Abstract:
A fully powered motorcycle stand is disclosed that is attachable to a motorcycle undercarriage and is able to extend legs on either side of the motorcycle. The legs are extended by a leg extending mechanism, such as an electric motor or a hydraulic pump and piston. Legs can include tubular and/or solid bars, and can have feet attached to the leg bottom. The legs can be connected, such as by a crossbar, or if not connected, can be separately extendable to different lengths so as to support the motorcycle vertically on uneven terrain. A stand controller sends control commands to the leg extending mechanism. A safety mechanism can be included that prevents leg extension while the motorcycle is moving, and an anti-theft system can be included that prevents leg retraction without a key or passcode.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates generally to motorcycle stands, and in particular to powered motorcycle stands. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Motorcycles, mopeds, motorbikes, motor scooters, and the like (herein referred to generically as motorcycles) require stands (herein referred to as motorcycle stands) that can maintain them in a substantially vertical orientation when they are not in use. The most common types of motorcycle stands are manually operated. Manually operated stands that deploy on only one side of a motorcycle are easy to operate, but do not provide good stability, especially on uneven or soft ground. Also, these stands maintain the motorcycle in a somewhat tilted orientation, so that a rider must physically lift the motorcycle back to a vertical orientation before retracting the stand, which can be difficult when the motorcycle is large and/or heavy. 
         [0003]    Manually operated motorcycle stands that deploy on both sides of a motorcycle provide more stability than stands that deploy on only one side, but typically require even more physical effort to deploy, since a rider must use his or her foot to hold the legs of the stand against the ground while pulling the motorcycle up onto the stand. This can be awkward, difficult, or even impossible for some riders, since large and heavy motorcycles can weigh 800 pounds or more. 
         [0004]    One approach to solving this problem is to use a fully powered motorcycle stand, which eliminates the need for a rider to exert the effort required by a manual stand. However, most fully powered motorcycle stands can be deployed only on one side of a motorcycle and use only one leg, thereby providing less than optimal stability, especially on uneven terrain. Fully powered motorcycle stands that can be deployed on both sides of a motorcycle provide greater stability, but are typically complex and bulky, making them costly and difficult to adapt to many motorcycle designs, and causing them to significantly detract from the visual appearance of the motorcycle. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    A fully powered motorcycle stand is claimed that extends legs on either side of a motorcycle and is simple, compact, and attachable to the undercarriage of the motorcycle, thereby minimizing its impact on the visual appearance of the motorcycle. Depending on the embodiment, the motorcycle stand is attachable to the undercarriage in front of the motor of the motorcycle, or behind the motor of the motorcycle. The motorcycle stand can be attached as one unit, or it can consist of separate units, such as two separately attachable telescoping legs, both operated by a common control unit. The legs of the motorcycle stand are extendable by a leg extending mechanism, which can be an electric motor, a hydraulic pump and piston, and/or some other leg extending mechanism. A stand controller sends a command, for example through electronic circuitry, which causes the leg extending mechanism to extend or retract the legs. In some preferred embodiments the legs are connected by a crossbar, while in other preferred embodiments the legs can be separately extended so as to automatically adapt to uneven terrain. A safety mechanism can be included that prevents the legs from extending while the motorcycle is moving, and an anti-theft system can be included that prevents retraction of the stand without a key or a passcode. 
         [0006]    The invention is a powered motorcycle stand that includes at least two legs that are attachable to a motorcycle undercarriage, the legs being extendable to a right side and a left side of the motorcycle so as to support the motorcycle in a standing orientation. The stand includes a powered leg extending mechanism that is able to extend and retract the legs, and a stand controller that is able to control the powered leg extending mechanism. In preferred embodiments, the legs are attachable to the motorcycle by welding, fastening with brackets, fastening with bolts, and/or fastening with clamps. The legs can include tubular and/or solid steel bars, and can also include at least one connecting crossbar. In some preferred embodiments the legs are at least partly housed in a stand frame when retracted, and/or the legs are telescopically extendable. In other preferred embodiments, the invention further includes a plurality of feet, with one foot connected to the bottom of each leg. 
         [0007]    In some preferred embodiments, the powered leg extending mechanism includes an electric motor, for example a motor which is able to apply a rotational force to a driving gear. In preferred embodiments, at least one of the legs includes a toothed side and/or a toothed channel that the driving gear can engage with, so as to cause the leg to be extended or retracted when the electric motor applies a rotational force to the driving gear. In other preferred embodiments, the powered leg extending mechanism includes a hydraulic pump and piston. 
         [0008]    In certain preferred embodiments, the motorcycle stand is able to provide optimal stability when the motorcycle is located on uneven terrain by extending the legs to different lengths, such that the legs support the motorcycle in an upright position. In some of these embodiments, the motorcycle stand unit includes one or more sensors that detect the force of resistance against extended legs, and/or the lateral tilt of the motorcycle, and these sensors are used to control the unequal extension of the legs such that the motorcycle is maintained in a vertical orientation. 
