Patent Publication Number: US-2021179215-A1

Title: Road bike stand

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No. 62/948,684, filed Dec. 16, 2019, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a support stand for a bicycle, and more specifically to a support stand capable of supporting the bicycle with the rear wheel of the bicycle being elevated off the ground. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Bicycles are widely used as a means of transportation, as well as for recreational purposes. When a bicycle is not being used, it is common to leave the bicycle in a generally upright position. Along these lines, some bicycle may include kickstands mounted directly to the bicycle frame, with the kickstand being pivotable relative to the frame between a stowed position and a deployed position. When in the deployed position, the kickstand may provide a structure on which the bicycle may lean against. During use of the bicycle, the kickstand may be transitioned to the stowed position so as not to drag on the ground. 
     While conventional kickstands allow bicycles to remain in a titled, upright position when not being ridden by a user, some bicycles do not include a kickstand. Furthermore, even if a bicycle is fitted with a kickstand, typically the kickstand is configured such that the bicycle is only supported on one side, and thus, the frame is slightly titled when supported by the kickstand, with both the front and rear wheel remaining on the ground. Accordingly, the kickstand may not be a suitable support structure if performing testing or maintenance on the vehicle which may require rotation of the rear wheel or the cranks. 
     Therefore, there is a need in the art for a support stand for a bicycle that can be used to support a bicycle with the rear wheel elevated off the ground. Various aspects of the present disclosure address this particular need, as will be described in more detail below. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     According to one embodiment, there is provided a support stand for supporting a bicycle in a generally upright position, with the rear wheel being elevated off the ground and capable of freely rotating. The support stand may support the bicycle on opposite sides of the frame to provide a stable, sturdy support for the bicycle. The stand may be configured to support the bicycle in a manner which allows for unhindered movement of the cranks and rear wheel. As such, the stand may be particularly suitable for testing and maintenance of the bicycle. 
     According to one embodiment, the support stand includes a base, and a pair of lateral support members extending upwardly from the base in opposed relation to each other to define a wheel receiving channel therebetween. The wheel receiving channel extends along a channel axis. A pair of flanges extend from respective ones of the pair of lateral support members, with the pair of flanges being arranged so as to be engageable with respective opposed portions of the bicycle frame to support the bicycle frame with the rear wheel off the ground. 
     The pair of flanges may be arranged in non-parallel relation to each other. 
     According to another embodiment, there is provided a support stand for supporting a bicycle having a bicycle frame and a rear wheel. The support stand includes a base, and a pair of lateral support members coupled to the base. Each lateral support member defines a lateral channel therein. The pair of laterals supports extend upwardly from the base in opposed relation to each other to define a wheel receiving channel therebetween, with the wheel receiving channel extending along a channel axis. The support stand additionally includes a pair of support bodies configured to be received within a respective lateral channel. Each support body includes a main wall and a support flange extending from the support wall. The pair of flanges are arranged so as to be engageable with respective portions of the bicycle frame to support the bicycle frame with the rear wheel off the ground. 
     Each support body may include a locking member selectively engageable with a respective one of the pair of lateral support members to lock the support body relative to the respective one of the pair of lateral support members. Each lateral body may include a plurality of openings formed therein, with each opening being configured to receive the locking member when the corresponding support body is in a prescribed position. 
     The present disclosure will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a rear, upper perspective view of a support stand in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of the support stand depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the support stand depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of an exemplary bicycle which may be used with the support stand; 
         FIG. 5  is a rear, upper perspective view of a second embodiment of a support stand; 
         FIG. 6  is a further rear, upper perspective view of the support stand depicted in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a rear, upper perspective view of the support stand depicted in  FIG. 5 , taken from a side opposite to that perspective depicted in  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is an upper perspective view of a pair of support stands in a stacked configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure only, and are not for purposes of limiting the same, there is depicted a support stand  10  for supporting a bicycle such that the rear wheel of the bicycle is elevated off the ground. The support stand  10  may engage with portions of the bicycle frame on opposed sides of the rear wheel, e.g., the chain stays. When supported by the support stand  10 , the bicycle may be in an upright position with the rear wheel elevated above the ground by a prescribed distance. The front wheel may remain in contact with ground and the cranks may rotate freely without making contact with the support stand  10 . Thus, when the bicycle is supported by the stand, a user may conduct regular maintenance on the bicycle, such as maintaining the bicycle chain, sprockets, cranks, bearings or pedals. It is also contemplated that the ease-of-use associated with the support stand  10  may allow the support stand  10  to be used during periods of non-use (e.g., storage), or for also displaying the bicycle. 
