Abstract:
A sports equipment carrier for a vehicle including a rack structure adapted to be mounted to a vehicle and an equipment securing portion. The equipment securing portion includes a clamping mechanism and an adjustment member, where the clamping mechanism includes a housing and is operable between open and closed configurations. Operation of the clamping mechanism shifts the adjustment member into and at least partially out of the housing so that the adjustment member is accessible to a user in the open configuration and inaccessible to a user in the closed configuration.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/321,299 filed Dec. 16, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,590 which is a continuation application of Ser. No. 09/585,723 filed May 31, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,351, and are hereby incorporated by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to devices for securing bicycles and more particularly to a bicycle carrier for use on vehicles. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Bicycles are often transported on vehicles. Numerous racks and devices have been devised to secure bicycles to vehicles during transport. One particularly common bicycle carrier utilizes a fork block mounted to a rack structure. The fork block has a skewer that clamps the front forks of a bicycle to secure the bicycle to the rack. The clamping pressure of the skewer on the forks is sufficient to stabilize the bicycle against tipping during travel. Typically, a wheel tray extends back from the fork block to support the rear wheel. 
   Fork block-type bicycle carriers present a number of design challenges. First, the fork block/skewer must grip the forks of the bicycle firmly enough to provide the needed stability. At the same time, it should be easy to secure the bicycle to or release it from the fork block, as well as easy to adjust to fit various bikes. In addition, the carrier should provide some way of securing the bicycle against theft when it is left unattended. More recently, bicycles have begun to incorporate front disk brakes. The disk brakes require calipers mounted to the front forks and such calipers often will not fit over the wheel tray on existing designs. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a bicycle carrier constructed according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an isometric view of a fork block portion of the carrier of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view through the fork block of  FIG. 2  in a closed configuration. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view through the fork block of  FIG. 2  in an open configuration. 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view through the fork block of  FIG. 2  in a locked configuration. 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded isometric view of the fork block of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 7  is an isometric view of the backside of a handle forming part of the fork block of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 8  is a top view of the fork block of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view through the fork block and skewer assembly of  FIG. 2  in a closed configuration. 
       FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view through the fork block and skewer assembly of  FIG. 9  in an open configuration. 
       FIG. 11  is an isometric view of a fork block portion of the carrier of  FIG. 2  with the skewer in an open configuration. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   A sport equipment carrier in the form of a bicycle carrier according to the present invention is shown generally at  10  in  FIG. 1 . Carrier  10  is adapted to receive and secure a bicycle  12 . The carrier includes a rack portion  14  adapted to be mounted to a vehicle. Typical racks are mounted on the roof or rear of a vehicle. The carrier also includes an equipment securing portion in the form of a fork block  16  adapted to secure forks  18  of bicycle  12 . Brake calipers  20  are mounted to forks  18 . A wheel tray  22  extends back from the fork block to receive and stabilize rear tire  24  of the bicycle. 
   Rack portion  14 , shown mounted to the roof of a vehicle, includes crossbars  30 , which extend across the roof and are typically either round or rectangular in cross section. The crossbars are secured to the vehicle by towers  32  that may secure to the gutters at the edge of the roof or an original equipment rack. Alternatively, the rack portion may be part of a hitch-mounted rack or other type of rack. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , fork block  16  includes a head portion  40  and an extension portion  42 . Head portion  40  has a generally clamshell like mounting mechanism to selectively mount to crossbar  30 . In particular, the head portion includes a lower jaw  44  pivotally connected to a fixed upper jaw  46  by a hinge pin  48 . See  FIGS. 3–6 . The jaws define an opening  50  adapted to receive either a round or rectangular crossbar. It should be noted that the opening is shaped to grip the round bar as close to the hinge point as possible to thereby maximize clamping force on the round bar. 
   Lower jaw  44  is selectively secured by a catch  52  controlled by a handle  54 . Handle  54  is pivotally mounted to head portion  40  at a pivot pin  56 . The catch includes an upper hoop  58  that fits around a pin  60  carried by handle  54 . The catch also includes a lower hook  62  that fits into a recess  64  formed in the free end of the lower jaw. 
   As the handle is raised to the open position, the catch is lowered sufficiently to allow the hook to be removed from the recess, releasing the lower jaw. To secure the jaw, the hook is placed in the recess and the handle is depressed. This brings the catch up and closes the jaw. The hook has sufficient curvature to provide some tension on the lower jaw in the closed position. The arrangement of couplings between the handle, catch and lower jaw creates an over-center geometry when the handle is in the closed position so that the handle tends to remain closed unless manually opened. 
   Head portion  40  includes a passage  70  configured to receive a skewer bolt  72 . As will be described below, the skewer bolt is removable and serves to clamp the forks to the head portion. A locking mechanism interacts with the skewer bolt to selectively permit or prevent the opening of the lower jaw. The locking mechanism includes a toggle member  74  pivotally mounted on pivot pin  56 . The toggle member includes a lever end  76  and an interference end  78  that projects through slots  80 ,  82  formed in the handle and catch into passage  70 . See  FIG. 7 . Prior to installation of the skewer bolt, the lever can be pushed down to place the interference end above the skewer bolt or raised to place the interference end below the skewer bolt. Once the skewer bolt is installed, the toggle member cannot be transitioned between the upper and lower positions. 
