Patent Description:
The problem of providing bags which may be easily attached to various types of bicycle is known. Usually it is preferred to provide a luggage or bag carrier rack which is fixed above the rear wheel using fastening systems situated close to or on the wheel hub and on the seat post and to which a bag is attached on top or on the side. This arrangement may be useful for some types of town bikes, but is awkward, if not unusable, on other types of bicycle.

Moreover, even when the bag is removed, the luggage or bag carrier rack forms a bulky object on the bicycle.

In alternative designs, bags are provided such that they can be attached by means of a plurality of straps onto the crossbar of the frame between the handlebars and saddle or can be attached to the handlebars. These arrangements are possible only with very small sized bags and fixing and removing them is any case a relatively difficult and awkward operation.

<CIT> discloses saddle-bag having a Velcro strap around the saddle posts and a clamp to grip the frame of the saddle, according to the features of the preamble of claim <NUM>.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a bag for a bicycle with a rapid attachment system which occupies little space and is suitable for various types of bicycle.

In view of the above object the idea which has occurred is to provide, according to the invention, a bag for a bicycle as claimed in claim <NUM>.

In order to illustrate more clearly the innovative principles of the present invention and its advantages compared to the prior art, an example of embodiment applying these principles will be described below with the aid of the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:.

With reference to the Figures, <FIG> shows a bag - indicated overall by <NUM> - designed in accordance with the invention.

The bag <NUM> comprises a container <NUM> and a coupling system <NUM>. The coupling system <NUM> is intended to attach the bag close to the rear part of a saddle <NUM> of a bicycle (not shown, which may be of any desired type, i.e. town bike, racing bike or also "pedelec").

As can be clearly seen also in <FIG>, the coupling system <NUM> comprises a first coupling part or support <NUM> and a second coupling part <NUM>. The first coupling part <NUM> is intended to be stably fastened to the bicycle saddle, while the second coupling part <NUM> is fixed in the upper zone close to the front end of the container <NUM>. The two coupling parts <NUM> and <NUM> are designed to be easily coupled together in order to fix the bag to the saddle.

The front end of the container <NUM> is also provided with a fixing belt <NUM> intended to be arranged around the seat post <NUM> which supports the saddle as can be clearly seen in <FIG>.

As can also be clearly seen in <FIG>, for more stable fastening to the seat post <NUM>, a seat for mounting the bag on the seat post may also be advantageously provided, said seat being realized in the form of a vertical groove or seat <NUM> inside a rigid element <NUM> which is present on the front end of the container. The belt <NUM> will be advantageously arranged in front of the groove <NUM>, as is clearly visible in <FIG>, in order to retain the post inside the seat <NUM>.

Advantageously, the fixing belt <NUM> may have an adjustment and tightening system <NUM>. The adjustment and tightening system <NUM> may comprise, for example, at one end <NUM> of the belt <NUM> on one side of the bag, a per se known adjustment system with a toggle lever <NUM> for tensioning the belt (for example including also a possible rotating micrometric screw and female thread adjustment system, as can be clearly seen in <FIG>, indicated by <NUM>), and, on the other side of the bag, a per se known hook-type fastener <NUM> for the other end <NUM> of the belt, which can be releasably operated so as to free the end <NUM> and allow frontal insertion or extraction of the seat post <NUM> into/from the seat <NUM>. As shown in the figures, the toggle lever <NUM> has preferably one end (preferably the front end) which is pivotably mounted on the support and the other end which is manually operated in order to rotate the lever so as to tension the belt, said belt being connected to the lever in an intermediate position between the two ends of the lever.

The belt <NUM> may have the end <NUM> which is suitably shaped with a plurality of slots <NUM> arranged spaced along the length of the belt so as to engage with the hook <NUM> in a plurality of positions. This allows the length of the belt to be adapted to seat posts <NUM> with different diameters. The micrometric adjustment system <NUM>, where present, is able to allow prior adjustment of the fastening so that there is minimum play on the seat post when the toggle lever is tightened.

As can be seen again in <FIG>, the end <NUM> of the belt may be fixed to the toggle lever by means of a short tie-piece (which may comprise a micrometric adjustment system <NUM> as mentioned above) which allows a degree of rotational freedom of the belt so that, by rotating the belt backwards, the bag can be seated more easily on the upper slide system until the end-of-travel position is reached where the seat <NUM> makes contact with the seat post.

Systems for adjusting a belt are in any case well-known (for example, as in the case of ski boots) and therefore will not be further illustrated or described in detail, the person skilled in the art being able to understand easily the operation and structure based on the description thereof provided here.

<FIG> show in greater detail a possible embodiment of the coupling part <NUM>. This coupling part <NUM> comprises at the bottom a slide <NUM> (for example with a cross-section in the form of an overturned T) and at the top a clamp system <NUM>. The clamp system <NUM> is intended to grip the frame of the bicycle saddle so that the slide <NUM> remains firmly in position underneath the saddle.