         [0009]    In preferred embodiments, the motorcycle stand is designed such that the visibility of the stand is minimized when the legs are retracted. In some preferred embodiments, the stand controller includes a manually operable control affixed to a dashboard of the motorcycle. In further preferred embodiments, the motorcycle stand includes a locking mechanism that is able to lock the legs in place. In still other preferred embodiments, the stand controller includes an anti-theft system that is able to inhibit an unauthorized user from retracting the legs. Such an anti-theft system can require at least one of insertion of a key and entry of a code so as to initiate retracting of the legs. 
         [0010]    In some other preferred embodiments, the motorcycle stand controller includes an automatic safety system that automatically retracts the legs and/or automatically prevents extension of the legs when the motorcycle is in motion. The safety system can include a sensor that detects when at least one wheel of the motorcycle is rotating. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a motorcycle, showing a deployed stand in an embodiment where the stand is attached to the undercarriage of the motorcycle in front of the motor, and the legs are connected by a crossbar; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a motorcycle, showing a deployed stand in an embodiment where the stand is attached to the undercarriage of a motorcycle behind the motor, and the legs are connected by a crossbar; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3A  illustrates a retracted stand in a preferred embodiment in which straight, mechanically extendable legs are connected by a crossbar and, when fully retracted as shown, are housed within a vertically upright stand frame; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3B  illustrates the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 3A , with the legs having been fully extended by a single, mechanically driven gear; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4A  is an oblique side view of the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 3A ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4B  is an oblique side view of the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 3B ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5A  illustrates a retracted stand in a preferred embodiment in which curved, mechanically extendable legs are connected by a crossbar and are housed within a curved stand frame when fully retracted, as shown; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5B  illustrates the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 5A , with the legs having been fully extended by a single, mechanically driven gear; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a section of a leg of a stand in a preferred embodiment, wherein the leg includes a toothed side that is engaged with a gear rotated by a motor; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6B  illustrates a section of a leg of a stand in a preferred embodiment wherein the leg includes a toothed channel within a side, the toothed channel being engaged with a gear rotated by a motor; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a retracted stand in a preferred embodiment that includes straight, mechanically extendable legs that are connected by a crossbar, as well as foldable feet that are connected to the legs, the legs and feet being housed within a vertically upright stand frame when fully retracted, as shown; 
           [0022]      FIG. 7B  illustrates the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 7A , with the legs having been fully extended by two mechanically driven gears, each gear being engaged with a toothed channel within the outside of a leg; 
           [0023]      FIG. 8A  illustrates a retracted stand in a preferred embodiment in which straight, hydraulically extendable legs are housed within a vertically upright stand frame when fully retracted, as shown; 
           [0024]      FIG. 8B  illustrates the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 8A , with the legs fully extended; 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  is a rear view of a motorcycle, showing a preferred embodiment of the invention attached to the undercarriage of the motorcycle, behind the motor of the motorcycle, with independently extendable legs extended to unequal lengths so as to support the motorcycle in a vertically upright position on uneven terrain; 
           [0026]      FIG. 10A  illustrates a retracted stand in a preferred embodiment in which straight legs are independently extendable by a mechanical deployment mechanism, and are housed within a vertically upright stand frame when fully retracted as shown; 
           [0027]      FIG. 10B  illustrates the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 10A  with the legs having been independently extended by two mechanically driven gears; 
           [0028]      FIG. 11A  illustrates a retracted stand in a preferred embodiment in which curved legs are independently extendable by a mechanical deployment mechanism, and are housed within a curved stand frame when fully retracted, as shown; 
           [0029]      FIG. 11B  illustrates the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 11A , with the legs having been independently extended by two mechanically driven gears; 
           [0030]      FIG. 12  is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the invention in a preferred embodiment wherein a safety mechanism and an anti-theft system intercept commands sent from a stand control unit to a leg extending mechanism; and 
