GB2267524A

GB2267524A - Cycle parking fixture

Info

Publication number: GB2267524A
Application number: GB9211872A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chas Braithwaite
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-06-04
Filing date: 1992-06-04
Publication date: 1993-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 2012-06-04
Also published as: GB2267524B; DE4327295A1; GB9211872D0

Abstract

A cycle parking fixture comprises a rigid frame 5 having legs 7 which are designed to be permanently mounted in the ground in order to provide an immovable object to which a cycle, and particularly a motor cycle, may readily be connected when parked. The frame is of tubular construction and is provided with a chain 13 which extends through the interior of at least part of the frame, the chain being designed to prevent a prospective theft from attempting to cut through the frame in an endeavour to steal a motor cycle connected thereto. The ends of the chain are secured to the legs of the frame which are designed to be mounted in the ground. <IMAGE>

Description

2216 7 5 2 4

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Cycle Parking Fixture.

THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a cycle parking f ixture and more particularly to a fixture for use in parking motor cycles in a secure manner in order to reduce the risk of them being stolen when parked.

In the United Kingdom in a four year period between 1988 and 1992 motor cycles to the value of 75 million pounds were stolen. It is believed that elsewhere in Europe the problem of motor cycle theft is even more serious than in the United Kingdom. Thus, whenever a motor cycle is to be parked and left unattended it is desirable for the motor cycle to be left in a secure manner so as to minimize the risk of the motor cycle being stolen. This normally involves securing the motor cycle to a fixed object so that it cannot readily be disconnected therefrom. Thus, for example, it is not uncommon for motor cycles to be connected to an item of fixed street furniture by means of a chain. However, in the United Kingdom it is illegal to attach a motor cycle to an item of street furniture in this way and in some areas councils are empowered to remove any motor cycles which are parked in this way. Many motor cyclists prefer to park their motor cycles in the "open" i. e. on the street rather than in an enclosed car park since the bike is then visible to passers by and is less likely to be stolen than if it is parked in an enclosed car park where a certain amount of "cover" is provided and which may conceal the activities of a thief.

Generally speaking a motor cycle is at an increased risk of being stolen if it is parked without being connected to an immovable object. Even if the motor cycle is provided with an alarm system it is not uncommon for a motor cycle to be stolen by simply being picked up and placed inside a van or the like where it cannot be seen, whereupon it is taken to a location where the alarm system can be deactivated without attracting attention. Thus, the best known way to prevent the theft of a parked motor cycle is to connect the motor cycle to an immovable object.

It is known to provide inverted U-shaped tubular steel posts to which bicycles can be connected when they are to be left unattended and such posts are commonly provided outside railway stations and at other similar locations. However, these "parking posts" are generally relatively tall (having an overall height of up to approximately one metre) so that they do not present a trip hazard. For the secure parking of motor cycles however it would be necessary to provide a relatively low level fixed parking post so that a chain connection or the like can be established between a wheel of the motor cycle and the parking post.

The present invention seeks to provide a cycle parking fixture! particularly for the secure parking of motor cycles which addresses the problems outlined above.

The present invention provides a cycle parking fixture comprising a substantially rigid frame having legs permanently mounted in the ground so that the frame provides an immovable object to which a cycle may readily be connected, the frame being of tubular construction and having an elongate, flexible element which cannot readily be cut or broken using hand tools, extending through the interior of at least part of the frame, the ends of the elongate element each being secured to part of a respective leg of the frame which is mounted in the ground.

Preferably the elongate element is loosely received within the tubular frame. The elongate element may comprise a steel chain. Conveniently the chain is a square-link chain, which may be hardened to be resistant to cutting or breaking using hand tools.

In one embodiment the frame comprises an inverted U-shaped portion, the f ree ends of which constitute the legs of the frame which are mounted in the ground so that the inverted U-shaped portion stands in a substantially vertical plane and a U-shaped portion extending laterally from the inverted U-shaped portion so as to lie in a substantially horizontal plane.

Preferably the elongate element extends through the U-shaped portion which extends so as to lie in a substantially horizontal plane and through the lower part of each leg of the inverted U-shaped portion.

The frame may comprise two U-shaped portions which extend laterally from the inverted U-shaped portion so as to lie in the same substantially horizontal plane, therebeing an elongate element extending through each of these U-shaped portions which extend laterally and lie in a substantially horizontal plane.

