Patent Publication Number: US-9895589-B2

Title: Light-weight portable bicycle rollers

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of PCT international application serial number, PCT/US14/65370, filed Nov. 13, 2014, which is itself a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/080,016, filed on Nov. 14, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,295,894, issued on Mar. 29, 2016, which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Bicycle rollers are well known devices for supporting a bicycle and permitting a user to mount and ride the bicycle with the rear wheel rotatably supported by a pair of rear rollers and the front wheel rotatably supported by a single front roller. Motion permitting bicycle rollers include the above described device mounted on wheels or some other motion permitting assembly, so that the rollers and bicycle can move slightly forward and rearward during use, limited by a motion-resisting assembly. To provide a realistic riding sensation, the motion-resisting assembly must permit from 5 to 10 cm of forward and rearward movement, gently resisted and urged back to a center point. To achieve this goal, some currently available systems include an outer frame, which provides a stationary track for movement and an anchor point for one or more elastic members (“bungies”) which gently resist the movement. This produces a far more realistic sensation of bicycle riding. Also, however, it is virtually impossible to build an easily collapsible assembly, using this basic structure, because of the two frames. 
     Whether motion permitting or not, currently available bicycle rollers connect the front roller and rear rollers with a pair of structural rails running along the sides of the rollers about 15 cm off the ground, suspending the rollers above the ground and carrying the weight of the cyclist. Accordingly, these rails present a trip hazard to the user mounting or dismounting from a bicycle mounted on the rollers. When a rider loses his balance and must dismount very quickly, these rails present a particular hazard. 
     With respect to motion permitting rollers, the current designs tend to be somewhat heavier than would be ideally desirable, and are not collapsible, for easy transport. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements. 
     In a first separate aspect, the present invention may take the form of a bicycle rollers device, having a frame that includes a rear mounting assembly for two rear rollers; a front mounting assembly for a front roller; support elements, for supporting the frame above a surface, upon which the support elements are set to rest; and a central bridge connecting the front drum assembly to the rear drum assembly. Also, two rear rollers are mounted in the rear mounting assembly and a front roller is mounted in the front mounting assembly and defines a roller width. Finally, the central bridge is more narrow than the roller width, thereby permitting a bicycle rider to mount and dismount a bicycle set on the rollers without encountering the central bridge. 
     In a second separate aspect, the present invention may take the form of a bicycle rollers device, having a frame that includes a rear roller mounting assembly for two rear rollers; a front roller mounting assembly for a front roller; and a central bridge assembly connecting the front mounting assembly to the rear mounting gear. Also, two rear rollers are mounted in the rear mounting assembly, and a front roller is mounted in the front mounting assembly, each of the rollers having an axis of rotation. Finally, a set of wheels, each rotatably mounted on the roller axles, so as to support the rollers above a surface upon which the wheels are set, the wheels permitting forward and rearward motion of the support assembly and all six of the wheels having an axis of rotation co-incident with the roller axes of rotation. 
     In a third separate aspect, the present invention may take the form of a bicycle rollers device, having a frame that includes a rear roller mounting assembly for two rear rollers; a front roller mounting assembly for a front roller; and a central bridge assembly connecting the front mounting assembly to the rear mounting gear. Also, two rear rollers are mounted in the rear mounting assembly, and a front roller is mounted in the front mounting assembly and a set of wheels are mounted on the roller axles so as to support the rollers above a surface upon which the wheels are set, the wheels permitting forward and rearward motion of the support assembly. Finally, a motion-resisting assembly, includes one of the set of wheels, which is a motion-resisting wheel, having a wheel attachment element displaced from the axis of rotation, a frame attachment element on the frame, and an elastic tension member, which is attached to the frame attachment element and the wheel attachment element, wherein the motion-resisting wheel has a centered position in which the elastic tension member is at its shortest and wherein when the motion-resisting wheel rotates from the centered position the elastic tension member urges it toward its centered position. 
     In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following detailed descriptions. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top-side perspective of a bicycle rollers device, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the bicycle rollers device of  FIG. 1 , showing a bicycle mounted thereto. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a rear portion of the device of  FIG. 1 , showing a motion-resisting assembly. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the rear portion of  FIG. 3 , showing the motion-resisting assembly, at the center of the range of motion. 
