The present application relates to a tow bar system, such as for towing a wheeled trolley, and more particularly, a tow bar system for towing a wheeled trolley, such as a jogging stroller, behind a bicycle.
Strollers and trolleys are popular for transporting children and individuals with restricted mobility. In this regard, a number of different types of strollers and trolleys have been developed for specialized purposes. For example, standard strollers have been developed for general use such as walking while more specialized strollers have been developed for jogging and other activities. Further, additional strollers have been developed for use as trailers which are towed behind a bicycle.
In view of the degree of specialization of strollers, if a parent wishes to do a variety of activities with his or her child, it might be necessary to have a number of cumbersome strollers and trailers. For example, a parent may have one or more standard strollers for general use along with a jogging stroller for jogging and a bicycle stroller or trailer for bike riding. Having such a large number of strollers and trailers may take up significant room and possibly add further expense.
Therefore, it may be desirable to have an adapter suitable to convert specialized strollers such that the strollers may be suitable for multiple uses. For example, it may be desirable to provide an adapter, such as a tow bar, which may be suitable for use with a large number of different jogging strollers to convert the jogging strollers for use as a trailer or cart pulled behind a bicycle.
In one form, a tow bar system for coupling a bicycle to a wheeled trolley is provided. The tow bar system includes a first portion, a second portion, a trailer arm and a wheel. The first portion is configured to be removably coupled to the bicycle. The second portion is configured to be removably coupled to the wheeled trolley. The trailer arm extends between the first and second portions with at least a portion of the trailer arm having a substantially arc shape to avoid contact with the bicycle. Further, the wheel is coupled to at least one of the second portion and the trailer arm.
According to one form, a tow bar system for coupling a bicycle to a wheeled trolley is provided. The tow bar system includes a first portion, a second portion and a trailer arm. The first portion is configured to be removably coupled to the bicycle. The first portion includes a first pivot to permit at least a portion of the tow bar system to pivot about at least two axes relative to the bicycle. The second portion is configured to be removably coupled to the wheeled trolley. The trailer arm extends between the first and second portions. At least a portion of the trailer arm has a substantially arc shape to avoid contact with the bicycle.
In accordance with one form, the tow bar system further includes a first pivot located at the first portion to permit at least a portion of the tow bar system to pivot relative to the bicycle.
In one form, the first pivot is a universal joint.
According to one form, the tow bar system further includes a second pivot located at the second portion to permit at least a portion of the tow bar system to pivot relative to the wheeled trolley.
In accordance with one form, the tow bar system further includes a suspension.
In one form, the wheel is in a fixed position relative to the trailer arm.
According to one form, the tow bar system further includes a quick release at the first portion to removably couple the tow bar system to the bicycle.
In accordance with one form, the tow bar system further includes at least one clamp at the second portion to removably couple the tow bar system to the wheeled trolley.
In one form, the tow bar system further includes a mud flap.
These and other aspects may be understood more readily from the following description and the appended drawings.
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.
Referring to
As illustrated in
In one form, as seen in
The first portion 26 may further include structure configured to permit the tow bar 20 to pivot. In one form, the first end 26 may include structure to allow the tow bar to pivot about at least two axes. As best seen in
Further, in one form, such as seen in
The tow bar system 20 also includes the second portion 28 which is configured to be removably coupled to the wheeled trolley 24, such as illustrated in
Further, as seen in
As illustrated in the figures, in one form, two axle sleeves 62 are provided such that each of the two axle sleeves 62 is coupled to an opposite end of the axle 60. It should be understood that the axle 60 and axle sleeves 62 may be removably coupled together or otherwise permanently secured to one another. For example, the axle 60 and axle sleeve 62 may include a pin 64 to prevent the axle and axle sleeve from inadvertently separating when in use. In this regard, the pin 64 will insert through openings 66 in the axle sleeve 62 and an opening 68 in the axle to thereby secure the axle 60 and axle sleeve 62 relative to one another. The pin 64 may also include a safety device 70 to help secure the pin 64. Alternatively, the axle 60 may be permanently secured to the axle sleeve 62, such as by being welded together.
Further, the second portion 28 may include one or more suspension springs 72 and spring sleeves 74. The springs 72 may permit the second portion 28 and the attached wheeled trolley 24 to pivot or otherwise move relative to the bicycle 22 and/or tow bar system 20, such as when the bicycle 22 is turning or ascending or descending an incline. In one form, such as shown in
The second portion 28 may also include one or more attachment structures, such as clamps or other structures for coupling the tow bar system 20 to the wheeled trolley 24 or jogging stroller. For example, in one form as shown in
In one form, as shown in the figures, the clamp 76 is a fairly universal clamp that may be used on a variety of different wheeled trolleys and jogging strollers. In this regard, the clamps 76 may be adjusted to couple to a wheel axle, fork or other structure of the jogging stroller. For example, referring to
In one form, such as shown in
The second portion 28 may also include other features. For example, the second end 28 may include one or more safety straps 84 that can be used to prevent the wheeled trolley 24 from breaking away from the tow bar system 20 in case the clamp 76 accidentally separates from the wheeled trolley 24 or some other separation occurs.
As illustrated in
Further, the tow bar system 20 may include the wheel 32, such as shown in
The tow bar system 20 may also include other features. For example, the tow bar system 20 may include a mud flap 90, such as shown in
The tow bar system 20 may be installed for use as understood from the figures and description herein. For example, the female connector 42 may be secured to the bicycle 22 in a semi-permanent manner such that the male connector 40 may be quickly connected and disconnected to the bicycle. In this regard, the tow bar system 20 may be quickly installed and uninstalled from the bicycle so a user can quickly convert to and from towing a wheeled trolley. The tow bar system 20 may also be quickly connected and disconnected to the wheeled trolley 24. For example, the clamps 76 may be used to quickly connect and disconnect the wheeled trolley 24 to the tow bar system 20. Furthermore, the coupling arms 58 may be quickly connected and disconnected to the axle 60 such that different trolleys having different coupling arms 58 may be connected and disconnected to the trailer arm 30.
The tow bar system may be constructed of a variety of different materials. For example, the first portion, second portion and trailer arm may be made of a variety of different materials such as metal, plastic and the like. In one form, the first portion, second portion and trailer arm are made of materials including steel, aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber and combinations thereof. The tow bar system and associated components may also be made of other materials as understood from the present description and figures.
The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/494,161, filed Jun. 7, 2011, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61494161 | Jun 2011 | US |