           [0031]      FIG. 13  is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the invention in a preferred embodiment wherein a stand control unit adjusts the extension of separately extendable stand legs based upon readings from a force sensor and a tilt sensor. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0032]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a motorcycle  100 , showing a motorcycle stand  102  of the present invention in a preferred embodiment where the motorcycle stand  102  is attached to the undercarriage of the motorcycle  100  in front of the motor of the motorcycle  100 . The motorcycle stand  102  includes a stand frame  104  and legs  106  that are mechanically extendable from the stand frame  104 , via a leg extending mechanism  107  which includes a motor and a gear. The legs  106  are connected by a crossbar  108 , and outward pointing feet  109  are connected to the bottom of the legs  108 . In the position shown, the stand  102  is able to lift the front wheel  110  of the motorcycle  100  off of the ground when its legs  106  are fully extended on level terrain. A remote control unit can electronically command the leg extending mechanism  107  to extend or retract the legs  106 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a motorcycle  100 , showing an embodiment of a motorcycle stand  102  similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , except that it is attached to the undercarriage of a motorcycle  100  behind the motor of the motorcycle  100 , instead of in front of the motor of the motorcycle  100 . As shown in the figure, the stand  102  is able to lift the back wheel  112  of the motorcycle  100  off the ground when its legs  106  are fully extended on level terrain. A remote control unit can electronically command the leg extending mechanism  107  to extend or retract the legs  106 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 3A  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the motorcycle stand in which straight, mechanically extendable legs  300  are connected by a crossbar  302  and are fully retracted and housed within a vertically upright stand frame  304 . The leg extending mechanism is a motor-driven gear  306  that is connected to a toothed side  308  of one of the legs  300  through a slot in the stand frame  304 .  FIG. 3B  illustrates the same embodiment with the legs  300  fully extended. A control unit  310  electronically sends a command to a motor  312 , and the motor  312  rotates the gear  306  so as to extend or retract the legs  300 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 4A  is an oblique side view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3A . The gear  310  is shown engaged with a toothed side  308  of the leg  300  through a slot in the stand frame  304 , and attached to the motor  312  such that the gear  310  can be mechanically driven by the motor  312 .  FIG. 4B  is an oblique side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 3B . As in  FIG. 3B , the legs  300  are shown fully extended from the stand frame  304 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 5A  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the motorcycle stand in which curved, mechanically extendable legs  500  are connected by a crossbar  502  and are fully retracted and housed within a curved stand frame  504 . This embodiment is suitable for installation on motorcycles that have an obstruction in the middle of the undercarriage. Although in this embodiment the stand frame is not installed in the middle of the undercarriage, the stand legs  500  extend in an arc so as to contact the ground symmetrically about the center of the motorcycle. As in  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B , a motor-driven gear  306  is shown as part of the leg extending mechanism. The gear  306  is engaged with a toothed side  308  of one of the legs  500  through a slot in the stand frame  504 , and the gear  306  is mechanically driven by a motor  312 . A control unit  310  electronically sends a command to the motor  312 , and the motor  312  rotates the gear  306  so as to extend or retract the legs  500 .  FIG. 5B  illustrates the same embodiment with the legs  500  fully extended from the stand frame  504 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a section of a leg  600  of a preferred embodiment, wherein the leg includes a toothed side  602  that can be engaged with a motor-driven gear  306  connected to a motor by a driveshaft  604 .  FIG. 6B  illustrates a section of a leg  606  of a preferred embodiment, wherein the leg includes a toothed channel  608  within a side, such that the gear  306  can be positioned within the channel  608  and engaged with the teeth. 
         [0038]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the motorcycle stand in which straight, mechanically extendable legs  300  are connected by a crossbar  302  and foldable feet  700  are connected to the legs  300 . The stand is illustrated as being fully retracted and housed within a vertically upright stand frame  702 . Two motor-driven gears  306  are shown as a leg extending mechanism. Separate gears  306  are engaged with each of the two legs  300  through slots in the stand frame  702 , and each of the gears  306  is mechanically driven by its own separate motor  312 . Each gear  306  is engaged with a toothed channel within a leg  300 . A control unit  310  electronically sends a command to the motors  312 , and the motors  312  rotate the gears  306  so as to extend or retract the legs  300 .  FIG. 7B  illustrates the embodiment of  FIG. 7A , with the legs  300  fully extended from the stand frame  702 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 8A  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the motorcycle stand in which straight, hydraulically extendable legs  800  connected by a crossbar  802  are fully retracted and housed within a vertically upright stand frame  804 . Each leg  800  functions as a separate piston rod  806 , joined at the top to a piston head  808 , and the pistons  806  are hydraulically driven by a single pump. In this embodiment the legs have circular feet  810  attached at their ends, instead of rectangular feet.  FIG. 8B  illustrates the embodiment of  FIG. 8A , with the legs  800  fully extended from the stand frame  804 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 9  is a rear view of a motorcycle  900 , showing a preferred embodiment of the motorcycle stand attached to the undercarriage of a motorcycle behind the motor of the motorcycle  900 . The stand has independently extendable legs  902 ,  903  shown as being extended to different lengths onto uneven terrain  904 , so as to support the motorcycle  900  in a vertically upright position. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the right leg  903  of the motorcycle stand is extended further than the left leg  902 , since the terrain  904  is sloped downward toward the right. A tilt sensor informs the motorcycle stand control unit as to whether the motorcycle  900  is tiled in a certain direction, and the control unit of the motorcycle stand compensates by commanding the leg extending mechanism to extend one leg  903  further than the other leg  902  until the motorcycle  900  is vertical. 
