Patent Publication Number: US-9889336-B1

Title: Chain wheel locking assembly of an exercise apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a chain wheel locking assembly, and more particularly to a chain wheel locking device of an exercise apparatus. 
     2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98 
     There are various exercise devices in the market, such as an exercise bike, a stepper, a rowing machine, a treadmill and a tension machine. The structure of the exercise bike is in the field of the present invention. 
     A conventional exercise bike is usually provided with a drive wheel connected to a crank device. The drive wheel is operated with a driven wheel via a belt or a chain, wherein the driven wheel is connected to a damping device for promoting the exercise effect. As usual, an axle of the drive wheel is horizontally disposed on a frame of the exercise bike such that the frame needs to horizontally define a slot for mounting the axle with the drive wheel. The axle is positioned when the tension of the belt or the chain is completely adjusted by nuts. However, the nuts may be loosed relative to the vibrations due to a continual operation. As a result, the tension and the transmission effect of the belt of the chain are reduced. In the course of time, the belt or the chain may detach from the drive/driven wheel and the exercise bike loses its original function. 
     The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantages of the conventional positioning method of the wheel axle of the exercise apparatus. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main objective of the present invention is to provide an improved chain wheel locking device of an exercise apparatus, which is provided to prevent the chain wheel axle from being moved relative to the wheel frame such that a tension of a chain on the chain wheel is maintained to prevent the chain from being detached from the chain wheel. 
     To achieve the objective, the chain wheel locking device of an exercise apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a wheel frame adapted to be mounted on a main frame of the exercise apparatus, wherein the wheel frame is a U-shaped structure and has two supports corresponding to each other. The exercise apparatus includes a chain wheel axle rotatably extending through a chain wheel and the two supports. The chain wheel axle has two opposite ends each having a locking device mounted thereon for positioning the chain wheel axle and preventing the chain wheel axle from being moved relative to the wheel frame such that a tension of a chain on the chain wheel is maintained to prevent the chain from being detached from the chain wheel. Each support includes a top portion having a slot defined therein and the slot is adapted to allow the chain wheel axle extending through the two supports. The locking device includes a pulling member adapted to be sleeved on the chain wheel axle for adjusting a tension of the chain of the exercise apparatus and a locking adapted to be sleeved on the chain wheel axle for tightly positioning the pulling member after adjusting the tension of the chain. 
     Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a chain wheel locking assembly of an exercise apparatus in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a partially enlarged view of  FIG. 1 , wherein the chain wheel locking assembly is exploded. 
         FIG. 3  is a partially enlarged view of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the chain wheel locking assembly in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a partially enlarged view of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of the chain wheel locking assembly in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a partially enlarged view of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings and initially to  FIGS. 1-3 , a chain wheel locking assembly of an exercise apparatus  50  in accordance with the present invention comprises a wheel frame  10  adapted to be mounted on a main frame  51  of the exercise apparatus  50 , wherein the wheel frame  10  is a U-shaped structure and has two support  11  corresponding to each other. The exercise apparatus  50  includes a chain wheel axle  52  rotatably extending through a chain wheel and the two supports  11 . The chain wheel axle  52  has two opposite ends each having a locking device  20  mounted thereon for positioning the chain wheel axle  52  and preventing the chain wheel axle  52  from being moved relative to the wheel frame  10  such that a tension of a chain on the chain wheel is maintained to prevent the chain from being detached from the chain wheel. 
     Each support  11  includes a top portion having a slot  12  defined therein and an ear  13  extending therefrom, wherein the slot  12  and the ear linearly correspond to each other, and the slot  12  is adapted to allow the chain wheel axle  52  extending through the two supports  11 . Each locking device  20  includes a pulling member  21  and a locking member  22 , wherein the mounting direction of the pulling member  21  is opposite to that of the locking member  22 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pulling member  21  has a structure the same as that of the locking member  22 . The pulling member  21  and the locking member  22  respectively include a loop  211 / 221  and a shaft  212 / 222  outwardly extending from the loop  211 / 221 , wherein the loop  211 / 221  are adapted to be sleeved on the chain wheel axle  52  and the shaft  212 / 222  has a threaded portion  213 / 223  formed on a free end thereof. A first nut  24  is screwed onto the threaded portion  213  of the shaft  212  of the pulling member  21  after the shaft  212  of the pulling member  21  extending through an engager  23 , wherein the engager  23  has a U-shaped cross-section for partially receiving a distal edge of a corresponding one of the two supports  11 . A second nut  25  is screwed onto the threaded portion  223  of the shaft  222  of the locking member  22  after shaft  222  of the locking member  22  extending through the ear  13 . A nut  30  is adapted to be screwed onto a corresponding one of the two opposite ends of the chain wheel axle  52  to fasten the loop  211 / 221  of each of the pulling member  21  and the locking member  22  and preventing the pulling member  21  and the locking member  22  from being detached from the chain wheel axle  52 . 
     When using the first preferred embodiment of the chain wheel locking assembly in accordance with the present invention to position the chain wheel axle  52 , the first nut  24  and the second nut  25  are firstly rotated to make the engager  23  and the second nut  25  respectively abutting against the distal edge of a corresponding one of the two supports  11  and the ear  13 . The position of the chain wheel axle  52  in the slot  12  is adjusted and the tension of the chain is adjusted by rotating the first nut  24  and the second nut  25 . The nut  30  is rotated to tightly force the loops  211 ,  221  of the pulling member  21  and the locking member  22  after the position of the chain wheel axle  52  in the slot  12  is completely adjusted and the tension of the chain is completely adjusted. The tension of the chain may be loosened after being used for a period of time. However, the tension of the chain is renewed after repeating the adjusting steps as described above and the use life of the chain can be lengthened. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5  that show a second preferred embodiment of the chain wheel locking assembly in accordance with the present invention, in this embodiment, each support  11 A only has a slot  12  defined therein and the ear  13  of the first preferred embodiment is disappeared in this embodiment. The locking device  20 A includes a first engager  23  and a second engager  23 A, wherein the threaded portions  213 ,  223  of the shafts  212 ,  222  of the pulling member  21  and the locking member  22  respectively having a first nut  24  and a second nut  25  screwed thereon after the shafts  212 ,  222  of the pulling member  21  and the locking member  22  respectively extending through the first engager  23  and the second engager  23 A. The operated steps of the second preferred embodiment are similar to that of the first preferred embodiment such that the operated steps of the second preferred embodiment are not repeated. The first engager  23  and the second engager  23 A respectively have a U-shaped cross-section, wherein the second engager  23 A has a width greater than that of the first engager  23 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7  that show a third preferred embodiment of the chain wheel locking assembly in accordance with the present invention, in this embodiment, each support  11 B only has the slot  12  defined therein and the ear  13  of the first preferred embodiment is disappeared in this embodiment. The slot  12  has two opposite sides each having a bore  14  defined in the support  11 B. The locking device  20 B includes a pulling member  21  and a locking member  22 B. The pulling member  21  includes a loop  211  and a shaft  212  outwardly extending from the loop  211 , wherein the loop  211  is adapted to be sleeved on the chain wheel axle  52  and the shaft  212  has a threaded portion  213  formed on a free end thereof. A first nut  24  is screwed onto the threaded portion  213  of the shaft  212  of the pulling member  21  after the shaft  212  of the pulling member  21  extending through an engager  23 , wherein the engager  23  has a U-shaped cross-section for partially receiving a distal edge of a corresponding one of the two supports  11 . The locking member  22 B includes a through hole  26  defined therein and the chain wheel axle  52  extending through the through hole  26 . The locking member  22 B has two opposite ends each having an insertion  27 , wherein each insertion  27  is inserted into a corresponding one of the two bores  14  and a nut  30  is screwed onto the chain wheel axle  52  to tightly position the locking member  22  such that the locking member  22 B does not move relative to the support  11 B. Accordingly, the chain wheel axle  52  and the chain wheel do not move relative to the support  11 B. 
     Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.