Abstract:
A capturing mechanism useful to retain a motorcycle on a variously inclined ramp includes an over-center spring loaded mechanism that is a self-triggered to deploy a hinged restraint compressing a motorcycle wheel against a conforming slip by the rolling translation thereof towards the forward end of the deployed ramp. Once thus temporarily fixed to the ramp the motorcycle and the ramp are then lifted onto the transport vehicle and then further restrained for transport by a rear bracket. At the destination the ramp, with the motorcycle fixed thereon, is lowered to the ground again and a detachable lever is then useful to fully release the spring loaded restraint.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application obtains the benefit of the earlier filing date of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/069,106 filed on Mar. 12, 2008. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to motorcycle carrier mechanisms, and more particularly to retainer structures useful with articulated carriers that in one alignment form a ramp along which a motorcycle is rolled to be then lifted into or onto a vehicle. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    Articulated motorcycle carriers have been known in the past, most often taking the form of a deployable ramp to which a motorcycle is secured and thereafter lifted onto the carrying bed of a motor vehicle. Examples of such carriers may be found in the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,994 issued to Barrett; U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,056 issued to Kloster; U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,849 issued to Clary; and also the teachings in U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,829 earlier issued to the present inventor. In each instance the motorcycle is rolled onto the deployed ramp, either manually or by its by its own power, and then just provisionally secured or manually held as the ramp is lifted onto the vehicle. 
         [0006]    While suitable for the purposes intended, the foregoing technique entails restraint limitations that sometime may exceed the strength of the provisional securement and/or the strength levels of the person providing the manual restraint. Those in the art will appreciate that the current motor purchasing consumer trends favor large displacement and therefore quite heavy motorcycles that are particularly suited for high speed highway use. Of course, the loading incidents of these same heavy motorcycles are therefore often right on the side of a roads, very often in locations that rarely provide the necessary level ground and wide separation from the moving traffic that one would desire. Simply, the usual loading conditions of a large displacement motorcycle are not always ideal. 
         [0007]    In the past various mechanisms have been proposed which in one way or another restrain the front wheel of the motorcycle wheels to the deployed ramp. Most often these prior art securement mechanisms entail separate tie-down structures that are attached to the ramp after the motorcycle is positioned thereon and therefore entail a two-man operation since the motorcycle needs to be held vertically on the inclined ramp as the securing mechanism is being attached. Alternatively, the ramp is implemented with complex mechanisms like those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,359 to Lyons et al., and similarly in U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,597 to Doyle, in which pivoted brackets are selectively released to capture the front wheel of the motorcycle once it is brought home. 
         [0008]    While again suitable for the purposes intended, mechanisms of this nature lack the alignment range needed to allow the motorcycle that is being mounted onto a ramp inclined to rest on a sloping roadside while the motorcycle is vertically maintained. Simply, the foregoing restraint structures form a part of the ramp and their pivotal deployable capturing fixture is typically is conformed to match the particular tire width and diameter as it is pivoted about a transverse pivot axis spanning the ramp into a restraining alignment that is limited to the range of the tire widths and diameters that a given clamping mechanism can accept. 
         [0009]    A third class of structures, utilizing various triggered mechanisms to capture a wheel of a motorcycle as it is rolled on a ramp, like the pivotal restraint mechanism exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,157 to Noah, while quite effective in a one-man setting to function as a wheel chock, lacks the necessary lateral restraints needed to keep the motorcycle upright at the various terrain inclinations on which the loading process is often carried out. Thus while effective for the purposes intended this third group of restraints needs substantial augmentation to achieve the usefulness dictated by the currently favored motorcycle dimensions. 
         [0010]    Simply, the majority of the current motorcycle stands rely (a) on a U-shaped front wheel receiving slip combined with (b) a pivotally mounted U-shaped section that will pivot up behind the front tire using the weight of the motorcycle. Thus in order to move the motorcycle out of this clamping combination the front wheel load needs to be lifted by the handlebars, unloading the pivoting U-shaped section so that it can pivot backwards. Accordingly, while suitable for the purposes intended the height and weight of the motorcycles currently enjoyed by the riding public render this task difficult by a user of average size and musculature. 
