Patent Publication Number: US-2012043286-A1

Title: Bicycle rack

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/375,388 filed on Aug. 20, 2010 entitled “Bicycle Rack”. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to, bicycle racks, and more particularly, to a bicycle rack with one or more hook mounts for supporting one or more bicycles. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     With the increasing popularity of cycling, the use of vehicle mounted bicycle racks has risen. Vehicle mounted bicycle racks come in a variety of configurations including roof mounted or rear mounted racks. Roof-mounted bicycle racks typically retain one or two bicycles by the bicycle&#39;s tire or fork. Conversely, rear-mounted racks can generally carry between one and four bicycles, although rear-mounted racks could carry more than four bicycles. Rear-mounted racks are typically one of two configurations. The first configuration straps or otherwise holds the rack on the rear of the vehicle, such as the trunk and/or bumper. The second configuration is a hitch-mounted system where a mounting frame of the rack engages a vehicle&#39;s rear hitch. While some rear-mounted racks retain the bicycles by the tires or forks in much the same way as the roof-mounted racks, most rear-mounted racks retain the bicycles by the bicycle&#39;s frame. Generally, the rear-mounted racks engage the bicycle&#39;s top tube and the bicycle&#39;s down tube or seat tube. 
     Examples of prior art rear-mounted bicycle racks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,467,664; 6,840,418; and 6,988,645. As shown in these prior art patents, a support channel or saddle mount is provided, which is supported on a support arm of the rack&#39;s frame and is adapted to hold onto a bicycle&#39;s top tube. A stabilizer is also provided to retain the bicycle&#39;s down tube or seat tube and prevent the bicycle from swaying and damaging the bicycle or the vehicle. The stabilizers are rotatable with respect to the cradle in order to accommodate various bicycle configurations. 
     While the prior art rear-mounted bicycle racks can usually retain the bicycles adequately during travel, the prior art racks suffer from a serious inconvenience when loading or unloading the bicycles. As shown in the prior art racks, the bicycle&#39;s top tubes are always received in the support channel, which is located above of the support arms. Consequently, the bicycle&#39;s top tube is also located above the rack&#39;s support arms. As a result, in order to load and unload the bicycle onto and off from the rack, the bicycle must be lifted over the support arms. As can be appreciated, if more than one bicycle is loaded onto the rack, the multiple bicycles must be loaded and unloaded in sequential order with respect to their position on the support arms. Thus, bicycles located closer to the vehicle cannot be removed until all bicycles located further away from the vehicle have been removed. This creates an inconvenient situation for users who desire to load or remove inner bicycles from the rack without removing outer bicycles. 
     The present invention overcomes these and other problems and an advance in the art is achieved. The present invention provides a bicycle rack that includes one or more hook mounts that receive a portion of a bicycle&#39;s frame. The one or more hook mounts allow a bicycle to be mounted and/or removed without removing other bicycles on the rack. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A hook mount for a bicycle rack is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The bicycle rack includes one or more support arms. According to an embodiment of the invention, the hook mount includes a body and comprises a first end adapted to couple to a support arm of the one or more support arms. According to an embodiment of the invention, a second end opposite the first end comprises a support channel to receive at least a portion of a top tube of a bicycle such that the top tube is located between the support channel and the first end. 
     A bicycle rack for a bicycle including a top tube is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The bicycle rack can include a mounting frame and one or more support arms coupled to the mounting frame. According to an embodiment of the invention, the bicycle rack further includes a hook mount comprising a body and including a first end coupled to a support arm of the one or more support arms. According to an embodiment of the invention, the hook mount also includes a second end comprising a support channel to receive at least a portion of the top tube of the bicycle such that the top tube is located between the one or more support arms and the support channel. 
     A method for mounting a bicycle onto a bicycle rack is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The bicycle rack includes one or more support arms and a hook mount coupled to a support arm of the one or more support arms at a first end. The hook mount further includes a support channel at a second end. According to an embodiment of the invention, the method comprises a step of positioning a top tube of the bicycle on the support channel such that the top tube is located between the one or more support arms and the support channel. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a bicycle rack according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a bicycle hook mount according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows the bicycle rack according to another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1-3  and the following description depict specific examples to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode of the invention. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles, some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from these examples that fall within the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described below can be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the invention. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific examples described below, but only by the claims and their equivalents. 
