Abstract:
A holder for securing a bicycle wheel to the frame of a bicycle for transport is described. The bracket includes a padded hook member for placement over the top tube of a bicycle frame. The holder also includes two J-clamps for securing it to the seat and down tubes. A cradle is provided for receiving the rim of the bicycle wheel. Additionally to firmly secure the wheel to the holder two clamps are provided that limit the horizontal movement of the wheel and collectively prevent the wheel from moving upwardly or downwardly. The various clamps are adjustable for fitment of the holder to frames and wheels of differing sizes.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to an assembly for holding a bicycle wheel. More specifically, the invention relates to a wheel holder removably mountable to a bicycle frame for carrying a bicycle wheel such as during the transport of the bicycle. 
     2. Description of the Relevant Art 
     Many types of roof top bicycle carriers require the front wheel of a bicycle be removed when mounting the bicycle on the carrier. The front wheel is typically stowed in the vehicle or is secured to the roof top carrier through a separate fixture that clamps the wheel at its axle. As can be appreciated, the wheel may be dirty especially if the wheel is from a mountain bike, and putting a dirty wheel in the vehicle is often undesirable. Dedicated roof top wheel fixtures solve this problem but they are often expensive and take up limited roof top space that could otherwise be used to carry additional bicycles. 
     Several holders have been proposed to solve the problem concerning where to secure the front wheel while a bicycle is being transported in a roof top carrier. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,661 of Wolfe, a bracket is disclosed that is affixed to the rear dropout of a bicycle frame. When the bicycle is placed in the roof top carrier, the axle of the front wheel is secured into a slot provided in the bracket by tightening the wheel&#39;s quick release mechanism. The bracket has several drawbacks. First, it is not easily removable from the bicycle and is intended to remain on the bicycle adding unnecessary weight. Second, since the front wheel is supported at the axle on only one side of the axle, the stress on the axle from the weight of the wheel and wind resistance during transport could cause damage to the axle and the wheel&#39;s hub. 
     In another U.S. patent, a bracket holder is discussed that clamps onto the seat post of a bicycle in includes space slots in which the axle of the front wheel is supported. A support arm of the holder extends a significant distance away from the clamp on one end thereof. It is to be appreciated that the wheel and the end of the support arm could interfere with mounting additional bicycle&#39;s on the rooftop carrier, especially when more than two bicycles are to be transported in a single carrier. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A holder of a bicycle wheel for mounting on a frame of a bicycle is described. In one preferred embodiment, the wheel holder includes a framework with two or more coupling devices and one or more attachment devices attached to the framework. The two or more coupling devices are adapted to attach to one or more tubes of the bicycle frame at two or more locations while the one or more attachment devices are adapted to hold the bicycle wheel. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the wheel holder includes a framework with a hook and cradle coupled with the framework. The hook is adapted to hang over a top tube of the bicycle frame suspending the wheel holder from the frame. The cradle is adapted to receive a rim of the bicycle wheel therein, such that the wheel is essentially suspended from the wheel holder. 
     A preferred method of attaching a bicycle wheel to the frame of a bicycle is also described. First the wheel holder is suspended from a top tube of a bicycle frame. the wheel holder according to this embodiment includes (i) a framework, (ii) a hook coupled with the framework, the hook being adapted to hang over the top tube of the bicycle frame; (iii) a cradle coupled with the framework, (iv) at least one frame clamp attached to the framework, and (v) at least one wheel clamp attached to the framework. The wheel holder is then secured to one of a seat tube and a down tube of the bicycle frame using the at least one frame clamp. Next, the bicycle wheel is hung by its rim from the cradle. Finally, the bicycle wheel is secured to the wheel holder at the wheel&#39;s tire and/or rim using the at least one wheel clamp. 
     Other embodiments and variations thereof are contemplated and described below and in the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric front view of a preferred embodiment of the wheel holder showing the holder attached to a bicycle frame. 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric rear view of the wheel holder with a bicycle wheel secured thereto. 
     FIG. 3 is an isometric exploded view of the wheel holder 
     FIG. 4 is a rear view of the holder with a front wheel of the bicycle secured to the holder. 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the wheel holder as taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A bicycle wheel holder for attachment to the frame of a bicycle is described. A preferred embodiment of the holder is configured to be quickly and easily secured to a bicycle frame at three points. Accordingly, a bicycle without its front wheel can be mounted in a roof top carrier and the front wheel can be securely and quickly attached to the bicycle at a location that does not interfere with other bikes that are also mounted in the carrier. 
     Referring primarily to FIGS. 1 and 3, the preferred embodiment of the wheel holder  100  comprises (i) a column assembly  102  including an integrally formed cradle  104  to receive the rim of a bicycle wheel  106  and a hook  108  to be placed over the top tube  110  of a bicycle frame  112 , (ii) a partially curved cross bar  114  pivotally joined to the column assembly, (iii) two frame clamp assemblies  116  for securing the holder to the bicycle frame  112 , and (iv) two wheel clamp assemblies  120  for securing the bicycle wheel to the holder. 
