GB2234340A

GB2234340A - Bicycle brake light system

Info

Publication number: GB2234340A
Application number: GB8917236A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edmund John Page
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-07-28
Filing date: 1989-07-28
Publication date: 1991-01-30
Also published as: GB8917236D0

Abstract

A bicycle brake light system comprising (a) a lamp housing a battery and a bulb illuminable by the battery and (b) a switch operable by application of a brake of a bicycle, wherein the lamp is detachably mountable on the bicycle by a mounting which is permanently securable to the bicycle and has means 3 by which the lamp can be removably lockable on the mounting, said means having a first electrical contact 9 and the lamp having a second electrical contact electrically engaged by the first contact when the lamp is locked onto the mounting, the first contact being electrically connected to the switch and the second contact being electrically connected in an electrical circuit in the lamp which includes the battery and the bulb. <IMAGE>

Description

A BICYCLE BRAKE LIGHT SYSTEM This invention relates to bicycle brake light systems and, more particularly although not exclusively, to systems such as are described and claimed in British Patent No. 2 130 015.

Nowadays, to obviate pilfering, it is desirable that any bicycle lamp shall be removable from the bicycle and shall be lockable thereon at will. This desirable characteristic provides difficulties in the design of a bicycle brake light system for, of necessity, the switch(es) of the system have to be permanently connected to the bicycle if removal of the lamp is not also to necessitate removal of the switch(es).

To solve this problem, the present invention provides a bicycle brake light system comprising (a) a lamp housing a battery and a bulb illuminable by the battery and (b) a switch operable by application of a brake of a bicycle, wherein the lamp is detachably mountable on the bicycle by a mounting which is permanently securable to the bicycle and has means by which the lamp can be removably lockable on the mounting, said means having a first electrical contact and the lamp having a second electrical contact electrically engaged by the first contact when the lamp is locked onto the mounting, the first contact being electrically connected to the switch and the second contact being electrically connected in an electrical circuit in the lamp which includes the battery and the bulb.

The lamp may include two batteries connected in series one with the other and both in series with the bulb.

The system may include two switches one mountable on each of a pair of brake levers of a bicycle provided with such brake levers.

The mounting may be a two-part mounting, one of which parts is securable on the rear end of the bicycle and the other of which is securable to said one part in any one of a plurality of positions so that the lamp, when operated, shines rearwardly of the bicycle, the means then, preferably, being said one part of the mounting.

Conveniently, the means may have two electrical contacts electrically connected one to each side of the or each switch and the lamp also has two contacts electrically connected one to each of the contacts of the means when the lamp is locked onto the mounting.

The means may comprise a spigot insertable into a recess in the lamp, the or each contact of the lamp being positioned on the wall of the recess and, in this case and where there is a pair of contacts, the contacts may be positioned one on each of opposing walls of the recess.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing, of which: Fig.l is an isometric view of one known form of one part of a bicycle lamp mounting, Fig.2 is a developed view of the walls of the recess in a bicycle lamp for the reception of the part of the mounting shown in Fig.l, and Fig.3 is a circuit diagram of the electrical circuit of the system.

Referring, firstly, to Fig.l, the known mounting of which Fig.l shows one part, comprises two parts. The part not here shown and of no relevance to the present invention, is securable to the rear fork of the bicycle frame and provides a face engageable with the rear face 1 of the mounting part shown in Fig.l. These two faces each have radially extending teeth and are securable together by a screw (not shown) which passes through the hole 2 in the mounting part shown in Fig.l.

By these means, the part shown in Fig.l can be orientated relative to the other part (not shown) of the mounting so that the lamp, when secured to the mounting, is directed in the desirable direction rearwardly of the bicycle.

The part shown in Fig.l is a one-piece moulding of suitable electrically-insulating material and the moulding provides means 3 by which the lamp of the system can be removably lockable on the mounting. Such mounting is provided by the lamp having in its body a recess for the reception of the means 3, the configuration of which recess is shown in Fig.2. The lamp includes a locking mechanism (not here shown as not being relevant to the present invention) rotation of which moves a finger through the slot provided by the cut-outs in the walls of the recess in the lamp to lock behind the cut-out 5 in the mounting part shown in Fig.l.

