Patent Publication Number: US-2012031941-A1

Title: Positioning member for bicycle racks

Description:
The present invention is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/426,212, filed Apr. 17, 2009, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     A conventional bicycle rack is connected to rear end of a vehicle, and multiple positioning members are connected to the bicycle rack so as to support and fasten the bicycles on the bicycle rack. 
     The conventional positioning members of the bicycle racks have predetermined shape and size so that only some of the bicycle frames can be carried on the bicycle rack. However, there are so many different brands of bicycles available in the market and these bicycles have different shapes and sizes. If the positioning members that equipped with the bicycle rack do not fit the bicycle frame, the bicycle rack would unable to be utilized for carrying the bicycle stably. Besides, the positioning members are fixed to the bicycle rack so that the users have to purchase another bicycle rack with suitable positioning members for the bicycles to be carried. 
     To fit with the bicycles mentioned before, positioning members are provided in US 2006/0091173 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,738. The positioning members are capable of being adjusted so as to fit with bicycles which are provided in several different standards. 
     However, structures of the positioning members are too complicated to cut the production cost down. To elaborate, each of the positioning members includes two bicycle rack holders. Further, connectors for the holders are also indispensable to the positioning members. Thus, cost of the positioning members would be inevitably raised and product competitiveness would be low. 
     In addition, excessively detailed adjustment is not necessary for user. Most of bicycler would not pay for more than three bicycles. That is to say, a positioning member who has suitable quantities of using modes for adjustment and fitness for bicycles is just enough. And that would also help in cutting cost down and raising product competitiveness. 
     The present invention intends to provide a positioning member for bicycle racks, and multiple support surfaces are provided in the positioning member so as to support the bicycles of several sizes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main object of the present invention is to provide a positioning member for bicycle racks, and the positioning member which includes multiple support surfaces of different widths has simplified structure. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, a positioning member for bicycle racks of the present invention includes an integral body. 
     The integral body has a passage defined therethrough and at least two support surfaces located at outside of the body. The at least two support surfaces are perpendicular to an axis of the passage and adapted to support bicycles of different sizes. The body has at least two connection portions corresponding to the support surfaces. 
     The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view showing a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of a body of a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of a body of a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic drawing showing a bicycle which is supported on a bicycle rack by a positioning member of a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic drawing showing a connection condition of the positioning member and a bicycle of a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of a body of a second embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic drawing showing a connection condition of the positioning member and a bicycle of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , the positioning member  1  for a bicycle rack of the present invention comprises an integral and polygonal body  10  having a passage  11  defined therethrough and at least two support surfaces  12  are located at outside of the body  10 . In the present embodiment, the body  10  is formed as a trihedral prism substantially and includes three support surfaces  12 . Note that integral body means that the body is formed in single piece. The support surfaces  12  are perpendicular to an axis of the passage  11 . A corner portion  13  is formed between the adjacent support surfaces  12  so that there are three corner portions  13 . The support surfaces  12  have different widths so as to support bicycles  4  of different sizes. Each support surface  12  includes multiple lengthwise ribs  121 , and grooves  122  are defined between the ribs  121 . The ribs  121  are made of resilient material so that they can be deformed when supporting bicycles  4 . The body  10  and the ribs  121  can be made by resilient material such as rubber or silicone rubber which prevents from scraping the bicycles  4  and are light in weight. 
     Furthermore, the body  10  has connection portions corresponding to the support surfaces  12 . More particular, the body  10  is formed with connection portions adjacent to every ends of the support surfaces  12  respectively at where the corner portions  13  are formed. In other words, the connection portions are located at the corner portions  13  respectively. Each of the connection portions includes two protrusions  21  extending from two opposite sides of the body  10 . The two protrusions  21  extend from the corner portions  13  and each have an enlarged head  23 . 
     The positioning member further includes two or more flexible bands  22 . Each of the flexible bands  22  has multiple holes  24  for receiving the protrusions  21  therein, and each hole  24  is smaller than a maximum diameter of the enlarged head  23  such that when the protrusions  21  extend through the holes  24 , the enlarged head  23  passes through the one of the holes  24  to ensure that the flexible band  22  does not separated from the protrusion  21 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the bicycle rack  2  is connected to the rear end of a vehicle, and a support rod  3  of the bicycle rack extends through the passage  11  of the body  10 . The top tube  5  of the bicycle  4  is supported by one of the support surfaces  12  and the flexible bands  22  have two ends connected to the two protrusions  21  on two opposite sides of the body  10  and secure the top tube  5  to the body  10 . 
     It is noted that the flexible bands  22  can be pivotable relative to the protrusions  21  so that the flexible bands  22  can secure the top tube  5 , the seat tube  6 , the head tube  7  or the down tube  8  of the bicycle  4  as needed. The flexible bands  22  may have one end fixed to the body  10 , and the other end of the flexible bands  22  secure the bicycle  4  and are connected to the protrusions  21 . 
     The body  10  of the positioning member  1  includes multiple support surfaces  12  which have different widths such that the bicycles  4  of different sizes can be secured by the body  10  by choosing suitable support surfaces  12 . Further, when the support surface  12  does not fit with the bicycle  4 , user may interchange the support surface  12  which abuts the bicycle  4  by rotating the body  10 . Thus, using condition can be adjusted easily. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 7 and 8 . In another embodiment of the present invention, the support surfaces  12  of the body may have lengths unique from others. Thus, the body  10  is formed as a non-regular prism. 
     By the appearance, non-regular prism, of the body mentioned before, the body  10  can fit with bicycles  4  which are provided with several standards as needed. Please refer to  FIGS. 7 and 9 , the support surfaces of the body  10  can fit with both of the top tube  5  and the seat tube  6  simultaneously. Thus, the bicycle  4  can be fixed on the bicycle rack firmly with the body  10 . In addition, angles between every two adjacent support surfaces  12  are different from others since each support surface  12  has unique length. Thus, the body  10  can fit with the angle between the top tube  5  and the seat tube  6  by choosing a suitable corner portion from the body  10 . That is to say, the support surfaces  12  may still fit with top tube  5  and seat tube  6  even if the angle between the top tube  5  and the seat tube  6  is changed. The body  10  would be suitable for multiple standards of bicycle. As the body  10  is formed as a trihedral prism, the body  10  is capable of fitting with at least three standards of bicycle. 
     To conclude, the positioning member of the present invention is suitable for bicycles which are provided with several standards, and it is contributed by structure of the body. In addition, structure of the body or the positioning member is simplified. Durability and marketing competitiveness would be benefitted since then. 
     While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.