         [0011]    The alternatives, as exemplified by the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,359 to Lyons et al, require that the user stand at the front side of the motorcycle to hold it in a vertical alignment by the handlebars while articulating the clamping mechanisms to overcome the engagement interlocks which, when released, may allow the motorcycle to roll down the ramp or to tip over. Again, while suitable for its purposes the currently large motorcycles may overwhelm the operator during disengagement, possibly causing full loss of control. 
         [0012]    One, of course, will appreciate that the most optimal position relative a motorcycle is one where the user sits astride thereon. A self-triggered restraining structure that conveniently secures the motorcycle to the ramp for subsequent loading when deployed on variously aligned local terrain inclinations and that is conveniently released with the user astride thereon is therefore extensively desired and it is one such structure that is disclosed herein. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    Accordingly, it is the general purpose and object of the present invention to provide a securement mechanism deployed on a loading ramp that is triggered to capture the wheel of a motorcycle at various inclinations as it is rolled on the ramp. 
         [0014]    Other objects of the invention are to provide an over-center triggered securing mechanism on the end of a motorcycle loading ramp for securing the front wheel thereto. 
         [0015]    Further objects of the invention are to provide a securing mechanism on the end of a motorcycle loading ramp triggered to secure the front wheel at various inclinations to allow the further securing of the motorcycle. 
         [0016]    Yet additional objects of the invention are to provide a self-triggered retention mechanism for securing the front wheel of a motorcycle to a loading ramp in order to allow the further securing of the rear wheel. 
         [0017]    Briefly, these and other objects are accomplished within the present invention by mounting on the forward end of a motorcycle ramp an over-center mechanism tripped as the front wheel of a motorcycle is rolled thereover to release a spring loaded strut from its latched, pre-loaded state. In the course of this release the expanding strut then drives a transverse roller against the rear surface of the wheel, thus capturing the wheel within a front restraining slip. 
         [0018]    More precisely, the over-center mechanism comprises generally a pivotally articulating plate mounted over a fulcrum formed by a transverse pivot spanning across the ramp, the plate further providing the limits of pivotal motion of a rectangular frame straddling the plate from the same fulcrum. A transverse roller mounted at the free edge of the frame is thus free to articulate above the plate in an arc centered at the fulcrum axis in response to the extension of an actuator rod extending from a gas pressurized or a spring biased strut having its other end engaged to a stop releasably fixed to the ramp rearward of the plate. 
         [0019]    When pivoted rearwards the frame alters the spacing between the stop and the transverse roller at its free edge to compress the strut and when the strut axis is carried by this pivotal arc to a point where it passes below the fulcrum the frame, and the plate below it, are then trapped against the ramp bottom surface in an over-center engagement. This pre-loaded and trapped engagement is achieved with the use of a removable lever that engages the frame to provide the necessary mechanical advantage to set the inventive mechanism to its over-center alignment. 
         [0020]    In this trapped and compressed form the over-center mechanism is aligned within the ramp to receive the motorcycle and once its front wheel progresses beyond the pivot axis of the plate the over-center interlock within the ramp is released, with the roller on the free edge of the frame then advanced by the expanding strut to drive the wheel against a front retaining slip mounted on the ramp. It will be appreciated that the foregoing release of the pre-loaded spring activated assembly is effected automatically as the motorcycle is advanced along the ramp, thus allowing the rider to remain seated thereon. Since a heavy motorcycle is usually kept close to vertical by a rider, the capture of the wheel between the roller and the opposed slip, and thus the retention of the motorcycle, is also vertical regardless of the various lateral inclinations of the ramp that may be caused by local terrain undulations. 
         [0021]    Thus the forward movement of the front motorcycle tire over the pivoted plate unlatches the pre-loaded mechanism that was set earlier allowing the roller, once lifted above the rear plate edge, to force the wheel forward to temporarily capture and stabilize the motorcycle. Once thus restrained the user is free to deploy other securing structures including a rear wheel capturing fixture engaged to the rear end of the ramp to fully restrain and fix the motorcycle on the ramp as it is lifted onto the vehicle. Once there, the motorcycle may be finally secured for transport by tightening various adjustment brackets after the transport vehicle is brought to a generally level surface. 
