Abstract:
A portable tool designed for effective and efficient lateral truing of damaged spoked wheels, in particular bicycle wheels, is described. The tool is mountable on the bicycle frame, and allows the user to position the truing gauge with four spatial degrees of freedom. The inventive tool features a non-rigidly mounted (floating) truing indicator tip to maintain accurate tool alignment when in contact with a rotating wheel rim that is severely bent out the of the plane of the rim by decoupling rim forces from the rest of the tool. In addition, the combination of the floating action of the truing tip and its construction from a soft polymeric material avoids scratching or otherwise marring the surface of the rim during the truing procedure.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/281,372, filed on Nov. 17, 2009, and subject matter of which is incorporated herewith. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to spoked wheel truing devices, in particular portable vehicle (bicycle) mountable tools for use by bicyclists in the field for rapid and effective repair of laterally un-true wheel rims resulting from damage to the wheel. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A bicycle&#39;s wheels are held straight, or true, by even tension on the spokes pulling from the hub of the wheel to the rim. A good wheel must have enough equal tension on the spokes pulling from each side of the hub to the rim in order for the wheel to stay straight, or true, under pedal loads and in the event of a blow to the wheel. 
         [0004]    When the wheel has been well used, or a blow has been impacted to the wheel, the wheel will then develop a wobble, which is then said to be an “un-true wheel”. To fix an un-true wheel it is required to re-tension the spokes in an appropriate fashion, which will pull the rim back into place. In order to correct the right spoke tension an indicator must be made on the area of the rim, which is out of true. 
         [0005]    The operation of truing a wheel traditionally requires the use of a truing stand, which is a bench-top stand typically used in a bicycle repair shop or bicyclist&#39;s garage. Use of a truing stand requires that the wheel must be removed from the bicycle and installed into the truing stand. However, as trail and mountain bicycling has gained in popularity, damage to bicycle wheels occurs frequently while riding in rugged terrain. This poses a major inconvenience to mountain or road cyclists with damaged wheels in the field as the bicycle can no longer be ridden, ending the outing, and then the task must be undertaken of walking or carrying the bicycle to a vehicle that can transport it to a bicycle repair shop, not to mention the cost of the repair. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a very useful tool for the mountain or trail bicyclist, and even for the road cyclist, therefore would be a portable truing tool that is compact, light-weight and easy to transport while riding with minimal gear, and simple to use, thus allowing truing repairs to be done in the field in minutes by one with rudimentary repair skills. Prior art portable truing tools for this purpose have been described in the patent literature, but have flawed designs that have prevented them from being successfully brought to market. Such prior art designs have never materialized in the form of commercially-available portable truing tools for bicycles in recent memory. Examples of prior art frame-mountable truing tools designed for bicycle wheels and other uses of spoked wheels include U.S. Pat. No. 640,607 to Wardwell, U.S. Pat. No. 1,073,042 to Heller, U.S. Pat. No. 1,450,518 to Schwartz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,829 to Moxon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,782 to Bartlett, U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,765 to Lynch, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,283 to Hsiao, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,988 to Braun. These cited prior art tools have basic drawbacks that render them inefficient and unwieldy. The common drawbacks are limited spatial maneuverability of the tool to align the truing gauge portion of the tool next to the wheel rim, a fixed gauge indicator, being rigidly affixed to the rest of the tool, is prone to frequent shock from contacting a untrue section of a rotating wheel rim that will push on the gauge and move it inadvertently out of alignment, causing inaccurate gauging and frustrating the truing procedure. Others suffer from flimsy and clumsy design, being composed of thin members prone to misalignment due to simple vibration from the turning wheel. Alignment of the gauge portion of the tools is tedious, requiring multiple adjustments of the support members for tools offering some maneuverability of the gauge, requiring changing the angular relationship between them while untightening and re-tightening thumb screws. Another major drawback of all prior art truing tools due to the rigid nature of the gauge indicator portions, which normally are conical tips or blade-like straight edges solidly connected to the rest of the tool. When in physical contact, these indicators will scratch or otherwise mar the surface finish of wheel rims, which are mostly composed of soft materials such as aluminum or carbon fiber composites, or even painted finishes. Finally, with the exception of Bartlett, Hsaio and Lynch, most prior art frame-mountable truing tools are not compactly storable when not in use, and therefore not well suited for transporting while on biking outings where it is desirous to carry a minimal amount of gear. 
