GB2474731A

GB2474731A - Child seat attachment for an adult's bicycle

Info

Publication number: GB2474731A
Application number: GB1006864A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Vincent David Green
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-10-22
Filing date: 2010-04-23
Publication date: 2011-04-27
Also published as: GB201006864D0; GB2474667A; GB0918506D0

Abstract

A child seat attachment for an adult's bicycle, for positioning a child between the handlebars of the bicycle and the seat of the bicycle. The child seat attachment comprises a clamp 30, 40 that mounts on the cross bar of the bicycle, and a seat post 20 attached to the clamp 30, 40. The seat post 20 is adjustable relative to the clamp 30, 40 to compensate for any angle of the cross bar. A seat body 10 is fitted on the seat post 20.

Description

A child seat attachment for an adult's bicycle

Background of the Invention

The present invention concerns a child seat attachment for an adult's bicycle, for positioning a child between the handlebars of the bicycle and the seat of the bicycle. The child seat attachment allows a child to accompany an adult riding the bicycle.

For many adults, riding bicycles is a fun and enjoyable form of exercise as well as providing a convenient and economical way of getting around. For some individuals there is a desire to take their young children on some journeys, perhaps just for pleasure or as part of a daily routine rather than walking or taking a car.

Various methods for transporting a child on an adult's bicycle are known. Rear carriers that mount behind the rider and over the rear wheel of the bicycle are widely available, but do not allow the child and adult to communicate easily. Further, the child has a restricted view of the road ahead.

An alternative to the rear carrier is the front-mounted or mid-mounted seat, by which is meant child seats that are positioned between the rider and the handlebars. This style of seat has many advantages over rear mounted seats: the child is always in view of the rider, and shares the experience of the journey as they have an unrestricted view ahead. Further, the bicycle's centre of gravity is far less affected then with a rear carrier, as all the child's weight, and that of the carrier, are positioned between the front and rear wheels of the bicycle.

However, many existing front-or mid-mounted seats can be complicated to fit, and can restrict the riders pedalling action. Some are mounted to the handlebars, so that all the weight of child and seat is carried through the front wheel, affecting the bicycle's steering.

The present invention seeks to solve or mitigate some or all of the above-mentioned problems.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a child seat attachment for an adult's bicycle as defined by the appended claims.

The invention proposes a child seat attachment for an adult's bicycle adapted for positioning a child between the handlebars of a bicycle and a rider of the bicycle who rides on a seat of the bicycle. The child's seat attachment comprises a clamp that mounts to an adult's bicycle cross bar and is adjustable for different cross bar diameters and shapes. The clamp fixes to a pivoting seat post that adjusts and locks to a near vertical position to compensate for any cross bar angle. A seat body fits and locks to the seat post and is always presented in a level position for the child's comfort and safety.

A set of handle bars that clamp to the host bicycle's handlebars are supplied for the child's comfort and security, and also allows them to experience how steering affects balance and gets them more involved in the riding experience.

An advantage of the invention is that a child seat attachment can be provided that avoids any interference with the bicycle's steering. Another advantage is that a child seat attachment can be provided that enhances the comfort of the child and the adult cyclist by keeping the back and underside of the seat body away from the knees of the adult while they are pedalling the bicycle.

Another advantage of the invention is that a child seat attachment can be provided that places the child in a more natural riding position similar to when they start to ride their own bicycle. In this way, the child feels less like a.

passenger and more like they are controlling the bicycle, making it a fun and educational experience for the child.

The clamp may comprise an upper clamp part and lower clamp part. An advantage of this arrangement is it is very simple; it has very few parts and so is easy to assemble and mount on a bicycle, yet due to its location directly under the centre of mass of the child it creates a strong and stable union between the bicycle and the seat body. Another advantage is that a single point clamp system will fit most bicycle cross bars regardless of the size, shape or angle of the tubing.

The present invention further provides a child seat attachment for an adult's bicycle adapted for positioning a child between the handlebars of a bicycle and a rider of the bicycle who rides on a seat of the bicycle, the child's seat attachment comprising: a clamp that mounts to an adult's bicycle cross bar which is adjustable for different cross bar diameters and shapes, the clamp attaches to a seat post that can be adjusted to compensate for any bicycle's cross bar angle, a seat body fits and locks to the seat post and is always presented in a level position for the child's comfort and safety, a set of handlebars clamp to the host bicycle's handlebars for the child to hold on to.

Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings of which: Figure 1 shows rear perspective view of a child seat attachment in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, mounted on a gentleman's style bicycle; Figure 2 shows a side perspective view of the child seat attachment, mounted on a gentleman's style bicycle; Figure 3 shows a side perspective view the child seat attachment, mounted on a lady's style bicycle; Figure 4 shows a side perspective view of the clamp, seat post and handlebars of the child seat attachment, mounted on a gentleman's style bicycle; Figure 5 shows a side perspective view of the clamp, seat post and handlebars of the child seat attachment, mounted on a lady's style bicycle; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the upper clamp part and lower clamp part of the child seat attachment; Figure 7 shows a side perspective view of the upper clamp part, lower clamp part and seat post of the child seat attachment; Figure 8 shows a side perspective view of the seat post of the child seat attachment; Figure 9 shows a top perspective view of the seat body of the child seat attachment engaged with the seat post of the child seat attachment; Figure 10 shows a front perspective view of the handlebars of the child seat attachment mounted on a gentleman's style bicycle.

Detailed Description

Figures 1 and 2 show a child seat attachment in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, mounted on a gentleman's style bicycle. The child seat attachment comprises a clamp comprising an upper clamp part 30 and lower clamp part 40, which is described in more detail below. The clamp is mounted on the cross bar of the bicycle.

