Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IMPROVEMENTS IN, OR RELATED TO, BICYCLE CARRIERS
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to bicycle carriers.
In particular, though not solely, the present invention is directed to a
bicycle rack that can
carry a bicycle in an upright or laid-over position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The modern bicycle in its many forms can be difficult to carry.
An advantage of carrying bicycles on the rear of a vehicle, for example by
using a load
carrier mounted to a towbar or hitch, is ease of loading and unloading.
However, when
loaded onto the back of a vehicle, it can leave the bicycle vulnerable in a
collision from the
rear. Also as it is at road level it is easier for people to tamper with the
bicycle or steal it.
A further disadvantage of loading on the back of a vehicle is the bikes are in
the
aerodynamic wake of the vehicle, therefore they will collect dust and road
grime from the
vehicle and road. A further disadvantage is that access to the boot area of
the vehicle is
prevented or compromised, unless the additional complexity, and cost of a
tilting rear
carrier is added.
An advantage of carrying bicycles on the roof of a vehicle, for example by
using a load
carrier mounted from the root is the security from tampering, or from an
accident, as the
bicycle is up high. However, this mode of carrying has the disadvantage of
making the
vehicle higher than normal such that is cannot fit into most carparks or
garages. A further
disadvantage is potential damage to the bicycle should the driver forget the
bicycle is
mounted to the roof and then drives into a garage or carpark. This can damage
both the
bicycle and the car, and possibly the garage or carpark building. A further
disadvantage is
the increased aerodynamic resistance of the upright bicycle, which will
increase fuel
consumption.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications,
other
external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the
purpose of
providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless
specifically stated
otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an
admission
that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are
prior art, or
form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
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It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved bicycle
carrying rack, or to
overcome the above shortcomings or address the above desiderata, or to at
least provide
the public with a useful choice.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In a first aspect the present invention may be said to broadly consist in a
bicycle carrying
rack adapted for mounting to, or from, a vehicle, comprising or including,
A first mounting portion to connect to a load carrier of the vehicle,
A fork mounting portion including a fork receiving portion, the fork mounting
portion
rotationally mounted about a first axis from the first mounting portion, the
fork receiving
portion to receive and lock to a fork of the bicycle, wherein the fork
mounting portion has,
a first position adapted to locate the bicycle when mounted thereto, in a
substantially vertical position, with the fork aligned in a substantially
straight ahead
position relative a major plane of the bicycle, and
a second position adapted to locate the bicycle when mounted thereto, in
or toward a horizontal position, with the fork aligned at an angle turned away
from
the substantially straight ahead position,
a crank member rotatably mounted on the fork mounting portion,
a first cranking connector connected between the load carrier and
connected eccentrically to the crank member at a first eccentric location,
a second cranking connector connected between the crank member at a
second eccentric location and the fork receiving portion at a third eccentric
location, during which movement from the first position to the second position
the
fork receiving portion rotates about a second axis, driven by the crank
member,
first cranking connector and second cranking connector, to rotate the fork
away
from the substantially straight ahead position, and vice versa when rotated
from
the second position to the first position, and
at least one lock to lock the bicycle at least in the first position,
such that a bicycle can be carried in either said first position or said
second position.
Preferably the first axis lies in or is parallel to the major plane.
Preferably the first cranking connector and second cranking connector are
substantially
rigid.
Preferably the crank member is a bell crank.
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Preferably the first cranking connector and second cranking connector are
arranged such
that they do not interfere with each other when moving from the first position
to the second
position.
Preferably the first eccentric location is at a different height to the second
eccentric
location to prevent the interference.
Alternatively the first cranking connector and second cranking connector are
shaped to
prevent the interference.
Preferably the fork receiving portion rotates about a third axis substantially
perpendicular
to the first axis.
Preferably there is a rear wheel mounting portion to receive and lock a rear
wheel of the
bicycle.
Preferably the rear wheel mounting portion is rotationally mounted about the
first axis from
a second mounting portion connected to the load carrier of the vehicle.
Preferably the rear wheel mounting portion is connected to the fork mounting
portion by
an elongate connecting member.
Preferably the rotation about the first axis is a concentric or nonconcentric
rotation.