For this purpose, the clamp system may comprise first jaws <NUM> and second jaws <NUM>. Advantageously, the first jaws <NUM> are fixed onto the body of the coupling part <NUM>, while the second jaws <NUM> are movably mounted on a body <NUM> so that they can be moved towards the first jaws <NUM> by means of an adjustment mechanism <NUM>, for example of the screw type.

The adjustment mechanism <NUM> may comprise for example guides <NUM> for sliding the second jaws <NUM> (for example with the guides <NUM> which slide inside passages <NUM> in the body <NUM>) so as to move them towards or away from the first jaws <NUM> by means of an operating screw <NUM>. The operating screw may advantageously have an operating head which emerges from the bottom side of the slide <NUM> and may be screwed with its threaded shank into the body <NUM> between the movable jaws <NUM>.

As can be also seen in <FIG>, the first jaws <NUM> and the second jaws <NUM> are advantageously formed by pairs of first and second jaws, each pair of first and second jaws being intended to clamp a rigid rod-shaped element <NUM> of the frame part of the saddle. These rod-shaped elements are usually present underneath the saddle and extend longitudinally with respect to the length of the saddle itself so as to connect the top part of the saddle with the seat post supporting the saddle. Preferably, one or both the fixed and movable jaws consist of cylindrical or semi-cylindrical elements which are arranged with their axis transverse to the saddle.

The movable jaws <NUM> preferably project on both sides of the body <NUM> so as to have opposite free ends. The movable jaws <NUM> with the body <NUM> and the adjustment mechanism <NUM> may advantageously form a T.

This facilitates the insertion and stable fixing of the first coupling part <NUM> underneath the saddle.

For firm gripping, the fixed jaws <NUM> and/or movable jaws <NUM> may also have raised lateral shoulders <NUM>, <NUM>. Each movable jaw <NUM> may also be realized in the form of a reel. Each movable jaw <NUM> may also be made so as to be freely rotatable about its axis <NUM> transverse to the saddle.

Advantageously, the fixed jaws <NUM> may have a length, transverse to the saddle, greater than that of the movable jaws <NUM> and the movable jaws <NUM> may be adjustable positionwise along their axis <NUM> on the body <NUM> so as to be adaptable to different interaxial distances between the rod-shaped elements <NUM>. For example, the movable jaws <NUM> may be hollow and internally threaded so that they can screwed along their axis <NUM> onto the body <NUM> so that an axial rotation thereof allows them to be displaced axially towards or away from each other, as is clear for example from <FIG>.

The second coupling part <NUM>, which is present on top of and towards the front of the container <NUM> of the bag, in turn comprises a seat <NUM> for slidable engagement of the slide <NUM>. As can be clearly seen for example in <FIG>, the seat <NUM> has a cross-section which substantially matches the cross-section of the slide <NUM>, with two lateral recesses for receiving the lateral flanges of the slide <NUM>.

The bag may be mounted on the coupling part <NUM> by simply sliding the seat <NUM> onto the slide <NUM> until they are fully coupled together, as is clear for example from <FIG>.

The container <NUM> may also be made rigid (for example of rigid plastic) or also be made of relatively flexible and impermeable external material (for example nylon fabric) and if necessary have a partially or totally stiffened internal structure.

The bag may also comprise a rigid shell <NUM> on the front end of the container <NUM>. The rigid shell <NUM> may stably support the coupling part <NUM>, the belt <NUM> with its fastening mechanism <NUM>, <NUM> and the mounting seat <NUM> if present. This may be particularly useful in the case of an at least partially flexible container.

The container <NUM> may be made so as to be foldable in order to reduce its overall volume when it is not in use or when it is not completely full. <FIG> schematically shows in broken lines a possible folded-up position of the container <NUM>, with a possible belt <NUM> which is able to keep the container in said folded-up condition by means of engagement with a rear end <NUM> of the coupling part <NUM>.

During use of the bag according to the invention, it is possible to mount the coupling part <NUM> on the saddle of the bicycle. In order to mount the coupling part <NUM> underneath the saddle, it is sufficient to insert the rod-shaped elements of the saddle frame between the fixed jaws and movable jaws and operate the operating screw <NUM> (for example using a screwdriver or an Allen key) until the rod-shaped elements <NUM> are firmly clamped between the jaws, as is visible for example in <FIG>, so that the coupling part <NUM> remains firmly secured underneath the saddle with the slide <NUM> directed downwards and towards the rear of the bicycle.

The coupling part <NUM> of the bag may then be inserted inside the slide <NUM> and the front belt <NUM> fastened to the seat post <NUM> of the bicycle, tightening it with the adjustment and tightening system <NUM>, where present, so that the bag is arranged as shown in <FIG>.

In order to remove the bag from the coupling part <NUM>, it is sufficient to loosen the belt <NUM> and extract the bag from the slide <NUM>, which remains on the bicycle.

<FIG> shows in greater detail a possible embodiment of the fastening system realized with the hook <NUM> and the slots <NUM> in the belt <NUM>. In this figure it can also be seen how the seat <NUM> may for example have a rubber covering useful for increasing the adhesion of the shell/belt system to the seat posts and also for preventing possible damage to the surface of more delicate seat posts, such as carbon seat posts.

As can be clearly seen in <FIG>, the hook <NUM> may be made from a sheared and folded metal strip and may advantageously extend in a manner slightly curved backwards (to the right in <FIG>) with respect to the direction of arrival of the belt and also be curved transversely so as to have a frontal concavity (towards the left in <FIG>). As shown again in <FIG>, the slots <NUM> for adjusting the fastening position of the belt may be in this case advantageously curved with a convexity towards the free end of the belt so as to match the hook <NUM> which engages inside them. This allows an even easier and stronger fastening and release action.

At this point it is clear how the predefined objects have been achieved. A bag as described may be easily installed, the bag may be easily attached and released from the bicycle and it does not occupy completely the rear part of the bicycle with bulky fixed structures such as the luggage or bag carrier racks of the prior art. When the container part of the bag is released and removed from bicycles, the coupling part <NUM> which remains on the bicycle occupies a minimum amount of space and has a minimum weight.

The belt system described, preferably provided on one side with a toggle lever and on the other side with a hook fastener results in a system which is both practical and at the same time projects only by a small amount transversely with respect to the bicycle and is set back sufficiently to reduce to a minimum the risk of contact with the cyclist's thighs during the pedalling action.

Furthermore, fixing the bag to the bicycle is extremely practical since it is possible to insert the slide <NUM> and then fix and tension the belt using only one hand simply and quickly. Moreover, by rotating the toggle lever into the open position, the belt is released easily and in a substantially automatic manner from the hook on the opposite side, without the need to operate release systems for opening the belt around the seat post. With a hook which is only slightly curved (and preferably also with a transverse curvature) and pre-shaped curved belt with a suitable rigidity, release is performed even more easily.

With easy release of the belt it is then simple to extract the bag support slide <NUM>, moving the bag backwards using also the same hand which released the belt.

The possibility of being able to perform an operating, fastening or release action using only one hand is particularly useful when, with the other hand, it is required to keep the bicycle upright.

The possible micrometric system on the lever also allows the belt to be properly tensioned, even in the case of slots <NUM> with spacing from each other which does not correspond exactly to the diameter of a particular seat post.

The belt may have a pre-shaped curved form, with a suitable elasticity, so as to adapt with a good degree of tolerance to all the types of commercially available seat posts with a circular cross-section.

Obviously, the above description of an embodiment applying the innovative principles of the present invention is provided by way of example of these innovative principles. The scope of the rights claimed hererin in limited by the appended set of claims.

Claim 1:
Bag (<NUM>) for bicycle, comprising a container (<NUM>) and a coupling system (<NUM>) which is intended to attach the container (<NUM>) to a bicycle, the coupling system (<NUM>) comprising a first coupling part (<NUM>) intended to be fixed to the bicycle and a second coupling part (<NUM>) fixed onto the container (<NUM>), the first coupling part (<NUM>) and the second coupling part (<NUM>) being mutually slidably engageable with each other, the first coupling part (<NUM>) comprises a clamp system (<NUM>), intended to fix it to a frame part of a bicycle saddle, and a slide (<NUM>) matching a seat (<NUM>) present on the second coupling part (<NUM>) so as to be slidably received inside said seat (<NUM>), the second coupling part (<NUM>) being in an upper position and close to a front part (<NUM>) of the container and on this front part (<NUM>) of the container there also being present a belt (<NUM>) intended to lock the seat post of a bicycle against this front part when the first coupling part (<NUM>) is fixed to the frame part of the saddle and the slide (<NUM>) is received inside the seat (<NUM>), the clamp system (<NUM>) comprising first jaws (<NUM>) and second jaws (<NUM>), the first jaws (<NUM>) being fixed on the first coupling part (<NUM>), while the second jaws (<NUM>) are movably mounted on a body (<NUM>) so that they can be moved towards the first jaws (<NUM>) by means of an adjustment mechanism (<NUM>), characterized in that the first jaws (<NUM>) have a transverse length greater than that of the second jaws (<NUM>) and the second jaws (<NUM>) are adjustable positionwise on the body (<NUM>) so as to move away or towards each other in order to adapt to different distances between rod-shaped elements (<NUM>).