TWI406784B - Quick-mount frame structure, particularly for bicycle saddles or similar supports, process of making such structure and saddle incorporating same - Google Patents

Abstract

A quick-mount frame structure, particularly for bicycle saddles and similar supports. The structure comprises at least one shell (2) having a top user-supporting surface (6) and a bottom surface (7), said shell (2) having a front portion (8) and a rear portion (9), saddle rails (3) for attachment of said shell (2) to a movable or stationary support, said rails (3) having an outer peripheral edge (10) and means for stable connection between said rails (3) and said shell (2). The connection means include snap engagement means (11) at least at one of said front (8) and rear (9) portions of said shell (2) for quick connection between the shell (2) and the rails (3). A process for making the above structure, and a saddle incorporating such structure.

Description

A quick mounting frame structure, particularly for bicycle saddles or similar supports, a method of making such a structure and a seat incorporating the structure

The present invention relates to the field of sports and leisure accessories, and more particularly to a quick mounting frame structure, such as for bicycle saddles or movable or fixed pedal operating machines, and to a manufacturing such rack The method of structure.

The invention further relates to a vehicle seat having the above-described frame structure.

Seats, particularly for bicycles or pedal-operated machines, are conventionally connected to a support by a relatively rigid but resilient frame that is formed of metal or composite material, generally known as 〝 Rails.

The seat rail is further known to generally comprise one or more elongate members of a particular shape, each having an intermediate portion designed to be mounted below the support member, and having an end portion that is partially gathered and partially divided岔, it is designed to be connected to the seat or to the outer casing or support core of the seat.

The rail typically includes a pair of elongate members that are coupled to the saddle by incorporating individual end portions into a special receiving aperture on the bottom surface of the saddle or its outer casing.

This prior art has several distinct drawbacks.

First of all, this type of mounting connection becomes quite unstable over time and with a lot of ease of use.

In addition, when such a joint is used, the pressure between the rail and the seat is applied to a small number of small areas, thus causing a high degree of stress concentration.

The receiving apertures for the ends of the rails are relatively large and thus increase the size of the seat, thereby increasing the weight of the bicycle and reducing the performance of the cyclist, particularly during competitions and intense athletic activities.

Such a seat/rail mounting is known to require a seat pre-stretching step during which the outer casing is bent or widened to temporarily increase the distance between the receiving holes to a sufficient extent to allow the rail to accommodate In it. Once the rail is installed, the seat is released and the outer casing assumes its initial configuration while the receiving aperture engages the end of the rail.

These steps require appropriate equipment and configuration that must be adapted and calibrated for each seat and housing model as well as the seat base material. When using a frame made of composite material, the adjustment device must be particularly accurate, as minimal calibration errors can cause considerable stresses that can affect the integrity of the housing over time.

The primary object of the present invention is to overcome the above disadvantages by providing a frame structure that is highly efficient, durable, and cost effective.

A particular object of the present invention is to provide a frame structure in which the rail/housing connection is particularly simple and stable.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a frame structure that is lightweight and small in size making it particularly suitable for competition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a frame structure that allows for a distribution of stress optimization that is generated by the user pressing the structure.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for fabricating a frame structure that does not cause excessive mechanical stress on the casing during attachment of the casing to the rail.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat using the above-described frame structure.

These and other objects, as best explained below, are achieved by a frame structure according to the first aspect of the patent application, comprising at least one outer casing having a top surface for supporting a user and a bottom surface The outer casing has a front portion and a rear portion; the seat rail is designed to couple the outer casing to a movable or fixed support member, the rail having an outer peripheral edge; and for the rail and A mechanism for stably connecting the outer casings; wherein the coupling mechanism includes a snap mechanism at at least one of the front portion and the rear portion of the outer casing.

Due to this particular configuration, the frame structure of the present invention allows for a quick and easy connection between the outer casing and the rail for assembly simplification.

In addition, since it is not necessary to provide the receiving hole on the outer casing, the frame structure has a very light weight and a small size, and thus does not limit the performance of the cyclist, so it is particularly suitable for competition.

It will be appreciated that the snap mechanism can be included in one of the outer casing and/or the rail or bonded to any portion of the rail and or housing.

Advantageously, the snap mechanism can comprise at least one element that projects downwardly from the bottom surface of the outer casing for interacting with a peripheral edge outside the rail.

By way of illustration and not limitation, the protruding element can include a number of fins that protrude substantially perpendicularly from any location on the bottom surface of the outer casing.

