WO1995016601A1

WO1995016601A1 - Procedure for locking a bicycle to a bicycle stand and a bicycle stand

Info

Publication number: WO1995016601A1
Application number: PCT/FI1994/000569
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ilkka Kallio; Jouko Kallio
Original assignee: Ilkka Kallio; Jouko Kallio
Priority date: 1993-12-17
Filing date: 1994-12-16
Publication date: 1995-06-22
Also published as: FI93433C; FI935720A0; FI93433B

Abstract

The invention concerns a procedure for locking a bicycle to a bicycle stand, and a corresponding bicycle stand. As taught by the invention, the wheel felloe is laterally placed around a fixed locking brace (3), the felloe is rotated around the locking brace in between the staying members and secured to be non-rotatable with the bicycle's own lock.

Description

PROCEDURE FOR LOCKING A BICYCLE TO A BICYCLE STAND AND A BICYCLE STAND

The present invention concerns a procedure, as defined in the preamble to Claim 1, for locking a bi¬ cycle to a bicycle stand, and a bicycle stand as de¬ fined in the preamble to Claim 3.

Usually, bicycle stands are only meant to hold the bicycle upright,and the bicycle is separately se- cured with a lock of its own. In that case, however, there is nothing to prevent stealing the bicycle and forcing and opening the lock at a more convenient loca¬ tion. In order to inhibit this, it is widely common practice to use in addition to the bicycle's own lock, various kinds of wire locks with which the bicycle is moreover bound to the bicycle stand. In prior art also other, complex and expensive bicycle stand construc¬ tions are known in which the bicycle can be locked to the stand e.g. by its handlebar. It is thuε noticed that the drawbacks of bi¬ cycle stands of prior art include difficult securing of the bicycle to them, as well as complexity, high price and space-consuming construction of the bicycle stand. The object of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks mentioned. Specifically, the object of the invention is to disclose a novel procedure for locking a bicycle to a bicycle stand, and a correspond¬ ing bicycle stand, wriich enable the bicycle to be kept upright and to be secured to the stand, easily and simply, making use of the bicycle's own lock only.

Regarding the features characterizing the invention, reference is made to the claims section.

It should be noted that although in this ap¬ plication text mainly bicycles are mentioned, the bi- cycle stand of the invention can equally be applied as a secure repository stand for light motorcycles, mo¬ torcycles and equivalent as well. In the procedure of the invention, the bicycle is locked to a bicycle stand comprising a frame provid¬ ed with staying members, between which the wheel felloe of the bicycle can be disposed, whereupon the wheel is locked to be non-rotatable, using the bicycle's own lock. As taught by the invention, the wheel. fellow is first by lateral movement positioned around a fixed locking brace, and thereafter the wheel is rotated around this locking brace so that it enters between the staying members, whereafter the wheel is locked with the bicycle's own lock to be non-rotatable. In this way, as the lock prevents rotation of the wheel, the wheel cannot be pulled nor lifted out from between the staying members. Advantageously, the staying members and locking brace are so placed relative to each other that the wheel felloe will be rotated more than 90 degrees, advantageously about 120°, around the locking brace when it is being placed between the staying mem¬ bers. If that is the case, the bicycle can only be forcibly detached from the stand by severing about one third of the wheel spokes, and after such interference the bicycle is unfit for driving.

The bicycle stand of the invention for staying and securing a bicycle and equivalent comprises a frame with staying members between which the wheel felloe can be held, and a locking brace for securing the felloe between said staying members, the bicycle being secured to the bicycle stand* by locking the wheel to be non- rotatable with the bicycle's own lock. As taught by the invention, the frame carries a fixed, transversal lock¬ ing brace, around which the felloe can be positioned by lateral, or transverse, movement and thereafter can be rotated in longitudinal direction, or in the plane in which the bicycle travels, in between the staying mem- bers, the bicycle being then secured to the bicycle stand by locking the wheel with the bicycle's own lock to be non-rotatable. In an advantageous embodiment of the inven¬ tion, the staying members comprise two side-by-side supporting arcs, or equivalent supports, between which the wheel felloe of the bicycle is held. The support- ing arcs may be angular, round-shaped, plate-formed or pin-like members which give support to the wheel on both sides.

Advantageously, the supporting arcs are con¬ nected to each other by a connecting support, upon which the tire of the wheel rests in the locked posi¬ tion of the bicycle. The connecting support is advan¬ tageously a structure of curved shape and with its ends extending upward, e.g. a U-shaped structure with a shape substantially consistent with the curvature of a bicycle tire.

The pin-shaped or rod-shaped locking brace is advantageously fixed to an intermediate support con¬ necting the supporting arc and the frame, and the lock¬ ing brace is advantageously located at a distance from the connecting support, somewhat above it and forward thereof. Advantageously, the length of the locking brace is on the order of magnitude of the distance be¬ tween the supporting arcs.