         FIG. 5  is the side view of  FIG. 4 , showing the motion-resisting assembly at an extreme position of its range of motion. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1 , shown in its telescoped in, and folded configuration, for portability. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the configuration of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a detail view of a telescoping portion of the device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 9  is an isometric view of a bicycle rollers device according to an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the device shown in claim  9 , supporting a bicycle. 
     
    
    
     Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in a preferred embodiment of a bicycle rollers device  10 , a frame  11 , includes a rear roller mounting assembly  12  and a front roller mounting assembly  14 , joined together by a bridge  16 . A front roller  30  is rotatably mounted in front assembly  14  and a rearmost roller  32  and forward rear roller  34  are mounted in rear assembly  12 . A belt  36  transfers the motion of forward rear roller  34  to front roller  30 , so that a front wheel  38  of a bicycle  50  ( FIG. 2 ) rotates when the rear bicycle wheel  39  ( FIG. 2 ) is driven by a rider, as happens when a bicycle is ridden along a road. Front roller  30  also permits steering of front wheel  38 , which is necessary for the rider and bicycle to stay upright. Also, the axis of the front wheels  40  are mounted onto front mounting assembly  14 , in alignment with the axis of rotation of front roller  30 . Also rearmost wheels  42  and forward rear wheels  44  are mounted on rear mounting assembly  12 , with the axis of rotation of the rearmost wheels  42  aligned with the axis of rotation of the rearmost roller  32  and the axis of rotation of the forward rear wheels  44  aligned with the axis of rotation of the forward rear roller  34 . As a result of this alignment, the rear assembly  12  and front assembly  14  don&#39;t have to bear a downward force from a roller, such as roller  30 ,  32  or  34  at a point not directly supported by a wheel, such as  40 ,  42  and  44 . The transfer of force from a roller to a ground support in other systems required comparatively stronger and therefore heavier elements. In a preferred embodiment the bridge  16  is made of lightweight polymeric material, thereby resulting in a much lighter overall device  10 . This is made possible because no vertical load is shifted through bridge  16 , from a roller to a support. As shown in  FIG. 2 , a bicycle may be placed on device  10 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3-5  a motion-resisting assembly  60 , restricts movement of device  10  to a range on the order of ±10 cm, so that device  10  can be placed in a limited space, for example a room, without fear of contacting any of the boundaries of the space, for example walls. A rigid arm  62  is attached, off center, to a wheel  44  and supports a wheel attachment element  66 , in the form of a post. Also, rear mounting assembly  12 , supports a frame attachment element  68  in the form of a stationary axle, about which one of wheels  42  is rotatably mounted. An elastic tension member  64  in the form of an elastic loop is attached to the wheel attachment element  66  and the frame attachment element  68 . Wheel  44  has a centered position (shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ), in which tension member  64  is stretched the least possible amount. When wheels  44  is rotated away from this center position ( FIG. 5 ), tension member  64  is stretched further, thereby applying force to attachment element  66  which urges wheel  44  back to its center position. In one embodiment, assembly  60  is mounted on only one side of device  10 , in another embodiment an identical assembly  60  is mounted on both sides. Skilled persons will recognize that attachment elements  66  and  68  may take many forms. For example, elements  66  and  68  could both be apertures, with elastic member  64  threaded through both of them and having enlarged ends, to prevent becoming disengaged. Attachment element  68  could be a post that does not serve as an axle to a wheel. Alternatively, it could be a vertically oriented bridge or bracket, through which member  64  is threaded. Tension member  64  is preferably made of polyurethane, which has advantageous elastic properties, so that elastic tension member  64 , when made of polyurethane, behaves as a damped spring. In an alternative preferred embodiment, a compression spring is used instead of tension member  64 , and is attached to wheel  44  support assembly attachment element, so that at the centered position of wheel  44 , the compression spring is at its maximum length. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 8  a threaded clamp  70  is mated with a matching hole in assembly  14 , so that when post  70  is tightened into hinged central column  72  (which forms a portion of bridge  16 ), it retains column  72  in relation to assembly  14 . When post  70  is loosened away from column  72 , column  72  may be adjusted in relationship to assembly  14 , thereby permitting the accommodation of different sized bicycles. 
