GB2610561A

GB2610561A - Bicycle cam lever phone holder

Info

Publication number: GB2610561A
Application number: GB2112753.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Russell Campbell Duncan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-09-07
Filing date: 2021-09-07
Publication date: 2023-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2041-09-07
Also published as: GB2610561B; GB202112753D0

Abstract

Phone holder for handlebar of a bike, having a threaded rod 2 onto which are inserted an upper 6 and lower claws 10 for securing the phone in a longitudinal direction, with a first adjustment nut 11 for positioning the lower claw 10 accommodating different phone heights; a carriage 8 between the upper and lower claws 6, 10 is moveable in the longitudinal direction by a second adjustment nut 12, resulting in the opening and closing of left 7 and right claws 9 in a lateral direction, accommodating different phone widths; a cam lever 1 at the upper claw 6 provides a means to clamp or release all holding elements with a single movement of the lever, and a spring 4 limited by a nut 5 for extending the lower, left and right claws 7, 9, 10 when the cam lever 1 is opened to facilitate removing and attaching of the phone. Safety catch 3 may prevents unintended opening of cam lever 1. The side claws 7, 9 may engage with the carriage 8 via slots 110, 111 and bosses 108, 109.

Description

BICYCLE CAM LEVER PHONE HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of equipment that attaches to a bicycle to provide a means for holding phones. In particular, equipment that provides a secure means of holding a phone, whilst accepting various phone sizes and facilitating easy attachment mid release.

2. Description of Related Art

Bicycle phone holders that mount to handlebars provide a convenient means to carry smart phones whilst riding and also can be used to support navigation, review ride performance data (e.g. speed, cadence, biometrics etc.) and monitor battery level when riding an e-bike for example. With an increasing number of data streams accessible from smart phones, bicycle phone holders provide a means for riders to access such data during ride.

A number of existent bicycle phone holders have been developed to meet the above need which normally consist of a mounting bracket to secure the holder to the handlebar and the phone holder itself to secure the phone. Existent phone holders typically employ one of the following mechanisms in order to secure the phone: Two opposing phone clamp halves, with one or both moveable relative to the body. Clamp C\I halves are closed or separated by rotating a thumb nut or similar attached to one end of a threaded bar thus securing or releasing the phone as required.

Four corner clamps positioned at the end of arms extending from the body of the phone holder. The damps fitting over the 4 corners of the phone extend and retract typically in synchrony via gear and pinion mechanisms within the body of the phone holder.

iii. Two phone clamp halves employing energy reserving springs to force opposing sides together C\J in-order to hold the phone in place.

iv. Elasticated or rubberised straps extending from the body of the phone holder and pulled over its corners to hold the phone in place.

v. A mounting fixture integral to a phone case which attaches to a mounting bracket fixed to the handlebar.

A number of possible limitations are considered. In (i), a high clamping force may be achieved by the screw thread, however, being only secured on two sides may introduce the risk of a phone slipping out under shock or vibration for example. Furthermore, to hold the phone on four sides with a similar threaded screw arrangement in a perpendicular direction, may be cumbersome as it necessitates operation of clamps on both axes. In (ii), the arms of the comer clamp typically have to rotate as well as extend and retract to properly hold phones of different sizes which may necessitate a more complex design. In (iii) and (iv), mechanisms that rely solely on energy reserving springs or elasticated straps, are more susceptible for a phone becoming dislodged or moving out of position due to shock loads transmitted through die handlebar during riding. In (v), the user is either required to put their phone into the case which attaches to the mounting bracket for every ride which may become burdensome or else keep the case with the mounting fixture on their phone permanently which may not be to their preference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a bicycle phone holder structure comprising; a base member that has a holding element at one end; a threaded rod member disposed in clearance on the base member, that has at one end a pivoting cam lever whose functional surface is engaged with a mating surface of the base member; a first adjustment member that is engaged with the screw threads of the threaded rod member; a lower-clamp member that has a holding element opposing the holding element of the base member, that is disposed in clearance on the threaded rod member and whose position on it is coupled to the first adjustment member's position; a second adjustment member that is engaged with the screw threads of the threaded rod member; a carriage member that is disposed in clearance on the threaded rod member and whose position on it is coupled to the second adjustment member's position; a plurality of side-clamp members that have opposing holding elements, one or more whose movement is linearly constrained relative to the carriage member in a first direction that has a non-zero angle to the centreline of the threaded rod member and whose movement is also linearly constrained relative to the base member at an angle inverse to the first direction; C\I a spring end locating member positioned along the length of the threaded rod member, o a spring member that is disposed on the threaded rod member with a first end that is located on the spring end locating member and a second end that is engaged with the base member.

