Abstract:
Stabilizer members for bicycle carriers often utilize a spool or hourglass shape that cannot accommodate different cross-sectional sizes of seat tube. This can often result in difficulties in adequately securing the bicycle to the bicycle carrier, and, therefore may result in damage to the bicycle, bicycle carrier, or even the vehicle. Accordingly, the bicycle carrier disclosed herein comprises a support member, a bracket attached to the support member, and a stabilizer member rotatably attached to the bracket, the stabilizer member including first and second faces, the first and second faces each including a channel having a radius of curvature wherein the radius of curvature of the first face is different than the radius of curvature of the second face.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/624,118 filed on Nov. 1, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention is generally directed to a stabilizing member for a bicycle carrier, and more specifically to a stabilizing member of a bicycle carrier that accommodates different tube diameters of bicycles.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The popularity of recreational cycling has grown substantially in recent years. As a result, the demand for bicycle carriers to transport bikes on cars and other vehicles has also grown.  
         [0004]     There are various types of vehicle-mountable bicycle carriers available. One type is mountable on the rear hitch-mount of a vehicle to carry one or more bicycles adjacent the rear of the vehicle or ones mountable to the trunk of a vehicle. These types of carriers are usually configured to receive and hold the bike frame top tube in a saddle. One or more straps may be positioned around the bicycle to secure it to the carrier. Typically, the straps must be pulled tightly around the bicycle to hold it securely during normal driving speeds and conditions. Some users may find it difficult to apply sufficient tension to the strap. In addition, some users find it difficult to secure the strap while maintaining the desired tension. Furthermore, even normal acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle can cause the bicycles to swing or become misaligned on the rack, resulting in damage to the bikes and/or the vehicle.  
         [0005]     Therefore, many bicycle carriers include stabilizers to further secure the bicycle to the bicycle carrier and prevent the bike from swinging forward to backward in its saddle. However, many of these stabilizers utilize a spool or hourglass shape that cannot accommodate different cross-sectional sizes/diameters of seat tube. This can often result in difficulties in adequately securing the bicycle to the bicycle carrier, and, therefore may result in damage to the bicycle, bicycle carrier, or even the vehicle.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a bicycle carrier. The bicycle carrier comprises a support member, a bracket attached to the support member, and a stabilizer member rotatably attached to the bracket, the stabilizer member including first and second faces, the first and second faces each including a channel having a radius of curvature wherein the radius of curvature of the first face is different than the radius of curvature of the second face.  
         [0007]     Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a bicycle carrier that comprises a support member, first and second brackets rotatably attached to the support member, a stabilizer member rotatably attached to the first and second brackets, the stabilizer member including first, second, and third faces, the first, second, and third faces each including a channel having a radius of curvature wherein the radius of curvature of each of the first, second, and third faces is different.  
         [0008]     In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a bicycle carrier comprises a support member, a bracket attached to the support member, a stabilizer member rotatably attached to the bracket, the stabilizer member having a profile having a channel, the channel having a continuously varying radius of curvature over substantially all of the profile. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     Objects and advantages together with the operation of the invention may be better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the following illustrations, wherein:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a bicycle secured to a bicycle carrier of an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is several views of an embodiment of a stabilizer member of the present invention; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is several views of an alternative embodiment of the stabilizer member of the present invention; and  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is several views of yet another alternative embodiment of the stabilizer member of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]     An embodiment of the present invention utilizes a stabilizer member that accommodates many different sized seat tubes so as to adequately secure a bicycle to the bicycle carrier. The stabilizer member of the present invention has multiple profiles or faces so that a user can match the appropriate profile or face of the stabilizer member to the bike seat tube to properly secure the bicycle to the bicycle carrier. More specifically, the stabilizer member of the present invention has a triangular prism, a multi-faceted prism, or a continuously variable groove that allows different cross-sectional diameters of bicycle seat tubes to be accommodated.  
         [0015]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a bicycle carrier  10  is shown with a bike—only a bike-frame cross tube  15  and a bike-frame seat tube  20  are shown in  FIG. 1 —carried on the bicycle carrier  10 . The bicycle carrier  10  includes at least one saddle  25  capable of holding a portion of a frame of a bicycle, at least one support member  30 , at least a first and second bracket  35  and  37 , at least one stabilizer member  40 , at least one pin  45 , and at least one strap  50 . It should be understood, however, that the bicycle carrier  10  may include more than the one bike rack saddle  25 , the one support member  30 , the first and second brackets  35  and  37 , the one stabilizer member  40 , the one pin  45 , and the one strap  50  shown in  FIG. 1 , especially when the bicycle carrier  10  is capable of carrying multiple bikes. In fact, to accommodate just one bike, the bicycle carrier  10  will likely include at least two support members  30  and two saddles  25 , if not two of everything. Alternatively, the bicycle carrier  10  may include only one bracket, instead of the first and second brackets  35  and  37 . In this embodiment, the one bracket is rotatably attached to the support member  30  and the stabilizing member  40  is rotatably attached to the bracket, similar to as described below.  