     According to one embodiment, the support stand  10  comprises a base  12  including a front member  14  and a rear member  16 . The front and rear members  14 ,  16  may be generally quadrangular rods that extend along the lower front and rear of the support stand  10 . Each of the front and rear members  14 ,  16  may include a generally planar surface which may be placed on the ground or other underlying support surface. The front member  14  may be at least partially covered by a cover plate  18  having a forward face  20  and an upper face  22  angled relative to the forward face  20 . 
     The support stand  10  additionally includes a pair of lateral support members  24  extending upwardly from the base  12  in opposed relation to each other. Each lateral support member  24  extends between the front and rear members  14 ,  16  and includes a generally trapezoidal lower body  26  and an upper body  28  extending upwardly from the lower body  26 . The lower bodies  26  may be arranged such that they are angled inwardly toward each other to provide clearance for the cranks of the bicycle when the cranks are rotated while the bicycle is supported on the support stand  10 . Each trapezoidal lower body  26  may include a trapezoidal frame including a large lower segment  30 , a short upper segment  32  generally parallel to the lower segment  30 , and a pair of side segments  34  extending between the upper and lower segments  32 ,  30 . The side segments  34  are angled relative to each other, such that the distance between the side segments  34  is smaller at the upper segment  32  than at the lower segment  30 . Each lower body  26  may additionally include a cover plate  36  extending over an outer surface of the trapezoidal frame. The cover plate  36  may be attached to the frame via screws, rivets, adhesives, welding, or other fasteners known in the art. It will be recognized that that segments  30 ,  32 ,  34  may be separate structures which are assembled and attached to each other through welds or other fastening modalities as needed to form respective ones of the lower bodies  26 . 
     Each upper body  28  may include a front face  38 , a rear face  40 , a lower end portion  42 , and an upper end portion  44 . The support stand  10  may additionally include a pair of flanges  46 , with each flange  46  being coupled to a respective upper body  28  and extending inwardly from the respective upper body  28 . The flanges  46  are spaced from each other so as to allow a bicycle tire to extend therebetween when a bicycle is supported by the stand. The flanges  46  may be spaced from an upper, distal surface of the upper bodies  28 , such that an uppermost segment of the upper bodies  28  extend upwardly beyond the flanges  46 . These uppermost segments of the upper bodies  28  may provide lateral stability to the bicycle frame  52  when the bicycle frame  52  is supported by the flanges  46 , as will be described in more detail below. 
     The upper body  28  and the flanges  46  may be contoured and angled to more effectively engage with a bicycle. Along these lines,  FIG. 4  shows an exemplary bicycle  50  which may be used with the support stand  10 . The bicycle  50  includes a frame  52  including a top tube  54 , a down tube  56 , a seat tube  58 , chain stays  60 , and seat stays  62 . The frame  52  is connectable to a rear wheel  64  and a front wheel  66 . The aforementioned components of the frame  52  are included in most bicycles  50 , including but not limited to mountain bicycles, road bicycles, beach cruisers, BMX bicycles, children&#39;s bicycles, push bicycles, scooter bicycles, electric bicycles, etc. In this regard, as used herein, the term bicycle  50  is used broadly to refer to any species of bicycle. 
