Abstract:
A method and apparatus is provided that pertains to an adjustable foot support of a motorized vehicle. An insert is placed in a bore of the foot support mounting member or the mounting bracket mounting member to enable coupling of a foot support to a mounting bracket attached to the motorized vehicle. The insert can be inserted from either an upper side or a lower side of the mounting member, which will adjust the lateral position of the foot support relative to the mounting bracket, thereby ergonomically accommodating different riders&#39; needs and preferences.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention pertains to and apparatus and method directed to adjusting the position of a foot support on a motorized vehicle. 
   BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   Riders of motorized vehicles, including but not limited to motorcycles, all terrain vehicles and the like, depend on foot supports or foot pegs to generally maintain balance, assist in maneuvering the motorized vehicle, and to shift the rider&#39;s weight from side to side. The foot support protrudes laterally from the motorized vehicle and connects to the frame of the motorized vehicle through a mounting bracket attached to the motorized vehicle frame. The mounting bracket typically consists of two spaced apart lobes or bosses. 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a foot support that is of a prior art design, and which is adapted for engagement with a mounting bracket on the motorized vehicle (not shown). Foot support  10  has a mounting member  12  that extends from one end of the foot support  10 . The mounting member  12  has a protrusion  14 , typically cylindrical in shape, that projects outwardly from the mounting member  12 , and is adapted for pivotable engagement with the mounting bracket on the motorized vehicle. 
   A problem with the current design of foot supports exists, however, in that the fixed relationship of mounting member and protrusion result in the foot support being confined to one position laterally relative to the mounting bracket position on the motorized vehicle. Thus, regardless if you are a rider who stands 6 feet 5 inches tall or a rider that stands five feet four inches tall, for example, the rider&#39;s feet are confined to the same position relative to the mounting bracket. This results in certain comfort, safety and ergonomic issues for riders, depending on their height and riding preferences. It has been found that even a slight adjustment of the foot support either upward or downward relative to the mounting bracket can dramatically improve the riders comfort, ergonomics and improve the ability to more readily maneuver the motorized vehicle. 
   One solution to this problem has been to cut off the protrusion  14  from mounting member  12 , thereby effectively creating a spacer (not shown) that can be used to consume the gap between the mounting member and the mounting bracket to prevent unnecessary axial movement. The foot support can be raised or lowered relative to the mounting bracket by placement of the spacer on either the bottom side of the mounting member or the top side respectively. Though this solves the problem of allowing for different foot support positions, it has been found that there is a problem with this design in that the pin used to secure the foot support to the mounting bracket is placed under significant stress as and is prone to breaking. The only way to solve this problem has been to use high-tempered hardened steel or other stronger materials for the pin, which results in a higher cost. 
   It is therefore desirable to take advantage of a foot support that has multiple positions given the same mounting bracket location on the motorized vehicle, without requiring a hardened pin for securing the foot support. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a current foot support on a motorized vehicle; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a foot support of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the foot support of  FIG. 2  showing an embodiment of an insert; 
       FIG. 4A  is an end view of an embodiment of a foot support of the present invention with the insert of the present invention in an upper position; 
       FIG. 4A  is an end view of an embodiment of a foot support of the present invention in a lower position. 
       FIG. 5  is an end view of an embodiment of a foot support of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 6  is an end view of a mounting bracket and foot support for a motorized vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION 
   In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an example of an embodiment of the present invention. Foot support  30  has mounting member  32  projecting from one end of foot support  30  Mounting member  32  is angularly positioned such that its axial center corresponds to that of the mounting bracket on the motorized vehicle (not shown) to enable pivotable engagement therewith. Mounting member  32  has a bore  34 , which has a predetermined diameter that is less than the overall diameter of mounting member  32 . In the illustrated embodiment bore  34  passes through mounting member  32 , thus giving bore  34  generally the same axial height as the thickness of mounting member  32 . 
     FIG. 3  is an end view of the embodiment of the foot support  30  and mounting member  32  shown in  FIG. 2 . Also shown is an example of insert  36 . Insert  36  has an outer diameter that is less than the diameter of bore  34 , which enables insert  36  to engage bore  34 . In the illustrated embodiment, the outer diameter of insert  36  is only slightly less than the diameter of bore  34 . This allows insert  34  to snugly engage bore  34  with minimal play between the inside wall of bore  34  and the outside wall of insert  36 . Such a fit strengthens the mounting member  32 , such that it can accommodate the weight applied by a rider without failing. 
