Patent Publication Number: US-6659917-B1

Title: Bicycle trainer

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention (Technical Field) 
     The present invention relates to quick release mechanism for securing and releasing a bicycle in a trainer, wherein said mechanism engages and secures the rear hub area of a bicycle without disassembly of said bicycle. 
     Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,642 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,729, each of which showing such a quick release mechanism comprising: 
     (a) a housing adapted to slidably receive at least part of a piston, wherein said housing is mounted on a first hub supporting leg of said trainer; 
     (b) a piston nesting within the housing and being slidable therein, wherein said piston has a first end and a second end, said first end bearing a first means for capturing a bicycle wheel hub; 
     (c) means for slidably moving said piston within said housing in order to extend said first end toward the hub of a bicycle to secure said bicycle, including a lever mounted at the second end of said piston; 
     (d) a second means for capturing said bicycle wheel hub, said capturing means being mounted on a second hub supporting leg of said trainer, wherein the hub supporting legs are mutually spaced to allow a bicycle wheel mounted on a bicycle wheel to be located and captured therebetween. 
     With reference to FIGS. 1,  2  and  3  of the drawings the known quick release mechanism operates as follows: 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a frame consisting of a base portion, comprising two mutually spaced front and rear substantially horizontal frame members  141  and  142 . Two parallel spacing bars  148  and  150  connect said front and rear base members. Connecting frame members  141  and  142  are substantially horizontal frame members  148  and  150 . The connecting of the frame members is performed by any suitable method well-known to those ordinarily skilled in the art. Cushion members  162 ,  164 ,  166  and  168  are provided to protect the ends of the frame members  141  and  142  to protect a flat surface having the frame structure resting thereon. 
     Coaxial sleeve  140  is mounted on the rear base member frame member  141  and is rotatable thereabout. Elements  178  and  179  are bolts to tighten sleeve  140  to frame member  141 . Upright frame extensions  36  and  37  (hereafter known as legs) are fixedly and perpendicularly attached to a coaxial member  140 . Legs  36  and  37  support a bicycle wheel axle. Once leg position for a particular bicycle is found, then  178  and  179  are tightened and this position is maintained for convenience. If various size bicycles are in constant use, then  178  and  179  are not used. 
     Quick release means are provided at the terminal end of leg  36 . Handle  18  is attached to cam  20 . Cam  20  rotates through slot  38  to urge piston  26  having socket  30  located at the end towards the opposed upright leg  37 . 
     Towards the terminal end of leg  37  is a threaded release means  48 ,  50 . Threaded member  50  is rotated to urge the end of the threaded member bearing a socket  48  towards the oppose upright leg  36 . Socket  48  is threaded to a distance depending on the bicycle. Once this distance is determined for a particular bicycle, the quick release mechanism is the only thing necessary to operate to engage or disengage the bicycle. 
     Threaded socket member  48  and cam actuate socket member  30  are adapted to capture and hold securely the hub of a bicycle wheel. Lever  18  is attached in a fixe manner to cam  20 . 
     Referring to FIG. 2, a bicycle is shown mounted on the apparatus of FIG.  1 . The rod  15  is shown in close proximity to the seat of the bicycle; this is for easy access by a rider to adjust tension on the roller. As the pedals  192  are rotated by a bicyclist situated on the bicycle of FIG. 2, the rear wheel of the bicycle rotates tensionable roller  2 . 
     Typically, the hub of the bicycle is captured by the sockets  30  and  48 , whereupon the legs  37  and  36  are pivoted forward to bring the tire in a resting position upon the roller  2 . This method of engaging the axle of a bicycle then pivoting forward and lowering the bicycle to the roller accomplishes two things: one it is the means of accommodating all wheel sizes; and two it saves the step of adjusting the roller to the wheel. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown the apparatus of FIG. 1 from an elevated plan perspective. The frame comprises rear member  141  connected to front member  142  by connecting and spacing rods  148  and  150 . Coaxial with rear frame  141  and rotatable thereabout is coaxial sleeve  140 . Set screws  178  and  179  allow for fixing of the position of coaxial sleeve  140  about rear frame member  141 . 
     It is preferred that the screw socket member  50 ,  48  be adjusted to capture one side of a bicycle hub whereupon the quick release member having socket  30  may be quickly moved to capture the other side of the bicycle hub. 
     The above is all known art from U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,642 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,729. A drawback of this known prior art is that it suffers from relative complexity and correspondingly high costs of manufacture whilst in use a person operating the known quick release mechanism is liable to get his fingers squeezed between the cam  20  and the slit  38  which is intended to receive cam  20 . A further drawback is that the esthetics of the known apparatus suffers from this visibly moving cam  20  moving in and out slit  38  when securing or releasing a bicycle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION (DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION) 
     The quick release mechanism developed by applicant obviates the above drawbacks by applying the features that the housing and the piston have a cooperating groove and protrusion or peg whereby the groove is embodied with a pitch so as to cause that rotation of the piston converts into simultaneous longitudinal motion of said piston. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention shall in the following be further elucidated with reference to the drawings of some exemplary embodiments according to the invention. In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective of a single bicycle wheel trainer according to the prior art; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevated perspective showing a bicycle mounted on the apparatus of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 shows the quick release mechanism of a first embodiment according to the invention in exploded view; 
     FIG. 5 shows the quick release mechanism of a second embodiment according to the invention in exploded view; and 
     FIG. 6 shows the quick release mechanism according to a third embodiment of the invention in exploded view. 
    
    
     Similar parts in the figures are referred to with the same reference numerals. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION) 
     In the drawings, FIGS. 4,  5  and  6  show three preferred embodiments of the quick release mechanism according to the invention as placed on the top end of one of the frame extensions  36  or  37 . Within the scope of the invention it is possible to apply the quick release mechanism on both extensions  36 ,  37 , although it suffices if the quick release mechanism is used only on one extension  36  or  37 . 
     The drawings of FIGS. 4,  5  and  6  show that a housing  16  is placed at the extremity of the extension  36  or  37 . FIG. 6 shows the embodiment in which the housing is detachable from the extension  36  or  37 . 
     When in assembled condition, the piston  26  is located within the housing  16 . FIG. 4 shows the embodiment in which the piston  26  is having at least one protrusion or protrusions  261 ,  262  or pegs whilst the housing  16  is having a groove or grooves  161 , 162  that are intended to cooperate with said protrusions  261 ,  262  of the piston  26 . The groove or grooves  161 ,  162  are embodied with a pitch so as to cause that rotation of the piston  26  with the lever  18  mounted thereon converts the rotative movement of the piston  26  in a concurrent longitudinal movement of the piston  26  in the direction of arrow A. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 operate in a similar fashion; the difference of the embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6 being explained below. 
     In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a single peg  163  is used that is placed through the housing  16  in order to cooperate with a groove  262  that is part of piston  26 . 
     The embodiment of the quick release mechanism shown in FIG. 6 operates in the same way as the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; the difference being only that housing  16  is detachable from extension  36  or  37 .