     According to one embodiment, the support stand  10  is sized and configured to engage with one of the chain stays  60  on the bicycle frame  52 . In this regard, the flanges  46  on the support stand  10  may be sized to receive the chain stay  60  to support the bicycle  50  with the rear wheel  64  elevated off the ground. On most bicycles  50 , the chain stays  60  have a rear end positioned near the rear axle  68 , and a front end positioned near the spindle  70 . The chain stays  60  may be angled relative to each other, such that the chain stays  60  spread apart as they extend from the spindle  70  toward the rear axle  68 . Thus, due to the angled configuration of the chain stays  60  on the bicycle frame  52 , the flanges  46  may also be angled in a complementary manner to accommodate the configuration of the chain stays  60 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the front ends of the flanges  46  are separated by a first distance, and the rear ends of the flanges  46  are separated by a second distance greater than the first distance. Furthermore, each flange  46  may define an inner edge, with the inner edges being defining an angle θ therebetween. The angle θ may vary from 15 degrees to 45 degrees, and in one particular embodiment the angle θ may be equal to approximately 31.80 degrees. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that those surfaces of the flanges  46  coming into contact with respective ones of the chain stays  60  may each have some form of pad, protective layer, or protective coating applied thereto as is adapted to prevent any scratching or other damage to the chain stays  60 . 
     According to one implementation of the support stand  10 , the upper body  28  may include a contoured configuration to allow for the angled configuration of the flanges  46 . In this regard, the upper bodies  28  may define a twisted configuration, wherein the front faces  38  of the upper bodies  28  are closer together than the rear faces  40  at the upper end portions  44  of the upper bodies  28 . The twisted configuration may produce an outer surface on each upper body  28  having a convex lower segment and a concave upper segment, and an inner surface having a concave lower segment and a convex upper segment. 
     The support stand  10  may additionally include a pair of wheel guide posts  72  coupled to the rear member. Each wheel guide post  72  may be insertable within a bore or opening  74  formed within the rear member  16 . Along these lines, the rear member  16  may include several bores or openings  74  formed therein to accommodate wheels that are different widths, and the wheel guide posts  72  may be selectively inserted into a pair of bores or openings  74  that are spaced apart by a distance that is slightly greater than the width of the rear wheel. The wheel guide posts  72  may provide stability to the wheel  64  and prevent excessive wobbling thereof, as may occur when the cranks are rotated during maintenance testing of the vehicle. 
     With the basic structure of the support stand  10  provided above, the following discussion relates to an exemplary use of the support stand  10 . To use the support stand  10  the wheel guide posts  72  may be adjusted to accommodate the size of the wheel/tire  64  on the bicycle  50 . The bicycle  50  is then moved adjacent the support stand  10 . The rear portion of the bicycle frame  52  is lifted and the rear wheel  64  is aligned with the wheel channel and the guide posts  72 . The frame  52  is then lowered until the chain stays  60  are resting on top of respective flanges  46 . When the chain stays  60  are on the flanges  46 , a portion of the weight of the bicycle  50  may be transferred to the support stand  10 . In this regard, the bicycle  50  may be supported in an upright configuration, with the front wheel  66  on ground, and the rear wheel  64  elevated off the ground, and the rotation axes of the front and rear wheels  66 ,  64  being generally horizontal, or parallel to the ground. 
     The chain stays  60  may remain on the flanges  46  during maintenance or testing of the bicycle  50 , during periods of non-use of the bicycle  50 , or to display the bicycle  50 . With regard to displaying the bicycle  50 , the ability of the support stand  10  to support the bicycle  50  in a generally vertical orientation may differ from the generally tilted configuration that bicycles typically assume when supported by a conventional kickstand. Thus, the support stand  10  may present the bicycle  50  to the viewer in the same generally vertical orientation as that of when a rider is riding the bicycle  50 . 
     To remove the bicycle  50  from the support stand  10 , the rear portion of the frame  52  is lifted and is moved out of alignment with the wheel channel of the support stand  10 . In this regard, the bicycle  50  may be moved to the side of the support stand  10 , or the support stand  10  may be moved away from the bicycle  50  while the rear portion of the bicycle frame  52  is lifted. Thus, by simply raising or lowering the rear portion of the bicycle frame  52 , the bicycle  50  may be lifted away from, or lowered onto, the support stand  10 . 