Preferably the first mounting portion and second mounting portions are
connected to the
respective fork mounting portion and rear wheel mounting portion by a unequal
length
parallelogram hinge to rotate non-concentrically about the first axis.
Preferably the unequal length parallelogram hinge lies substantially flat in
the first position.
Preferably the unequal length parallelogram hinge lies upright in the second
position, and
due to the unequal length rotates the fork mounting portion and rear wheel
mounting
portion non-concentrically about the first axis in to the substantially
horizontal position.
Preferably the elongate connecting member is substantially channel shaped.
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Preferably the fork is held via a wheel axle receiving portion of the fork,
for example the
dropouts of the fork, or similar.
Preferably the movement from the first position to the second position is
controlled by an
energy dissipation device.
Preferably the energy dissipation device is a gas or hydraulic strut.
Preferably the fork receiving portion rotates back to the straight ahead
position under the
weight of the fork and handle bars of the bicycle.
Preferably the second axis is parallel to, or in, the major plane of the
bicycle and not
parallel to the first axis.
In another aspect the present invention may be said to broadly consist in a
bicycle
carrying rack, adapted for mounting to or from a vehicle, comprising or
including,
A fork mounting portion, adapted to mount to or from a vehicle load carrier
and
adapted to connect to and hold a fork of a bicycle via a fork receiving
portion,
a crank member rotatably mounted on the fork mounting portion,
a first cranking connector connected between the load carrier and connected
eccentrically to the crank member at a first eccentric location,
a second cranking connector connected between the crank member at a second
eccentric location and the fork receiving portion at a third eccentric
location,
Wherein the fork mounting portion allows the bicycle to be held in a first
position
with the bicycle substantially vertical, and a second position with the
bicycle in or toward a
horizontal position,
And wherein the fork receiving portion, driven by the crank member, first
cranking
connector and second cranking connector, can rotate the fork of the bicycle
away from a
straight-ahead position when in the first position, as it moves to the second
position.
Preferably the first cranking connector and second cranking connector are
substantially
rigid.
Preferably the crank member is a bell crank.
Preferably the first cranking connector and second cranking connector are
arranged such
that they do not interfere with each other when moving from the first position
to the second
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position.
Preferably the first eccentric location is at a different height to the second
eccentric
location to prevent the interference.
5
Alternatively the first cranking connector and second cranking connector are
shaped to
prevent the interference.
Preferably movement from the first position to the second position is a
rotational
movement about a first axis.
Preferably the first axis is parallel to, or in, a major plane of the bicycle.
Preferably the fork receiving portion rotates about a second axis as it
rotates the fork.
Preferably the second axis is parallel to, or in, the major plane of the
bicycle.
Preferably the second axis is not parallel to the first axis.
Preferably the fork receiving portion can be oriented to have the second axis
match a
steering axis of the fork.
Alternatively the connection to hold the fork allows relative rotation of the
fork to the fork
receiving portion.
Preferably there is a first mounting portion connected between the vehicle
load carrier and
the fork mounting portion.
Preferably the fork mounting portion is rotationally connected to the first
mounting portion
to allow rotation about the first axis.
Preferably the fork receiving portion is rotationally connected about the
second axis to the
fork mounting portion.
Preferably there is a rear wheel receiving portion adapted to mount to or from
the vehicle
load carrier and adapted to connect to and hold a rear wheel of the bicycle,
the rear wheel
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receiving portion able to move with the fork mounting portion between the
first position
and the second position.
Preferably the rear wheel receiving portion is connected to the vehicle load
carrier via a
second mounting portion.
Preferably the rear wheel receiving portion is rotationally connected about
the first axis to
the second mounting portion.
Preferably the rotation of the rear wheel receiving portion about the first
axis is a
concentric or nonconcentric rotation.
Preferably the first mounting portion and second mounting portions are
connected to the
respective fork mounting portion and rear wheel mounting portion by an unequal
length
parallelogram hinge to rotate non-concentrically about the first axis.
Preferably the unequal length parallelogram hinge lies substantially flat in
the first position.