         [0007]    The present invention addresses the drawbacks pointed out above. One aspect of the present invention is to provide an effective minimalist tool for bicycle riders skilled in the art of wheel-truing. The present invention accomplishes this by providing a streamlined design resulting in compactness for carrying and storage, and effective use as a repair tool to be used in the field by riders with adequate wheel repair skills. The present invention offers all the necessary adjustments needed to correctly true a wheel while on the bicycle. It is designed to effectively true a laterally damaged wheel. However, a wheel that has a vertical “hop” will not be correctly fixed with the inventive tool. The concept and design of this tool is to serve as a compact and accurate lateral truing indicator while re-tensioning a damaged bicycle wheel. The inventive tool is an easily portable tool, which attaches to a bicycle&#39;s frame or steering fork for storage while riding. It has a series of adjustments which allow it to attach to any bicycle frame or fork, regardless of its designated use. Once attached the user can adjust the tool in order to find the area of the rim that is out of true and correctly adjust the spoke tension. The inventive tool offers four spatial degrees of freedom to maneuver and position the truing gauge portion of the tool. The inventive tool comprises a floating truing indicator tip design, in which the tip is manufactured from a soft polymer material, incorporating a spring-loaded tip, in order to decouple the tool from forces exerted by a rotating wheel with severe lateral deviations out of the plane of the rim (un-true rim). This maintains the initial alignment of the inventive tool, and allows for efficient and accurate truing of the damaged wheel. In addition, the floating soft tip avoids marring the surface of the rim while providing accurate truing. After a adjusting the spoke tension of the wheel, and using the inventive tool as an accurate guide, a wheel can be re-tensioned, therefore trued, while it is still mounted on the bicycle. 
         [0008]    The inventive tool is comprised of seven main components using metal, plastic, and rubber materials. It also incorporates a spoke key, which is used to tighten the spoke nipple and increase or decrease the tension of the spoke. In doing so the outer rim of the wheel is pulled in one direction or another. The spoke key has three different sized slots to accommodate the three most commonly used spoke nipple sizes. In addition, the spoke key has an integrated feature of a 9 mm and a 10 mm box slot, which can be used to tighten or loosen 9 mm and 10 mm nuts on a bicycle. 
         [0009]    The components of the inventive tool are designed to integrate themselves in a compact manner when the tool is not being used as is intended. That is, when stored or in transit, the components which comprise the tool are not functional, but they are secured. To use the tool, a person must partially disassemble the tool and re-configure the components to make it functional in its intended use. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1   a  illustrates all pieces of the inventive tool disassembled and labeled. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1   b  shows view of adjustor head for details of port layout. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  shows partial assembly of inventive tool. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  shows the inventive tool fully assembled. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4   a  illustrates view from side angle of inventive tool deployed on the front fork of a bicycle. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4   b  illustrates view from higher angle of inventive tool deployed on a the front fork of a bicycle. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5   a  shows inventive tool disassembled with stacking arrangement of components for storage or transport in kit form. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5   b  shows top view of the inventive tool kit configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    One embodiment of the inventive tool is shown in an exploded view in  FIG. 1 . The tool embodiment is comprised of eight main components that are shown and labeled accordingly. The components are made with metal, plastic and rubber materials. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 1   a , the inventive tool is provided with mounting base  1 , which is attached to a frame member of a bicycle while in use. Mounting base  1  can be machined in virtually any practical shape from a variety of metal and polymeric materials. In the particular embodiment presently described, the base has a rectangular form factor. However, it is to be understood that the shape of the base is by no means limited to the presently described embodiment. It is a desired aspect of the present invention that at least a portion of the top surface be planar to accommodate further assembly components of the tool, as described in detail below. It is also a desired aspect of the present invention that at least part of the bottom surface of the base be non-planar to provide a greater contact area in comparison to a flat surface, engendering increased friction between the two opposing surfaces and resulting in a highly stable and secure attachment when fastened to a bicycle frame member of elliptical or circular cross-section. In the present embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 , V-shaped groove  2  spanning the bottom surface of the base along its long axis adequately accommodates elliptically-shaped bicycle frame members providing for a stable and secure attachment. The profile of the groove is by no means limited to a V-shape, and may encompass arbitrary non-planar shapes, such as various curved shapes to fit to elliptical and circular cross-sections commonly used for bicycle frame members. In the present embodiment, each side of the “V” has a 1 mm-thick rubber strip attached, which protect the bicycle frame member from abrasion during contact with the mounted base. Knobbed cleats  3  are provided on two of the sides of the base for facilitating attachment of rubber mounting straps  4  that secure the base to the bicycle frame. Knobbed cleats  3  are used as means of attachment for the mounting straps  4  in the present embodiment, but attachment means are in no way limited to this feature. Any suitable means of attachment securing the base to a bicycle frame member. In the present embodiment, the placement of cleats  3  is crucial to the stability of the base when secured to the bicycle frame member. Optimal placement of cleats  3  is near the opposite ends of the base provides for the most secure and stable mounting of the base. 
         [0020]    The tool of the present invention is designed to be assembled by the bicyclist in the field. The assembly may be accomplished in any order; however, for purposes of illustration, a description of the progressive assembly of components starting from the mounting base  1  outward will serve as both a description of the tool as well as a description of the functional relationship of the components with each other and the inventive tool as a whole. Referring now to  FIG. 2 , extension rod  5 , referred to herewith as a “slider rod” for purposes of description, is pivotally affixed to the top surface of mounting base  1 . To this end, slider rod  5  comprises a flat base portion  6  and a cylindrical slider portion  7 , and further comprises a non-threaded through-port  8  disposed along slider rod base  6  (see  FIG. 1 ). In the present embodiment, the top surface of mounting base  1  has a flat machined profile so that slider rod  5  can pivot freely about its point of attachment in a plane parallel with the plane of the surface when assembled to the base. However, it is understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, the top surface may comprise more complicated profiles, as long as at least a portion of the top surface is planar. To accomplish the assembly, a threaded port  9  is provided on the top surface of the mounting base  1  for alignment with the through-port  8  disposed near the bottom of slider rod  5 . Threaded port  9  engages with the threads of set screw  10  for securing slider rod  5  to mounting base  1 . Furthermore, threaded port  9  may be a blind port or may be a through-port. The slider rod base  6  has a flat mating surface on the side which interfaces with mounting base  1 , which allows for smooth pivoting when the set screw  10  is not tightened. 
         [0021]    In the present embodiment, the set screw  10  is comprised of a plastic knurled knob  11  which is used for tightening/loosening with fingers. The threaded shank of the set screw  10  is also long enough to pass through the thickness of the slider rod base  6  and through the spoke wrench  12 , to thread into the mounting base  1  for compact storage of the inventive tool. 