These flaps may be made of a resilient plastic or metal material that allows for bending after insertion of the rail and snapping into the original structure to bond the outer or inner edge of the rail or to engage in receiving specifically formed thereon. hole.

For this purpose, the flap may have a substantially straight shape and/or an inwardly or outwardly facing concave surface for receiving the rail edge.

Alternatively, the protruding element may comprise one or more fixed edges that protrude substantially perpendicularly from any location on the bottom surface of the outer casing. The above considerations regarding materials and construction are also applied to the edges of this embodiment.

Conveniently, each of the protruding elements can be formed from at least a portion of a peripheral edge of the outer casing. Additionally, the rails can comprise a substantially rigid body having a substantially continuous annular shape.

The rails can be in an open or closed loop form and have an integral or synthetic construction.

Due to this particular configuration, the frame structure of the present invention allows for optimal distribution of stress applied by the user to the top surface of the outer casing while avoiding pressure peaks in the ischial region of the cyclist's body. With this configuration of the rail, the rail-shell contact point will move from the inside to the periphery of the casing, thus making it possible to utilize all of its elasticity.

Optionally, at least one adhesive layer can be inserted into the contact surface of the outer casing and the rail to provide a particularly stable and efficient connection between the outer casing and the rail.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a vehicle seat as defined in claim 16 which includes a support structure designed to contact a user's body, wherein the seat comprises the above-described frame structure, wherein The support structure is bonded to the outer casing.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for fabricating a frame structure, as defined in clause 17 of the patent application, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of providing at least one having a bottom surface and supporting the use a housing on the top surface of the housing having a front portion and a rear portion; a saddle rail (3) for securing to the bottom surface of the housing, the rail having an outer peripheral edge; forming the rail for the rail And a mechanism for stably connecting the outer casing, comprising a snap mechanism; connecting the rail to the outer casing by engaging at least one of a front portion or a rear portion of the outer casing to allow the outer casing and the rail to be fast link.

Referring to the drawings, the frame structure of the present invention, generally designated by the symbol 1 of the present invention, can be used to connect a human body support to a lower support member, not shown.

In the illustrated embodiment, the human body support is a seat for a bicycle or pedal operating machine, the support member may be movable, such as a bicycle or motorcycle frame, or stationary, such as sports. Bicycle rack.

As shown in the first figure, the frame structure can include a housing 2 and a seat rail 3.

The outer casing 2 can have a top surface 4 designed to contact the body of the user. This top surface 4 may be the top surface of the layer body 5 made of an elastic material such as foam, rubber, gel or the like. a protective layer, such as leather, artificial leather, plastic, waterproof material, lycra Or similarly made, it can be arranged on the layer body 5.

As shown in the fifth figure, the outer casing 2 can be formed from a rigid or semi-rigid and elastically deformable material selected from natural, man-made materials and preferably from composite materials.

The outer casing 2 can have a top surface 6 facing the user and a bottom surface 7 for attachment to the rail 3.

As shown in the third figure, the outer casing 2 can have an elongated front portion 8 and a widened rear portion 9.

The rail 3 for securing the outer casing 2 to the bicycle frame may have an outer peripheral edge 10 as shown in the second figure.

A mechanism for a stable connection between the rail 3 and the outer casing 2 may be further provided, including a snap mechanism, generally represented by the component symbol 11.

This may comprise an outer peripheral edge 12 of the outer casing 2 designed to interact with the outer peripheral edge 10 of the rail 3.

For this purpose, as best shown in the fourth and fifth figures, the outer peripheral edge 12 can have a concave surface 13 defining a socket for the outer edge 10 of the rail 3 having The undercut 14 is opposite the outer peripheral edge 10.

The second figure shows a preferred, non-limiting embodiment of the rail 3 which may be constructed of a substantially cylindrical rigid body 15 having a continuous annular shape with a widened rear portion 16 and a tapered front portion 17. As shown in the figure, the widened rear portion 16 of the rail 3 can be engaged with the corresponding widened rear portion 9 of the outer casing 2, and the tapered front portion 17 of the rail 3 can be engaged with the corresponding tapered front side of the outer casing 2. Department 8.

The front portion 17 can include a rounded end 18 that substantially matches the corresponding region 19 of the bottom surface 7 of the outer casing 2.

Preferably, but not limited to, the body 15 may be made of Kevlar, fiberglass, carbon fiber or long-chain polyethylene (Dyneema, DYNEEMA) ) selected fiber reinforced composite materials.