Preferably the unequal length parallelogram hinge lies upright in the second
position, and
due to the unequal length rotates the fork mounting portion and rear wheel
mounting
portion non-concentrically about the first axis in to the substantially
horizontal position.
Preferably the fork receiving portion is operationally connected to the rear
wheel receiving
portion.
Preferably the operational connection is via the fork mounting portion.
Preferably the operation connection is via an elongate member between the rear
wheel
receiving portion and the fork mounting portion.
Preferably there is a bracket to connect a rear wheel dropout of the bicycle
to the rear
wheel receiving portion in the absence of the rear wheel.
In a further aspect the present invention may be said to broadly consist in a
method of
mounting a bicycle to a vehicle load carrier on, or for, a vehicle, comprising
or including
the steps of,
Connecting a fork of the bicycle to a fork receiving portion of a fork
mounting
portion, which in turn is pivotally connected to the vehicle load carrier,
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Connecting a rear wheel, or rear portion of the bicycle to a rear wheel
mounting
portion that is also pivotally connected to the vehicle load carrier, such
that the bicycle is
carried in a substantially upright position with the fork in a substantially
straight-ahead
position,
Having a crank member rotatably mounted on the first mounting portion,
having a first cranking connector connected between the load carrier and
connected eccentrically to the crank member at a first eccentric location,
having a second cranking connector connected between the crank member at a
second eccentric location and the fork mounting portion at a third eccentric
location,
Wherein the fork receiving portion is adapted to rotate the fork, driven by
the crank
member, first cranking connector and second cranking connector, relative to
the fork
mounting portion about a first axis at least when the fork mounting portion
pivots relative
to the vehicle load carrier about a second axis, such that a bicycle may be
carried in or
toward a substantially horizontal position when the rotation of the fork is
away from the
straight-ahead position, .
Preferably the rotation of the fork away from the straight ahead position is
substantially 90
degrees when in the substantially horizontal position.
Preferably the rotation of the fork away from the straight ahead position
rotates a handle
bar of the bicycle out of the way such that the bicycle can lie horizontally
with the handle
bars out of the way.
In another aspect the present invention may be said to broadly consist in a
bicycle
carrying rack as described herein with reference to any one or more of the
accompanying drawings.
In another aspect the present invention may be said to broadly consist in a
method of
mounting as described herein with reference to any one or more of the
accompanying
drawings.
In another aspect the present invention may be said to broadly consist in
method of use
of a bicycle carrying rack as described herein with reference to any one or
more of the
accompanying drawings.
In another aspect the present invention may be said to broadly consist in
vehicle with a
bicycle carrying rack as described herein with reference to any one or more of
the
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accompanying drawings.
As used herein the term 'and/or_ means 'and_ or 'or, or both.
As used herein Is)_following a noun means the plural and/or singular forms of
the noun.
The term 'comprising_ as used in this specification means 'consisting at least
in part of..
When interpreting statements in this specification which include that term,
the features,
prefaced by that term in each statement, all need to be present but other
features can
also be present. Related terms such as 'comprise_ and 'comprised_ are to be
interpreted
in the same manner.
It is intended that reference to a range of numbers disclosed herein (for
example, 1 to 10)
also incorporates reference to all rational numbers within that range (for
example, 1, 1.1,
2, 3, 3.9, 4, 5, 6, 6.5, 7, 8, 9 and 10) and also any range of rational
numbers within that
range (for example, 2 to 8, 1.5 to 5.5 and 3.1 to 4.7).
The entire disclosures of all applications, patents and publications, cited
above and below,
if any, are hereby incorporated by reference.
This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and
features
referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually
or collectively,
and any or all combinations of any two or more of said parts, elements and
features, and
where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in
the art to
which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be
incorporated
herein as if individually set forth.
