Locking device for a helmet

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6415635
  • Patent Number
    6,415,635
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, September 27, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, July 9, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Original Assignees
  • Examiners
    • Gall; Lloyd A.
    Agents
    • Young & Thompson
Abstract
A device for locking a bicycle helmet to a bicycle, the helmet comprising a helmet shell (19) having a through-going hole (20). A lock case (4) is fixedly mounted on a frame rod (2), the frame rod being arranged to support the saddle (1) of the bicycle. A longitudinal locking element (11) at both ends has a lock head (10), the lock head (10) may be locked in the lock case. The locking element (11) is arranged to extend through the hole (20) of the helmet shell in order to have its lock head (10) locked in the lock case (4) and thus securing the helmet to the bicycle.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The invention relates to a device for locking a helmet to a bicycle, said helmet including a helmet shell having at least one through-going hole.




A cyclist should use a helmet in connection with the use of his/her bicycle. When the cyclist temporarily leaves his/her parked bicycle in order to do an errand of some sort it is often inconvenient to carry the helmet along. On the other hand there is a non-acceptable risk that the helmet becomes stolen if it is left with the parked bicycle without being locked to said bicycle. Certainly there are locking wire cables and locks available in the market, said devices allowing a temporary locking of the bicycle helmet to the bicycle, e.g. by running the wire cable through a hole in the helmet shell and through a closed loop on the bicycle before the ends of the wire cable are locked together. In connection with such a locking device there is still the problem with storing the locking device between the occasions of use.




The object of the invention is to realise a locking device that allows simple storing, in a space-saving way, of the locking device between the occasions of use, said locking device still allowing a quick and simple locking of the helmet to the bicycle when needed.




This object is realised by means of a device according to the appended claim


1


.




Embodiments of the device are defined in,the appended independent claims.




According to a practical embodiment of the invention a locking rod, bent to L-shape, is provided, said locking rod thus having a short rod shank and a long rod shank. At each end of the rod a lock head is provided. A lock case is mounted, about longitudinally midways, on the frame pole of the bicycle, said frame pole supporting the saddle of the bicycle.




The lock case has an essentially forwardly extending and forwardly opening receiving channel for a lock head. The lock head, at each end of the rod, extends in direction of the adjoining end portion of the rod. The lock case is of a type that releases the lock head by being opened with an adherent key. Further, the lock case is preferably designed to receive, in a supporting way, a lock head by simply having said lock head axially inserted into the lock case.




Thanks to the L-shape of the rod, the long shank of the rod may extend downwards or upwards, generally parallel to the frame pole that supports the saddle, when the rod is not used for securing the helmet and when the short shank of the rod is locked in the lock case. On the contrary, when the rod is to be used for locking the helmet, it is released from the lock case and then its long shank is inserted through the opening or a pair of openings in the helmet shell, and subsequently the lock head of the long rod portion is pushed into the lock case.




The bent portion between the shanks of the rod may possibly be widened in order to prevent a pulling of the bicycle helmet off the locking rod secured to the bicycle, especially when the opening in the helmet shell is in the shape of an elongated slot.




According to a different embodiment a flexible cable or wire may have one end secured to the bicycle (e.g. secured to the lock case), while its other end supports a lock head that may be clamped in the lock case. In such a case the cable is inserted through the hole of the helmet shell before it is secured by means of its head in the lock case.




The invention will be described below by means of examples, reference being made to the enclosed drawing.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

shows schematically a side view of the rear portion of a bicycle having a locking device according to the invention.





FIG. 2

shows a portion of the object of

FIG. 1

, a helmet being locked to the bicycle by means of the locking device.





FIG. 3

shows a view of a locking element included in the helmet locking device.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




In

FIG. 1

the rear portion of a bicycle is shown, said bicycle having a saddle


1


and a saddle supporting pole


2


of the bicycle frame, said pole


2


, in the travelling direction, about midways between the crank boss and the saddle attachment (or a forwardly extending horizontal frame piece of a man's bicycle) being provided with a fixedly mounted lock case


4


having a forwardly extending receiving channel for a lock head


10


at the end of a locking element


11


that is shown in the shape of a bar


11


. Said locking element


11


is bent to generally L-shape and thus includes a long shank


12


and a short shank


13


. In the transition area between the shanks


12


,


13


there is a material enlargement


14


whose cross-sectional dimensions are larger than the smallest cross-sectional dimension for an opening


20


through a bicycle helmet shell


19


.




