Patent Publication Number: US-2007114821-A1

Title: Forward position bicycle passenger seat

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 11/159,071 filed Dec. 20, 2004. This application claims the benefit of the earlier field application and contains no new matter. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The subject invention relates to a passenger bicycle seat assembly for seating a passenger in front of an operator seat and mounting shaft and for supporting the passenger on a frame of a bicycle.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      Numerous methods exist to provide a secondary seat on a bicycle for a passenger. The art is rich with assemblies that place the passenger seat in various locations on the bicycle. These locations include on or in front of a handle bar, behind a operator seat and operator seat mounting shaft, and between the operator seat and handle bar.  
      Many of the passenger bicycle seat assemblies located between the operator seat and handle bar include a box plate or mounting arrangement having a front end and a rear end for securing the assembly to the bicycle. The passenger seat is mounted adjacent the front end of the box plate for the passenger to sit on. A position locking device extends from the bottom of the box plate for engaging the frame of the bicycle and preventing movement of the assembly from side to side.  
      An example of such a passenger seat assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,479 (the &#39;479 patent) to Loewke et al.  
      The &#39;479 patent discloses an assembly that includes a mounting arrangement having a passenger seat located intermediate the front and rear ends. The assembly includes a position locking device or bracket that extends from the bottom of the assembly and connects the assembly to the frame of the bicycle. This bracket is fastened to secure the assembly to the frame and prevent side to side and forward and backward movement of the assembly. The &#39;479 patent discloses a recess defined by two forks that engage the mounting shaft of the operator seat. The mounting shaft sits in the recess and prevents side to side movement, but only limits the forward and backward movement of the assembly. The forward and backward movement is controlled by the bracket fastened to the frame.  
      Although the prior art places the passenger seat between the operator seat and handle bar of the bicycle by securing the assembly to the frame of the bicycle, there is a continuing need for assemblies having more efficient or alternative configurations.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES  
      The subject invention provides for a box plate that defines a hole that extends through the box plate and is disposed adjacent to the rear end. The hole secures the box plate and assembly to the bicycle by enclosing and fitting the mounting shaft that extends between the operator seat and the frame of the bicycle. This hole prevents movement from both side to side and forward and backward along the frame. The mounting shaft passes through the hole, so as to lock the passenger bicycle seat assembly into position.  
      Accordingly, the invention is easy to install and requires minimal assembly. To utilize the present invention one must remove the operator seat and connected mounting shaft from the frame of the bicycle, place the passenger bicycle seat assembly in the proper position, and insert the mounting shaft through the hole in the box plate and back into engagement with the bicycle frame. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a fragmented perspective view of a bicycle embodying the subject invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the subject invention;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the subject invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a box plate utilized in the subject invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of pipes and pedals utilized in the subject invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a handle bar utilized in the subject invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a passenger seat utilized in the subject invention; and  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a U-pin utilized in the subject invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a passenger bicycle seat assembly  20  is generally shown for seating a passenger in front of an operator seat  22  and mounting shaft  24  and for supporting the passenger on a frame  26  of a bicycle  28 .  
      The subject invention comprises a box plate  30  that secures the assembly  20  to the bicycle  28 . The box plate  30  includes a front end  32  and a rear end  34 . The box plate  30  is typically made of metal, but may be any material known in the art. The box plate  30  is rectangular in cross section, but may be any shape known in the art. A typical box plate  30  may be 17 inches in length, 4 inches in width, and 2 inches in depth. The box plate  30  defines a circular opening  36  that is disposed adjacent the front end  32 .  
      The assembly  20  includes a passenger seat  38  for the passenger to sit on. A shaft  40  extends from the bottom of the passenger seat  38  and engages the opening  36  to secure the shaft  40  of the passenger seat  38  in the opening  36  of the box plate  30 .  
      The assembly  20  includes a handle bar  42  or T bar that extends from the front end  32  of the box plate  30 . The handle bar  42  supports the passenger by giving the passenger a place to put their hands.  
      A position locking device  44  extends from the bottom of the box plate  30 . Typically the position locking device  44  is located behind the passenger seat  38  on the bottom of the box plate  30 . The position locking device  44  engages the frame  26  of the bicycle  28  and prevents movement of the assembly  20  from side to side. The position locking device  44  may be a U-pin  46  that straddles the frame  26  of the bicycle  28  and prevents movement of the assembly  20  from side to side. The position locking device  44  may be a pair of bolts, such as 2 inch bolts, with the bolts being spaced from one another to straddle the frame  26  of the bicycle  28  and prevent movement of the assembly  20  from side to side.  
      The assembly  20  includes at least one metal pipe  48  having an end  50  that extends away from the passenger seat  38  and down from the front end  32  of the box plate  30  to the end  50 . The pipes  48  sit at 90 degrees from the passenger seat  38  and box plate  30  and are typically 9 inches in length. A pedal  52  is mounted to the end  50  of the pipe  48  to allow the passenger a place to put their feet. The pedals  52  are stationary and are typically 4 inch pedals  52 .  
      The assembly  20  is distinguished by the box plate  30  defining a hole  54  that extends through the box plate  30 . The hole  54  is disposed adjacent to the rear end  34  of the box plate  30  and secures the box plate  30  to the bicycle  28 . The hole  54  encloses and fits the mounting shaft  24  that extends between the operator seat  22  and the frame  26  to prevent from movement side to side and forward and backward along the frame  26 . The hole  54  can be any shape that encloses the mounting shaft  24  such as, a 2 inch by 1.5 inch ellipse. The mounting shaft  24  passes through the hole  54 , so as to lock the passenger bicycle seat assembly  20  into position along the frame  26  of the bicycle  28  at a location forward of the operator seat  22 .  
      The assembly  20  is easy to install. To utilize the present invention one must remove the operator seat  22  and connected mounting shaft  24  from the frame  26  of the bicycle  28 , place the passenger seat  38  assembly  20  in the proper position, and insert the mounting shaft  24  through the hole  54  in the box plate  30  and back into engagement with the bicycle  28  frame  26 .  
      Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. The use of the word “said” in the apparatus claims refers to an antecedent that is a positive recitation meant to be included in the coverage of the claims whereas the word “the” precedes a word not meant to be included in the coverage of the claims.  
                              ELEMENT LIST                     Element Symbol   Element Name               20   passenger bicycle seat assembly       22   operator seat       24   mounting shaft       26   frame       28   bicycle       30   box plate       32   front end       34   rear end       36   opening       38   passenger seat       40   shaft       42   handle bar       44   position locking device       46   U-pin       48   pipe       50   end       52   pedal       54   hole