Patent Publication Number: US-2010122958-A1

Title: Bicycle Parking Rack

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a bicycle parking rack. More particularly, the present invention relates to a detachable bicycle parking rack for easy transport. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Referring to Taiwan Patent No. M298556, it discloses that a parking rack  20  for a bicycle includes a base  21  and a first holding portion  22  disposed at the center of the base  21  and adapted for holding a tire of the bicycle during parking the bicycle in an upright position. A holding hole  23  is formed on and penetrates the holding portion  22 . First and second end portions  24  and  25  extend from two ends of the base  21  respectively and are parallel to the ground. Two first anti-slip element  241  are provided on a side of the first end portion  24  toward the ground and two second anti-slip element  251  are provided on a side of the second end portion  25  toward the ground. A sign portion  26  is upward bent from the second end portion  25  and a second holding portion  27  extends from the sign portion  26  upwardly for holding wheel axle of the bicycle during parking the bicycle in an upright position for stable location of the bicycle. 
     However, the parking rack  20  is made from one-piece plate material and the bent portion between the sign portion  26  and the second end portion  25  is easy to be deformed during after repeated use and cannot exactly hold the wheel axle of the bicycle. Further, the parking rack  20  is not detachable and not convenient for transport. 
     The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiment of this invention described in connection with the drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Aspects of the present invention address one or more of the issues mentioned above, thereby providing a bicycle parking rack. The bicycle parking rack includes a base member and a support member detachably coupled to the base member. While the bicycle parking rack is not in use, the support member can be detached from the base member for easy transport and storage. And the base member and the support member are formed via pressing a plate. 
     These and other aspects are addressed in relation to the Figures and related description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a bicycle parking rack according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the rack shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a sketched, exploded view of the rack shown in  FIG. 1 , showing a plate pressed to form the base member and the support member of the rack. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a bicycle maintained in the rack shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a back view of the bicycle and the rack shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the bicycle parking rack shown in  FIG. 1 , illustrating that the support member received in the hollow portion of the base member when the bicycle parking rack is not in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring  FIGS. 1 through 4 , a bicycle parking rack includes a base member  10  and a support member  20 . The base member  10 , which is adapted for holding a wheel  42  of a bicycle  40 , is provided on the ground and has first and second ends (shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 ). The support member  20 , which is adapted for holding a wheel axis  43  of the bicycle  40 , is engaged with the base member  10  in an upright position and between the first and second ends of the base member  10  (shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 ). 
     The base member  10  is formed from a long plate piece and has numbers of bents. A first flat portion  12  and a second flat portion  13  are respectively defined at the first and second ends of the base member  10  and attach the ground. The base member  10  has a tapered-width profile from the first end to the second end thereof. A third flat portion  14  is defined at the center of the base member  10  transversely and attaches the ground and between the first and second flat portions  12  and  13 . A first bent portion  15  is formed between the first and third flat portions  12  and  14  and has first and second straight sections  151  and  152 . The second straight section  152  and the first flat portion  12  define an angle A 1 . The first straight section  151  and the second straight section  152  define an angle A 2 . And the first straight section  151  and the third flat portion  14  define an angle A 3 . The angles A 1 , A 2  and A 3  are all obtuse. A second bent portion  16  is formed between the second and third flat portions  13  and  14  and has first and second straight sections  161  and  162 . The second straight section  162  and the second flat portion  13  define an angle B 1 . The first straight section  161  and the second straight section  162  define an angle B 2 . And the first straight section  161  and the third flat portion  14  define an angle B 3 . The angles B 1 , B 2  and B 3  are all obtuse. 
     A long hollow portion  11  is provided on the first and second bent portions  15  and  16  of the base member  10  longitudinally without penetrating the first and second ends of the base member  10 . 
     The width of the first flat portion  12  is larger than the width of the second flat portion  13  so that the contact area of the first flat portion  12  with the ground is lager than the contact area of the second flat portion  13  with the ground. Moreover, the support member  20  is adapted for detachably coupling to the first straight section  161 . Further, the angle A 1  is larger than the angle A 2 , and the angle B 1  is larger than the angle B 2  so that the gradient of the second straight section  152  is greater than that of the first straight section  151 , and the gradient of the second straight section  162  is greater than that of the first straight section  161 . Hence, while the support member  20  is coupled to the base member  10  and the bicycle is maintained on the bicycle parking rack, the fore-mentioned features can keep balance of the base member  10  on the ground. 
     The support member  20  includes a coupled portion  21  formed on a first end thereof and detachably coupling to the first straight section  161  and a holding portion  22  formed on a second end thereof and extending from the coupled portion  21 . The holding portion  22  is perpendicular to the flat portions  12 ,  13  and  14 . The support member  20  is made from one-piece plate material, and the coupled portion  21  and the holding portion  22  define an obtuse angle C. In addition, the gradient of the coupled portion  21  is same to the gradient of the first straight section  161  so that the first straight section  161  and the coupled portion  21  abut against each other while the support member  20  is coupled to the base member  10 . Two apertures  163  are defined on first straight section  161  and respectively adjacent to two sidewalls of the hollow portion  11 . Two coupled holes  211  are formed on the coupled portion  21  and respectively corresponds to the apertures  163 . In this embodiment, each aperture  163  is preferably circle and each coupled hole  211  is preferably square. Cooperation of two engaging elements  212 , two nuts  213  and two washes  214  is adapted for engaging the apertures  163  with the coupled holes  211  as to couple the support member  20  to the base member  10 . In this embodiment, each engaging element  212  is preferably a carriage bolt. 
     The holding portion  22  includes a slot  221  formed on and open to the distal of the second end of the support member  20  as to form the holding portion  22  to be U-shaped. Numbers of the protrusions  222  protrudes from the outer periphery of the second end of the support member  20 . The slot  221  is adapted for receiving the wheel axis  43  of the bicycle  40 . The holding portion  22  is preferably covered by or enclosed in a resilient sheath (not shown) to prevent marring of the bicycle finish. The sheath can be in the form of a U-shaped resilient tube that is slipped onto the holding portion  22 . Further, the protrusions  222  are adapted for preventing the sheath from easily detaching from the holding portion  22 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , it shows that a plate  30  is provided to be pressed for producing models of the base member  10  and the support member  20 . It can save space and cost of materials and transport. While the model of the support member  20  is produced via pressing the model of the base member  10 , the hollow portion  11  of the model of the base member  10  simultaneity is formed so that the profile of the hollow portion  11  corresponds exactly with the profile of the model of the support member  20 . In this embodiment, the plate  30  is preferably metal plate. The hollow portion  11  allows that the model of the base member  10  is easy to be further pressed to form the first and second bent portions  15  and  16  thereon. It can save manufacturing cost. Further referring to  FIG. 8 , when the bicycle parking rack is not in use, the support member  20  can be detached from the base member  10  and received in the hollow portion  11  of the base member  10 . Therefore, the volume of the bicycle parking rack is reduced as to decrease the transport cost. Moreover, the bicycle parking racks could not be easy to be pressed to deform by each other in transport. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , they show that while parking the bicycle  40  onto the bicycle parking rack, the wheel  42  is located on the third flat portion  14  of the base member  10  and the wheel axis  43 , which connects to chain stay  41  of the bicycle  40 , is disposed in the slot  221  of the support member  20 . In the same time, the bicycle  40  is slightly tilted toward the support member  20 . 
     Deliberative but not limiting descriptions of the embodiment of the present invention have been made. However, it should be understood that the technical staffs in this field may make changes and/or modifications without being away from the related scope of protection as defined in Claims.