     The column assembly  102  includes a glass-filled nylon molded column member  122 . The column member is pivotally attached to the cross bar  114  at the column member&#39;s distal end by a threaded bolt  124  that is passed through apertures in both the cross bar and the column member. A small knob  126  with a threaded cavity is provided to secure the threaded bolt in place. In its preferred orientation of use, the elongated column member includes an elongated I-beam portion  128  that extends generally vertically upwardly to a distal top end. The I-beam portion has parallel front and rear flanges  130  joined by a perpendicular web  134 . The web has a plurality of horizontally-extending holes  136  passing through it at spaced locations along the length of the I-beam portion. At the distal end of the column member, an integrally-molded cradle arm  104  extends outwardly from the front flange in a substantially horizontal direction that is generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the I-beam portion. The cradle arm has a top surface  138  forming a semi-circular shaped cradle in which the rim  140  of the bicycle wheel  106  can be hung. Preferably, a foam pad  142  (FIG. 5) is bonded to the cradle surface to prevent the marring of the rim. Further, a horizontally-extending aperture  144  is provided through the cradle arm, through which a Velcro strap  146  or similar fastening strap can pass and wrap around the bicycle wheel to hold the wheel in the cradle. 
     Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the column assembly  102  further comprises the hook member  108 . Like the column member, the hook member is molded of a glass-filled nylon. The hook member has a connecting portion  148  adapted to be received in between the flanges  130  of the I-beam  128  with a face thereof abutting the web  134  of the beam. The connecting portion has a hole  150  passing through the abutting face. To attach the hook to the column member, the hole in the hook member is aligned with one of the vertically-spaced holes  136  in the beam, a fastener  152  is passed therethrough, and threaded into a corresponding threaded block  153  that is received between the beam&#39;s flanges on the opposite side of the web. It is appreciated by aligning the hole in the hook member with different vertically-spaced holes, the wheel holder can be adjusted for use with bicycle frames  112  of different sizes. 
     The curved cross bar  114  of the wheel holder is preferably fabricated from a square tube of 6061-T4 aluminum. Referring to FIG. 1, in its preferred orientation of use, the cross bar extends generally linearly and horizontally from a right first end to form a right linear section  154 . Next, a center section  156  of the bar is curved to form an arc of around 30 to 50 degrees, preferably 35-45 degrees and most preferably about 40 degrees. From the left end of the center section, the cross bar continues generally linearly in a downwardly and leftwardly direction to a left second end forming a left linear section  158 . At the proximate longitudinal center of the cross bar the column assembly is pivotally joined to the cross bar as described above. The wheel clamp and frame clamp assemblies  120  and  116  are slidably received onto the linear sections of the cross bar for attachment of the wheel holder to the bicycle frame and for securing the wheel  106  to the wheel holder respectively. As best shown in FIG. 4, the frame clamp assemblies  116  are each mounted on one of the respective left or right linear sections of the cross bar closer to the center of the cross bar then the respective left or right wheel clamp assemblies  120 . In one embodiment, plastic end caps  194  are provided to cover the open ends of the tubular cross bar. 
     Each wheel clamp assembly  120  is comprised of a glass-filled molded nylon cross bar clamp  160  and a large circular plastic knob  162  with a threaded steel stud  164  extending perpendicularly from a center thereof. The cross bar clamp includes a square passage therethrough sized to be slidably received on the linear sections  154  and  158  of the cross bar. A slot  166  extends from the interior of the passage through to the outside of the clamp. A bolt hole  168  extends through the clamp perpendicularly across the slot with the section of the bolt hole to the rear of the slot being threaded. The threaded stud  164  is received in a bolt hole  168  in the cross bar clamp. The wheel clamp assembly further includes a coil spring  172  that is received around the threaded stud with one end braced against the back side of the large knob and the other end braced against the cross bar clamp. Accordingly, when the clamp is tightened by turning the large knob clockwise advancing the stud into the bolt hole, the spring is compressed, applying a force across the slot that effectively tightens the wheel clamp around the cross bar to hold the wheel clamp assembly in place. 
     Each frame clamp assembly  116  is comprised of a glass-filled molded Nylon cross bar clamp  174  that is slidably received on one of the linear sections  154  and  158  of the cross bar, a threaded J-bolt  176  for being hooked around either the bottom tube  178  or seat tube  180  of a bicycle frame and a small plastic knob  182  with a threaded cavity for receiving the J-bolt and providing for the tightening of the J-bolt against the frame  112 . The cross bar clamp includes a square passage therethrough sized to be slidably received on the linear sections of the cross bar. A slot  184  extends from the interior of the passage through to the outside of the clamp. A bolt hole  186  extends through the clamp perpendicularly across the slot. Further, a rearwardly extending cylindrical boss  188  extends from the rear side of the clamp. The boss is spaced from the J-bolt such that when the J-clamp assembly is in use. The respective bicycle frame tube is held in between one side of the boss and one side of the J-bolt as best seen in FIG.  5 . In the preferred embodiment, a rubber cover  190  is provided to cover the boss of each frame clamp assembly to prevent the boss from scratching or marring the painted surface of the bicycle frame. 