Other aspects of the invention may become apparent from the following
description which
is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described with reference
to the
accompanying drawings in which;
Figure 1 Shows an
isometric view of a preferred form of the bicycle rack, locked in a
first position to hold the bicycle upright,
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Figure 2 Shows a similar view to Figure 1, but unlocked and inclined at
about 45
degrees, the fork receiving portion rotated part way also,
Figure 3 Shows a similar view to Figure 1, but with the bicycle rack
rotated through
substantially 90 degrees to a second position to hold a bicycle, if mounted
thereto, substantially horizontal (or close to),
Figure 4 Shows a rear plan isometric view of the bicycle rack in a
preferred form at
4A in the first position to hold the bicycle vertically, 4B half way between
the
first and second position, and 4C in the second position to hold the bicycle
substantially horizontally,
Figure 5 5 hows a plan view of a preferred form of the bicycle rack,
locked in the first
position to hold the bicycle upright,
Figure 6 Shows a front view of a preferred form of the bicycle rack,
locked in the first
position to hold the bicycle upright,
Figure 7 Shows an isometric view of a preferred form of the bicycle
rack, in the
second position to hold the bicycle in a substantially horizontal position,
with handle bars and fork rotated,
Figure 8 Shows a front view of the bicycle rack as would be seen for
example
looking front on to a vehicle, showing at 8A the bicycle rack in the first
position with a bicycle mounted in a first position, preferably vertically,
from
a load carrier on the roof of a vehicle, 8B the bicycle rack shown partway
between the first position and the second position, and 8C the bicycle rack
and bicycle in the second position, which in the preferred form is a
substantially horizontal position,
Figure 9 Shows in isometric view a variation of the embodiment in
Figures 5 through
7 where the eccentricity locations have been varied,
Figure 10 Shows a further isometric view of the variation in Figure 9,
Figure 11 Shows an exploded view of the embodiment in Figures 9 and 10,
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Figure 12 5 hows in a series of isometric views (a) through (e) an
isometric view of the
unequal length parallelogram in lie flat position and moving to an upright
position, that connects between the first mounting portion and section
mounting portion and the fork mounting portion and rear wheel mounting
5 portion,
Figure 13 Shows in a similar series of isometric views (a) through (g) a
single unequal
length parallelogram,
10 Figure 14 Shows the unequal length parallelogram in front on view
moving in a series
(a) to (f) from the lie flat position to the upright position,
Figure 15 Shows a further embodiment of the present invention in a plan
isometric
view,
Figure 16 Shows an underside of the fork receiving portion and the fork
mounting
portion in the straight ahead position, showing a locking mechanism
between the two, and
Figure 17 5 hows a similar view to that of Figure 14, but with the fork
receiving portion
rotated and the locking mechanism unlocked.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to Figures 1
through 17.
A bicycle carrying rack 1 is shown for mounting to a load carrier 3 of a
vehicle 4 to hold a
bicycle 23 in either an upright (first position) or laid over (second)
position as shown in
Figures 1 through 16.
The bicycle carrying rack 1 consists of a first mounting portion 2 which
connects to the
load carrier 3 of a vehicle 4 in a known way. For example the load carrier 3
may be the
cross members (shown in Figure 8A) of a roof rack or similar of a vehicle. The
first
mounting portion 2 has a connection or connections to allow it to mount to the
load carrier.
Pivotally mounted from the first mounting portion 2 is the fork mounting
portion 5. As
shown, for example in Figure 5, a hinge 25 is present to pivotally connect the
fork
mounting portion 5 to the first mounting portion 2. The hinge 25 allows the
fork mounting
portion 5 to pivot from the first position 8 shown in Figure 5 through to the
second position
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12 shown in Figure 7 (and the midway position as shown in Figure 6) about the
first axis
6.
Rotationally mounted from fork mounting portion 5 is the fork receiving
portion 7. The fork
receiving portion 7 can rotate relative the fork mounting portion 5 about the
second axis
11 as shown in Figures 5 through 7. The fork receiving portion may have
differing lengths
available or be adjustable between where it attaches to the fork and where it
rotates about
the second axis 11, to allow for varying fork offsets.
The rotation of the fork receiving portion 7 relative to the fork mounting
portion in the
preferred form is controlled at least as it moves from the first position
(Figure 5) to the
second position (Figure 7), and any position there-between by a motion control
apparatus
21. The preferred form is shown in detail in Figures 5 through 7 and consists
of a crank
member 43 mounted on the fork mounting portion 5, or similar moving portion,
for
example the elongate connecting member 18, via a rotatable mount 44. In the
preferred
form the crank member 43 is a bell crank as shown. The rotatable mount is
ideally a low
friction one, and may use roller bearings, low friction materials or similar.