   When the toggle member is in the lower or released configuration, the handle can be operated normally to clamp or release a crossbar. However, when the toggle member is in the upper or locked configuration, it blocks movement of the handle and therefore release of the crossbar. More specifically, in the locked configuration, the upper surface of the interference end rides against the lower surface of the skewer, while the lower surface is located against the bottom of slot  80 . In order to rotate the handle, the bottom of the slot must rotate upward, which cannot happen while the toggle is under the skewer bolt. 
   By using the locking mechanism, a user can select at the time they install the skewer bolt whether or not they want the fork block to be releasable on the crossbar with the skewer locked. By engaging the locking mechanism, additional security against theft of the fork block and/or bicycle is obtained. However, by unlocking the mechanism, it is easier to adjust the location of the fork blocks on the crossbars to accommodate various bicycles or combinations of other equipment that might be mounted to the crossbars. 
   Extension portion  42  is generally elongate and extends back from head portion  40  to a wheel tray mount  86 . The wheel tray is secured to the wheel tray mount by a bolt  88  and nut  90 . The extension portion includes a waist region  92  between the head portion and wheel tray mount to provide increased clearance for calipers  20 . See  FIG. 8 . Waist region  92  includes two elongate side members  94 . It should be noted that waist region  92  is narrower than the wheel tray. In fork blocks where the wheel tray mounts to the fork block adjacent the skewer, the wheel tray interferes with the calipers. Typical wheel trays are formed as an aluminum extrusion and have a width that is dictated by the size of bicycle tires. Therefore, the wheel trays cannot easily be resized to provide the clearance offered by extension portion  42 . 
   Skewer bolt  72  forms part of a skewer assembly  100 . See  FIG. 6 . In addition to bolt  72 , skewer assembly  100  includes a housing  102 , an adjustment wheel  104 , a transfer link  106 , a spring  108 , a cam plate  110  and a cam lever  112 . The skewer bolt has a threaded end  114  that fits through a fork-clamping end  116  of housing  102 . The threaded end of the skewer is formed with flats  118  on each side of the threaded region. Wheel  104  threads onto threaded end  114  to provide adjustment of the clamping pressure spacing on the skewer. 
   Wheel  104  includes a textured gripping perimeter  120  and a coupling flange  122 . The coupling flange  122  is captured in recesses  124  formed in halves  126 ,  128  of transfer link  106 . This arrangement allows the wheel to rotate within the link, but not move longitudinally relative to it. The flattened end of the skewer bolt rides in shank section  130  of the link in an elongate track  132  formed in each half of the link. The tracks have a flat bottom that interacts with the flats on the end of the skewer bolt to prevent the skewer bolt from rotating in the link, while still permitting the bolt to shift longitudinally for adjustment purposes. The link includes tabs  133  that slide in tracks  134  formed in housing  102 . 
   Spring  108  fits over shank section  130  and biases against the bottom of cam plate  110 . This tends to push the wheel away from the cam plate and therefore biases the skewer bolt to the open position. The cam plate includes ribs  136  that fit in tracks  134  to prevent the cam plate from rotating in the housing. The cam plate is secured to the housing by a pair of lock pins  137  pressed through holes  138  in the housing and cam plate. 
   Cam lever  112  is attached to the end of the shank section of transfer link  106  via a pin  140  pressed through holes  142  formed in the shank and lever. The cam lever includes an arcuate cam surface  144  that rides against cam plate  110 . As the lever is rotated, the cam surface is shaped to shift the link toward and away from the lever end of the skewer assembly to tighten or loosen the skewer assembly. See  FIGS. 9 and 10 . By turning the wheel until it completely unthreads from the skewer bolt, it is possible to remove the housing and associated components from the skewer bolt. This allows the skewer bolt to be removed from the fork block to in turn allow the toggle to be flipped between states. 
   It should be noted that the housing including access openings  146  that provide access to the adjustment wheel when the lever is in the released position. See  FIG. 11 . Thus, when the lever is open, the user can rotate the wheel to select the correct spacing and tension to accommodate a particular set of bicycle forks. However, when the lever is closed, the wheel is retracted into the housing, preventing further adjustment. This is significant because it prevents a third party from using pliers or some other tool to loosen the skewer assembly so long as the lever remains in the closed position. So long as the toggle is placed in the locked configuration, the fork block also cannot be removed from the crossbars. 
   The lever includes a lock receptacle  150  configured to receive a lock body  152 . The lock body includes a rotatable T-catch  154  that can be rotated with a key to either pass through or catch on a slot  156  formed in a lock shelf located on the side of the housing. When the catch is engaged to catch on the slot, the lever cannot be opened to release the skewer assembly, and, as long as the lever remains closed, the wheel is hidden and cannot be used to loosen the skewer. Moreover, because the wheel is mounted inside the housing and the skewer housing cannot rotate on the skewer bolt because of the interaction of the flats in the transfer link, it is not possible to use the skewer housing as a handle to loosen the skewer assembly. 
   The various structural members of the disclosed embodiment may be constructed of steel, stainless steel, nylon, aluminum or similar materials with sufficient structural strength to withstand the loads incurred in use. 
   It is believed that the disclosure set forth above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in its preferred form, the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. No single feature, function, element or property of the disclosed embodiments is essential to every one of the disclosed inventions. Similarly, where the claims recite “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. 
   It is believed that the following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations that are directed to some of the disclosed inventions and are novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present claims or presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to a different invention or directed to the same invention, whether different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are also regarded as included within the subject matter of the inventions of the present disclosure.