According to the above arrangement, the first and second adjustment members on the threaded rod member enable holding element positions to be set to accommodate different phone widths and lengths. C\J

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numbers indicate the same or similar elements and in which: Figure I provides a fully assembled view, Figure 2 provides a fully assembled view with a cut away section to allow interior elements to be seen in their assembled state; Figure 3 provides an exploded view for identification of elements; Figure 4 provides a side view section to show cam lever movement, operation of a safety catch member and lower clamp movement and adjustment; Figure 5 shows a plan view section to show side clamp movement and adjustment.

Additionally, manual rotation of the cam lever moves the threaded rod member and adjustment members together relative to the base member, drawing in all holding elements from their adjusted position a small amount thereby locking or releasing the phone to or from the holder.

A safety catch member, introduced to the above arrangement installed on the threaded rod member in-between the spring member and the pivoting cam lever prevents unintended opening of the holding elements where a phone has been secured.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Refer to Figures 2-5. A preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises the following items: a mounting bracket member for attaching the phone holder to the handlebar of a bicycle (13); a collet fixing member (12) which secures the phone holder to the mounting bracket (13) whilst allowing the user to rotate the phone holder relative to the bracket to their desired orientation; a base member of the phone holder which has fixed to it an upper holding element (6); a pair of side-clamp members whose position is movable relative to the body (7 and 9); and a threaded rod (2).

Attached onto the threaded rod are: a cam lever (1). that rotates about pivoting member (14). the pivoting member (14) being fixed at one end of the threaded rod; a safety catch member (3) preventing uncontrolled release of the cam lever; a compression spring (4) for engaging the safety catch member and for keeping all four holding elements extended as far as possible when the cam lever is released; a threaded nut (5) for fixing the position of the lower end of the compression spring on the threaded rod; a carriage member (8) with entrapped adjustment nut (12) for setting a nominal position (relative to phone width) of the side clamp members; and a lower-clamp member (10) with holding element and entrapped adjustment nut (11), for setting its nominal position (relative to phone length).

In the preferred embodiment the mounting bracket member (13) is secured to the handlebar of a bicycle by means of a quick release cam lever attached to the mounting bracket member. The quick release lever is attached to a threaded rod that is in turn attached to the collet fixing member (15). When the cam lever is closed the phone holder is held securely between the collet fixing member (15) and die mounting bracket member (13). Simultaneously both halves of the clamp fixing of (13) are fixed C\I securely on the handlebar. When the cam lever is open the phone holder can be rotated to be adjusted o to either portrait or landscape orientation depending on rider preference.

In the preferred embodiment of the phone holder the threaded rod (2) is fully inserted through the length of the base member (6) in clearance holes at both its ends (see 101 and 102). The safety catch member (3) and compression spring (4) are held captive on the threaded rod (2), but are in clearance on it C\J allowing the safety catch to move independently of the threaded rod. The compression spring (4) is one example of a spring member as described in the claims suitable for use in an embodiment of the invention.

The threaded nut (5), is in a fixed location on the threaded rod (2). One end of compression spring (4) acts against the threaded nut (5). The other end of the compression spring is inserted into one end of the safety catch member which causes the engaging part of the safety catch (104) to act against the cam surface of die cam lever (105). The threaded nut (5) is one example of a spring end locating member as described in the claims suitable for use in an embodiment of the invention.

With the cam lever (1) in its open position, the threaded nut (5), the threaded rod (2) and everything engaged on its threads (I I, 12 and 14) are moved to their left most position (as viewed in Figure 4) under the force of compression spring (4). By this means the upper, lower and side holding elements are positioned in the 'open' state.

Before first usage and with the cam lever (1) in the open state (100) the lower-clamp member (10) position is adjusted to suit phone length by means of rotation of adjustment nut (11). Rotation of the adjustment nut increases or decreases the distance between the upper and lower holding elements. This occurs as movement of the nut, up and down the threaded rod (2) causes the lower-clamp member (10) which surrounds the nut to move with it. Correct adjustment is achieved when the top and bottom of the phone to be held just passes in clearance between tips of upper and lower holding elements (106 and 107). Adjustment nut (11) is one example of a first adjustment member as described in the claims, suitable for use in an embodiment of the invention.