In an alternative embodiment the frame comprises a generally rectangular portion supported upon a pair of upstanding legs, the lower ends of which are mounted in the ground so as to stand substantially vertically, the substantially rectangular portion lying in a horizontal plane when the legs are mounted vertically.

This invention also provides a cycle parking fixture comprising a frame of tubular construction having at least two legs projecting therefrom, there being an elongate, flexible element which cannot readily be cut or broken using hand tools extending through part of the frame, the ends of the element each being secured to a respective one of said legs.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cycle parking fixture in accordance with the present invention when mounted upon a pavement adjacent a road; FIGURE 2 is a schematic front elevation of the fixture of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a schematic end elevation of the fixture of Figures 1 and 2; FIGURE 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 3 showing a schematic end elevation of a slightly modified embodiment of the cycle parking fixture; and FIGURE 5 is a schematic, perspective view of a further embodiment of a cycle parking fixture in accordance with the present invention.

Referring initially to Figure 1 of the drawings a cycle parking fixture 1 in accordance with this invention is shown mounted upon a pavement 2 having a kerb 3 at the edge of a road 4.

The fixture 1 comprises an inverted generally U-shaped portion 5 which is designed to be mounted on the pavement 2 so as to stand in a vertical plane and a further generally U-shaped portion 6 which extends laterally from the legs of the U-shaped portion 5 so as to lie in a horizontal plane at a position a short distance above the level of the pavement 2. The first U-shaped portion 5 has a pair of vertically upstanding legs 7 which are interconnected at their upper ends by way of a horizontally extending upper bar 8. The second U-shaped portion 6 has a pair of opposed horizontally extending arms 9 which each project laterally from one side of a respective leg 7 of the U-shaped portion 5, the arms 9 being interconnected by a further horizontally extending bar 10.

Each of the U-shaped portions 5, 6 is formed from galvanised steel tubing and is therefore of hollow form. The joints between the ends of the arms 9 and the legs 7 of the respective U-shaped portions are formed by welding the two U-shaped portions together. An opening is formed through the side of each leg 7 at its junction with the respective arm 9 so that the interior of the U-shaped portions 6 communicates with the interior of the U-shaped portion 5. The opening 11 can best be seen in the schematic illustration of Figure 3.

The free end of each leg 7 is provided with a short length of round bar 12 which is welded across the lower end of each leg and to which the ends of a chain 13 are connected, one end of the chain being connected to each of the bars 12 on the respective legs 7. The chain 13 extends from one of the bars 12 up within a leg 7 of the f irst U-shaped portion 5 before passing through the opening 11 and then through the second U-shaped portion 6 before passing through the opening 11 in the other leg 7 and then down through that leg to connect with the other bar 12 at the free end of the other leg 7. It is to be appreciated that the chain 13, although received loosely within the tubular construction of the fixture, is permanently held therein by virtue of the fact that it is secured at each of its ends to one of the bars 12 which in turn are welded on the free ends of the legs 7.

The chain 13 should be a high security chain, that is to say a chain which cannot readily be cut or broken. The preferred chain 13 is therefore a square link chain formed of a compound alloy steel which is triple hardened and which is therefore particularly resistant to cutting or breaking using hand tools such as a hacksaw or "bolt croppers". This type of chain is commonly used in the locksmithing industry because of its inherent strength and resistance to being broken.

The upper region of the first U-shaped portion 5 is provided with a pair of parallel, spaced apart tubes 14 which extend between the opposed legs 7 beneath the upper bar 8 and which serve to support an aluminium panel 15 which extends between the parallel tubes 14 and the arms 7. The aluminium panel or sheet 15 may be sub-divided into equal sized portions by means of dividing elements 16. The aluminium sheet 15 is designed to carry advertising material.

One of the legs 7 carries a small cylindrical projection 17 which may be used in order to facilitate the interconnection of several fixtures of the same general design as that shown in Figures 1 to 3. Thus a correspondingly shaped recess may be formed in the other leg 7 to receive the projection 17 of an adjacent fixture. The other leg 7 also carries a generally rectangular plate 18 which stands in a vertical plane and which extends upwardly from approximately the level of the horizontal arm 9 of the second U-shaped portion 6 to a position just below the upper bar 8. The outwardly directed surface of the plate 18 carries markings to highlight the presence of the fixture on the pavement. If necessary a further similar plate could be provided on the other leg 7 at the opposite end of the fixture.