In the preferred
embodiment the rotatable mount rotates about an axis parallel to the second
axis 11, at
least when at or near the first position 8. A first cranking connector 45
pivotally connects
at one end to the load carrier 3, or similar stationary component, for example
the first
mounting portion 2 or similar. The other end connects to a first eccentric
location 46 on
the crank member 43. A second cranking connector 47 has a first end that
connects
between a second eccentric location 48 on the crank member 43 and a second end
that
connects to a third eccentric location 49 on the fork receiving portion.
The effect when the fork mounting portion 5 and fork receiving portion 7
rotate from the
first position 8 to the second position 12 is the first cranking connector 45
drives the crank
member 43 to rotate. This in turn drives the second cranking connector 47
which in turn
drives the fork receiving portion 7. Thus, when moving from the first position
8 to the
second position 12 the fork receiving portion 7 is rotated.
A further variation of the bicycle carrying rack 1 is shown in Figures 9
through 11. The
rack 1 uses a crank member 43 pivoted on a rotatable mount 44. However the
variation
shown here varies in that the rotatable mount 44 runs through an edge point of
the crank
member 43 when compared to the embodiment shown in Figures 5 through 7. Its
function
however, is the same as that shown in Figures 5 through 7.
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The first cranking connector 45 connects between the first mounting portion 2,
or similarly
stationary components, and a first eccentric location 46 on the crank member
43. A
second cranking connector 47 connects between the second eccentric location 48
on the
crank member 43 and the third eccentric location 49 on the fork receiving
portion 7. The
effect being a rotation of the fork receiving portion 7 when the rack 1 moves
from the first
position 8 to the second position 12 as earlier described, and vice versa.
Shown in Figure 6 is an energy dissipation device 20. This may be gas,
hydraulic or other
device that damps motion and may also have a biasing component to it (for
example a
compressed gas or spring). In Figures 1 through 4 the device 20 acts below the
first axis
6, and in Figures 5 through 8 through it acts above the first axis 6. In one
form as shown
in Figures 1 through 4 the device has a mount 28A separate from the first
mounting
portion 2. However in Figure 8 it is shown having a mount 28B integrated with
the first
mounting portion 2. In the preferred form the energy dissipation device 20
urges the fork
mounting portion 2 to or towards the first position to resist the natural
weight of the bicycle
23, and damps motion in both directions, but preferably when moving from the
first
position to the second position. This helps control lying the bicycle 23 to or
towards the
second position so it moves gradually, and helps counteract the weight of the
bicycle 23
when moving back to the first position.
Present also is a lock 13, as shown in Figure 3. The lock retains the fork
mounting portion
5 (and bicycle 23 if mounted) in the first position. When unlocked it allows
the carrier to
move from the first position to the second position. In the preferred form the
lock 13 acts
between the first mounting portion 2 and the fork mounting portion 5, though
any way to
lock rotation is acceptable. In one form the lock 13 consists of slot in the
fork mounting
portion 5 which receives a complimentary lock bolt from the first mounting
portion 2 which
pivots into the slot to lock, and out of the slot to unlock.
When tightened down the lock 13 holds the fork mounting portion 5 to the first
mounting
portion 2 so the two cannot move relative each other. Should a user desire to
move to the
second position the lock bolt 30 for example is undone and can then pivot out
of the slot
29 to allow movement to or toward the second position. The lock is preferably
at least
resilient enough to hold the carrier in the first position when a bicycle 23
is mounted there
on and carried by the vehicle.
The fork 9 of the bicycle 23 is held by the fork receiving portion 7. In the
preferred form
this is a clamping of the dropouts of the fork 9 by the wheel axle passing
through a wheel
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axle receiving portion 42 on the fork receiving portion. The drop out may be a
standard
quick release (9 or 10nnnn in diameter), or may be a through axle such as
10nnnn, 12nnnn,
15nnnn or 20nnnn as is known in the bicycle art.