From Fig.l, it can be seen that the means 3 comprises a spigot insertable into the recess shown in Fig.2, and that this spigot has three slots 6, 7 and 8. These slots extend longitudinally of the spigot along both of its sides - one only of which can be seen in Fig.l. In each of the upper two slots 6 and 7, lies an electrical contact 9 and 10 respectively. The contact 9 lies along substantially the whole length of the slot 6 on the side of the spigot not visible in Fig.l and wraps around the end of the slot to have a tail 11 which lies along a short length of the slot 6 on the side of the spigot which is visible in Fig.l.Conversely, the contact 10 lies along substantially the whole length of the slot 7 which is visible in Fig.1 and wraps around the end of the slot to provide a tail which lies along a short length of the slot 7 lying on the other side of the spigot not visible in Fig.1.

Moulded into the mounting part shown in Fig.l are electrical leads 12 and 13 of which lead 12 is soldered to the contact 9 and the lead 13 is soldered at 14 to the contact 10.

Through the two opposing side walls 20 and 21 of the recess shown in Fig.2, extend, respectively, spring contacts 22 and 23. These contacts are so positioned that when the spigot of the mounting is inserted into the recess, the spring contact 22 engages the contact 9 on the spigot and the spring contact 23 engages the contact 10 on the spigot.

In Fig.3 is shown the electrical circuit of the system.

This circuit includes two switches 31 and 32 which, as more particularly described in Patent No. 2 130 015, are switches mounted on the brake levers of a bicycle. The connections from these switches are the leads 12 and 13 connected to the contacts 9 and 10 carried by the mounting.

Housed in the lamp 33 is a pair of serially arranged batteries 34 and 35 and a bulb 36. The crossed rectangle 37 indicates the recess of Fig.2 and the spigot of the part of the mounting shown in Fig.l.

It will be well appreciated that application of either of the brakes of the bicycle will cause one or other or both of the switches 31 and 32 to be operated thus completing the circuit of Fig.3 and illuminating the lamp to indicate braking of the bicycle.

Whilst the above described embodiment illustrates a spigot-shaped means for securing a lamp to the mounting, othershaped means may be used. For example, in another form of known lamp mounting, the means comprises a clamp which grips the lamp itself and allows unlocking therefrom by release of the clamp.

With such a form of mounting, the contacts 9 and 10 could be provided on that part of the mounting where it clamps onto the lamp housing, the lamp housing in that area where it is clamped by the mounting, having complementary contacts to be engaged by the contacts of the mounting when the lamp is clamped by the mounting.

Claims

1. A bicycle brake light system comprising (a) a lamp housing a battery and a bulb illuminable by the battery and (b) a switch operable by application of a brake of a bicycle, wherein the lamp is detachably mountable on the bicycle by a mounting which is permanently securable to the bicycle and has means by which the lamp can be removably lockable on the mounting, said means having a first electrical contact and the lamp having a second electrical contact electrically engaged by the first contact when the lamp is locked onto the mounting, the first contact being electrically connected to the switch and the second contact being electrically connected in an electrical circuit in the lamp which includes the battery and the bulb.

2. A bicycle brake light system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the lamp includes two batteries connected in series one with the other and both in series with the bulb.

3. A bicycle brake light system as claimed in either one of Claims 1 and 2, wherein the system includes two switches one mountable on each of a pair of brake levers of a bicycle provided with such brake levers.

4. A bicycle brake light system as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the mounting is a two-part mounting, one of which parts is securable on the rear end of the bicycle and the other of which is securable to said one part in any one of a plurality of positions so that the lamp, when operated, shines rearwardly of the bicycle.

5. A bicycle brake light system as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the means is said one part of the mounting.

6. A bicycle brake light system as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the means has two electrical contacts electrically connected one to each side of the or each switch and the lamp also has two contacts electrically connected one to each of the contacts of the means when the lamp is locked onto the mounting.

7. A bicycle brake light system as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the means comprises a spigot insertable into a recess in the lamp, the or each contact of the lamp being positioned on the wall of the recess.

8. A bicycle brake light system as claimed in Claim 7, wherein, where there is a pair of contacts, the contacts are positioned one on each of opposing walls of the recess.

9 A bicycle brake light system substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.