It will be appreciated that the fixture 1 is designed for use as a parking fixture for motor cycles and is intended to be mounted on a pavement 2 adjacent the kerb 3 with the lower ends of the legs 7 embedded beneath the pavement. Thus, the free ends of the legs 7 will normally be buried in concrete beneath the level of the pavement and the bars 12 provided at the free ends of the legs 7 will provide for improved anchorage of the legs within the concrete. As can best be seen from Figure 3 of the drawings the fixture is designed to be mounted on the pavement at a position relatively close to the kerb 3 so that the second U-shaped portion 6 which lies in a horizontal plane is disposed a short distance above the level of the kerb with its outermost edge, constituted by the bar 10, being aligned with the outwardly directed edge of the kerb 3. The overall height of the fixture from the bars 12 to the top of the upper bar 8 is approximately 1.6 metres with the fixture having a height of approximately 1 metre above the level of the pavement 2 when mounted in position and with approximately 600 mm of the lower end of each leg 7 being buried in the pavement. This is in accordance with the accepted height of "standard" street furniture.

When using a fixture as described above for the secure parking of a motor cycle, a motor cyclist will park - a - the motor cycle immediately adjacent the kerb 3 and may then connect the motor cycle to the horizontally extending bar 10 of the second U-shaped portion 6 by means of a chain or the like. It will be appreciated that the horizontally extending bar 10 is disposed at approximately the correct height for connecting one wheel of the motor cycle to the bar 10.

If the motor cycle is now to be stolen then, unless a thief removes a wheel from the motor cycle, it is necessary for the thieves either to break the chain connecting the motor cycle wheel to the bar 10 or to cut through the bar 10. Whilst cutting through the bar 10 itself may not prove impossible, the chain 13 which extends within the bar 10 forms a secondary barrier which must also be broken if the motor cycle is to be stolen. If a thief attempts to cut through the bar 10 using a hand saw then the saw blade will eventually engage the links of the chain 10 which are received loosely within the bar 10. If the thief continues sawing in an attempt to break the chain 13, the chain will "roll" or move within the tubular bar 10 thereby 'making it virtually impossible to cut through the chain. Thus, the parking fixture provides an additional degree of security against the possible theft of a motor cycle which is connected thereto.

Another advantage of the design of fixture described above is the availability of advertising space on the aluminium panel 15. It will be appreciated that the panel 15 provides two surfaces which may be used to receive advertising material and it is envisaged that advertising material which is of particular interest to motor cyclists could be provided on that surface of the panel 15 which is directed towards the road 4 whilst the other surface of the panel 15 may carry advertising material of more general interest to -members of the public who will be passing along the pavement 2.

A further advantage of the fixture when installed is that it provides a physical barrier between the edge of the. pavement 2 and the road 4. This is particularly helpful for people who are blind or partially sighted in that it provides an indication that they are close to the edge of the pavement when they can feel the barrier. The presence of a physical barrier also prevents pedestrians f rom crossing the road 4 between a row of parked motor cycles, which can be dangerous.

Figure 4 of the drawings illustrates a slightly modified enbodiment in which an additional U-shaped portion corresponding to the second U-shaped portion 6 is provided on the opposite side of the f ixture extending laterally from the legs 7 of the first U-shaped portion 5 so that the two portions 6 lie in the same horizontal plane. A second chain 13 would be provided which extends upwardly through the legs 7 and through the additional U-shaped portion. It will be appreciated that this design of parking f ixture will provide twice as much parking space as the design shown in Figures 1 to 3. Whilst the design of Figure 4 could be mounted upon a pavement adjacent a kerb in the same way as that shown in Figures 1 to 3, it is envisaged that this modified design will be of particular benefit for non-kerbside applications where motor cycles may have ready access to both sides of the fixture. Thus. this design may be used in car parks or other areas where motor cycles have unimpeded access to both sides of the fixture.

Figure 5 illustrates another embodiment of a cycle parking fixture in accordance with this invention. In this embodiment the fixture comprises a pair of upstanding posts 19 which are provided with f eet 2 0, the f eet 2 0 being of a tapered and ridged construction to facilitate secure fixing of the feet in a bed of concrete or the like. The upper ends of the posts 19 support a rectangular length of tubing 21, therebeing an opening through the tubing 21 at its junction with each of the posts 19 so that the interior of the tubing 21 communicates with the interior of each of the posts 19. The rectangular tubing lies in a horizontal plane. A pair of chains 22, which are of the same general f orm as the chain 13 described above extend through the interior of the tubing 21 and down through the interior of the posts 19 to be secured at their ends to base plates 23 provided between the lower ends of the posts 19 and the feet 20.

