LOCKING ATTACHMENT FOR ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT BICYCLE TYPE SADDLE ASSEMBLY

Abstract: A locking attachment for an adjustable height bicycle type saddle assembly having a seat post telescopically adjustable in an upstanding tubular seat mast. The tubular wall of the seat mast has a pair of diametrically opposed apertures one of which is internally screw threaded. A plurality of holes are spaced apart along the seat post and are selectively registrable with the apertures at different adjusted heights of the saddle assembly. A separable, unitary locking member comprises a forwardly extending lock pin, an externally screw-threaded collar with a forwardly facing shoulder, and a manually rotatable knob. In the locked position, the lock pin extends through a selected seat post hole into the seat mast aperture opposite the threaded aperture, the screw-threaded collar threadedly engages the screw-threaded aperture, the shoulder frictionally engages the outside of the seat post wall, and the knob provides an external handle for rotating the locking member to and from its locked position.

Description: The invention concerns bicycle type saddle assemblies of the kind used on bicycles and bicycle type exercisers. .Typically these have a seat on a post telescopically slidable in an upstanding tubular seat mast to adjust the seat height. The conventional saddle assembly is held at a selected height by a clamp which squeezes a split upper portion of the seat mast into frictional, gripping engagement with the seat post. The clamp is not positively locking; it depends solely on friction to hold the saddle assembly. Considerable manual effort and special tools are often required to tighten it safely. A serious drawback of this conventional clamp is the difficulty of tightening the clamp so the mast will be held firmly. To enable adequate tightening, some clamps require wrenches; others have long, permanently attached handles. None are completely satisfactory. Wrenches are often misplaced. The long handles require substantial room to swing. Even with these, many people cannot or do not tighten them sufficiently. Accordingly the present invention provides a locking attachment for an adjustable height bicycle type saddle assembly which can be locked and released without tools with little effort, and which holds safely and positively even if not tightened completely. In particular, the invention provides a locking attachment for an adjustable height saddle assembly on a bicycle type exerciser and the like, having a seat post telescopically slidable in an upstanding tubular seat mast, said attachment comprising: threaded aperture means in the wall of the tubular seat mast; a plurality of holes spaced apart along the length of the post and selectively registrable with the aperture means at different adjusted heights of the saddle assembly; a locking member including a lock pin engageable with a corresponding one of the holes when a selected one of them is registered with the aperture means, an external screw-threaded portion threadedly engageable with the threaded aperture means, a shoulder engageable with the outside of the seat post to eliminate free play between seat post and seat mast, to limit inward movement of the pin into the hole, and to frictionally hold the locking member in locked position, and a manually rotatable knob. In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view of a bicycle type exerciser illustrating one form of the present invention; and Figure 2 is an upright, sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along line 2-2. Referring now more particularly to the specific embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, a bicycle type exerciser (not shown) has a saddle assembly. 22 including a seat 24 on a seat post 26 telescopically slidable in an upstanding tubular seat mast 28 The saddle assembly is adjustable to a selected height by a locking attachment generally designated 30 which will now be described. A unitary, separable locking member generally designated 32 comprises a forwardly extending lock pin 34, a collar 36 with external screw threads 38, a forward shoulder 42, and a manually rotatable knob 44. The seat mast 28 has a pair of diametrically opposed apertures 46 and 48 in an upper, thickened reinforcing collar 50. Aperture 46 has internal screw threads 52 engageable with external screw threads 38. Aperture 48 is unthreaded in this embodiment. The seat post 26 has a plurality of holes 54 spaced apart along the length of the post. In the present case where the seat post is tubular, the holes 54, 54 are arranged in pairs, diametrically spaced. Alternatively, if the seat post is a solid rod (not shown), they would be single through-holes. For a proper fit to minimize excessive play, the diameters of holes 54 and aperture 48 should be only slightly larger than the diameter of lock pin 34. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, the pin 34 should be sufficiently long to engage both hold pairs 54, 54 and the aperture 48. The forward face 42 of collar 36 engages the seat post 26 and presses it against the far inner surface of the seat mast 28 as shown in Fig. 2. This eliminates free play between the seat post and seat mast, limits forward# movement of the locking member, and holds it in locked position by frictional engagement with the outer surface of the seat post. The axial length of the threaded collar 36 is substantially greater than the thickness of the reinforcing collar 50 surrounding the threaded aperture 46. This facilitates positive engagement of shoulder 42 with the outside of the seat post. Use and operation is believed to be obvious from the above description; Briefly, to change the adjusted height of the saddle assembly 22, the user merely grasps the knob 44 and rotates it in a direction to release the threaded connection between external and internal threads 38 and 52, then withdraws the locking member to disengage it completely from the seat post hole pair 54, 54. After raising or lowering the seat post to a new height adjustment where a new pair of holes 54, 54 are in registration with the apertures 46 and 48, the user reinserts the lock pin, re-engages threads 38 and 52 and rotates knob 44 in a tightening direction until stopped by engagement of shoulder face 42 with the seat post. This provides a positive locked connection which will not slip even if only light tightening torque is applied to the knob.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A locking attachment for an adjustable height saddle assembly on a bicycle type exerciser and the like, having a seat post telescopically slidable in an upstanding tubular seat mast, said attachment comprising: threaded aperture means in the wall of the tubular seat mast; a plurality of holes spaced apart along the length of the post and selectively registrable with the aperture means at different adjusted heights of the saddle assembly; a locking member including a lock pin engageable with a corresponding one of the holes when a selected one of them is registered with the aperture means, an external screw threaded portion threadedly engageable with the threaded aperture means, a shoulder engageable with the outside of the seat post to eliminate free play between seat post and seat mast, to limit inward movement of the pin into the hole, and to frictionally hold the locking member in locked position, and a manually rotatable knob. 2. A locking attachment according to claim 1, wherein said attachment includes a pair of diametrically opposed apertures in the wall of the tubular seat mast, one of the apertures having an internal screw thread therein; said locking member including, from front to back, said lock pin, said screw-threaded portion in the form of a collar, said shoulder, and said manually rotatable knob; said lock pin being long enough to extend through the aperture in the seat mast opposite the aperture having said internal screw thread therein; said collar being located on said locking member behind the lock pin and having said external screw thread thereon engageable with said internal screw thread in said one aperture; said shoulder being located on said locking member ahead of said external screw thread, and being engageable with the seat post wall to eliminate free play, to limit inward movement of the locking member, and to hold the same in locked position by frictional engagement; and said knob being located behind the said collar for ready manual access externally of the seat mast. 3. A locking attachment according to claim 2, wherein the axial length of the screw-threaded collar is substantially greater than the thickness of the seat mast wall surrounding said one aperture to facilitate a positive engagement of said shoulder with said seat post.

Inventors: SZYMSKI, EUGENE J.
Applicants: EXCELSIOR FITNESS EQUIPMENT CO.
Application year: 1984
Main classification: B62K19
IPC codes: B62K19