The bicycle stand of the invention may com- prise various bases, feet or equivalent supports, by which its elongated body is carried at the individual place of use. The bicycle stand may thus be firmly fixed or anchored to ^he ground, to a floor, or wall or another appropriate point in the area of use. The advantage of the procedure of the inven¬ tion and of the corresponding bicycle stand over the state of art is, first, simple and space-conservative design of the bicycle stand. Secondly, the procedure and bicycle stand of the invention is extremely easy and fast to use, and the bicycle can be securely locked to the stand using the bicycle's own lock only. When the stand is made of strong and unbendable enough steel, to detach the bicycle from the stand without forcing the lock requires that the spokes be severed on about 1/3 of the wheel's circumference, whereby the bicycle is rendered unfit to drive, In the following the invention is described in detail,referring to the enclosed drawing, wherein Fig. 1 presents, in perspective, a bicycle stand ac¬ cording to the invention, and Fig. 2 shows an elevational view of the bicycle stand of Fig. 1.

The bicycle stand depicted in the drawing comprises a frame 1, consisting of two mutually paral¬ lel straight rods disposed at a distance of each other. To one of the rods have been affixed staying members 2, that is, two side-by-side supporting arcs 4 of curved shape. The supporting arcs are fixed to the frame 1 by one end, and at the other end they are connected by a connecting support 5 of curved shape. The connecting support 5 has been bent downward from the substantially horizontal upper part of the supporting arcs so that the connecting support 5 is located substantially at half height of the total height of the supporting arcs.

To one of the supporting arcs 4 is affixed an intermediate support 6, bent downward and affixed to one of the frame rods . Hereby the supporting arc and intermediate arc in combination constitute a rigid sup^¬ porting arc connectirtg the straight rods of the frame 1 with each other. In the region of the angulation of the inter¬ mediate support 6, substantially on the level of the upper part of the supporting arcs 4, a transversal locking brace 3 has been affixed. The locking brace consists of a stationary pin, or rod, extending sub- stantially parallel to the direction of the rods of the frame 1 up to a length determined by the spacing of the supporting arcs 4. The whole bicycle stand is made of suitable, rigid steel rod material, its parts being bent to appropriate shape and welded together.

In the drawing a stand for only one bicycle is shown, and similar stands can be provided on the frame 1 with suitable spacing in any number, as may be im¬ plied by the particular application.

The bicycle stand presented by the drawing is used as follows. As Fig. 2 shows, that wheel of the bicycle on which the bicycle's own lock has effect is placed in position I, that is, the wheel felloe of the bicycle is positioned forward of the supporting arcs 4 and the connecting support 5, and behind the locking brace 3, i.e., between these, so that the locking brace 3 extends through between the spokes of the wheel to the side beyond the felloe. The bicycle is then lifted and pushed forward, causing the wheel to rotate about the locking brace 3, into position II. The tire on the wheel thereby comes to rest upon the connecting support 5 of curved shape, and the surface of the felloe will rest against the locking brace 3. The wheel is now located between the supporting arcs 4 and the bicycle will be held upright quite as in a traditional bicycle stand.

The wheel is thereafter locked to be non-ro- tatable, using the bicycle's own lock to do this. The bicycle thus becomes secured to the bicycle stand and cannot be detached from the stand other than by un¬ locking the lock or dismembering the stand, or the bicycle. In the foregoing the invention has been de¬ scribed in detail with the aid of the enclosed drawing, while different embodiments of the invention are feasi¬ ble within the scope of the inventive idea delimited by the claims.

Claims

1. Procedure for locking a bicycle to a bi¬ cycle stand comprising a frame (1) provided with stay- ing members (2), between which the wheel felloe is held and non-rotatably locked with the bicycle's own lock, characterized in that

- the wheel fellow is in lateral direction placed around a fixed locking brace (3) comprised in the bi- cycle stand and

- the felloe is rotated around the locking brace in between the staying members (2) and locked to be non- rotatable.

2. Procedure according to claim 1, charac- terized in that the felloe is rotated around the lock¬ ing brace (3) more than 90°, advantageously about 120°.

3. Bicycle stand for staying and securing bicycles and equivalent, said bicycle stand comprising a frame (1) provided with staying members (2) between which the wheel felloe can be stayed, and a locking brace for securing the felloe between the staying mem¬ bers, the bicycle being secured to the bicycle stand by locking with its own lock the wheel to be non-rotat¬ able, characterized in that the locking brace consists of a fixed transversal pin-like or rod-like member (3) around which the felloe can be transversally placed and thereafter in longitudinal direction rotated around the locking brace in betveen the staying members (2).

4. Bicycle stand according to claim 3, char- acterized in that the staying members (2) comprise two side-by-side supporting arcs (4) between which the felloe is held.

5. Bicycle stand according to claim 4, char¬ acterized in that the supporting arcs (4) are connected by a connecting support (5), upon which the wheel tire rests in secured position.

6. Bicycle stand according to claim 5, char- acterized in that the connecting support (5) is curved in shape, extending upward at its ends.

7. Bicycle stand according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the locking brace (3) is located at a distance from the connecting support (5), above it and forward of it.

8. Bicycle stand according to any one of claims 3-7characterized in that the length of the locking brace (3) is substantially equal to the dis- tance of the supporting arcs from each other.

9. Bicycle stand according to any one of claims 3-8, characterized in that the locking brace (3) is fixed to the intermediate support (6) connecting the supporting arc (4) and the frame (1).