The connection between the fork 9 and the fork receiving portion 7 in the
preferred form is
one that allows relative rotation between the two. This is because the axis of
the headset
of the bicycle is not co-linear with the second axis 11. Therefore there needs
to be
relative rotation between the fork 9 and fork receiving portion 7 to account
for this
misalignment when moving from the first position 8 to the second position 12
as shown in
Figures 8A, 8B and 8C. Alternatively the angle of the second axis 11 may be
adjustable
to account for this to ensure it is aligned to the axis of the bicycle
headset.
In one configuration the fork receiving portion 7 may be mounted directly to
the first mount
portion via a multi-axis hinge, for example a ball and socket joint This
allows rotation
about the first axis 6 and second axis 11 and a third axis (perpendicular to
the first axis) to
account for misalignment of the second axis 11 and the headset axis. The fork
mounting
portion 5 may still be present if needed in this configuration.
Normally such bicycle carriers also require a further mount to lock the
bicycle carrier to the
load carrier, for example a pair of roof bars on a vehicle, where the first
mounting portion
connects to one roof bar of the load carrier 3A and a second mounting portion
17
connects to a second roof bar of the load carrier 3B as shown in Figure 1. To
this end the
second mounting portion 17 is also pivotally connected to a rear wheel
receiving portion
15 of the rack 1. Again this mounting allows pivoting about the first axis 6
via hinge 25B a
as shown in Figures 1 through 3. As shown this hinge 25B may simply be a
machining
out of an extrusion that forms the rear wheel mounting portion 15 and elongate
connecting
member 18 (described below). Likewise with the first mounting portion 2 there
may be an
energy dissipation device 20 to also control the rear wheel area - for example
if the rear
wheel receiving portion is not connected to the fork mounting portion 5, or
the bicycle to
be carried is heavy, for example an enduro style bike, ore-bike, or a downhill
bike.
Alternatively the energy dissipation device 20 may be located on the rear
only.
In a preferred form the hinges 25A and 25B are elevated hinges as shown in
Figures 1, 9
and 12. The reason for this is to provide greater clearance for the pedals of
the bicycle 23
when it is in the second position, so the pedals do not contact the roof of
the vehicle 4.
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The rear wheel receiving portion 15 in the preferred form receives and mounts
the rear
wheel 31 of the bicycle as shown in Figures 8A and 8B. However, in other forms
it may
also connect using a bracket or similar to the rear drop outs of the bicycle
if needed. In
the preferred form the rear wheel receiving portion 15 is channel shaped to
accept the
rear wheel 31. The rear wheel may be held there using known techniques, such
as a
strap. In the preferred form the rear wheel receiving portion 15 has an
elongate
connecting member 18 to connect it to the fork mounting portion 5, such as
shown in
Figures 5 through 7. The rear wheel receiving portion 15 is also mounted by a
hinge 25
mounted to a second mounting portion 17, similar to how the fork mounting
portion is to
the first mounting portion 2. In this way the rotation movement of the rear
wheel receiving
portion 15 is controlled to move with the fork mounting portion 5 when moving
to and from
the first and second positions. This also allows for easy installation and
removal and
storage of the rack as all the main parts are held together.
A variation of the hinge 25 for the between the first mounting portion 2 and
the fork
mounting portion 5, and the second mounting portion 27 and the rear wheel
receiving
portion 15 is shown in Figures 12 through 14. In this case the hinge 25 is an
unequal
length parallelogram 35. The unequal length parallelogram 35 in the preferred
form
consists of a base 36 which mounts to the vehicle load carrier, a top 37 which
mounts to
the fork mounting portion or rear wheel receiving portion, and a short arm 38
and a long
arm 39.
In the first position as shown in Figures 12a through 14a the unequal length
parallelogram
35 lies substantially flat and as shown largely contained within the base 36,
and the
bicycle in this orientation would be vertically oriented.
The unequal length parallelogram 35 can them move from the first position in
12a through
14a, the second position shown in 12e, 13g, and 14f in which it is upright In
this position
the top 37 is now extended and importantly is now at substantially at a right
angle to the
base 36. In this second position the bicycle will have been rotated through 90
degrees
and is now lying in a substantially horizontal position.
In this way the earlier described hinge 25 can be considered a concentric
hinge about the
first axis 6, and the unequal length parallelogram, whilst also rotating about
the first axis 6
does so in a non-concentric manner.