The child seat attachment further comprises a seat post and a seat body 10. The lower end of the seat post 20 is attached to the upper clamp part 30, and upper end of the seat post 20 is attached to the seat body 10, both as described in more detail below. A foam seat pad 60 is fitted to seat body 10 for the child's comfort, and a lap harness 15 is provided f or the child's safety.

The shape and position of the seat body 10 is such that it causes minimal interference with the host rider's pedalling action; in particular, the back of the seat body is cut away so as not to be in the way of the kriees of a rider of the bicycle as they pedal.

The clamp is shown in more detail in Figure 6. The clamp comprises an upper clamp part 30 and lower clamp part 40. The upper clamp part 30 and lower clamp part 40 have corresponding recesses on their lower and upper faces respectively. The upper clamp part 30 has on its upper a hole encircled on one side by raised teeth (a "toothed pivot point") The clamp parts 30 and 40 are held together by bolts 31 positioned on either side of the recesses, so that the clamp can be mounted on the cross bar of a bicycle by positioning the cross bar in the recesses of the clamp parts 30 and 40.

The bolts 31 are then tightened so that the clamp is held in place by friction between the cross bar and the clamp parts and 40. (See Figures 1 and 4, for example.) The seat post 20 is shown in more detail in Figure 8.

The seat post 20 has on its lower end a hole encircled on one side by raised teeth 23. The seat post 20 has on its upper end a two-part clip 22.

As shown in Figure 7, the lower end of the seat post 20 is mounted on upper clamp part 30 by means of a bolt 21 that passes through the hole in the lower end of the seat post 20, and the hole in the upper of the upper clamp part 30.

The raised teeth on the seat post 20 and upper clamp part 30 engage, allowing the seat post 20 to be pivoted to a desired angle to the upper clamp part 30, and then fixed in place by tightening of the bolt.

As shown in Figure 9, the upper end of the seat post 20 is fixed to the seat body 10 by means of the two-part clip 22 which is engaged within a hole in the central part of the seat body 10.

The seat body 10 is removed from the seat post 20 by pinching the two parts of the clip 22 together, and at the same time pulling up on the seat body 10. The hole is covered by the foam seat pad 60 when in position, and consequently removal can only be carried out when the foam seat pad 60 is removed and there is no child sitting on the seat body 10.

The child seat attachment is shown mounted on a gentleman's style bicycle in Figures 1 and 2, and on a lady's style bicycle (which has an angled cross bar) in Figure 3. it can be seen that in both cases, the seat body is substantially level. As can be seen more clearly in Figures 4 and 5, this is as a result of a difference in angle between the clamp and seat post 20 being used in each case, to compensate for the differences in cross bar angle.

It can also be seen that in each case the clamp is mounted on the cross bar towards the handlebar stem, to give the optimal position for the seat body 10. However, there should be a small gap between the front of the seat body 10 and the bicycle's handlebar stein, so that the handlebars can be turned without any interference with the seat body 10, allowing the bicycle to be steered safely.

Figure 10 in particular, but also Figures 1 to 5, show a set of handlebars 50 is fixed to the handlebars of the bicycle, by means of two clamps that encircle the handlebars. The clamps are fixed in place by bolts 51, which are tightened to fix the handlebars in the desired position. The handlebars 50 can be held by the child during when using the child seat attachment, to give the child additional security and help them learn the relationship between balance and steering. The handlebars 50 are fixed in a position that is comfortable for the child. Small children will benefit from the handlebars 50 being angled towards them so they do not have to stretch to reach the grips, while larger children will require the handlebars 50 to be in a more vertical position.

Whilst the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to a particular embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention lends itself to many different variations not specifically illustrated herein. For example, in an alternative embodiment the cross bar of a bicycle may be comprise attaching means for the child seat attachment, for example with two threaded holes similarly as used to attach a water bottle holder. The clamp of the child seat attachment would then be arranged to be fixed to cross bar using the attaching means.

Claims

-10 -Claims 1. A child seat attachment for an adult's bicycle, for positioning a child between the handlebars of the bicycle and the seat of the bicycle, the child seat attachment comprising: a clamp that mounts on the cross bar of the bicycle; a seat post attached to the clamp, the seat post being adjustable relative to the clamp to compensate for any angle of the cross bar; a seat body fitted on the seat post.
2. A child seat attachment according to claim 1, wherein the clamp is adjustable for different cross bar diameters and shapes.
3. A child seat attachment according to claim 2, wherein the clamp is adjustable for cross bar diameters in the range of 25mm to 55mm.
4. A child seat attachment according to any preceding claim, wherein the clamp can mount on any profile of cross bar tubing.
5. A child seat attachment according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat post is adjustable relative to the clamp to compensate for any cross bar angle in the range of zero degrees to 45 degrees.

-11 -
6. A child seat attachment according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat post comprises a pivot point which mates with the clamp.
7. A child seat attachment according to claim 6, wherein the seat post pivot locks in position with the mating clamp.
8. A child seat attachment according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat body is presented in a level position.
9. A child seat attachment according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat post has a releasable seat fastening securing the seat post to the seat body.
10. A child seat attachment according to any preceding claim, further comprising a set of handlebars mounted on the handlebars of the bicycle for the child to hold on to.
11. A bicycle comprising a child seat attachment as claimed in any preceding claim.
12. A bicycle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the clamp is integrated into the design of the bicycle.
13. A child seat attachment substantially as herein described with reference to any of Figures 1 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.