         [0022]    Of course, once transported to its destination the ramp with the motorcycle thereon may be lowered to the ground at which point the rear capturing fixture is removed by the user while the motorcycle is still held vertically on the ramp by the front wheel restraint. The user can then install a cantilevered extension into the rear retention mechanism at the other end of the strut and once mounted on the motorcycle unlatch with his foot its engagement, thus removing all confined loading to release the front wheel. The motorcycle, with the rider seated thereon, is thus free to move off the ramp until it returns to the ramp at which point the removable lever engageable to the pivotal frame can then be used again to re-latch the over-center assembly for the next motorcycle loading sequence, and so on. In this manner the inventive over-center mechanism remains safely unloaded until the time of its next use, obtaining the desired safety and also the convenience of unassisted vehicle transport. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is a perspective illustration of the inventive self-triggered retaining structure useful in securing the front wheel of a motorcycle to an articulated ramp in the course of loading thereof for transport on a vehicle; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2  is a further perspective illustration of the inventive mounting structure illustrated in  FIG. 1  in its triggered deployment compressing the front motorcycle wheel against its slip; 
           [0025]      FIG. 3  is yet another perspective detail illustrating an inventive rear wheel restraining fixture provided with adjustable attachment connections to the articulated ramp for securing the motorcycle for transport; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic illustration of the spring loaded strut in the pre-loaded and unlatched extensions thereof corresponding to the several states of the inventive over-center mechanism. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0027]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4  the inventive mounting structure, generally designated by the numeral  10 , comprises a spring loaded over-center mechanism  20  deployed at the front end of a C-sectioned ramp RA conformed for articulation in various known manners, including that earlier described by me in U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,829, to load a motorcycle MC mounted thereon onto or into a motor vehicle MV. A further restraining fixture  50  proximate the other end of the ramp RA is then useful to restrain the rear wheel RW of motorcycle MC on the ramp RA once it is rolled onto the ramp to drive its front wheel FW onto the over-center mechanism  20 , releasing the mechanism from its pre-loaded state to capture and restrain the front wheel against a vertically deployed front retaining slip  40 . As will be shown below this automatically triggered release allows a single person to load and restrain the motorcycle MC on the ramp at variously angled local ground surfaces GS inclinations. 
         [0028]    To effect this initial securement the forwardly deployed over-center mechanism  20  includes a pivoted plate  21  mounted above a transverse pivot formed by a bolt  22  spanning across ramp RA through a selected one of a set of bolt holes  22 - 1 - 22 - n  spaced along the length of the ramp above its base surface SB. Thus pivotally engaged the pivotal plate  21  is free to swing about the pivot between the limits where either its forward edge  21   f  or its rear edge  21   r  makes contact with, and is thus opposed by, the base surface SB. 
         [0029]    In addition, a generally rectangular frame  31  straddles plate  21  from the pivot bolt  22 , carrying in the course of this pivotal motion a transverse roller  32  at its free edge in a pivotal arc that is radially greater than the dimensions of plate  21 . This pivotal movement of frame  31  relative plate  21 , in turn, is limited by a set of detents  31   d  on the frame that project inwardly to oppose the plate at both ends of its pivotal movement, thus obtaining a moment transfer from plate  21  to the frame upon the articulation of the plate by the front wheel FW of the motorcycle MC as it is moved along the ramp RA. It is this moment transfer that is then utilized to unlatch an over-center interlock in which a spring loaded strut assembly  25  having its actuator rod  25   a  pinned to frame  31  adjacent roller  32  and its other end  25   e  releasably engaged to a stop  27  that are geometrically captured in compression against the bottom surface SB. 
         [0030]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate this compressed geometry can be adapted to variously sized motorcycle configurations by a coordinated selection of one of a set of fastener holes  27 - 1  through  27 - n  in the wall of ramp RA through which a keyed fastener pin  28  is inserted into a conforming slot  27  in the stop  27  to engage the stop to the ramp together with the pivot location of plate  21  through one of the bolt holes  22 - 1 - 22 - n.  In this manner wheel geometries of various sizes can be conveniently accommodated by the selection of the spacing between the front slip  40 , the plate  21  pivot axis defined by the selected bolt hole  22 - 1  through  22 - n  and the compressed and trapped dimension of strut assembly  25  determined by the selection of the fastening hole  27 - 1  through  27 - n.  A flat projection  28 e on the exposed end of pin  28  can then be selectively engaged by a cantilevered extension  29  deployed along the ramp to be articulated by the rider&#39;s foot once astride on the motorcycle to pivot stop  27  away from the block  26 , thus releasing the pre-load of the strut for unloading. 