   In the illustrated embodiment, insert  36  has a bore insert stop  40  on the perimeter of insert  36 , which creates an upper portion  42  and lower portion  44  of insert  36 . Bore insert stop  40  allows the lower portion  44  of insert  36  to engage bore  34  a predetermined distance, and prevents insert  36  from passing all the way through bore  34  and thus prevents the foot support from freely sliding up and down the entire length of bore insert  36 . Though  FIG. 3  shows the use of a flange as bore insert stop  40 , a variety of devices can be used to limit the engagement of insert  36  into bore  34 , including, but not limited to, providing an insert having an upper portion having a determined larger than the diameter of bore  34  and a lower portion with a diameter less than boar  34 , or using a lock ring to engage an accommodating slot in insert  36  to limit engagement of insert  36  with bore  34 . 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B  show insert  36  engaged in bore  34  up to the bore insert stop  40 . Once engaged, the mounting member  32  of foot support  30  can engage a complementary mounting bracket secured to the frame of the motorized vehicle. (not shown). In the preferred embodiment, the placement of bore insert stop  40  is placed so that the overall length of the upper portion  42  of insert  36  and the mounting member  32  is sized to engage the mounting bracket on the motorized vehicle (not shown), thereby minimizing axial movement. A fastener, such as a pin can secure foot support  30  to the mounting bracket of the motorized vehicle, by engaging an inner bore  38  of insert  36 . Insert  36  engaging bore  34  provides the necessary strength to allow a standard mounting pin to be used to secure foot support  30  to the bracket mounted on the motorized vehicle without special heat-treating or using high-strength costly materials. 
     FIG. 4A  shows insert  36  engaging bore  34  from the lower side of mounting member  32 , such that upper portion  42  protrudes from mounting member  32  in a downwardly direction. In such a position, and when secured to the mounting bracket, foot support  30  will be an upper position laterally relative to the mounting bracket of the motorized vehicle, thus accommodating riders with shorter legs or those who ergonomically or performance-wise prefer their feet to be higher.  FIG. 4B  shows insert  36  engaging bore  34  from the upper side of mounting member  32 , such that upper portion  42  protrudes in an upwardly direction. In such a position, and when secured to the mounting bracket, the foot support will be in a lower position laterally relative to the mounting bracket of the motorized vehicle, thus accommodating riders with longer legs or those who ergonomically or performance-wise prefer their feet to be lower 
     FIG. 5  is an example of an adjustable foot support in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Insert  80  has a defined outer diameter  84  and a height  82  that this sized to substantially span the distance between the bosses of the mounting bracket attached to the motorcycle. Insert  80  has an inner bore adapted to receive a pin to couple the foot support to the mounting bracket. In the illustrated embodiment, the bore insert stop is a spacer  90 , which has an inner bore with a diameter  86  that is slightly larger than the outer diameter  84  of insert  80 . 
   Insert  80  is adapted to engage the inner bore of mounting member  92 . To adjust the foot support  94 , the spacer  90  can either be placed on the upper side of mounting member  92  overlapping an upper portion of insert  80 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , thereby causing the foot support to be in the lower position. Though not shown, the spacer  90  may also be placed on the lower side of mounting member  92 , thereby causing the foot support to be in the upper position when coupled to the mounting bracket of the motorized vehicle. And because insert  80  spans substantially the distance between the bosses of the mounting bracket (not shown), an ordinary pin that is not specially hardened may be used to secure foot support  94  to the mounting bracket. 
   As discussed in the background section, mounting brackets most commonly consist of two spaced apart bosses which mounting member of the foot support engages and is secured by a pin. Another common type of mounting bracket  100 , as shown in  FIG. 6  is the reverse situation, were the mounting bracket includes a substantially thicker single boss  102 , and the foot support  110  has two spaced apart bosses  108  that are adapted to couple to mounting bracket boss  102  using pin  112 . The embodiments discussed above are also applicable to this type of mounting arrangement, in that, for example, insert  104  having bore insert stop  106  will engage single boss  102  of mounting bracket  100 . Bore insert stop will be positioned on one side of the mounting bracket boss  102  or the other in order to accomplish the adjustability of the foot support  110  position without sacrificing strength. 
   Though not shown, another embodiment includes the use of a spacer as the bore insert stop, as discussed with respect to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 . The difference being that the insert nests in the mounting member of the mounting bracket. The spacer can then be positioned on either side of the mounting member depending on the riding position desired, then the bosses of the foot support are positioned for engagement such that a pin can pass through one foot support boss, then through the inner bore of the insert and through the other boss of the foot support. 
   Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the specific embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in a very wide variety of embodiments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.