GB2109318A - Quick release straps for cycle pedals - Google Patents

Abstract

The strap 8 is attached via a recessed portion 6 to a spherical member 12 on the pedal 2 so that outward movement of the foot disengages the strap from the pedal by a "pop" action. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Automatic safety device for cyclists The object of the invention refers to an accessory for racing cyclists which, in case of necessity and by thrusting both feet towards the outside as well as by natural and instinctive movements of the cyclist, permits him to detach himself immediately from the bicycle, where said device is provided with a mechanism, the racing cyclist operating it manually to render safety device more or less operative.

For quite some time cyclists used to secure their feet to the pedals of the bicycle with manual movements to be made for every pedal by means of quick blocking straps. The straps improve the conditions of propulsion for the cyclist, but they cause difficult situations when he has to face danger. In fact when the cyclist is in danger he cannot use his hands to disactivate the functioning of the straps and often falls being tied dangerously to the bicycle.

Securing his feet to the bicycle is therefore absolutely necessary for the cyclist, but it is also indispensable for him to free his feet quickly, because when he is in difficulty there is no time to co-ordinate his movements in order to carry out the efforts of unhooking.

The situation in which the cyclist finds himself when in danger was the reason to develop the safety device of this invention which provides a mechanism capable of inserting or disinserting itself.

This object was achieved by the construction of two elements able to engage each other by pressure of the fingers, to remain inserted if so desired by the cyclist, but mainly to disinsert themselves and leave the feet free when the cyclist in danger thrusts them away from the pedal.

The first of these elements is an oblong body on an end of which can be found a spheric cavity. Said body is firmly connected with the end of the strap emerging from the loop and situated afterthe clasp.

The second elements is a shaped pivot, firmly connected with the peripheric metal rim of the pedal on its outer part. Said second element terminates in a sphere capable of inserting and connecting itself by detent in the cavity of the first element. In fact the sphere of the second element is forced into the cavity of the first one, its circular rim where said cavity has to pass being constructed with little narrower dimensions. This causes the latter to insert or release itself when the two elements have to separate under the action of foot pressure.

Alternatively, the first element of the device is provided with a mechanism wich can be manipulated by hand by means of a small lever: said mechanism presents a series of small spheres, gathering in its interior, so that it can bring about the automatic insertion and release of the two abovementioned elements, or rather the condition for interlocking which, in order to be severed, have to be prepared for their action. In this embodiment of the device of this invention with incorporated mechanism in the first element, gives the cyclist the possibility to free himself of the bycicle with safety and without delay when he feels himself in danger, and this has also a psycological influence on the cyclist, because it can be used in two ways according to necessity and circumstance.The device lets to preserve the form, the disposition of the already existing pedals, straps, notches and buckles.

In order to better illustrate in its particulars the present invention and in order to explain the characteristic properties which distinguish it, a more detailed description is given hereunder which refers to two preferred embodiments, given as a nonbinding or limitative example and illustrated by the figures shown in the attached drawing where: Figure 1 shows a pedal for racing cycles provided with the safety device of this invention; Figure 2 shows a sectional view of the safety device in a first version; Figure 3 shows a sectional view along the line D-D seen fron "B" of the device with the blocking mechanism; Figure 4 shows a sectional view along the line C-C of the device seen from "A".

The position of the safety device with respect to the pedal 2 can be seen from Figure 1 where its first element 3 is connected at the peripheric rim 4 of said pedal by a screw nut 1 at the opposite side of thread 5which joins the pivot of the pedal at the pedal crank of the bicycle, while its second element 6 with the semispheric cavity 7 (see Figure 2), is joined to strap 8, in a position after clasp 9 and loop 10, by means of appendix 14, rivets 13 and the reinforcement plate 13'.

As can still be seen from Figure 1, the device connects the outer end of strap 8 with pedal 2 and the connection (illustrated in Figure 2) takes place by detent insertion of sphere 12 into cavity 7 of element 6. The detent insertion of sphere 12 must be effected through ring neck 11. Said insertion is effected by hand, pushing element 6 onto element 3 which is rigidly and solidly connected to pedal 2. The immediate separation of elements 6 and 3 is obtained, as already mentioned above, by means of the pressure of the foot secured to the pedal which exerts force in the sense indicated by arrow "e" against reinforced appendix 14 of element 6. The separation of the two elements of the device sets the foot free from the pedal giving the cyclist the possibility of detaching himself from the bicycle.Various ways and materials permit the carrying out of the invention which can be provided with hollow elements made in plastic material or in metal or still in plastic material and metal, while the sphere element with the pedal is preferably made of treated metal or alloy.