         [0022]    Incorporated in the inventive tool&#39;s ability to create an indication of an un-true area of a wheel, is the device which will turn the spoke&#39;s nipple, which will increase or decrease the spoke tension. As understood by those skilled in the art, this is a metal spoke wrench  12  which, when not in use, is incorporated as an assembled component in the inventive tool (see  FIG. 5   b ). When the inventive tool is in use, the spoke wrench  12  is used independently to turn the spoke nipples, or a 9 mm or 10 mm nut, which may be attached to the bicycle. The key features of the spoke wrench  12  are three sized slots, cut out of the perimeter of the spoke wrench. For each slot that is cut out, there is a matching slot of the same size diametrically opposite. The measurements of each cut out around the perimeter of the spoke wrench  12  are as follows: 0.127 inch (3.226 mm), 0.130 inch (3.302 mm) and 0.136 inch (3.454 mm). There are two extra relief cuts measuring 9 mm and 10 mm, both cuts disposed 180 degrees from each other. These two relief cuts allow the slider rod base  6  to sit within the spoke wrench when all is assembled in its compact form. Centered in the spoke wrench is a non-threaded port in which the set screw  10  passes through. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 1   b , truing gauge support element  13 , referred to herewith as the “adjustor head” for the purposes of description, comprises three ports, each port being disposed on three separate sides of the body of the adjustor head  13  in the present embodiment, the long axes of which are generally disposed orthogonally. Two of the ports are through-ports, of which one is a threaded through-port  14  and the other is a non-threaded through-port  15 . A third threaded port  16  is bored partially through the body of adjustor head  13  in an orthogonal orientation with respect to non-threaded through-port  15  to communicate with threaded through-port  15 . In the present embodiment, the adjustor head has a rectangular form factor; however, it is to be understood that this is not to be construed as a limitation, and that other form factors such as cylindrical are equally valid. Furthermore, in other embodiments of the present invention, the number, type and arrangement of ports may be varied to accommodate other permutations of design, and are by no means limited to the configuration of the present embodiment. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , through-port  14  allows dynamic engagement of adjustor head  13  with cylindrical portion  7  of slider rod  5 . In the present embodiment, adjustor head  13  is designed to freely slide and rotate along and about, respectively, the long axis of slider rod  5 . It is to be understood that the present embodiment is in no way a limitation to the method of dynamic engagement of the adjustor head  13  with portion  7  of slider rod  5  in that other embodiments of the present invention may comprise a lead screw or a rack gear of a rack and pinion slide system. Referring again to the present embodiment, once positioned along slider rod  5  and rotated to a desired orientation, adjustor head  13  may be immobilized and secured on slider rod  5  by means of threaded port  16  engaging set screw  17  to tighten against slider rod cylindrical portion  7 . Set screw  17  is comprised of a plastic knurled knob  18  which is tightened/loosened by fingers. The shank of set screw  17  is long enough to thread through the top portion of the adjustor head  13  and come in contact with the slider rod  5 . The combination of the pivotal action of slider rod  5  and the linear and rotational motion of adjustor head  13  provide the first three spatial degrees of freedom to adjust the inventive tool. 
         [0025]    The purpose of adjustor head  13  is to carry the truing gauge component of the inventive tool. In the present embodiment, the truing gauge  19  comprises an externally threaded cylindrical body  20  with an indicator tip  21  movably attached to one end by a spring, and a knurled knob  22  disposed on the opposite end. The indicating end of truing gauge  19  comprises a spring-loaded means of attachment for indicator tip  21  to truing gauge  19 . In the present embodiment, a coil spring is attached to the body  20  of truing gauge  20  at the base of a lumen or cavity counter-bored into the indicating end of the truing gauge  19 . The opposite end of the coil spring is attached to indicator tip  21 , which is then able to retract into the lumen upon contact with a wheel rim in order to decouple the inventive tool from deflective forces encountered by the tip  21  when in contact with a rotating uneven wheel rim. The latter situation would have a tendency to cause misalignment of a truing gauge by pushing an otherwise rigidly built tool away from the rim and destroying the accuracy and efficiency of the truing procedure. Other embodiments of spring-loading the indicator tip  21  are conceivable, including, but not limited to, a cantilever spring is used in place of a coil spring to bring about the same result. 
         [0026]    The diameter and thread of truing gauge body  20  is chosen to mate with threaded through-port  14  on adjustor head  13 . By example of the present embodiment, truing gauge  18  is dynamically engaged with adjuster head  13  by threading through threaded through-port  14 . A fourth spatial degree of freedom is thus imbued to the inventive tool by the ability to advance the indicator tip  21  by manually turning the truing gauge  19  by means of knurled knob  22  to advance or retract indicator probe  21  from the wheel rim for final positioning before commencing the truing procedure. This present embodiment is not to be construed as a limitation on the manner by which the truing gauge may be advanced; other methods may be employed to the same end, including but not limited to, lead screw drives, rack and pinion drives and worm gear drives. 
