligned and attached to carry a basket or bag by flipping the horizontal position when attached by placing the platform in between the plurality of tubes of the tube clamp assembly which is either attached to the seat tube or the down tube of the bicycle. The seat tube and the down tube are positioned in opposite angle. While attached, the seat tube or the down tube extends into a rack to distribute weights of baskets or bags.
In an aspect, the integrated rack connection assembly fits either on the front portion to the down tube or rear portion to the seat tube of the bicycle and the platform is horizontally aligned by flipping as the platform is attached to the tube clamp assembly.
In an aspect, the bracket is designed to enable the rack to carry basket. The bracket is clamped on a bottom surface of the basket to secure the basket on top of the horizontal rack portion.
In an aspect, the side frame extension is configured on each side of the platform to secure bags. The side frame extensions are of a rectangular shape with four corners welded together by tubes.
In an aspect, the top frame extension is configured to secure a bag on top of the platform and can be alternatively utilized in place of the bracket when a bag is carried instead of a basket.
In an aspect, the bracket may hold any type of basket by drilling holes in the bottom surface of the basket, or in the case of a wired basket, clamping the bottom surface of the basket with the bottom support of the bracket.
In an aspect, the first wheel block, the second wheel block, and the metal strip are placed in a position to secure the bag. In an aspect, the first wheel block, the second wheel block, and the metal strip are placed in a locked position when an angle of 4 degrees creates between the two splits of metal strips.
The present integrated rack connection assembly is installed as a bicycle main frame extension which creates a universal way of carrying more load on the bicycle than the regular bicycle racks can carry. Further, the present integrated rack connection assembly connects to an integral part of the bicycle which i.e. the seat tube or the down tube. The intersection of the seat tube and the down tube are generally the location for the chainset and pedals. The weight on the bicycle gets distributed through these frame components so that the present integrated rack connection assembly can carry more loads.
Furthermore, the present integrated rack connection assembly provides side and/or top frame extensions to hold bags. The side or top frame extensions are designed in such a way that it cannot only carry bags with the present integrated rack connection assembly but also carries the other bicycle bags with traditional connection systems as well. The top frame extension allows bags to be easily attached on top of the rack instead of on the side, which is beneficial when bags are heavy. The bag connection mechanism as described before consisting of two-wheel blocks are less intrusive when carrying the bag than traditional bag connection methods.
In an aspect, the bag connection mechanism with the first wheel block, the second wheel block, and the metal strip are attached to a bag placed in a vertical position by pushing down the metal strip into lock position so both wheels at the end of the strip are locked into the side or top frame extension.
In order to attach a bag to the side or top frame extension, the bag needs to be equipped with a bag connection mechanism that includes a first wheel block, a second wheel block, and a metal strip. The metal strip splits from the center into two joint pieces, and operable to place the first wheel block, and the second wheel block in the widest position. The bag is securely locked in the bracket when the first wheel block and the second wheel block are placed in the widest position. Further, the bag is removed from the bracket by pulling the center of the metal strip, which shortens the position, and then releases the bag from the bracket.
These features and advantages of the present disclosure may be appreciated by reviewing the following description of the present disclosure, along with the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the embodiments of systems, methods, and other aspects of the disclosure. Any person with ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent an example of the boundaries. In some examples, one element may be designed as multiple elements, or multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of one element may be implemented as an external component in another and vice versa. Furthermore, the elements may not be drawn to scale.
Various embodiments will hereinafter be described in accordance with the appended drawings, which are provided to illustrate, not limit, the scope, wherein similar designations denote similar elements, and in which:
The present disclosure is best understood with reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. Various embodiments have been discussed with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed descriptions provided herein with respect to the figures are merely for explanatory purposes, as the methods and systems may extend beyond the described embodiments. For instance, the teachings presented and the needs of a particular application may yield multiple alternative and suitable approaches to implement the functionality of any detail described herein. Therefore, any approach may extend beyond certain implementation choices in the following embodiments.
References to “one embodiment,” “at least one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one example,” “an example,” “for example,” and so on indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation but that not every embodiment or example necessarily include that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.
Methods of the present invention may be implemented by performing or completing manually, automatically, or a combination thereof, selected steps or tasks. The term “method” refers to manners, means, techniques and procedures for accomplishing a given task including, but not limited to, those manners, means, techniques, and procedures either known to, or readily developed from known manners, means, techniques and procedures by practitioners of the art to which the invention belongs. The descriptions, examples, methods, and materials presented in the claims and the specification are not to be construed as limiting but rather as illustrative only. Those skilled in the art will envision many other possible variations within the scope of the technology described herein.
In operation, the present integrated rack connection assembly detachably attached to either front portion or rear portion of the bicycle. The integrated rack connection assembly includes a tube clamp assembly, a platform, a bracket, a side frame extension, and a top frame extension. The tube clamp assembly includes a plurality of tubes. The plurality of tubes is integrated with a clamp plate for an attachment at the front portion of a down tube or with the rear portion of a seat tube of the bicycle. The down tube or the seat tube is clamped with tube clamp assembly by utilizing four screws.
The platform can be horizontally aligned and attached to carry a basket or bag by flipping the horizontal position when attached by placing the platform in between the plurality of tubes of the tube clamp assembly which is either attached to the seat tube or the down tube of the bicycle. The seat tube and the down tube are positioned in opposite angle. While attached, the seat tube or the down tube extends into a rack to distribute weights of baskets or bags.
The metal strip splits from the center into two joint pieces as 506, and 508, and operable to place the first wheel block 502, and the second wheel block 504 in the widest position. The bag is securely locked in the bracket when the first wheel block 502 and the second wheel block 504 are placed in the widest position. Further, the bag is removed from the bracket by pulling the center of the metal strip 506 and 508, which shortens the position, and then releases the bag from the bracket.
The first bracket may hold any type of basket by drilling holes in the bottom surface of the basket, or in the case of a wired basket, clamping the bottom surface of the basket with the bottom support of the bracket. In an embodiment, the bag connection mechanism with the first wheel block 502, the second wheel block 504, and the metal strip 506 and 508 are attached to a bag placed in a vertical position by pushing down the metal strip into lock position so both wheels at the end of the strip are locked into the side or top frame extension. In an embodiment, the first wheel block 502, the second wheel block 504, and the metal strip 506 and 508 are placed in a position to secure the bag.
The present integrated rack connection assembly 100 is installed as a bicycle main frame extension which creates a universal way of carrying more load on the bicycle than the regular bicycle racks can carry. In an embodiment, the first wheel block 502, the second wheel block 504, and the metal strip 506 and 508 are placed in a locked position when an angle of 4 degrees creates between the two splits of metal strips. The weight on the bicycle gets distributed through these frame components so that the present integrated rack connection assembly can carry more loads. The side or frame extension is designed in such a way that it cannot only carry the present integrated rack connection assembly but also carries the other bicycle bags with traditional connection systems as well.
No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. There is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms enclosed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention, provided they are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