Additionally, with cam lever (1) remaining open before first usage, the side-clamp members with holding elements (7 and 9) are adjusted to suit phone width by means of rotation of the adjustment nut (12). Rotation of the adjusiment nut increases or decreases the distance between side-clamp holding elements. Specifically, for the right-hand side-clamp member (9) rotation of the adjustment nut (12) increases or decreases the distance between boss (108) on the carriage member (8) and boss (109) on the base member (6). This occurs as movement of the nut, up and down the threaded rod (2) causes the surrounding carriage member (8) to move with it. Slotted features of the right-hand side-clamp member (110) and (111) engage with bosses (108) and (109) respectively. With slotted features being at a plus and minus 45 degree angle in relation to the direction of movement of the carriage member, separation or convergence of bosses (108) and (109) result in an increase or decrease of the distance between the right hand side-clamp member and the centreline of the phone holder ( 112). Similarly, a mirrored arrangement of bosses and slots of the left-hand side-clamp member results in movement during adjustment that is mirrored (from the centreline) to movement of the right-hand side-clamp member. Correct adjustment is achieved when the left and right sides of the phone to be held just passes in clearance between tips of left and right holding elements (7 and 9). Adjustment nut (12) is one example of a second adjustment member as described in the claims, suitable for use in an embodiment of the invention.

Once adjusted for size the phone to be held can be placed into the holder. The cam lever is then closed to hold the phone securely in place.

During closure of cam lever ( I) cam surface (105) acts against the opposing surface of the base member C\I (6) end stop (101). The cam movement causes the pivoting member of cam lever (14), the threaded rod (2) and everything engaged on its threads (5, 11 and 12) to move with it to its right most position (as viewed in Figure 4). By this means upper, lower mid side holding elements are drawn together securing the phone. Specifically, the holding elements are drawn together due to the movement of entrapped adjustment nuts (11 and 12) relative to the base member (6) as described previously in relation to adjustment for phone size (however, in this case due to movement of the threaded rod (2) rather than C\J rotation of the entrapped adjustment nuts (11 and 12)). When the cam lever ( I) is rotated into its fully closed position (103), the safety catch member (3) engages with it, preventing the reopening of the cam lever without first retracting the safety catch member. Cam lever (1), pivoting member (14) and the threaded rod (2), comprise one example of a threaded rod member with cam lever as described in the claims.

Releasing the phone from the holder is achieved by the user firstly retracting the safety catch member (3) which then allows for cam lever ( I) to be rotated back to the 'open-state. During opening of the cam lever (1) the compression spring (4) acts against threaded nut (5) to separate upper, lower and side-clamp members. The holding elements are then positioned back into the 'open' state for phone removal and subsequent re-insertion. The opening movement is the reverse of the closure movement.

Claims

S
What is claimed: 1. A bicycle phone holder, comprising: a base member that has a holding clement at one end; a threaded rod member disposed in clearance on the base member, that has at one end a pivoting cam lever whose functional surface is engaged with a mating surface of the base member; a first adjustment member that is engaged with the screw threads of the threaded rod member; a lower-clamp member that has a holding element opposing the holding clement of the base member, that is disposed in clearance on the threaded rod member and whose position on it is coupled to the first adjustment member's position; a second adjustment member that is engaged with the screw threads of the threaded rod member; a carriage member that is disposed in clearance on the threaded rod member and whose position on it is coupled to the second adjustment member's position; a plurality of side-clamp members that have opposing holding elements, one or more whose movement is linearly constrained relative to the carriage member in a first direction that has a non-zero angle to the centreline of the threaded rod member and whose movement is also linearly constrained relative to C\I the base member at an angle inverse to the first direction; o a spring end locating member positioned along the length of the threaded rod member; a spring member that is disposed on the threaded rod member with a first end that is located on the spring end locating member and a second end that is engaged with the base member.
C\J 2. The bicycle phone holder structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein; a safety catch member is disposed in clearance on the threaded rod member which has a first end and a second end; the first end of the safety catch member is engaged with the second end of the spring member, rather than the second end of the spring member being engaged with the base member as in claim 1; the second end of the safety catch member is engaged with the cam lever of threaded rod member and is in its latched position where the cam lever is in its closed position; 3. The bicycle phone holder structure as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein; the spring end locating feature is engaged with screw threads of the threaded rod member where its position is adjustable by its rotation on the threaded rod member; 4. The bicycle phone holder structure as claimed in I, 2 or 3, wherein; one or more of the side-clamp members have their movement linearly constrained as described in claim I by means of a slot of the side damp member that is engaged with a feature of the carriage member or the base member.
5. The bicycle phone holder structure as claimed in I, 2 or 3, wherein; one or more of the side-clamp members have their movement linearly constrained as described in claim 1 by means of a feature of the side clamp member that is engaged with a slot of the carriage member or the base member.
6. The bicycle phone holder structure as claimed in 1,2 or 3, wherein; one or more of the side-clamp members have their movement linearly constrained as described in claim I by means of a guide rod of the side clamp member that is engaged with a bush or sleeve or hole of the carriage member or the base member.
7. The bicycle phone holder structure as claimed in 1,2 or 3, wherein; one or more of the side-clamp members have their movement linearly constrained as described in claim by means of a bush or sleeve or hole of the side-clamp member that is engaged with a guide rod of the carriage member or the base member.