Abstract:
A vertically adjustable seat post assembly for cycles includes a light-weight vertical seat post formed from a relatively soft high strength-to-weight material, such as a carbon fiber composition, and a relatively hard tubular protective shim permanently secured concentrically about the lower end of the seat post. The outer diameter of the shim is slightly less than the inner diameter of the seat tube opening of the cycle frame, whereby the carbon fiber seat post is protected by the shim when the seat post is vertically adjusted and clamped within the seat tube opening.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a seat post assembly for cycles, including a seat post formed of carbon fiber or other relatively soft high strength-to-weight material, and a protective tubular shim or sleeve formed of a hard metal material and arranged concentrically about the lower end of the seat post, thereby protect the seat post against damage during the vertical adjustment thereof relative to the cycle frame.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       Brief Description of the Prior Art  
         [0002]    The use of lightweight componentry, such as a seat post, in bicycles, motorcycles, and other cycles is often seen as an opportunity to reduce the total weight in order to increase the efficiency of the cycle. However, since cycle components (i.e., a seat post) are relied upon to support the weight of the rider, the strength of the component cannot be compromised in order to reduce the weight of the part. As a result, cycle component manufacturers have used advanced materials with high strength-to-weight ratios, such as carbon fiber, titanium, magnesium, beryllium and high strength aluminum, to produce lightweight component parts. The state of design for light-weight cycles such as bicycles, though, depends upon the compatibility of the componentry to work on a wide variety of frame designs, and within various industry standards in regards to size and specification. That being the case, component manufacturers are limited in their ability to optimize the component design for the use of such advanced materials. In addition, many bicycles are assembled and serviced by untrained mechanics and consumers who might compromise the structural integrity of a component formed from advanced materials through improper installation.  
           [0003]    Seat posts are particularly at risk of being compromised by the previously mentioned threats and limitations due to the described function of the seat post. The necessary adjustability, compatibility with various frame designs, and the fact that the seat post supports the greatest percentage of the rider&#39;s weight during travel make the use of advanced materials potentially dangerous should the seat post fail during use.  
           [0004]    Over the years manufacturers have produced very lightweight seat posts (200 g or less for a seat post 300 mm or longer) with pillars made from carbon fiber, high strength aluminum alloys and titanium. Historically, in-the-field failures of these kinds of seat posts have been common. In addition to improper installation and abusive riding, a common cause of seat post failure has been the irregular deformation of the clamping devices used to secure seat posts into the bicycle frame. The out-of-round shape that results from the clamping device being secured can create a stress riser on the seat post at the point where it enters the bicycle frame. This is also the point of the peak bending moment during the dynamic loading of the seat post in use. As a result, the ultimate strength of the part can be greatly reduced and brought into the range of typical service loads. This affect is even more compromising in materials that are particularly notch sensitive, such as high strength aluminum and carbon fiber.  
           [0005]    In order to counter the notch sensitivity of such materials many seat post manufactures have turned to using internal reinforcements to the seat post pillar either made from the same or different materials as the pillar or integral to the seat post pillar itself. However, if this kind of reinforcement is used over the entire length of the pillar, the weight advantage of using an advanced lightweight material may be lost; and if the reinforcement is used in only part of the pillar, there is the possibility that the rider will adjust the pillar so that a non-reinforced portion of the pillar is subject to the stress riser created by the clamping device.  
           [0006]    Titec Cycle USA, Inc. developed a carbon fiber seat post called “the C-1 91 ”. Originally, it was believed that a carbon fiber composite pillar could be developed that would not require reinforcement. Nonetheless, the conclusion was arrived at that a sufficiently lightweight composite tube could not be developed that had adequate hoop strength to withstand the stress riser created by the seat tube clamping device. As a result, the decision was made to install an extruded aluminum alloy shim on the interior of the composite pillar in order to reinforce the tube in a limited clamping area defined by a graphic on the outer diameter of the seat post pillar. This reinforcement eliminated most of field failures of the seat post, but not all. Many consumers would insert the seat post into their bicycle frame past the designated clamping area, where the post would fail under a substantial load.  
