Patent ID: 8079772

Claim:
A multi-position adjustable height bicycle seat post assembly for attaching a bicycle seat to a bicycle frame, comprising: a. an inner tube, comprising: i. an upper end and a lower end; and b. an outer tube, comprising: i. an upper end and a lower end; and ii. wherein said outer tube has a diameter greater than that of the inner tube, and said outer tube is configured to allow at least a portion of the lower end of the inner tube to slide into the upper end of the outer tube; c. an assembly for locking, unlocking, and preventing rotation of the inner tube with respect to the outer tube, comprising: i. a lock ring element; ii. a plurality of straight parallel grooves located in vertical alignment along a portion of the inner tube; iii. detent elements located in the straight parallel grooves of the inner tube; iv. a plurality of holes in the outer tube configured to generally align with the straight parallel grooves of the inner tube; and v. a plurality of spherical elements located in the holes of the outer tube and between the lock ring element and the inner tube; and d. an extending element for extending the inner tube longitudinally to its fully extended position with respect to said outer tube; and e. wherein the lock ring element: i. contains a plurality of angled ramps that act upon the spherical elements ii. is placed into a locked position, by forcibly retaining the spherical elements within the holes of the outer tube and the detents of the inner tube: and iii. is placed into an unlocked position, by allowing the spherical elements to exit the detents of the inner tube, and entering the grooves of the inner tube, allowing said inner tube to become slidable within the outer tube.