         [0016]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the support member  30  of the present embodiment is substantially a tubular and circular metal member. It should be understood, however, the support member  30  could also be of a noncircular shape and can be made of any sort of relatively rigid material such as plastic, hard rubber, etc. Further, the support member  30  has connected therewith the saddle  25 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the saddle  25  is slid onto the support member  30  and adhered thereto by a fastener (not shown) or another such element, or even welded thereto.  
         [0017]     Further, the brackets  35  and  37  are rotatably connected with the support member  30  adjacent to the saddle  25 . In particular, each bracket  35  and  37  has first sections  55  and second sections  60  (only shown on the first bracket  35 ). The first sections  55  are rotatably connected with the support member  30  and the second sections  60  re rotatably connected with the stabilizer member  40 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the saddle  25  is positioned between the first sections  55  of the brackets  35  and  37  on the support member  30 . And the stabilizing member  40  is rotatably connected with the second sections  60  by means of the pin  45 . The brackets  35  and  37  may rotate freely about the support member  30  allowing the stabilizing member  40  to fit against a seat tube  20  of a bicycle that is positioned either to the left or to the right of the saddle  25 .  
         [0018]     The strap  50  is non-removably connected with one of the second sections  60  of the brackets  35  and  37  and is removably connected with the other second section  60  of the brackets  35  and  37 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the strap  50  is non-removably connected with the second section of the second bracket  37  and is removably connected with the second section  60  of the first bracket  35 . The pin  45  allows the stabilizing member  40  to rotate about the pin&#39;s axis freely about a hole  65  through the center of the stabilizing member  40  shown in  FIG. 2 , or alternatively, through a V-shaped slot  70  as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0019]     The stabilizing member  40  of the present invention, instead of having a circular profile as is common in the art, has a multi-faceted (two or more) profile as shown in  FIGS. 2 through 4 . In particular, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  the stabilizing member  40  has three-sided profiles or three faces. Each face of the triangular prism of the stabilizer member  40 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , is channeled with a circular cut having different radii. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the triangular prismatic shape of the stabilizer member  40  has three faces  100 ,  105 , and  110 . The three derived views are taken along A-A and B-B show the profiles labeled A, B, and C for the grooves  120 ,  125 , and  130  in each of the three faces  100 ,  105 , and  110 . Each of these views show the different radii of curvature  140 ,  145 , and  150  for the grooves  120 ,  125 , and  130  on each of the three faces  100 ,  105 , and  110 . The function of the three faces  100 ,  105 , and  110  with the different radiused grooves  120 ,  125 , and  130  is to accommodate bike seat tubes having different diameters to produce an optimum fit of the bike to the bicycle carrier  10 .  
         [0020]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the stabilizing member  40  may alternatively have the triangular prismatic shape having three faces  200 ,  205 , and  210 . As in  FIG. 2 , the stabilizer member  40  of  FIG. 3  has grooves  220 ,  225 , and  230  in each of the three faces  200 ,  205 , and  210 . Each of these views show different radii  240 ,  245 , and  250  for the grooves  220 ,  225 , and  230  on each of the three faces  200 ,  205 , and  210 . Instead of having the straight edges shown in  FIG. 2 , the edges  260 ,  265 ,  270  are curved concave to allow easier fit of the stabilizer member  40  against the seat tube  20  without requiring perfect alignment. Alternatively, the stabilizing member  40  may include just two faces, or may include four or more faces.  
         [0021]     Finally, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the stabilizing member  40  may have a circular profile with a continuously variable groove  300 . In this embodiment, the radius of curvature  310  of the groove is continuously variable, e.g., the radius of curvature is not the same anywhere along the circumference of the stabilizer member  40 . This allows the stabilizer member  40  to be rotated to the position that provides the optimum fit. The purpose of this is to better accommodate the different tube diameters that exist in the bike market.  
         [0022]     In operation, the bicycle carrier  10  has a bike loaded thereon. Once the bike is properly loaded on the bicycle carrier  10 , the stabilizer member  40  is positioned to abut against the bike frame seat tube  20 . If, however, the radius of curvature of the groove in the stabilizing member  40  does not quite fit the seat bike tube  20 , the stabilizer member  40  may be rotated so that a different face with a different radiused groove may be employed for a better fit, or a portion of the stabilizer member  40  with a different radius of curvature may be employed for a better fit. Once the proper fit has been achieved, the user stretches the strap  50  over the seat tube  20  and removably connects the strap  50  with the pin  45 .  
         [0023]     The above description is considered that of the preferred embodiments only. Modification of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the Doctrine of Equivalents.