           [0007]    Another manufacturer, Easton Sports, Inc., introduced the “CT2” carbon fiber seat post, which was integrally reinforced through the use of a variable wall thickness. This variable wall thickness design also required that a limited clamping area be defined by a graphic on the outer diameter of the seat post. However, multiple field failures drove Easton to perform multiple product redesigns, which extended the reinforced area of the seat post pillar and increased the product&#39;s weight. Additional field failures then lead to the incorporation of two flats on the cross-sectional outer diameter of the seat post. These flats provided a relief from the stress riser created when the seat tube clamping device deforms.  
           [0008]    The U.S. patent to Ochoa U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,214 discloses the provision of a compression device between a cycle frame and a cycle seat. A metal interacts with a compression rebound unit within a housing which is slidably inserted into the hollow cylindrical bicycle seat post mast and is secured in the mast with a set screw, thereby cushion the ride of the user.  
           [0009]    Carbon fiber composites can be optimized by their fiber orientation to withstand substantial loads, and provide strength-to-weight ratios superior to almost any other know materials. However, that optimization is best achieved when the fiber orientation is almost entirely unidirectional. If the seat post application requires multi-directional strength characteristics, then additional layers of the carbon fiber fabric maybe required in the lay-up in order to meet the strength requirements and the weight advantage will be lost. In addition, since there is a range of seat post diameters that are considered standard, anywhere from 25.4 mm to 31.8 mm, it is difficult to optimize the lay-up for each size. It is also cost prohibitive to create tooling and to stock inventory for seat posts in each of the various standard sizes.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a seat post assembly for cycles, including a seat post having a protective shim concentrically secured to the exterior of the lower end of the seat post, thereby to protect the seat post when inserted within the seat tube of a cycle frame. The shim further provides a mounting surface for the seat post within the cycle frame to regulate the height adjustment of the saddle height relative to the cycle frame to ensure a safe height adjustment. The shim is secured to the outer diameter of the seat post with the length of the shim being sufficient to accommodate the normal range of adjustment required to fit the rider to their bicycle, thereby leaving the remainder of the carbon fiber seat post exposed. The insertion of the seat post is limited by the length of the shim, since the outer diameter of the carbon fiber seat post is smaller than could be secured by the bicycle frame&#39;s clamping device.  
           [0011]    By using the outer diameter of the shim to mate to the interior diameter of the seat tube of the frame, the carbon fiber seat post and saddle clamp assembly parts could be common in the production of seat posts in each of the twelve industry standard sizes. Only the outer diameter of the shim would have to be changed, and the shims could be easily machined from one or two extrusion sizes.  
           [0012]    The reduced diameter necessary for the carbon fiber seat post to fit within the common interior diameter of the shim makes the seat post more flexible. This added flexibility, in conjunction with natural damping characteristics of the carbon fiber material, reduce the vibration and shock normally transmitted to the rider through the seat post and produce a more comfortable ride. The reduced fatigue on the rider allows him to perform at a higher level of efficiency over a longer period of time. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the seat post, shim, and saddle means;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled cycle frame, clamp means, seat post means and saddle means;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a side view of the cycle frame, clamp means, seat post means, and saddle means;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cycle frame, clamp means, seat post means, and saddle means of FIG. 3;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a top sectional view of the clamp means and cycle frame taken along line  5 - 5  of FIG. 3;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the cap portion of the saddle means;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is a partially sectioned elevational view of the seat post;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the shim; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shim. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]    Referring first more particularly to FIG. 1, the seat post means  2  of the present invention includes a tubular seat post  4 , and a tubular shim  6  mounted concentrically about the lower end of the seat post  4 . At its upper end, the seat post supports seat saddle means  8  having a tubular cap portion  10  that is mounted concentrically about the upper end of the seat post  4 . As will be set forth in greater detail below, the sleeve  6  and the cap portion  10  of the saddle means  8  are permanently secured (i.e., are preferably adhesively bonded) to the seat post  4 .  
         [0024]    Referring now to FIG. 2, a conventional cycle frame  12  for bicycles or motorcycles includes an tubular seat tube portion  12   a  that contains a longitudinally extending slot  14 , as best shown in FIG. 5. The opening in the upper end of the seat portion  12   a  has an internal diameter D 1  that is slightly greater than the outer diameter D 2  of the shim  6 , thereby to permit insertion of the shim portion  6  of the seat means  2  within the seat tube opening  16 , as best shown in FIG. 2. Conventional clamp means  18  are provided for compressing together the bifurcated portions of the longitudinally slit seat tube portion of the frame, thereby to clamp the seat post means  2  to the frame as is known in the art. The saddle means  8  serves to support the cycle seat  20  as shown in phantom in FIG. 2.  