       FIG. 1  shows a bicycle rack  100  according to an embodiment of the invention. According to an embodiment of the invention, the bicycle rack  100  comprises a vehicle-mounted system. However, in other embodiments, the bicycle rack  100  may be designed as a stationary system used for storing bicycles (See  FIG. 3 , for example). The embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  comprises a hitch-mounted system; however, the bicycle rack  100  could just as easily be implemented as a trunk-mounted system as is well known in the art from the previously mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,467,664 and 6,840,418. According to an embodiment of the invention, the bicycle rack  100  comprises a support frame  101 . In the embodiment shown, the support frame  101  is configured to contact a vehicle  5 . In the embodiment shown, the support frame  101  engages a rear hitch assembly  6  of the vehicle  5 . However, as mentioned above, the support frame  101  could just as easily comprise a trunk-mounted system. The particular configuration of the support frame  101  could be chosen from a wide variety of available bicycle rack frames and is not important for the purpose of the present invention, and should in no way limit the scope of the invention. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the bicycle rack  100  further comprises one or more support arms  102 . The one or more support arms  102  are coupled to and extend from the support frame  101 . The one or more support arms  102  may be held in position with respect to the support frame  101  using welding, brazing, bonding, mechanical fasteners, such as removable pins, friction fit, etc. Therefore, the support frame  101  can be provided to mount the support arms  102  to a vehicle, such as the vehicle  5  or to space the support arms  102  away from the ground, such as shown in  FIG. 3 . According to an embodiment of the invention, the one or more support arms  102  extend from the support frame  101  in an approximately horizontal direction, i.e., approximately parallel to the ground. In some other embodiments, the one or more support arms  102  may be angled away from horizontal. However, as can be appreciated, because the support arms  102  are provided to support one or more bicycles, it is preferable to have the support arms  102  extend substantially parallel to the ground. In the embodiment shown, the support arms  102  comprise a generally U-shaped configuration with a base  102   a  coupled to the support frame  101  that connects the two arms  102 . 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the support arms  102  are adapted to couple and support one or more bicycle hook mounts  103 . While one bicycle hook mount  103  is shown on each support arm  102 , it should be appreciated that more than one bicycle hook mount  103  may be provided on each arm  102 . For example, in one embodiment, four hook mounts  103  are provided on each support arm  102  in order to accommodate four bicycles. The bicycle hook mounts  103  are configured to receive a first component of a bicycle  7 . According to some embodiments, the bicycle hook mounts  103  are configured to receive a component of a bicycle&#39;s frame. The bicycle&#39;s frame may comprise a top tube  8 , a seat tube  9 , a down tube  10 , and a handlebar tube  11 . In some embodiments, the seat tube  9  may be separated between a first tube  9   a  and a second tube  9   b  in order to adjust the height of the seat  12  as is generally known in the art. For purposes of the present invention, when referring to the seat tube  9 , the seat tube may comprise the first or second tube  9   a,    9   b.    
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the bicycle hook mounts  103  are adapted to receive a top tube  8  of the bicycle  7 . According to an embodiment of the invention, the bicycle hook mounts  103  are coupled to the support arms  102  such that a portion of the bicycle  7 , such as the top tube  8 , is received by the hook mounts  103  and positioned between a support channel  212  (See  FIG. 2 ) of the bicycle hook mounts  103  and the support arms  102 . Advantageously, if a second bicycle (not shown) is mounted on the support arms  102  further away from the support frame  101  with similar bicycle hook mounts, the first bicycle can be removed without removing the second bicycle. In some embodiments, the support arms  102  may comprise a length suitable to receive two or more bicycles, such as the bicycle  7 . More preferably, the support arms  102  may comprise a length suitable to receive four or more bicycles, for example. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, one or both of the bicycle hook mounts  103  can include a stabilizing arm  104 . While the bicycle hook mounts  103  can be configured to receive a top tube  8  of a bicycle  7 , the stabilizing arm  104  can be configured to engage and retain a seat tube  9  or a handlebar tube  11  of the bicycle  7 . In other words, while the bicycle hook mounts  103  engage a first component of the bicycle that extends in a horizontal direction, i.e., in a plane parallel to the plane of the longitudinal direction of the support arms  102 , the stabilizing arm  104  engages a second component of the bicycle  7  that extends in a direction generally perpendicular to the support arms  102 . In other bicycle configurations, the second component may not extend perpendicular to the support arms  102 , but rather, may extend at an angle. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to situations where the second component extends perpendicular to the support arms  102 . The bicycle hook mount  103  and stabilizing arm  104  are shown in detail in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a bicycle hook mount  103  according to an embodiment of the invention. According to an embodiment of the invention, the bicycle hook mount  103  can comprise a body  210 . According to an embodiment of the invention, the body  210  can be coupled to a support arm  102  at a first end  210   a.  In the embodiment shown, an aperture  211  is formed in the first end  210   a  of the body  210 . The aperture  211  can be sized and adapted to receive at least a portion of a support arm  102  as shown in  FIG. 1  and, which is shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 2 . The aperture  211  may be lined with a compressible material, such as rubber, neoprene, or foam, for example. Therefore, the inner diameter of the aperture  211  may be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the support arm  102  in order to hold the hook mount  103  on the support arm  102  using a friction fit. However, with the aperture  211  having a smaller diameter, if the inner surface of the aperture  211  can compress to increase the inner diameter size, the support arm  102  can still be received within the aperture  211 . In other embodiments, the aperture  211  may be held onto the support arm  102  according to other methods such as, collars, pins, bolts, adhesives, etc. Therefore, the particular method of retaining the aperture  211  on the support arm  102  should in no way limit the scope of the present invention. 
