Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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QUICK-RELEASE CLIPLESS PEDAL
BACKGROUND OF THE I~V~:NllON
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bicycle pedal, more
particularly to a quick-release bicycle pedal which is
simple in construction, is stable and which obviates
the need for a toe clip to fasten a cyclist's shoe
thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices which permit easy positioning and rapid
disengagement of a cyclist's shoe on a bicycle pedal
without manual intervention are known in the prior art.
A most recent of these devices has been disclosed in
U.S. Patent No. 5,048,369, held by the applicant. The
above-referenced pedal comprises a cleat, which is
fixed to a shoe sole, and a pedal body, which is
mounted on a pedal shaft and which releasably engages
the cleat. A pair of rear jaw members are provided on a
rear end of the pedal body and revertably engage the
latter. The rear jaw members releasably engage a rear
end of the cleat. The pedal body and rear jaw members
are respectively formed with longitudinal slots and
longitudinal guiding protrusions to guide the rear jaw
members in reverting to their original positions after
2 5 having been pushed rearward by the cleat.
Note that the above-referenced pedal is relatively
unstable because dislocation of the guiding protrusions
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from the guiding slots can easily occur if a relatively
large force was transmitted to the rear jaw members via
the cleat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the objective of the present invention is
to provide an improved quick-release bicycle pedal
which is more stable than the above-referenced prior
art, which is simple in construction and which permits
rapid engagement and disengagement of a cyclist's shoe
thereon.
Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of a quick-
release clipless pedal of the present invention
includes a cleat, which is to be fixed to a shoe sole
and which has first and second engaging parts
respectively formed on front and rear ends thereof, and
a pedal body, which is to be mounted on a pedal shaft
and which has a claw portion to receive releasably the
first engaging part of the cleat and a pair of
retaining units revertably engaging the second engaging
part of the cleat. The pedal body further has a rear
end provided with an upright support member and a pair
of rearward flanges disposed on two sides of the
support member. The support member and the rearward
flanges cooperatively define a pair of receiving
grooves. Each of the retaining units is provided on one
of the receiving grooves and includes: a rear jaw which
has an upright portion and a transverse portion
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extending adjacent to a lower end of the upright
portion, the upright portion having an upper end formed
with a protrusion, the lower end of the upright portion
being formed with a longitudinally extending through
bore; a pivot shaft extending into the through bore and
having two ends respectively extending into the support
member and one of the flanges of the pedal body to
mount pivotably the rear jaw onto the pedal body; and a
spring means provided on the transverse portion of the
rear jaw and urging the transverse portion downward to
bias the protrusion to engage the second engaging part
of the cleat.
Application of a lateral upward thrust on the cleat
causes the first engaging part to disengage from the
claw portion and further causes the cleat to push the
rear jaw of the respective retaining units rearward,
thereby causing the rear jaw to pivot about the pivot
shaft and compress the spring means in order to allow a
lateral disengagement of the cleat from the pedal body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent in the following
detailed description of the preferred embodiment, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Figure 1 is an exploded view of the preferred
embodiment of a quick-release clipless pedal according
to the present invention;
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Figure 2 is a perspective view of the preferred
embodiment illustrating its assembly;
Figure 3 is a side view of the preferred embodiment
in its assembled form;
5Figures 4 and 5 illustrate how a cleat of the
preferred embodiment is disengaged from a pedal body;
Figure 4A is a IV-IV section of the preferred
embodiment as shown in Figure 4;
Figure 5A is a V-V section of the preferred
10embodiment as shown in Figure 5;
Figure 6 shows the action of a spring of the
preferred embodiment when the cleat is disengaged from
the pedal body; and
Figure 7 is an illustration of the preferred
15embodiment when in use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the preferred
embodiment of a quick-release clipless pedal according
to the present invention is shown to comprise a cleat
20(1), a pedal body (2) and a pair of retaining units
(3).
The cleat (1) is an integrally formed piece which
has a substantially triangular front end and a
substantially rectangular rear end. The cleat (1) is
25formed with three elongated slots (12) and is to be
attached to the sole of a cyclist's shoe (refer to
Figure 7) by means of screws which pass through the
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elongated slots (12). A rectangular groove (14) is
formed at the center of the cleat (1) and receives a
rectangular cushion (15). The cushion (15) is
preferably made of rubber and provides a cushioning
5effect between the cyclist's shoe and the cleat (1).
The front end of the cleat (1) is provided with a
circular protrusion (16), while the rear end of the
same is provided with a substantially rectangular wedge
protrusion (18). The rectangular wedge protrusion (18)
10has a rear side which inclines frontwardly in the
direction of the circular protrusion (16). The cleat
(1) further includes a pair of triangular flanges (17),
each of which has one side on the rectangular wedge
protrusion (18) and another side on the substantially
15rectangular rear end of the cleat (1). The cleat (1)
has a flat bottom surface.