As best shown in the sixth and seventh figures, the rail can have a front bearing surface 20 and a rear bearing surface 21 designed to at least partially contact the bottom surface 7 of the outer casing 2, and its shape is substantially The shape of the corresponding regions 19 and 22 matching the bottom surface 7 of the outer casing 2 is used for complete direct contact with the region.

Furthermore, for a more stable connection between the rail and the outer casing, an adhesive layer can be inserted therein, indicated by the symbol 23 in the sixth and seventh figures.

The above described frame structure can be manufactured using a method comprising at least the following.

Once the outer casing 2 and the rail 3 are formed (perhaps by separate methods and at different times), the mechanism for stabilizing the rail/housing connection, including the snap mechanism 11, can be formed on the bottom surface of the outer casing 2. 7.

This step can then be followed by a joining step in which the rail 3 is snapped onto the outer casing 2 and an adhesive step can be performed prior to this step with the adhesive layer 23 interposed therebetween.

In order to prevent any undesired separation between the rail 3 and the outer casing 2, a step may be provided in which a lower cut 14 of the peripheral edge 10 relative to the outer side of the rail 3 may be formed in the outer casing 2.

Due to the provision of the snap mechanism, the method of the present invention allows for the omission of the outer shell pre-tensioning step, which is necessary in prior art methods.

The above disclosure clearly shows that the structure of the present invention achieves the intended purpose, and particularly in accordance with the requirements for providing a frame structure, the rail-shell connection is particularly simple and stable.

The provision of the snap mechanism 11 provides a particularly simple and quick connection of the rail 3 to the outer casing 2. Moreover, the structure of the present invention has a light weight and a small size which makes it particularly suitable for use in the manufacture of racing seats.

This configuration may further eliminate the need to provide a forced frame pre-stretching step formation, which is typically necessary in the prior art so that the frame will not be subjected to any stress. The method of the present invention will reduce this step by only slightly deforming the outer casing 2 to open the occlusion mechanism 11 to allow it to be attached to the rail 3. This slight pre-stretching step is limited to the assembly procedure so that no pre-tensioning occurs during normal use of the structure 1.

The structure of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and variations within the scope of the invention, which is defined in the scope of the appended claims. All of its details may be replaced by other technically equivalent parts, and the materials may be varied according to different needs without departing from the scope of the invention.

The structure of the present invention has been specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the elements of the drawings and the description and the claims are only for the purpose of understanding the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any form. The scope.

The present invention is based on and claims the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the benefit of the present disclosure.

1. . . Rack structure

2. . . shell

3. . . Seat rail

4. . . Top surface

5. . . Layer

6. . . Top surface

7. . . Bottom surface

8. . . Front part

9. . . Rear part

10. . . Outer peripheral edge

11. . . Bite mechanism

12. . . Outer peripheral edge

13. . . Concave surface

14. . . Lower cut

15. . . Ontology

16. . . Rear part

17. . . Front part

18. . . End

19. . . region

20. . . Front bearing surface

twenty one. . . Rear bearing surface

twenty two. . . region

twenty three. . . Adhesive layer

Further features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail as a preferred and non-exclusive embodiment of the above-described frame structure according to the present invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example and with the aid of the accompanying drawings. The first figure is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle seat including a frame structure according to the present invention; the second drawing is a perspective view of a rail according to the structure of the present invention; and the third drawing is a structure according to the present invention. A perspective view of the outer casing; a fourth view is a side cross-sectional view taken from the A-A plane of the first figure according to the structure of the present invention; and a fifth drawing is taken from the A-A plane of the first figure according to the structure of the present invention. The exploded cross-sectional view; the sixth and seventh figures are enlarged views of some of the details in the fifth figure.

1. . . Rack structure

2. . . shell

3. . . Seat rail

4. . . Top surface

5. . . Layer

8. . . Front part

9. . . Rear part

11. . . Bite mechanism

16. . . Rear part

17. . . Front part

Claims (16)