     While the aperture  211  and support arms  102  are shown and described as comprising a substantially cylindrical shape, it should be appreciated that the components may comprise other shapes and the particular embodiment shown should in no way limit the scope of the present invention. For example, the aperture  211  and support arms  102  may comprise a rectangular or some irregular shape that would substantially prevent the hook mounts  103  from rotating about the support arms  102  without requiring a friction fit. Furthermore, it should be appreciated, that in other embodiments, the apertures  211  may be omitted and the first end  210   a  of the body  210  of the hook mount  103  may be coupled to a support arm  102  using other known methods, such as adhesives, brazing, welding, bonding, mechanical fasteners, etc. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the hook mount  103  further comprises a support channel  212  provided at a second end  210   b  of the body  210  spaced apart from the first end  210   a.  In the embodiment shown, the support channel  212  comprises a concave receiving surface  213  that ends at a lip  214 . As can be appreciated, a portion of a bicycle  7 , such as the top tube  8  can be received by the support channel  212  and rest on the receiving surface  213 . The lip  214  can at least partially retain the top tube  8  within the support channel  212  by requiring the top tube  8  to rise above the lip  214  in order to be removed from the support channel  212 . 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the receiving surface  213  of the support channel  212  faces the first end  210   a  of the body  210  and thus, the support arm  102 . Consequently, when at least a portion of the top tube  8  of the bicycle  7  is received by the support channel  212 , the top tube  8  of the bicycle  7  is positioned between the support channel  212  and the first end  210   a  of the body  210 . When the first end  210   a  is coupled to the support arm  102 , the top tube  8  is positioned between the support channel  212  and the support arm  102  of the bicycle rack  100 . This is in contrast to prior art bicycle racks where the saddle or support channel that receives the bicycle faces away from the support arm. Therefore, unlike prior art systems, which place the top tube of the bicycle above the support arm, the support arm  102  of the present invention will typically not interfere with loading and/or unloading of bicycles onto and off from the hook mount  103 . 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the hook mount  103  can further comprise one or more retaining members  215 . At least one end of the retaining member  215  can be removably coupled to the support channel  212  as described below. In the embodiment shown, the end proximate the lip  214  is removably coupled to the support channel  212 . While a single retaining member  215  is shown in  FIG. 2 , it should be appreciated that the hook mount  103  may include more than one retaining member  215 . The retaining member  215  can be provided to retain a portion of the bicycle  7  within the support channel  212 . Therefore, the retaining member  215  can prevent a bicycle from falling out of the support channel  212  while the vehicle  5  is moving, for example. 
     In the embodiment shown, a user can wrap the retaining member  215  at least partially around the top tube  8  of the bicycle  7 , after positioning the top tube  8  in the support channel  212 . The retaining member  215  may be formed from a deformable material, such as rubber or the like, for example that can be stretched around the top tube  8  and secured to the support channel  212  via a protrusion  216 . The user can stretch the retaining member  215  so that one of the one or more holes  217  formed in the retaining member  215  deforms to fit over a ledge  230  at the end of the protrusion  216 , for example. Once the hole is over the ledge  230 , the user can release the retaining member  215  and allow the hole  217  to return to its previously un-deformed shape, thereby securing the retaining member  215  on the protrusion  216  and around the tube  8 . Those skilled in the art will readily recognize alternative arrangements for securing the retaining member  215 , such as snaps, hook and loop fastening systems, i.e, Velcro®, mechanical clamps, tooth arrangement, etc. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to a hole/protrusion securing arrangement. In some embodiments, the end of the retaining member  215  proximate the body  210  may be secured using similar systems or may be substantially permanently coupled to the body, such as being molded into the body  210 . 