         [0027]    The body of the truing gauge  20  is intended to provide a fine adjustment that can be used when to approach indicator probe  21  towards an un-true area on a rim, or back off from same. Knurled knob  22  can be easily turned by the user&#39;s fingers. As the truing gauge  19  threads toward the rim that is being trued, indicator tip  21  will eventually come in contact with the rim. The inventive tool is designed to not further damage the rim by marring it when contact is made, and in the present embodiment, truing gauge  19  features a spring-loaded plastic tip  21  that is the part of the inventive tool that will contact the rim first. Tip  21  thus “floats” on the wheel rim. If a portion of a rotating wheel rim that is severely bent out of the plane of the rim rubs against the spring-loaded plastic tip  21 , it will push the plastic tip and compress against spring resistance causing it to retract into the truing gauge body  20 . This action will decouple the force of the rim from the rest of the inventive tool, maintaining the tool&#39;s initial alignment. In the present embodiment, the tip is made from Delrin, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that any suitable soft yet rigid material, such as another rigid polymer, can be substituted. In general, any material that can be characterized by a value of less than 100 on the Shore D hardness scale can be used to make the tip, encompassing most polymers and some metals. 
       Example of Use of the Inventive Tool 
       [0028]    Deployment. The deployment of the inventive tool is illustrated in  FIG. 4   a  and  FIG. 4   b . The view in  FIG. 4   a  shows the inventive tool is positioned on the fork of a bicycle so that the distance from the pivot point of sliding rod  5  to the wheel rim does not exceed its length. Mounting base  1  is secured against the fork with rubber straps  4 , which are pulled tight around the fork and hooked onto cleats on the opposite side of the base  1 . The V-groove on the bottom surface of the mounting base is shown abutted to the bicycle fork on the minor radius of the elliptical cross-section for the most stable and secure mounting. Sliding rod  5  is pivoted into position to allow adjustor head  13  to be raised to the level of the wheel rim and rotated so that the axis of truing gauge  19  is perpendicular to the rim. The view in  FIG. 4   b  shows more clearly the truing gauge indicator tip  21  brought into contact with the wheel rim by turning the body  20  of the truing gauge using knurled knob  22 . 
         [0029]    To attach the mounting base  1  of the inventive tool to the bicycle, position the base along the bicycle&#39;s chainstay, seatstay, or fork. The base should be about 1-2 inches down the chain/seat-stay or fork, towards the hub of the bicycle, from the rim. The “knob-like” cleats  3  will be running parallel with the “stay” or fork leg. Attach one of the rubber straps  4  by pushing the rubber strap thru one of the cleats on the base. While wrapping around the “stay” with one rubber strap  4 , make sure the strap is being stretched to create enough tension to secure the base in place while the inventive tool is in use. Secure the other end of the strap to the other cleat  3  which is on the same linear plane. Using the second rubber strap  4 , attach it to one of the remaining cleats which do not have a strap  4  already secured. While wrapping around the “stay” with the rubber strap, make sure the strap is being stretched to create enough tension to secure the mounting base  1  in place while the inventive tool is in use. Secure the other end of the strap to the cleat  3  which is on the same linear plane. 
         [0030]    Storage. When not in use truing gauge  19  can be stored and secured within the V-groove  2  of mounting base  1  as a partial assembly with adjustor head  13  secured to the body  20  of truing gauge  19  using set screw  17 . This is shown in  FIG. 5   a . Truing gauge  19  can be further secured by attaching the rubber mounting straps  4  across the underside of the mounting base  1  of the inventive tool (not shown). In  FIG. 5   b , a top view of the inventive tool assembled as a kit with all nine components, including spoke wrench  12 , in a stacked configuration for compact storage and ease of transport. The tool kit comprises mounting base  1 , spoke wrench  12 , slider rod  5 , truing gauge  19 , adjustor head (truing gauge support element)  13 , set screws  10  and  17 , and straps  4 . 
         [0031]    The above description of the present embodiment of the inventive tool is for illustrative purposes. It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements that have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.