The pedal body (2) is also an integrally formed
piece and is provided with a tubular member (20) for
receiving one end of a pedal shaft (22). The front end
20of the pedal body (2) is provided with a fixed claw
(24) which forms a concave wall at the front end of the
pedal body (2). A groove (23) is formed in the pedal
body (2), faces the fixed claw (24), and is partially
covered by a slight projection at the top edge of the
25fixed claw (24). The rear end of the pedal body (2) is
formed with a flat central portion and two inclined
sides. An upright support member (25) is provided on
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the flat portion at the rear end of the pedal body
(2). The rear end of the pedal body (2) is further
provided with a pair of rearward flanges (26) disposed
on two sides of the support member (25). The support
member (25) and the rearward flanges (26) cooperatively
define a pair of receiving grooves (27).
Each of the retaining units (3) is to be provided on
one of the receiving grooves (27) and comprises a rear
jaw (32), a pair of helical compression springs (34), a
control plate (36) and a screw (38).
The rear jaw (32) is an integrally formed piece
which is preferably made of a durable, transparent and
lightweight material, such as plastic. The rear jaw
(32) is substantially L-shaped in cross-section and has
an upright portion (3201) and a transverse portion
(3202) extending adjacent to a lower end of the upright
portion (3201). The upright portion (3201) is formed
with a protrusion (321) which is roughly shaped as a
pyramid with a rectangular base fixed to an upper
portion of the upright portion (3201) and a square
section opposite the rectangular base. The lower end of
the upright portion (3201) is formed with a
longitudinally extending through bore (322). Each of
the flanges (26) has a lower end which is formed with a
threaded hole (261). The support member (25) further
has a pair of blind bores (251) which are respectively
aligned with the threaded holes (261) of the flanges
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- (26). Engagement of the rear jaw (32) with the pedal
body (2) is achieved by passing a pivot shaft (33)
through the threaded hole (261) of one of the flanges
(26), through the through bore (322) of the rear jaw
5(32) and into one of the blind bores (251) of the
support member (25). The pivot shaft (33) has an
enlarged threaded head (331) which engages the threaded
hole (261) of one of the flanges (26). The transverse
portion (3202) is provided with an upright central
10through bore (323) and has a top side which is formed
with a pair of retaining grooves (324) that are
disposed on opposite sides of the through bore (323).
Each of the springs (34) has one end seated in one
of the retaining grooves (324). The control plate (36)
15is rectangular in shape and has a threaded central hole
(360) which is aligned with the through bore (323) of
the rear jaw (32). The control plate (36) is disposed
on top of the springs (34). The screw (38) extends
through the through bore (323) and has a threaded end
20(381) which engages the central hole (360) of the
control plate (36). The springs (34) are thus confined
between the control plate (36) and the transverse
portion (3202) of the rear jaw (32).
Referring to Figures 4 through 6, the protrusion
25(16) of the cleat (1) is received by the fixed claw
(24) and is partially covered by the top edge of the
pedal body (2) when the cleat (1) engages the pedal
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body (2) . During the engagement procedure, the
rectangular wedge protrusion (18) slides against the
top surface of the support member (25), and the flanges
(17) contact the inclined top side (3210) of the
5protrusions (321) so as to push the rear jaws (32)
rearward. The rear jaws (32) pivot about the shafts
(33) so as to permit the flanges (17) to move past the
protrusions (321). The springs (32) are compressed
whenever the rear jaws (32) are pushed rearward. When
10engaged, the rear jaws (32) revert to their original
positions, with the protrusions (321) retaining the
flanges (17) at a level below the same.
Removal of the cleat (1) from the pedal body (2) is
done by a lateral upward thrust with the heel of the
15foot. The screw (38) is operable so as to vary the
distance between the control plate (36) and the
transverse portion (3202) of the rear jaw (32), thereby
correspondingly varying the degree of compression of
the springs (34). Such variations can be used to adjust
20the amount of force which should be applied so as to
disengage the cleat (1) from the pedal body (2).
Referring to Figure 7, the cleat (1) is secured onto
the sole of a shoe (19) of a cyclist riding a bicycle
(4) which incorporates the bicycle pedal of the present
25invention. The rear jaws (32) are directly pivoted onto
the pedal body (2) so as to obviate the possibility of
any dislocation of the former when the preferred
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embodiment is in use.
While the present invention has been described in
connection with what is considered the most practical
and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this
invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment
but is intended to cover various arrangements included
within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such
modifications and equivalent arrangements.