     The folding of device  10  from the configuration shown in  FIG. 1 , to that shown in  FIG. 6  is, in part, made possible by the rotatable attachment of bridge  16  to rear assembly  12 . A pair of ears  80  projecting upwardly from the rear of bridge  16  are rotatably mounted to a pair of projections  82 . Referring to  FIG. 6 , bridge  16  and assembly  14  are rotated about projections  82 , to cover assembly  12 . A pair of locking pins  84  are provided to lock assembly  12  and bridge  16  in this position or in the position shown in  FIG. 1 . Next assembly  14  is rotated about hinge  86 , to arrive at the configuration shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . Elastic loop  64  may be easily disengaged from post  66  to permit device  10  to be wheeled to a desired location, on wheels  42  and  44 . 
     Central column  72  is made of rectangular polyvinyl tube 14 cm×3.8 cm in transverse dimension, having wall thickness of 2.3 mm. The remainder of the frame  11  is made of either aluminum or steel. In one embodiment the entire device  10  has a mass of less than 8 kg. In an alternative embodiment device  10  has a mass of less than 9 kg. And in yet another alternative, device  10  has a mass of less than 10 kg. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 9 and 10  (in which all like elements to the previously described embodiment) are denoted by the previous reference number plus 100), an alternative preferred embodiment of a bicycle rollers device  110 , includes a pair front wheels  140 , joined by a belt or track  141 , on either transverse side. Similarly, in the rear, there is a rearward and forward pair of closely spaced wheels  142  and  144 , on either side, with both pairs  142  and  144  joined by a track  145 , and being jointly mounted on a plate  146 , which is, in turn, mounted on the frame  111 . Wheels  140  are spaced evenly about the rotational axis of front roller  130 , while wheels  142  and  144  are similarly spaced evenly about the rotational axes of rear rollers  132  and  134 , respectively. As a consequence of this arrangement, the weight of rear and front roller mounting assemblies,  112  and  114  respectively, and any weight born by these assemblies, by holding a bicycle and a rider for example, is born directly by wheels  140 ,  142  and  144 . Accordingly bridge  116  is not vertically stressed by weight applied to the rollers  130 ,  142  and  144 , and may be made of weaker and lighter weight materials, than would be the case if this weight did vertically stress bridge  116 , by for example, bearing a cantilevered load. 
     Similar to the prior shown embodiment, device  110  includes a motion resisting assembly  160 , comprising an elastomeric loop  164 , looped around two posts  166  on the forward wheel of the forward pair of wheels  144 , and two posts  168  on the rearward wheel of the rearward pair of wheels  142 . Because posts  166  are placed in a rearward location on the more forward wheel  144 , and posts  168  are placed in a forward location on the more rearward wheel  144 , the effect of wheel rotation is opposite on posts  168 , relative to posts  166 . When device  110  moves forward, the topmost of posts  166  will move forward, whereas the topmost of posts  168  will move rearward, thereby stretching loop  164 , which has the effect of urging device  110  to move in a rearward direction, and resisting further forward movement. When device  110  moves rearward, the reverse process occurs, and device  110  is urged forward, with further rearward motion resisted. 
     Belts  141  and  145  cause the wheels on both sides of device  110  to turn in greater unison than they otherwise would. This is particularly important for the rear belt  145  because the rear wheels  142  and  144  host the motion resisting assembly  160 . Varying wheel rotation between the sides would have the potential to limit the effectiveness of assembly  160 , thereby permitting device  110  to creep forward or rearward an unacceptable distance. Also, belts  141  and  145  have less of a tendency to be stopped by a small item, such as a grain of sand or a pebble, that might be on the floor of a garage, where device  110  might be used. 
     A flywheel  190  is operatively connected to rearmost roller  132  by means of a ¼ inch belt  192 . This flywheel acts to mimic the effect of inertia and momentum for a rider having his bicycle on assembly  110 . 