     As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the hook mount  103  can further include a stabilizing arm  104 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , only one of the hook mounts includes a stabilizing arm  104 . However, in other embodiments, the hook mount  103  coupled to both of the support arms  102  can include a stabilizing arm  104 . According to an embodiment of the invention, the stabilizing arm  104  is adapted to restrict movement of the bicycle  7  about the top tube  8  as it rests in place in the support channel  212 . According to an embodiment of the invention, while the support channel  212  receives at least a portion of a first component of the bicycle  7 , the stabilizing arm  104  is configured to receive at least a portion of a second component of the bicycle  7 . For example, the stabilizing arm  104  may be configured to engage the seat tube  9  or the handlebar tube  11 . Alternatively, the stabilizing arm  104  may be configured to engage the down tube  10 . 
     In the embodiment shown, the stabilizing arm  104  comprises a shaft  240  sized and shaped to engage a sleeve  241 , which extends from the body  210 . According to an embodiment of the invention, the shaft  240  can be slidable within the sleeve  241 . Advantageously, the shaft and sleeve configuration allows the stabilizing arm  104  to move along the longitudinal axis, L, of the shaft  240  with respect to the body  210 . In the embodiment shown, the stabilizing arm  104  is movable with respect to the body  210  in a direction perpendicular to the seat tube  9 . Therefore, in contrast to the previously mentioned prior art bicycle racks where a stabilizing means is rotatable with respect to the channel or the support arm, the present invention limits movement of the stabilizing arm  104  along the longitudinal axis, L, of the shaft  240  in order to increase the stabilization realized by the bicycle rack  100 . 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the stabilizing arm  104  further comprises a cradle  242 . The cradle  242  is coupled to the shaft  240  and is configured to contact a second component of the bicycle  7 , which is substantially perpendicular to the first component. For example, the second component can comprise the seat tube  9  or the handlebar tube  11  of the bicycle  7 , which as shown in the figures is substantially perpendicular to the top tube  11  of the bicycle  7 . Therefore, the cradle  242  can comprise a concave face that can at least partially conform to the shape of the tube, for example. The cradle  242  may include rubber, foam, or some other partially compressible material to cushion the seat tube  9  and prevent the cradle  242  from scratching or otherwise damaging the bicycle  7 . According to an embodiment of the invention, once the user has positioned the first component of the bicycle  7 , for example, the top tube  8  in the support channel  212 , the shaft  240  of the stabilizing arm  104  can be moved into position so the cradle  242  can contact the second component of the bicycle  7 . The particular order in which the bicycle  7  is mounted onto the bicycle rack  100  should not limit the scope of the present invention. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the cradle  242  further comprises a retaining member  243 . The retaining member  243  can operate in a manner similar to the retaining member  215  described above in order to retain the bicycle&#39;s seat tube  9  against the cradle  242 . Therefore, a user can wrap the retaining member  243  at least partially around the tube received by the cradle  242  to retain the tube against the cradle  242 . 
     With the seat tube  9  or the handlebar tube  11  secured in the cradle  242 , the bicycle  7  is substantially restricted from swaying within the support channel  212  as the vehicle  5  is moving, for example. Therefore, damage to the bicycle  7  and the vehicle  5  is substantially reduced. 
       FIG. 3  shows the bicycle rack  100  according to another embodiment of the invention. While the previously discussed embodiments depict the mounting frame  101  being mountable on a vehicle, such as the vehicle  5 , the mounting frame  101  shown in  FIG. 3  comprises a base  330  that stabilizes the mounting frame  101  in a substantially vertical orientation. Therefore, the bicycle rack  100  shown in  FIG. 3  may be configured to store one or more bicycles when not in use. 
     The present invention as described above provides a bicycle rack  100  and a hook mount  103  for a bicycle rack  100 . The present invention allows users to load and unload individual bicycles without interfering with other bicycles already on the bicycle rack  100 . This is made possible by a unique hook mount  103  that positions the top tube  8  of the bicycle  7  below the support arms  102  rather than above the support arms  102  as in the prior art. Furthermore, the present invention provides a stabilizing arm  104  that slides relative to the body  210  of the hook mount  103  rather than rotating relative to the hook mount  103 . Therefore, the stabilizing arm  104  can extend or retract to accommodate a variety of different bicycle configurations. 
     The detailed descriptions of the above embodiments are not exhaustive descriptions of all embodiments contemplated by the inventors to be within the scope of the invention. Indeed, persons skilled in the art will recognize that certain elements of the above-described embodiments may variously be combined or eliminated to create further embodiments, and such further embodiments fall within the scope and teachings of the invention. It will also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the above-described embodiments may be combined in whole or in part to create additional embodiments within the scope and teachings of the invention. 
     Thus, although specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. The teachings provided herein can be applied to other mounting systems, and not just to the embodiments described above and shown in the accompanying figures. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims.