Patent Publication Number: US-10780931-B2

Title: Kickstand assembly

Description:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to kickstand assemblies and more particularly pertains to a new kickstand assembly for a motorcycle. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a motorbike and a housing. The housing defines an interior space and is coupled to an end of a frame of the motorbike. A plurality of rods is positioned in the interior space. Each rod is selectively extensible from a bottom of the housing. An actuator is coupled to the housing and is positioned in the interior space. The actuator is operationally coupled to the plurality of rods. The actuator is positioned to selectively urge the rods to extend from the housing so that a terminus of each rod contacts a surface upon which the motorbike is positioned. The motorbike is stabilized on the surface. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric perspective view of a kickstand assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new kickstand assembly embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the kickstand assembly  10  generally comprises a motorbike  12  and a housing  14 . The housing  14  defines an interior space  16  and is coupled to an end  18  of a frame  20  of the motorbike  12 . The housing  14  is coupled to a front end  22  of the frame  20 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     The housing  14  comprises an upper section  24  and a lower section  26 . The upper section  24  is substantially rectangularly box shaped. The lower section  26  has opposing sides  28  that extend transversely from the upper section  24  so that the lower section  26  is trapezoidally shaped when viewed from a front face  30  of the housing  14 . 
     A plurality of rods  32  is positioned in the interior space  16 . Each rod  32  is selectively extensible from a bottom  34  of the housing  14 . The plurality of rods  32  comprises two rods  32  that are positioned singly proximate to the opposing sides  28  of the lower section  26  of the housing  14  so that the rods  32  extend outwardly from the frame  20 . 
     Each of a plurality of brackets  36  is coupled to and extends between a rear face  38  of the housing  14  and the frame  20 . The plurality of brackets  36  comprises a pair of upper braces  40  and a pair of lower braces  42 . The lower braces  42  are dimensionally longer than the upper braces  40  so that the rods  32  extend from the housing  14  toward a front wheel  44  of the motorbike  12 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     Each of a plurality of holes  46  is positioned in a respective bracket  36  distal from the housing  14 . The holes  46  are configured to insert mounting hardware to couple the housing  14  to the motorbike  12 . 
     An actuator  48  is coupled to the housing  14  and is positioned in the interior space  16 . The actuator  48  is operationally coupled to the plurality of rods  32 . The actuator  48  is positioned to selectively urge the rods  32  to extend from the housing  14  so that a terminus  50  of each rod  32  contacts a surface upon which the motorbike  12  is positioned to stabilize the motorbike  12  on the surface. 
     The actuator  48  comprises a pump  52 , a reservoir  54 , and a plurality of hydraulic cylinders  56 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The reservoir  54  is coupled to the pump  52  by a first tube  58  so that the reservoir  54  is in fluidic communication with the pump  52 . A valve  60  is coupled by a second tube  62  to the pump  52  so that the valve  60  is in fluidic communication with the pump  52 . Each hydraulic cylinder  56  comprises a respective rod  32 . The hydraulic cylinders  56  are double-acting type so that each hydraulic cylinder  56  is positioned to selectively push and pull the respective rod  32 . 
     A first hose  64  is coupled to and extends from the valve  60 . Each of a plurality of third tubes  66  is coupled to and extends between the first hose  64  and an upper end  68  of a respective hydraulic cylinder  56  so that the respective hydraulic cylinder  56  is in fluidic communication with the valve  60 . The valve  60  is positioned to selectively couple the third tubes  66  to the pump  52  to extend the rods  32 . The rods  32  contact the surface and raise the front wheel  44  from the surface, as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     A second hose  70  is coupled to and extends from the valve  60 . Each of a plurality of fourth tubes  72  is coupled to and extends between the second hose  70  and proximate to a lower end  74  of the respective hydraulic cylinder  56  so that the respective hydraulic cylinder  56  is in fluidic communication with the valve  60 . The valve  60  is positioned to selectively couple the fourth tubes  72  to the pump  52  to retract the rods  32 . 
     A pipe  76  is coupled to and extends from the reservoir  54 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The pipe  76  protrudes through a top  78  of the housing  14 . The pipe  76  is configured to add fluid to the reservoir  54 . The pipe  76  is externally threaded distal from the reservoir  54 . A cap  80 , which is complementary the pipe  76 , is positioned to threadedly couple to the pipe  76  to close the pipe  76 . 
     Each of a plurality of plates  82  is coupled to the terminus  50  of a respective rod  32  distal from the housing  14 . The plate  82  is configured to abut the surface when the rod  32  is extended from the housing  14 . The plate  82  is arcuate, as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     A controller  84  is coupled to the motorbike  12 . The controller  84  is operationally coupled to the actuator  48 . The controller  84  is positioned to selectively actuate the actuator  48  to selectively urge the rods  32  to extend from the housing  14 . The terminus  50  of each rod  32  contacts the surface upon which the motorbike  12  is positioned to stabilize the motorbike  12  on the surface. The controller  84  also is positioned to selectively actuate the actuator  48  to retract the rods  32  into the housing  14 . The assembly  10  obviates the need of a user to balance the motorbike  12  with one leg while attempting to manipulate a manual kickstand with a foot of the other leg. 
     The controller  84  comprises a first button  86  and a second button  88 . The first button  86  and the second button  88  are depressible. The first button  86  is configured to be depressed to actuate the actuator  48  to extend the rods  32 . The second button  88  is configured to be depressed to actuate the actuator  48  to retract the rods  32 . In one embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the controller  84  is mounted to a handlebar  90  of the motorbike  12 . In another embodiment, the controller  84  is integral to an instrument panel  92  of the motorbike  12 . 
     The present invention anticipates the assembly  10  being integral to a new motorcycle and couplable to a used motorcycle. 
     In use, the first button  86  is depressed to actuate the actuator  48  to extend the rods  32 . The rods  32  contact the surface and raise the front wheel  44  from the surface, stabilizing the motorbike  12 . The second button  88  is depressed to actuate the actuator  48  to retract the rods  32 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.