     In an embodiment, a bicycle rollers device has a front and a back and comprising: a frame including, a rear mounting assembly for two rear rollers, a front mounting assembly for a front roller, support elements, for supporting the frame above a surface, upon which the support elements are set to rest; and a central bridge connecting the front mounting assembly to the rear mounting assembly. Also, two rear rollers are mounted in the rear mounting assembly; a front roller is mounted in the front mounting assembly and defining a roller width; and the central bridge is more narrow than the roller width, thereby permitting a bicycle rider to mount and dismount a bicycle set on the rollers without encountering the central bridge. In this embodiment the support elements are wheels, permitting forward and rearward movement. Further, the device may be such that once placed on a surface it has a central position and further includes a motion resisting assembly that urges the device back to the central position. Also, the device may have a belt between one of the rear rollers and the front roller, on one side of said device, leaving the other side clear for mounting and dismounting. In addition, the central bridge may be made of two pieces that telescope together and include a mechanism for locking the two pieces into place. In addition, the central bridge may be made of polymeric tubing, which may be, more specifically, polyvinyl tubing. 
     In a further embodiment, a bicycle rollers device has a front and a back, a longitudinal dimension, and includes a frame including a rear roller mounting assembly for two rear rollers, a front roller mounting assembly for a front roller; and a central bridge assembly connecting the front mounting assembly to the rear mounting gear. Two rear rollers are mounted in the rear mounting assembly, and a front roller mounted in the front mounting assembly, each the roller having an axis of rotation. A first support assembly is co-located longitudinally with the rear roller mounting assembly and is able to support the rear roller mounting assembly above an upwardly facing surface. Further, a second support assembly is co-located longitudinally with the front roller mounting assembly and able to support the front roller mounting assembly above an upwardly facing surface. Finally, when the device is in use the first and second support assemblies support the roller mounting assemblies and the weight the roller mounting assemblies are supporting, above an upwardly facing surface, leaving the central bridge substantially free of vertical structural stress. In this embodiment, the second support assembly may comprise a single wheel mounted on an axle attached to the frame, and substantially vertically aligned to the axis of the front roller. Also, the second support assembly may comprise two wheels, mounted on axles supported by the frame, and wherein the two wheels are substantially centered about the axis of the front roller. Further, the axles may be mounted on the frame by being mounted on a support plate, which is mounted on the frame. In addition, the bridge may be made of light-weight polymeric material 
     In a yet further embodiment a bicycle rollers device, has a front and a back and comprises: a frame that includes a rear roller mounting assembly for two rear rollers, a front roller mounting assembly for a front roller; and a central bridge assembly connecting the front mounting assembly to the rear mounting gear. Also, two rear rollers are mounted in the rear roller mounting assembly, and a front roller is mounted in the front roller mounting assembly. A set of wheels are mounted on the frame so as to support the rollers above a surface upon which the wheels are set, the wheels permitting forward and rearward motion of the support assembly. Also included is a motion-resisting assembly, wherein a first one of the set of wheels is a motion-resisting wheel, having an axis of rotation and a first attachment element displaced from the axis of rotation; a second attachment element on the bicycle rollers device, longitudinally displaced from the first attachment element; and an elastic tension member, attached to the first attachment element and the second attachment element, wherein the motion-resisting wheel has a centered position in which the elastic tension member is at its shortest. Further, wherein when the motion-resisting wheel rotates from the centered position the elastic tension member urges it toward its centered position. In this embodiment, the first attachment element may be a post attached to the motion-resisting wheel, and the elastic tension member may be an elastic loop, that is looped over the post. Further, the post may terminate in a knob that retains the elastic member on the post. 
     Also, in the yet further embodiment, the motion-resisting wheel may have a circumference and the post may be attached to the wheel by way of a rigid element attached to the wheel, so that the post protrudes past the wheel circumference. In addition, the second attachment element may be a stationary axle for one of the wheels. In addition, the second attachment element may be on a second one of the set of wheels, and wherein the second attachment element is positioned so that as the first attachment element moves forward, with device movement and attendant wheel rotation, the second attachment element will move backward, thereby stretching the elastic tension member, which urges the first one and the second one of the set of wheels, to a centered position. In addition, the elements of the motion resisting assembly may be present on both sides of the device, for laterally balanced motion resistance. In addition, the device may further be divided into segments that are connected together by hinges, so that the device can be folded into a compact state, and wherein the motion-resisting assembly is positioned on a single one of the segments (which may be the rear roller mounting assembly), so that the device can be folded without releasing tension on the elastic tension member. In addition, the elastic tension member may be made of polyurethane. Finally, the elastic tension member may act as a damped spring. 
     While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those possessed of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope.