Patent Publication Number: US-2005116438-A1

Title: Bicycle with two pedaling modes

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of The Invention  
      The present invention relates to a bicycle, more particularly to a bicycle with two pedaling modes, which has two pedals disposed opposite each other or arranged in the same position, so that a rider can pedal the bicycle in two different pedaling modes.  
      2. Description of The Related Art  
      Many people have started to emphasize quality of life, so they often like to ride a conventional bicycle in their free time.  
      However, the conventional bicycle has two pedals disposed opposite each other and the two pedals are pedaled in a rotating manner. The action of pedaling the bicycle is invariable and boring.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The purpose of the present invention is to provide a bicycle with two pedaling modes for increased interest.  
      In order to achieve above objective, the present invention is to provide a bicycle with two pedaling modes. The bicycle has a bicycle body, a rotating shaft tube, two cranks and two pedals. The bicycle body has two handlebars respectively disposed on right and left sides thereof, two wheels respectively disposed on front and rear sides thereof and a seat disposed between the two wheels.  
      The rotating shaft tube is disposed below the bicycle body for driving the two wheels and the rotating shaft tube has a rotating shaft structure and a mode change apparatus. The two cranks are respectively connected to two ends of the rotating shaft structure and the two pedals are respectively connected to the two cranks.  
      The rotating shaft structure includes a shaft unit, a first spring, a first sleeve, a second spring and a second sleeve. The shaft unit has a shaft portion, a first tail portion and a second tail portion respectively extending from two ends of the shaft portion, a wedge-shaped portion formed on an outer circumference of the first tail portion, and a washer disposed at a free end of the first tail portion. One crank is engaged with the second tail portion. The first spring encloses the shaft portion of the shaft unit and has a first circular portion and a second portion respectively formed on two sides thereof. The first sleeve has a hollow sleeve body and a mating wedge-shaped portion formed on an inner circumference of the hollow sleeve body for mating with the corresponding wedge-shaped portion. Another crank is engaged with the first sleeve. The second spring encloses the first tail portion.  
      The mode change apparatus includes a bar and a controller controlling the bar for changing pedaling modes.  
      It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.  
      Other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description, drawings and claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a partially magnified view of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is combined view of the mode change apparatus;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the first pedaling function of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft tube;  
       FIG. 6  shows a first action of the rotating shaft tube;  
       FIG. 7  shows a second action of the rotating shaft tube; and  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the second pedaling function of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIG. 1-5 , the present invention provides a bicycle  6  with two pedaling modes. The bicycle  6  has a bicycle body  62 , a rotating shaft tube  61  disposed below the bicycle body  62 , two cranks  7  and two pedals  8 .  
      The bicycle body  62  has two handlebars  10  respectively disposed on right and left sides thereof, two wheels  11  respectively disposed on front and rear sides thereof and a seat  12  disposed between the two wheels  11 .  
      The rotating shaft tube  61  is disposed below the bicycle body  62  for driving the two wheels  11 . The rotating shaft tube  61  has a rotating shaft structure  3  and a mode change apparatus  9 . The two cranks  7  are respectively connected to two ends of the rotating shaft structure  3  and the two pedals  8  are respectively connected to the two cranks  7 .  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  5 , the rotating shaft structure  3  includes a shaft unit  30 , a first spring  4 , a first sleeve  1 , a second spring  5  and a second sleeve  2 . The shaft unit  30  includes a shaft portion  31 , a first tail portion  32  and a second tail portion  33  respectively extending from two ends of the shaft portion  31 , and a wedge-shaped portion  323  formed on an outer circumference of the first tail portion  32 . The shaft portion  31  further includes a screw member  311 , a nut  312  and a through hole  313  formed near the second tail portion  33 . The screw member  311  is inserted through the through hole  313  and then secured by the nut  312 . The first tail portion  32  further defines an axial hole  321  axially formed, and a longitudinal hole  322  longitudinally formed. The wedge-shaped portion  323  has concave sections and convex sections formed therein. The second tail portion  33  has a plurality of second flutes  331  axially formed thereon.  