It is envisaged that the parking fixture of Figure 5 will only be used in off -street applications since it is designed as a relatively low level f ixture which could possibly be considered as a trip hazard if provided on a pavement. Thus, it is envisaged that the fixture of Figure 5 will be used in car parks and other of f -street parking areas. The feet 20 may be secured in the ground either by embedding the feet in concrete or by "gluing" the feet 20 in place using a material which is sometimes known as "anchor grout" and which is a form of epoxy resin. It is envisaged that the feet 20 may be "glued" in place when the f ixture is to be mounted in position on a concrete floor such as is typically provided in a car park. In this case only relatively small holes need to be formed in the concrete floor to receive the feet 20 whereupon the epoxy resin can be poured into the holes and left to cure.

Where the parking f ixture in any of the f orms' described above is provided in a off-street environment it is envisaged that the steel tubing f rom which the main components of the fixture are formed may be provided with a heat-bonded polythene coating. This type of coating is not considered particularly suitable when the fixture is to be provided on a pavemen t since the coating is likely to become damaged which would leave the steel tubing exposed.

Another advantage of the cycle parking fixtures described above is that they can be used to form a natural barrier within a car park in order to "fence off" a designated motor cycle parking area. Whilst many car parks provide a designated motor cycle parking area it is not unknown for cars to be parked in this area since the area is only designated by markings painted on the surface of the car park. Several cycle parking fixtures in any of the forms described above can be mounted on the ground in a car park to extend around the periphery of a designated motor cycle parking area and this will prevent cars from being parked in this area.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the specific designs described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, the dimensions of the fixture may be varied, as may the specific shape of the fixture. Whilst the fixture has been described with particular reference to the parking of motor cycles, it is to be appreciated that it can also be used for the secure parking of conventional bicycles.

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Claims

1. A cycle parking fixture comprising a substantially rigid frame having legs permanently mounted in the ground so that the frame provides an immovable object to which a cycle may readily be connected, the frame being of tubular construction and having an elongate, flexible element which cannot readily be cut or broken using hand tools, extending through the interior of at least part of the frame, the ends of the elongate element each being secured to part of a respective leg of the frame which is mounted in the ground.

2. A cycle parking fixture according to Claim 1 wherein the elongate element is loosely received within the tubular frame.

3. A cycle parking fixture according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the elongate element comprises a steel chain.

4. A cycle parking fixture according to Claim 3 wherein the chain is a square-link chain.

5. A cycle parking fixture according to claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein the chain is hardened to be resistant to cutting or breaking using hand tools.

6. A cycle parking fixture according to any one of Claims 1 to 5 wherein the frame comprises an inverted U-shaped portion, the free ends of which constitute the legs of the frame which are mounted in the ground so that the inverted U-shaped portion stands in a substantially vertical plane and a U-shaped portion extending laterally from the inverted U-shaped portion so as to lie in a substantially horizontal plane.

7. A cycle parking fixture according to Claim 6 wherein the elongate element extends through the U-shaped portion which extends so as to lie in a substantially horizontal plane and through the lower part of each leg of the inverted U-shaped portion.

8. A cycle parking fixture according to Claim 6 or Claim 7 wherein the frame comprises two U-shaped portions which extend laterally from the inverted U-shaped portion so as to lie in the same substantially horizontal plane, therebeing an elongate element extending through each of these U-shaped portions which extend laterally and lie in a substantially horizontal plane.

9. A cycle parking fixture according to any one of Claims 1 to 5 wherein the frame comprises a generally rectangular portion supported upon a pair of upstanding legs, the lower ends of which are mounted in the ground so as to stand substantially vertically, the substantially rectangular portion lying in a horizontal plane when the legs are mounted vertically.

10. A cycle parking fixture comprising a frame of tubular construction having at least two legs projecting therefrom, there being an elongate, flexible element which cannot readily be cut or broken using hand tools extending through part of the frame, the ends of the element each being secured to a respective one of said legs.

11. A cycle parking fixture substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A cycle parking f ixture substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A cycle parking f ixture substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

14. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.

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