     Any dimensions mentioned herein or included in the drawings are exemplary in nature, and thus, do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In this regard, it is contemplated that the support stand  10  may be formed in other sizes and other configurations having different dimensional properties. Furthermore, it is understood that any dimension may be associated with industry standard manufacturing tolerances. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5-8 , there is depicted a second embodiment of a support stand  100  having adjustable support flanges  102  (e.g., capable of adjusting the height of the support flange  102 ). The support stand  100  shown in  FIGS. 5-8  is similar to the support stand  10  depicted in  FIGS. 1-4  and described above. Accordingly, the following discussion will focus on those portions of the support stand  100  that are unique relative to the above-described embodiment. 
     The support stand  100  generally includes a base  104  and a pair of lateral supports  106  extending upwardly from the base  104 . The base  104  may include a flanged structure including a forward-base body  108 , a rearward-base body  110 , and a pair of side-base bodies  112 . Each base body  108 ,  110 ,  112  may have a width as the distance between opposed edges, and a height as the distance between an upper surface and a lower surface. The width may be greater than the height to enhance the overall stability of the support stand  100 . The rearward-base body  110  may include several apertures  114  formed therein to receive a pair of guide posts  116  which stabilize a rear bicycle wheel when the bicycle is supported by the stand. The exemplary support stand  100  includes two pairs of apertures  114  (e.g., an inner pair and an outer pair), each being sized to support a wheel having a different width. However, it is contemplated that the support stand  100  may include three pairs of apertures  114  (e.g., an inner pair, an intermediate pair, and an outer pair), or more pairs of apertures, to allow for greater width adjustment, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Each guide post  116  may include a main portion  118  and a support fin  120  extending outwardly from the main portion  118  to provide lateral stability to the main portion  118  during use. The rearward-base body  110  may include a channel formed therein which is complementary in shape to that of the support fin  120  to receive and stabilize the support fin  102  during use. 
     Each lateral support  106  may extend upwardly from a respective side-base body  112  and include a lower body  122  and an upper body  124 . The upper body  124  may include a main wall  126 , and a pair of side walls  128  extending from the main wall  126  in opposed relation to each other. The main wall  126  may be generally planar and include an outer face and an inner face. Each exemplary main wall  126  may also include a plurality of openings  130  formed therein, with each opening  130  extending through the outer and inner faces. Each opening  130  may also be centered within a recess, which forms a concave surface, and extends inwardly from the outer face. 
     The side walls  128  may be positioned on opposite ends of the main wall  126 , such that one of the side walls  128  may define a front face of the upper body  124 , while the other side wall  128  may define a rear face of the upper body  124 . Each side wall  128  may include a flange  132  extending generally parallel to the main wall  126  toward the opposing flange  132  (e.g., the flanges  132  may extend toward each other). 
     The main wall  126  and the pair of side walls  128  (including the flanges  132 ) may collectively define a channel that may selectively receive an insert  134  including a main wall  136  and the support flange  102  extending from the main wall  136 . In the embodiment discussed above, the support flange may be integrated into the upper body, whereas in the embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 5-8 , the support flange  102  may be detachable and adjustable relative to the upper body  124 . The main wall  136  and support flange  102  of the insert  134  may be formed from plastic, metal, or other materials known in the art. 
     The insert  136  may include a locking member, e.g., a spring-biased detent, that may be extendable through one of the openings  130  formed in the main wall  126  of the upper body  124  to allow for selective height adjustment of the support flange  102  relative to the upper body  124 . In this regard, it is contemplated that the support stand  100  may be used with different sized bicycles, and that by allow for such height adjustment, the support stand  100  may be more universal in nature and provide greater flexibility for use with different sized bicycles. The spring-biased detent may include a detent body that is operatively engaged with a spring, that is located with a spring housing coupled to the main wall  136  of the insert  134 . 
     Referring now specifically to  FIG. 8 , the support stand  100  may be configured to allow for stacking of multiple support stands  100  on top of each other. In particular, the lower body  122  of one support stand  100  may be placed on top of another support stand  100 , with the upper body  124  of the bottom support stand  100  extending into the lower body  122  of the top support stand  100 . The complementary configuration of the support stands  100  allows the support stands  100  to assume a nested, stacked configuration, which may be preferable for storage or non-use of the support stands  100 . 
     The particulars shown herein are by way of example only for purposes of illustrative discussion and are not presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, no attempt is made to show any more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the different features of the various embodiments, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how these may be implemented in practice.