AU2016100754A4 - Bicycle stand - Google Patents

Abstract

A bicycle stand which includes a trough curved so as to accommodate a portion of a bicycle wheel, said trough being provided with sidewalls so as to retain said wheel 5 therein; further including at least two pairs of arms projecting from the walls of said trough, each said pair of arms being arranged to project outwards from said trough so as to support said trough upon an underlying surface. C-C *IS

Description

TITLE: Bicycle Stand

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a bicycle stand which is capable of supporting a bicycle in an upright position from the ground surface.

Background Art A wide variety of different types of bicycle supports and bicycle stands have been designed or proposed over the years, the most commonly used being large fixed metal stands which provide a series of spaced metal hoops between which a bicycle wheel can be inserted. The stands usually are fixed in place permanently. They offer an effective means of securing a bicycle in the upright position, but are expensive to provide and cannot be repositioned easily.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is the provision of a bicycle stand which is lightweight and comparatively inexpensive, which can be used as a single stand for a single bicycle or can easily be connected to other such stands to provide multiple stands.

The present invention provides a bicycle stand which includes: a trough curved so as to accommodate a portion of a bicycle wheel, said trough being provided with sidewalls so as to retain a wheel therein; further including at least two pairs of arms projecting from the walls of said trough, each said pair of arms being arranged to project outwards from said trough so as to support said trough upon an underlying surface.

Preferably, two pairs of arms are provided, spaced apart along the length of the trough. However, more than two pairs of arms could be used if additional stability were required.

Preferably, each of said arms is adapted to be releasably engageable with an arm of an adjacent stand.

Preferably also, each of said arms is formed with two or more projecting surfaces positioned so as to engage an underlying surface in use. Preferably, one of said projecting surfaces on each arm of one of said pair of arms is adapted to engage an aperture formed on each arm of said other pair of arms, so as to releasably secured adjacent stands together.

Brief Description of the Drawings

By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a bicycle stand in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view from above of the bicycle stand of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of the bicycle stand of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is an isometric view of three stands connected together.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

Referring to the drawings, a bicycle stand 10 includes a central trough 11 supported by four supporting arms 12, 13, 14, and 15. The undersides of the supporting arms in use engage the ground or floor or other supporting surface, and each arm is provided with a through hole 12a, 13a, 14a, 15a, through which a securing bolt or similar tiedown may be inserted to secure the stand to an underlying surface.

The central trough 11 is formed by two sidewalls 16, 17, one on either side of a curved surface 18. The curvature of the trough 11 is symmetrical and is such that it is approximately equivalent to the curvature of a bicycle wheel for a standard adult’s bike. The length of the trough 11 is such that in use a length of a bicycle wheel equal to nearly half of the diameter of the bicycle wheel can rest within the trough. The trough is formed with three spaced apertures 11a along its length, so that any water which would otherwise accumulate in the trough 11 can drain out.

The width of the trough 11, i.e. the distance between the walls 16 and 17, is such that it accommodates the wheel rim plus tyre of a bicycle as an easy fit therein.

It will be appreciated that if the bicycle stands are provided, e.g. for a primary school, the stands are sized so that the width and length of the trough 11 accommodates a child’s bicycle. Similarly, the width of the trough 11 may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the different widths of wheel rims plus tyres for road bicycles and mountain bicycles.

The support arms 12, 13, 14, 15 are arranged in pairs 12/13, 14/15 and extend at right angles to the longitudinal axis X-X of the stand. Each arm is formed on its underside with three rounded projecting surfaces 19. These surfaces are mutually parallel and in use are substantially vertical, to support the stand securely upon an underlying surface.

Each of the arms 12, 13 of the front pair of arms is formed with an aperture of 20 between the outermost surface 19a and the remainder of the arm. This aperture 20 is dimensioned and arranged to receive the outermost surface 20a of one of the rear pair of arms 14/15 as a sliding fit therein, so that adjacent stands 10 can be quickly and easily secured together simply by placing the first stand on the ground, reversing the second stand and engaging the surface 20a with the aperture 20, for each of the adjacent arms, as shown in Figure 5. This links two or more stands together rapidly and securely to form a row of stands of any desired length. For additional stability, nails or bolts or other securing means can be inserted through the holes 12a - 15a inclusive formed in the arms.

The provision of the projecting surfaces 19 for supporting the stand from the ground gives a secure and stable support to the stand even if the ground surface is rather uneven. The underside of the trough 11 does not rest on the ground, so that water can drain freely from the central aperture 11 a.

The above described bicycle stand may be manufactured in any suitably tough, impact resistant material. Preferably, it is manufactured from a tough impact resistant lightweight material.

It will be appreciated that the above described bicycle stand holds a bicycle securely in position, but is easy to relocate as necessary and is both durable and compact. If multiple stands are required, single stands can be connected together quickly and easily.

Claims (5)

1. Claims

   1. A bicycle stand which includes a trough curved so as to accommodate a portion of a bicycle wheel, said trough being provided with sidewalls so as to retain said wheel therein; further including at least two pairs of arms projecting from the walls of said trough, each said pair of arms being arranged to project outwards from said trough so as to support said trough upon an underlying surface.
2. 2. The bicycle stand as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said arms is adapted to be releasably engageable with an arm of an adjacent stand.
3. 3. The bicycle stand as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said arms is formed with two or more projecting surfaces positioned so as to engage an underlying surface in use.
4. 4. The bicycle stand as claimed in claim 3 wherein one of said projecting surfaces on each arm of one of said pair of arms is adapted to engage an aperture formed on each arm of said other pair of arms, so as to releasably secure adjacent stands together.
5. 5. The bicycle stand as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said trough is provided with drainage apertures.