A quick-mounting frame structure, in particular for a bicycle saddle or the like, comprising: a casing (2) made of at least an elastically deformable material, the casing (2) having a top surface supporting the user ( 6) and a bottom surface (7), the outer casing (2) has a front portion (8) and a rear portion (9), and the rear portion (9) has a corresponding first outer peripheral edge (12); the vehicle seat rail a strip (3) for joining the outer casing (2) to a movable or fixed support, the rail (3) having a second outer peripheral edge (10) and comprising a substantially rigid body (15) having a substantially continuous annular shape; a mechanism for a stable connection between the rail (3) and the outer casing (2), the coupling mechanism comprising a snap mechanism (11) attached to the front portion of the outer casing (2) And at least one of the rear portion (9) for a quick connection between the outer casing (2) and the rail (3); characterized in that the engaging mechanism (11) is formed in front of the outer casing (2) a portion (8) and a rear portion (9), the occlusion mechanism (11) comprising at least a portion (14) of the first outer peripheral edge (12) of the outer casing (2) from the elongated front end of the outer casing (2) And rear end The bottom surface (7) projects downwardly and at least partially with respect to the second outer peripheral edge (10) of the rail (3) by a sufficient amount to be slightly deformed by the outer casing (2) to open the occlusion mechanism (11) The outer casing (2) and the rail (3) are allowed to be assembled easily, and at the same time, the pre-stretching of the frame is avoided. A structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the substantially annular rail (3) is in the form of an open or closed loop. Such as the structure described in claim 1 or 2 of the patent scope, its characteristics In this case, the rail (3) has an integral or synthetic construction. The structure of claim 1, wherein the annular body (15) has a widened rear portion (16) and a tapered front portion (17). The structure of claim 4, wherein the tapered front portion (17) has a substantially rounded end (18), the shape of the end (18) substantially matching the outer casing ( 2) The shape of the corresponding area (19) of the bottom surface (7). The structure of claim 1, wherein the annular body (15) has a substantially cylindrical structure. The structure of claim 1, wherein the body (15) is made of a fiber reinforced composite material selected from Kevlar, glass fiber, and carbon fiber. The structure of claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral edge (12) has an inner concave surface (13) defining a socket for the outer edge (10) of the rail (3). . The structure of claim 1, characterized in that the rail (3) has at least one front bearing surface (20) or rear bearing surface (21) designed to at least partially contact the outer casing ( 2) The bottom surface (7). The structure of claim 9, wherein the support surface (20, 21) has a shape that substantially matches a corresponding region (19, 22) of the bottom surface (7) of the outer casing (2). For direct contact between the bearing surface (20, 21) and the region (19, 22). The structure of claim 1, wherein the elastically deformable material forming the outer casing (2) is made of natural, artificial or composite materials. Elected in the middle. The structure of claim 1, wherein at least one adhesive layer (23) is interposed between the outer casing (2) and the contact surface of the rail (3). A human body support, such as a bicycle for a bicycle, pedal operating machine or the like, comprising a support structure (4) designed to contact a user's body, characterized in that the human body support comprises, as claimed in the patent application The frame structure according to any one of the items 1 to 12, wherein the support structure (4) is coupled to the outer casing (2). A method for manufacturing a frame structure according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the method comprises at least the following steps: providing at least one outer casing made of an elastically deformable material (2) having a bottom surface (7) and a top surface (6) supporting the user, the outer casing (2) having a front portion (8) and a rear portion (9), and the rear portion (9) has a corresponding portion a first outer peripheral edge (12); a saddle rail (3) for attachment to a bottom surface (7) of the outer casing (2), the rail (3) having a second outer peripheral edge (10) and A substantially rigid body (15) having a substantially continuous annular shape; a mechanism for forming a stable connection between the rail (3) and the outer casing (2), comprising a snap mechanism (11) for use with the rail The second outer peripheral edge (10) of (3) interacts; the rail (3) is engaged with at least one of the front (8) or rear (9) portion of the outer casing (2) The outer casing (2) is quickly connected together; The occlusion mechanism (11) is formed on the front portion (8) and the rear portion (9) of the outer casing (2), and is configured to be provided with at least one portion (14) at the first outer peripheral edge (12). Extending downwardly from the bottom surface (7) of the elongate front and rear ends of the outer casing (2), the at least one downwardly projecting portion (14) being opposite the second outer peripheral edge of the rail (3) (10) At least partial removal, such that the outer casing (2) can be slightly deformed to open the snap mechanism (11), and the outer casing (2) and the rail (3) are provided for ease of assembly without the need to pre-tension the frame. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of joining the rail (3) to the outer casing (2) comprises the step of bonding the at least one adhesive layer (23). The method of claim 14, wherein the method comprises forming an undercut (14) relative to a peripheral edge (10) of the rail (3) for preventing the rail ( 3) Any accidental separation from the outer casing (2).