In the state of the locking device according to

FIG. 1

the head


10


of the short bar shank


13


is inserted into the lock case


4


and locked therein, said long bar shank


12


extending downwards, essentially parallel to, adjacent to and behind the frame pole


2


. As is shown by dotted lines the shank


12


may also extend upwards along the bar


2


. When a bicycle helmet is to be locked to the bicycle by means of the locking device, the bar


11


is released from the lock case


4


by having the lock of the lock case (said lock may constitute,a key lock or a code lock) opened. Then the long shank


12


of the bar


11


is inserted through an opening


20


of the helmet shell


19


, as is shown in

FIG. 2

, and then the lock head


10


of the long bar shank


12


is inserted into the lock case


4


and locked therein. If the opening


20


is elongated a pulling of the helmet


19


from the bar


11


, said bar


11


being locked in the lock case, is prevented by said enlarged material portion


14


. The portion


14


is larger than the smallest dimension of the opening


20


.




The lock head and the lock case may be designed to lock the bar


11


having its shank


12


in parallel relation to the pole


2


. The lock case


4


may be located at either side of the pole


2


or in front of the pole


2


. Since the material enlargement


14


(the stop cube) has a determinant function, the bar/element


11


does not need to be rigid. However, it should be angled in such a way that its long shank


12


may be located adjacent to the pole


2


when the short shank


13


is inserted into the lock case


4


. Said element may therefore constitute a flexible material like a piece of steel wire having an enlarged ball


14


at the bent area.



Claims
  • 1. Device for locking a bicycle helmet to a bicycle, said helmet comprising a helmet shell (19) having a through-going hole (20), that a lock case (4) is adapted to be fixedly mounted on a frame rod (2), and that a longitudinal locking element (11) is arranged to be inserted through the hole (20) of the helmet shell in order to have a lock head (10) at one end of said longitudinal locking element (11) locked in the lock case (4), thereby the helmet being secured to the bicycle, characterized in that the locking element (11) at both ends has a lock head (10) adapted to be locked in the lock case (4), that the locking element (11) has a first short shank (13) that is bent about 90° relative to a second long shank (12) of the locking element (11) , said long shank (12) being inserted through the hole (20) of the helmet shell and secured in the lock case (4) by means of its lock head (10).
  • 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking element (11) is provided with a material enlargement (14) in the transition area between the shanks (12, 13).
  • 3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lock case (4) has a channel extending generally perpendicular to the rod (2), said channel receiving the lock head (10) that has a generally coaxial extension to the shank (12, 13) carrying the lock head (10).
  • 4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rod constitutes a frame pole (2) that is arranged to support the saddle (1) of the bicycle, and that the lock case (4) has a generally horizontally extending channel facing forwardly in the direction of travel of the bicycle.
  • 5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the lock case (4) is arranged to secure the locking element (11) at an orientation where the locking element (11) extends essentially in the plane of the frame.
  • 6. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the lock case (4) has a channel extending generally perpendicular to the rod (2), said channel receiving the lock head (10) that has a generally coaxial extension to the shank (12, 13) carrying the lock head (10).
  • 7. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the rod constitutes a frame pole (2) that is arranged to support the saddle (1) of the bicycle, and that the lock case (4) has a generally horizontally extending channel facing forwardly in the direction of travel of the bicycle.
  • 8. Device according the claim 7, characterized in that the lock case (4) is arranged to secure the locking element (11) at an orientation where the locking element (11) extends essentially in the plain of the frame.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
9801061 Mar 1998 SE
PCT Information
Filing Document Filing Date Country Kind
PCT/SE99/00448 WO 00
Publishing Document Publishing Date Country Kind
WO99/50132 10/7/1999 WO A
US Referenced Citations (7)
Number Name Date Kind
3581531 Hediger Jun 1971 A
3781861 Adler, Jr. et al. Dec 1973 A
3798934 Wright et al. Mar 1974 A
4676080 Schwarz Jun 1987 A
5291765 Hoisington Mar 1994 A
5664444 Schaan Sep 1997 A
5709113 Godfrey Jan 1998 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number Date Country
2 132 996 Mar 1996 CA
3141766 Jun 1982 DE
0 760 333 Mar 1997 EP