     In preparation to use the wheel holder to secure a front wheel to a bicycle mounted in a roof top carrier or other type of carrier, the wheel holder  100  is hung from the top tube  110  of the bicycle frame  112 . Next, the user moves the frame clamp assemblies  116  into place with the cylindrical bosses  188  of the cross bar clamps  174  placed against the top side of down tube  178  and the left side of seat tube  180  (referring to the orientation of the frame as depicted in FIG.  4 ). The J-bolts  178  are then rotated into place around the right side of the seat tube and the bottom side of the down tube and secured by tightening them against the respective frame tubes by rotating the associated small knobs  182  clockwise. 
     If it is not possible to slide the frame clamp assemblies  116  into the proper position on a particular bicycle frame, the position of the hook member  108  of the column assembly  102  may need to be adjusted. Generally, the hook member is lowered to fit smaller bicycle frames and raised to fit larger bicycle frames. To adjust the hook member, the associated fastener  152  is unscrewed from the threaded block  153  and the hook member is moved into the desired location, aligning the hole  150  in the connection portion  148  of the hook member with a corresponding hole of the vertically-spaced holes  136  in the web  134  of the column member&#39;s I-beam portion  128 . The fastener is passed through the holes and secured in the threaded block. Considering the wheel holder is likely to be used mainly in conjunction with a single bicycle, in most instances the height of the hook member will only need to be adjusted once. 
     Once the holder  100  is secured to the bicycle frame  112 , the front wheel  106  of the bicycle can be secured to the wheel holder. First, the wheel clamp assemblies  120  are slid towards their respective first and second ends of the cross bar so that they are spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the wheel to be secured to the holder. Second, the rim  140  of the wheel is placed in the cradle  104  of the column member. Next, the wheel bracket assemblies  116  are slid inwardly towards the tires  192  of the wheel until the spring-covered threaded stud  164  of each assembly is impacting the tire. Finally, the large knobs  162  are rotated clockwise to seat their rear surfaces against the front side of the tire and also to tighten the clamp block  160  in place on the cross bar  114 . 
     It is to be appreciated that the positioning of the wheel clamp assemblies  120  prevents the wheel  106  from both swinging outwardly and moving upwardly as the wheel is jostled during transport as might be caused by wind and uneven terrain in the road the associated vehicle is traversing. The outwardly swing of the wheel is prevented by the large knob  162  as can best be seen in FIG.  5 . As can best be seen in FIG. 4, the right wheel clamp assembly is braced against the tire  192  at a location above a horizontal diameter line of the wheel, preventing the wheel from moving vertically upwardly. Similarly the left wheel clamp assembly is located below the horizontal diameter line of the wheel, substantially preventing any vertically downwardly movement, although such movement is also prevented by the cradle  104 . To further ensure that the wheel is held securely in the wheel holder, a strap  146  is provided that can be placed through the provided aperture  144  in the cradle portion of the column member and wrapped around the wheel&#39;s rim and tire. In the preferred embodiment, the strap includes a hook and loop material for rapid opening and closing of the strap, however, other types of closing mechanisms can be used, such as buckles, snaps and d-rings. 
     Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure is made by way of example, and changes in the detail, structure and manner of using the invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 
     For instance, any number of different materials could be utilized to construct the various components of the wheel holder. For instance, in place of a glass-reinforced nylon one or more of the column member, the hook member, and the cross bar clamps could be fabricated from other polymeric materials, reinforced and unreinforced, or one or more of these parts could be comprised of a wrought, cast or machined metal, such as aluminum or magnesium. The large and small knobs could be fabricated from any number of materials as well in place of plastic, such as wood or metal. Additionally, the cross bar could be fabricated from a reinforced or unreinforced plastic material or another metallic material, such as steel or magnesium, in place of the specified aluminum. 
     The clamping mechanisms described above are also merely exemplary and many other alternative structures are contemplated for attaching the holder to a bicycle frame and securing a wheel to the holder. For instance, straps can be utilized in place of the frame clamp assemblies or the wheel clamp assemblies. Additionally, the structure of the various clamps, the cradle and the hook member are not considered crucial to the function of the wheel holder provided any alternative structure can accomplish the intended function of either attaching a framework of the wheel holder to the bicycle frame or securing a wheel. 
     The structure of the wheel holder&#39;s framework can also vary substantially. For instance, the pivotal connection between the cross bar and a vertical column member may not be utilized with a column being fixedly joined, or even integrally molded, with a cross bar. Further, the framework of the holder may bear little resemblance to the exemplary framework provided by the column member and the cross bar. Numerous other framework configurations are possible as would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.