         [0031]    Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the fully open geometry of frame  31  relative plate  21  is achieved only when the opposing dimension of the strut assembly  25  is compressed sufficiently to fit between the fully extended deployment of the transverse roller  32  and the selected location of stop  27 . To insure a latched state in this opened arrangement it is necessary that the force axis of the compressed strut assembly  25 , and therefore its actuating end  25   a  at the roller  32 , extend below the pivot axis of plate  21 . This geometric constraints is conveniently achieved by selecting the transverse height of detents  31   d  to allow the alignment of the roller  32  to be equal or greater than the radius of the cylinder  25   c  of the actuator assembly  25 , to provide geometric clearance. At the same time the height of stop  27  needs to be spaced above the bottom surface SB by a dimension sufficient to allow the passage of the releasable detent block  26  engaed to the end  25   e  of strut assembly  25  when the cantilevered extension  29  is articulated to pivot the stop and thus release it from its pre-engaged interlocked state. 
         [0032]    In this form the inventive over-center assembly  20  can be transported with the strut assembly  25  left unloaded, a state obtained by disengaging the engagement block  26  from the stop assembly  27 . When loading is contemplated, however, block  26  is engaged to stop  27 , thus fixing end  25   e  of the strut assembly to the ramp RA with the fully extended dimension of actuator end  25   a  then accommodated by the pivotal movement of frame  31  to a position against the bottom surface SB thus capturing the plate  21 . 
         [0033]    To obtain the force multiplications needed to compress the strut assembly a short projection  62  of a portable L-shaped lever  61  can be fitted between the roller  32  and the rear edge  21   r  of plate  21  and by applying manual force to its longer arm  63  sufficient torque is then be produced to fully articulate the frame  31 , bringing the roller  32  into contact with the ramp surface to trap plate  21  which then concurrently compresses the now captive strut assembly  25  which, of course, also aligns its force vector along the base surface SB. Since these previously described dimensional relationships fix this force vector below the vertical spacing of the pivot axis through one of the bolt holes  22 - 1  through  22 - n  the over-center mechanism is thus latched and ready for the receipt of the front wheel FW as the motorcycle MC is rolled along ramp RA. 
         [0034]    As the front wheel FW rolls onto plate  21  and then over its forward edge  21   f  its weight then creates a moment bias lifting the rear edge  21   r  lifting frame  31  through the opposing engagement of detents  31   d  and once the height of the roller  32  lifts the force vector of the compressed strut assembly  25  above the height of the pivot axis of plate  21  the remaining unrestrained pivotal swing of frame  31  then raises the roller  32  against the rear surfaces of wheel FW with the remaining spring bias in the strut then driving the wheel into slip  40 . The front wheel FW is thus captured and retained between roller  32  and the receiving bracket  41  on the upper end of slip  40 , stabilizing the motorcycle MC sufficiently to allow the rider to dismount. 
         [0035]    Having thus stabilized the motorcycle on the lowered ramp, the rider can then affix the further rear fixture or bracket assembly  50  to the ramp RA, restraining the rear wheel RW. Once again, one of a plurality of pivot holes  51 - 1  through  51 - m  extending across the ramp RA may be selected to conform to the motorcycle dimensions to pin the lower end of a vertical brace  51  which at its upper end carries an adjustably secured U-shaped bracket  52  that captures the rear wheel. Once thus secured the ramp with the motorcycle thereon can be raised onto the bed of the vehicle MV and then driven to a generally horizontal site where further adjustments can be effected to fully secure the motorcycle for transport. 
         [0036]    Upon arrival the same cantilevered extension  29  can be used to disengage block  26  from stop  27  in the manner previously described, releasing the spring bias against the roller  32  so that it falls back to its open state while the motorcycle is rolled rearwardly off the ramp. In this manner a generally safe retaining mechanism is obtained that is not triggered by each incidental jolt while providing a convenient loading process of the motorcycle. 
         [0037]    Obviously many modifications and variations of the instant invention can be effected without departing from the spirit of the teachings herein. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be determined solely by the claims appended hereto.