         [0025]    Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the seat post means  2  is adapted for vertical adjustment relative to the seat tube portion  12   a  of the frame when the clamp means is in its released condition, as will be described below. During this vertical adjustment of the seat post means  2  relative to the seat tube portion  12   a , the shim  6  is always opposite the clamp means  18 . In accordance with an important feature of the invention, the clamp means  18  is operable to radially inwardly compress the bifurcated seat tube portion of the frame from its normal diameter D 1  to a reduced constricted diameter in compressed engagement with the outer circumferential surface of the shim  6 . The diameter D 3  of the seat post  4  is, however, less than the constricted reduced diameter of the seat tube, whereby the seat post  4  will never be engaged by, or damaged by, the clamp means  18  and the associated bifurcated portion  12   a  of the frame seat tube.  
         [0026]    Referring now to FIG. 5, the clamping means  18  includes a bifurcated sleeve  22  having a pair of arm portions  22   a  that are traversed by a transverse bore that receives the clamping bolt  24 . At one end, the clamping bolt  27  includes a threadably connected knob  26 , and at the other end, the bolt  24  is pivotally connected by pivot  26  with a conventional operating cam lever  28 . The cam lever  28  includes a cam portion  28   a  for displacing together the bifurcated arm portions  22   a  of the clamping sleeve  22 , thereby to radially inwardly compress the seat tube portion  12   a  to its constricted condition of reduced diameter.  
         [0027]    As shown in FIG. 6, the lower end of the cap portion  10  of the saddle means  8  is tubular and is open at its lower end for receiving the tubular upper end of the seat post  4 . The cap portion  10  contains access ports  30  for introducing adhesive in the fluid condition into the space between the interior of the cap portion  10  and the outer peripheral surface of the seat post  4 .  
         [0028]    Referring now to FIG. 7, the tubular seat post  4  is formed of a material having a high strength-to-weight ratio, such as carbon fiber, titanium, magnesium, beryllium, and high strength aluminum, thereby to afford high structural strength with a relatively low weight. Preferably, the tubular seat post  4  is formed of a carbon fiber composite material, wherein carbon fibers are bonded by an appropriate resin.  
         [0029]    Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, the shim  6  is formed of a hard material of relatively high strength, such as a 7000 series aluminum alloy, which contain more than 3 percent, but less than 10 percent zinc. According to one embodiment of the invention, a 7075 aluminum alloy was used that contains about 2.5 percent magnesium, about 1.6 percent copper, about 0.3% chromium, and about 5.6 percent zinc. The aluminum shim is preferably hardened by heat treatment and furnace aging. In the illustrated embodiment, the shim has a length of about 170 millimeters, and the seat post has a length of about 350 millimeters. Thus, the length of the shim is about one-half of the length of the seat post, with the shim being arranged at the lower most extremity of the seat post. Thus, the upper end of the seat post has a certain degree of lateral flexibility, thereby improving the support of the seat  20  and the rider relative to the frame. Furthermore, the length of the shim is no less than 2.5 times the diameter of the seat post, in accordance with the requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This means that a mark must be made between 69 to 79 millimeters from the bottom of the seat post, depending on the diameter, to define the minimum insertion point of the shim within the opening  16  of the seat tube  12   a . This effectively limits the range of height adjustment of the seat post to the remaining 91 to 101 millimeters of the shim.  
         [0030]    The carbon fiber material from which the seat post is formed comprises a plurality of layers of carbon fiber fabric pre-impregnated with a binding resin, such as an epoxy resin, is commonly referred to as “pre-preg.” The orientation of the fibers in each layer are optimized to achieve the strength characteristics desired in the resulting structure. The specific orientation and/or number of layers of this sort is common knowledge to those skilled in the art. This formation of layers—or “lay-up”—is then wrapped around a form—or mandrel—which is then either placed inside a mold or fed into a die. In either case, the lay-up is then heated within the mold or die to a pont at which then resin within the carbon fabric liquefies. Continued heating of the lay-up then causes the resin to harden so that the lay-up assumes a permanent form s the negative of the mold. As a whole, the process is referred to as thermoset carbon fiber molding.  
         [0031]    While in accordance with the provisions of the Patent Statutes the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without it deviating from the inventive concepts set forth above.