         [0041]      FIG. 10A  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the motorcycle stand with independently extendable, mechanically driven legs  1000 , shown in the figure as being fully retracted and housed within a vertically upright stand frame  1002 . The legs are oriented such that they diverge when they are extended, thereby providing extra stability. Two motor-driven gears  1004  are shown as a leg extending mechanism. A gear  1004  is engaged with a toothed channel within each of the two legs through slots in the stand frame  1002 , and the each of the gears  1004  is independently driven by a separate motor  1006 . A control unit  1008  electronically sends a command to the motors  1006 , and the motors  1004  rotate the gears  1004  so as to extend or retract the legs  1000 . As shown in this figure, the legs can have circular feet  1010  attached at their ends, instead of rectangular feet.  FIG. 10B  illustrates the embodiment of  FIG. 10A , with the legs  1000  independently extended from the stand frame  1002 . Sensors inform the control unit  1008  whether the stand is supporting the motorcycle in a vertically upright position. This embodiment can be used on uneven terrain, such as the terrain shown in  FIG. 9 . Alternatively, a preferred embodiment of the motorcycle stand can have straight, independently extendable legs where each leg is driven by a separate hydraulic pump instead of a motor. 
         [0042]      FIG. 11A  illustrates a preferred embodiment motorcycle stand with curved, independently extendable, mechanically driven legs  1100  shown as being fully retracted and housed within a curved stand frame  1102 . This embodiment is suitable for motorcycles that include a structural element that would otherwise interfere with installation of the stand frame  1102 . In this embodiment the stand legs  1100  extend in an arc, so as to support the middle of the motorcycle when touching the ground. One leg is less dramatically curved than the other, so that the legs diverge when they are extended, thereby providing extra stability. Two motor-driven gears  1004  are shown as a leg extending mechanism. A gear  1004  is connected to each of the two legs through slots in the stand frame  1102 , and the gears  1004  are independently driven by separate motors  1006 . The gears  1004  are engaged with toothed channels within each of the legs  1100 . A control unit  1008  electronically sends a command to the motors  1006 , and the motors  1004  rotate the gears  1004  so as to extend or retract the legs  1100 . As shown in this figure, the legs can have circular feet  1010  attached at their ends.  FIG. 11B  illustrates the embodiment of  FIG. 11A , with the legs  1100  independently extended from the stand frame  1102 . Sensors inform the control unit  1008  whether the motorcycle is in a vertically upright position. This embodiment can also be used on uneven terrain, such as the terrain shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 12  is a flow diagram that illustrates the usage of the invention in a preferred embodiment wherein a safety mechanism and an anti-theft system intercept commands sent from a stand control unit to a leg extending mechanism. The stand control unit sends a command for the leg extending mechanism to extend or retract the legs of the stand  1200 . If the command is for leg extension  1202 , the safety mechanism uses a sensor to determine if a motorcycle wheel is moving  1206 . If a wheel is moving, the command for leg extension is blocked  1212 , thereby preventing the legs from being extended while the motorcycle is in motion. In similar embodiments the safety mechanism automatically retracts the legs if a wheel is moving. If no wheel is moving, the command for leg extension is allowed  1210 , and the legs are extended and locked into position  1220 . If the command is for leg retraction  1204 , an anti-theft system detects whether a requisite key or passcode has been inserted  1208 . If the required key or passcode has not been inserted, the command for leg retraction is blocked  1217 , so that the legs cannot be retracted by someone who is not authorized to use the motorcycle. If the requisite key or passcode has been inserted, the command for leg retraction is allowed  1215 , and the legs are retracted and locked into position  1222 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 13  is a flow diagram that illustrates usage of the invention in a preferred embodiment where a stand control unit adjusts individually extendable legs based upon the readings of a force sensor and a tilt sensor. The stand control unit sends a command for a leg extending mechanism to extend the legs of the stand  1300 . The force sensor detects when force is applied to the ground by each of the legs  1302 , indicating that the legs are touching the ground and supporting some of the weight of the motorcycle. Next, a tilt sensor is activated  1304 , which detects whether the motorcycle is tilted  1306 . If so, the control unit reads the direction of tilt  1308 , and adjusts its commands accordingly. If the motorcycle is tilted to the left  1310 , the control unit directs the leg extending mechanism to extend the left leg so as to raise the left side of the motorcycle until the motorcycle is no longer tilted  1314 . Likewise, if the motorcycle is tilted to the right  1312 , the control unit directs the leg extending mechanism to extend the right leg so as to raise the right side of the motorcycle until the motorcycle is no longer tilted  1316 . 
         [0045]    Other modifications and implementations will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as claimed. Accordingly, the above description is not intended to limit the invention except as indicated in the following claims.