      The first spring  4  has a first circular portion  41  and a second circular portion  42  respectively formed on two sides thereof. The first spring  4  encloses the shaft portion  31  of the shaft unit  30  and the second circular portion  42  corresponds with the through hole  313 . Furthermore, the screw member  311  is inserted through the second circular portion  42  and the through hole  313  and then secured by the nut  312 , so that the first spring  4  is secured on the shaft portion  31 .  
      The second sleeve  2  encloses the shaft portion  31  of the shaft unit  30 . The second sleeve  2  has a concavity  21  formed in a top thereof and a hollow protruding block  22  formed on a side thereof. The first circular portion  41  of the first spring  4  is received in the concavity  21  thereby to form a step difference.  
      The first sleeve  1  has a hollow sleeve body  11 , a mating wedge-shaped portion  12  corresponding to the wedge-shaped portion  323  and formed on an inner circumference of the hollow sleeve body  11 , a plurality of first flutes  13  axially formed thereon, a key hole  111  longitudinally formed through the sleeve body  11 , a key sleeve  15  engaging to the key hole  111 , and a key  14  engaging with the key sleeve  15 . The first sleeve  1  encloses the first tail portion  32  and the mating wedge-shaped portion  12  of the first sleeve  1  has concave sections and convex sections formed therein for mating with the wedge-shaped portion  323 . The mating wedge-shaped portion  12  further has a holding portion  121  on an end thereof.  
      After the first sleeve  1  encloses the first tail portion  32 , the first tail portion  32  is inserted through the inner of the hollow sleeve body  11  of the first sleeve  1 . The second spring  5  proceeds to enclose the first tail portion  32  and abuts against between the holding portion  121  of the mating wedge-shaped portion  12  and the washer  34 . The washer  34  abuts against the second spring  5 ; moreover, a screw  35  is inserted through the washer  34  and engages the axial hole  321  so that the wedge-shaped portion  323  and the mating wedge-shaped portion  12  are able to be elastically separated and mated by the second spring  5 .  
      The key hole  111  corresponds to the longitudinal hole  322  of the first tail portion  32  and the key  14  is inserted through the key hole  111  and the longitudinal hole  322  for limiting action of the wedge-shaped portion  323  and the mating wedge-shaped portion  12 .  
      The rotating shaft structure  3  is received in the rotating shaft tube  61 ; moreover the rotating shaft tube  61  includes two hollow caps  612 , two ball bearings  613  and two fixing rings  611 .  
      The two hollow caps  612  with an external thread are respectively engaged with two ends of the rotating shaft tube  61 . Each of the caps  612  defines a receiving space in a side thereof for receiving a ball bearing  613 . The two ball bearings  613  are respectively disposed in the two receiving spaces of the two caps  612  and the two ball bearings  613  are respectively enclosed the first tail portion  32  and the second tail portion  33 , so that the rotating shaft structure  3  rotates freely. The two fixing ring  611  are respectively engaged with the cap  612  for fixing the cap  612 .  