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Again like the single axis hinge earlier described fork receiving portion is
actuated to
rotate the forks from straight ahead in the first position, to approximately
90 degrees in the
second position.
5 In use the user mounts the rack 1 in known ways to a load carrier. If
necessary to
accommodate the bicycle the user may add spacers (not shown) between the rack
1 and
the load carrier 3. This may allow for location of a bicycle 23 in the second
position 12
without obstructing various components, for example if the pedals of the bike
would
otherwise strike the roof of the vehicle, then spacers are added to remove or
reduce the
10 chance of striking - alternatively as earlier described the hinges 25A
and 25B may allow
for this by having an increased height at least when in the second position,
such as the
unequal length hinge described..
The rack may be configurable to account for the many different load carrier
mounting
15 systems presently and in future, that may be available. The mount or
mounts 28A, for the
energy dissipation device(s), if separate, are mounted also, in the known
ways. The rack
1 is locked in the first position.
A user then removes the front wheel of the bicycle 23 and lifts it onto the
rack 1. Then in
whichever order they prefer they can connect the rear wheel to the rear wheel
receiving
portion 15 and the fork 9 to the fork receiving portion 7, or vice versa. Once
locked to each
portion the user can then elect to carry the bicycle in the first position 8,
substantially
vertically, or may lie the bicycle down in or toward the second position 12.
It should be understood that not all bicycles may adapt to being carried
horizontally, they
may get near that plane, but not fully lie in that plane for several reasons.
For example
they may be too bulky and may have parts that interfere with a component of
the load
carrier or vehicle, for example a pedal may hit the roof. Other bicycles may
not allow full
rotation of the fork, for example a downhill bike that has dual triple clamps
for the fork,
such that the stanchions of the fork hit the frame of the bicycle when
rotated.
If they choose to carry in the first position then they are done with loading
the bicycle.
If they choose to lay the bicycle at or toward the second position 12 then
they simply
disengage the lock 13, and allow the bicycle to move in a controlled fashion
to the second
position 12 - if present then unlocking of the lock bolt 40 (described below)
will also be
required. This may be done as two separate actions, but it is envisaged the
two could be
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undone with one mechanism. As they lie the bicycle over toward the second
position the
fork receiving portion rotates the fork proportionally. In this way any
handlebar 32 of the
bicycle 23 is rotated to its least cumbersome position, see Figures 8A to 8B.
When at the desired position the user may lock the bicycle in that position.
Again either
using a lock that may hold it at whatever angle is desired, or they may strap
a part of the
bicycle to one or both of the load carrier roof bars 3A or 3B. For example
with a road bike
they could strap the seat to the bar 3B, or other support (not shown) from the
load carrier
3.
Another form of lock bolt 40 for the bicycle carrying rack 1 is shown in
Figures 15 through
18, where like numbers indicate like features from earlier embodiments. In
this
embodiment the lock bolt 40 locks the relative rotation of the fork receiving
portion 7 to the
fork mounting portion 5. As seen in Figure 15, and more closely in Figure 16
the lock bolt
40 holds the two in the first position.
The lock bolt 40 in its most simple form is sprung loaded to engage a
complimentary
recess in the form mounting portion 5. A user may use their hands to disengage
the lock
bolt 40 from the complimentary recess 41 so the two are free to rotate to or
towards the
second position as shown in Figure 17. In the embodiment shown there is no
complimentary recess for the lock bolt 40 when in the second position.
However, in other
embodiments there may be to allow further locking in the second position.
The lock bolt 40 may work independently or in conjunction with the lock 13
earlier
described.
In other embodiments the lock bolt 40 may be activated or release by a key,
lever or
similar release mechanism which may be more easily accessed.
The bicycle is now in, or towards position two where it offers the least wind
resistance and
more importantly its lowest position to allow access to a garage, carpark or
other low
overhead location.
To remove the bike, the user undoes the lock of the bicycle in the second
position and
returns it to the first position, and then reverses the process of securing it
to the carrier 1.
They can then mount the front wheel and they are completed.
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The foregoing description of the invention includes preferred forms thereof.
Modifications
may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.
