Patent ID: 8240692
Filing Date: 2012-08-14
Classification: B62H,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A wheel-locking suspension fork assembly for a bicycle which has a wheel axle extending in an axial direction, comprising: first and second cylinder members spaced apart from each other in the axial direction, and each elongated downwardly to terminate at a front claw that is adapted to be mounted on the wheel axle; a crosspiece extending to bridge upper ends of said first and second cylinder members, and disposed above a wheel that is mounted on the wheel axle; a coupling joint disposed on said first cylinder member adjacent to said upper end, and having a tubular chamber which extends therethrough along a locking axis and which has lock-receiving and rod-receiving subchambers, said coupling joint being turnable about a joint axis that is transverse to the locking axis between a first position, where the locking axis is in an upright direction, and a second position, where the locking axis is oriented in the axial direction; a latch rod disposed in and extending outwardly of said rod-receiving subchamber to terminate at a tubular end; a spring-loaded retaining member disposed in said tubular end to be urged by a biasing action of a spring outwardly of said tubular end toward a retaining state; a first catch unit disposed on said first cylinder member distal from said upper end, and having a first concavity which is configured such that, when said coupling joint is swept to the first position, said spring-loaded retaining member is urged to slip into and retained in said first concavity in the retaining state; a second catch unit disposed on said second cylinder member, and having a second concavity which is configured such that, when said coupling joint is swept to the second position, said spring-loaded retaining member is urged to slip into and retained in said second concavity in the retaining state, thereby positioning said latch rod between spokes to lock the wheel; and a key-operated lock which is disposed in said lock-receiving subchamber, and displaceable from a locking position, where said tubular end of said latch rod is retained in said second concavity so as to lock said coupling joint at the second position, and an unlocking position, where said coupling joint is permitted to turn between the first and second positions.