      Each crank  7  has a joint  71  and a C-shaped jig  72  respectively disposed on two sides thereof Each pedal  8  has a handle  81  with a thread. The two joints  71  are respectively engaged to the two handles  81 . Each C-shaped jig  72  has a plurality of mating teeth  720  formed on an inside thereof and respectively engaged with the second flutes  331  of the second tail portion  33  and the first flutes  13  of the first sleeve  1 . Each C-shaped jig  72  further has two corresponding screw holes  721  formed therein and a bolt  722  screwing through the two corresponding screw holes  721  so that the C-shaped jig  72  is tightened or loosened by the bolt  722 . Therefore, the rotating shaft structure  3  is rotated by the pedal  8  through the crank  7 .  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1, 3 ,  5 , the mode change apparatus  9  includes a controller  91 , a clip  92 , cable  93 , a block  931 , an elastic element  94 , a bar  95 , a bar sleeve  96 , and a hollow base  97 . The controller  91  is disposed on one handlebar of the bicycle  6  for controlling the bar  95 . The cable  93  connects the controller  91  to the bar  95 , and the cable  93  is further fixed on the bicycle body  62  of the bicycle  6  by the clip  92 . The bar  95  defines an aperture  951  formed in an end thereof. The block  931  is mounted in the aperture  951 . The elastic element  94  is disposed between the clip  92  and the bar  95 ; moreover, the elastic element  94  abuts the clip  92  and the bar  95  for elastically driving the bar  95  downward. The bar  95  is inserted in the rotating shaft tube  61  for alternatively inserting into the first circular portion  41  of the first spring  4 . The base  97  is disposed on the rotating shaft tube  61 . The mode change apparatus  9  further includes a bar sleeve  96  with an internal thread engaged with the base  97  with an external thread.  
      Reference is made to  FIG. 4 , which illustrates the first pedaling function of the bicycle  6 . Controller  91  of the mode change apparatus  9  is used to pull the bar  95  upward, so that the bar  95  is not inserted into the first circular portion  41  of the first spring  4 , the first spring  4  rotates freely and does not create a torsion. Therefore a rider can repeatedly pedal the two pedals  8  of the bicycle  6  in 360 degrees.  
      Reference is made to  FIGS. 5-8 , which illustrate the second pedaling function of the bicycle  6 .  
      First, the controller  91  of the mode change apparatus  9  is used to drive the bar  95  downward and abut against an outside of the second sleeve  2 .  
      Second, the rider pushes the left pedal  8  with his/her left foot to retain the left pedal in a lower position.  
      Third, the rider pushes the right pedal  8  into the lower position. When the left pedal  8  is maintained in the low position or the right pedal  8  is just pushed, the bar  95  is exactly pushed into the first circular portion  41  of the first spring  4  by the elastic element  94 . Furthermore, when the first circular portion  41  of the first spring  4  is received in-the concavity  21  to form a step difference thereby, the step difference makes the bar  95  insert exactly into the first circular portion  41  of the first spring  4 . Therefore, as the right pedal  8  is pedaled into the lower position, the wedge-shaped portion  323  and the mating wedge-shaped portion  12  are relatively separated and then mated again so that the first spring  4  stores a elastic force by twisting. In first pedaling function, the left pedal  8  and the right pedal  8  are disposed opposite each other. At this moment, the left pedal  8  and the right pedal  8  are in the same position.  
      Fourth, the rider releases the force of his/her two feet on the right pedal  8  and the left pedal  8 . The right pedal  8  and the left pedal  8  are then moved to an upper position by elastic force of the twisted first spring  4 .  
      After performing the above steps, the rider continues to tread downwardly on the left pedal  8  and the right pedal  8 , after which the left pedal  8  and the right pedal  8  are returned to the upper position by the elastic force of the twisted first spring  4  so that the bicycle  6  is driven forward.  
      When the rider wants to change to the first pedaling mode, s/he uses the mode change apparatus  9  to pull the bar  95  back. The left pedal  8  is held, and then the right pedal  8  is pushed down until the right pedal  8  and the left pedal  8  are in opposite positions.  
      According to above description, the present invention has the following advantages: 
          (1) The bicycle  6  provides two pedaling modes so that pedaling the bicycle becomes more interesting.     (2) In accordance with requirement of the rider, the first spring  4  can be replaced by other types with different elastic forces.     (3) When the rider pedals the bicycle  6  on an uneven road, the key  14  is inserted into the longitudinal hole  322  so that the wedge-shaped portion  323  and the mating wedge-shaped portion  12  are not relatively separated and mated.        

      Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation show and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.