In Figures 3 and 4, in according with the second embodiment of this invention, the safety device is illustrated to which was added the mechanism capable of activating and disactivating said device to confer more serenity and confidence to the cyclist who uses it. In fact, as you can see, element 15 fixed to rim 4 of pedal 2 does not vary and is always the same with respect to element 3, as illustrated in Figure 2. The second element 16 of safety device however changes its form and conformation, respect to preceding embodiment, with appendix 14 for connection with strap 8.Said element 16 consists, instead, of an elastic ring 17 provided with tongues 18, four small steel spheres 19, contrast spring 20, regulation screw 21, control lever 22 with knob 23, the elastic retention ring 24 which keeps the abovementioned parts to the hollow metal body 25 which moves in a casing 30 with protruding supports 31 and 32 and hollows 27 and 28.

Cavity 26 of the metal body 25 is the seat of sphere 12 of element 15. The detent insertion and disconnection in cavity 26 of sphere 12, or rather the blocking of same in the above-mentioned cavity depends from the position assumed by the small spheres 19 in their housings 33 controlled by casing 30. The.housings 33 of spheres 19 are all situated in equal distance from one another, they have their axis converging towards the center and also arranged on the same perpendicular plane to axis "F" of the element.

By acting as indicated the hollow metal body 25 by means of knob 23 of lever 22 which can be inserted into the hollows 27 and 28 (so that it maintains the position desired by the cyclist), said metal body 25 arranges itself differently with respct to the small internal and longitudinal cavities 29 of elastic ring 17. Ring 17, open and not rotating, fixed to tongues 18 in the space between supports 31 and 32 results more or less tight around the body 25 by regulation screw 21 which pushes tongues 18. When sphere 12 is settled in its seat 26 and body 25 is roated so that knob 23 reaches the hollow 27, the small spheres 19 are all in the most narrow position, as ring 17 keeps them fixed in their respective housing 33. Thus the small spheres restrict the space through which sphere 12 should pass.The mechanism in the position described keeps the safety device blocked, since sphere 12 cannot get out of its seat as indicated in Figures 3 and 4.

When body 25 is maintained in the position set by bnob 23 fixed in its hollow 28, the small spheres 19 result in a wider space since the longitudinal cavities 29 are aligned with housings 33. In this case, sphere 12 remains semi-blocked in its cavity 26 and the device is therefore in a safety position. The sphere 12 in this case is able to get out of its cavity 26 under the wheight of the foot secured to the pedal. In order to get out, sphere 12 must push the small sphere 19 against ring 12, so that it becomes as wide as necessary. The foot must therefore exert the necessary force to compress contrast spring 20 which, lodged in a seat of the protruding support 32, acts on one of the tongues 18 of the elastic ring 17.

The force required is proportionate to the force exerted by spring 20 on tongue 18. Said force is regulated by screw 21 which also acts with respect to ring 17. Spring 20 and screw 21 never limit the outward movement of the small spheres 19, but act in such a way that said outward movement can take place with different pressures the cyclist may wish to exert.

The illustrated mechanism achieves the ideal condition of safety for the cyclist without necessitating variations or substitutions of the parts to which it is to be applied.

Claims (17)

1. Automatic safety device for cyclists constituted by elements suitable for immediate detachment of the foot from the pedals when they are secured by straps, characterized by the fact that said device comprises two elements which are connected by a fixed joint and are able to resist the force the foot exerts on the pedal and the straps, but may be separated, if necessary, by pressure of the foot, when said pressure is effected in horizontal direction outwards and caused by instinctive movement by those who want to rid themselves of the bicycle.

2. Automatic safety device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that one of the elements of which said device is composed is a small pivot, the end of which is shaped like a sphere.

3. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to claims 1 and 2, characterized by the fact that the second element which constitutes the safety device is a bushing with a shaped cavity able to receive and to retain by detent the spheric end of the first element.

4. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized by the fact that the two elements which constitute the safety device are constructed in such a way as to insert and disinsert themselves from one another.

5. Automatic dafety device for cyclists according to claims 1, 2,3 and 4, characyerized by the fact that said device is provided with a mechanism which enables it to enage and to disengage said device.

6. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the above-mentioned mechanism is contained in the said bushing with a shaped cavity.

7. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the mechanism includes four small spheres.

8. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the small four spheres are each situated in their seat in order to be induced to reduce the necessary space in the cavity able to receive the spheric end of the first element.

9. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the seats of the small spheres of the mechanism are obtained on said second element as a mobile hollow body.

10. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the seats of the small spheres are arranged in a radius, converging at the center and having the same distance from one another.

11. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the seats of the small spheres are aligned with the same number of cavities, located in the cylindric seat of an elastic ring coaxial to said cavity of said second element.

12. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that a lever, by means of a drawing tooth, moves the whole body with respect to the said elastic ring.

13. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the lever drawing the body has a knob inserting itself into the special reference cavities.

14. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the small spheres enter the said cavity of said second element do not permit the passage of the spheric end of said first element because they are prevented from it by the elastic ring with pressure exerted by the reaction spring.

15. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the control spring acts against the pressure of the foot.

16. Automatic safety device for cyclists according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that a screw prestresses the contrast spring.

17. An automatic safety device for cyclists substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.