Specified clamp force inducing transmission for a bicycle fork mount

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10035467-B2
Application number	US-201314427292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2013
Priority date	Sep 11, 2012
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A drive mechanism is presented for tightening a skewer of a bicycle fork anchor upon a prong of a bicycle fork by delivering a predetermined drive-force to the skewer. The drive mechanism draws a head of the skewer against the prong thereby pinch-securing the bicycle fork to the bicycle fork anchor. The drive mechanism can include a manually operable actuator and a transmission. The manually operable actuator can be coupled to the transmission. The transmission can include a slip mechanism that only transmits driving forces to the skewer of the bicycle fork anchor that are less than the predetermined drive-force.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drive mechanism for a bicycle carrier, the drive mechanism comprising:
a manually operable actuator coupled to a transmission comprising a slip mechanism connected to a drive shaft; and
a retaining member configured to retain the slip mechanism,
wherein the retaining member is cylindrical in shape and the slip mechanism comprises a pair of disc shaped members,
wherein the retaining member includes a bottom face and a side face comprising a plurality of tabs,
wherein a plurality of retention tabs extend radially inward from at least some of the plurality of tabs, and
wherein one of the disc shaped members has a retention groove formed around the perimeter, the retention groove configured to receive a portion of the plurality of retention tabs.

2. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 1 , wherein the slip mechanism comprises at least a pair of opposed ramped surfaces biased toward one another and that remain stationary relative to one another in face-to-face engagement when drive-forces less than a predetermined drive-force are transmitted.

3. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 1 , wherein the slip mechanism comprises at least a pair of opposed ramped surfaces biased toward one another and that slide past one another across face-to-face engagement when drive-forces greater than a predetermined drive-force are attempted to be transmitted.

4. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 1 , wherein the manually operable actuator comprises an operator graspable, rotary nose-cone positioned at a front of the bicycle carrier.

5. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 1 , wherein the slip mechanism is a torque transmission limiter.

6. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the disc shaped members have at least one ramped surface configured to engage the at least one ramped surface of the other disc shaped member.

7. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one ramped surface comprises a plurality of ramped surfaces.

8. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one ramped surface is a tooth.

9. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one ramped surface is a plurality of teeth.

10. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 9 , wherein the plurality of teeth are located on the perimeter of the pair of disc shaped members.

11. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 9 , wherein the plurality of teeth are cuboid in shape.

12. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 9 , wherein the plurality of teeth are configured such that they are configured to fit one inside each other and include an additional space.

13. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 9 , wherein the pair of disc shaped members have a nominal face surface, the teeth on one of the pair of disc shaped members having a face surface which is flush to the nominal face surface of the one of the pair of disc shaped members, the teeth on another of the pair of disc shaped members having a face surface which is parallel but beyond the nominal face surface of the another of the pair of disc shaped members.

14. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 13 , wherein in an engaged configuration the nominal face surfaces of the pair of disc shaped members abut one another.

15. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 13 , wherein in an engaged configuration the nominal face surfaces of the pair of disc shaped members are parallel and separated by a distance which is less than a height of the plurality of teeth.

16. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 13 , wherein the plurality of teeth on the one of the pair of disc shaped members have side faces which are perpendicular to the nominal face surface.

17. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 13 , wherein the plurality of teeth on the another of the pair of disc shaped members have side faces which are perpendicular to the nominal face surface.

18. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member which biases the slip mechanism to an engaged configuration.

19. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 18 , wherein the biasing member is a spring.

20. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 18 , wherein the biasing member biases one of the pair of discs towards another one of the pair of discs.

21. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 20 , further comprising another biasing member, wherein the another biasing member biases the another of the pair of discs towards the one of the pair of discs.

22. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 1 , wherein the drive shaft is constrained to rotatory movement with one of the pair of disc shaped members.

23. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 22 , wherein the one of the disc shaped members comprises a drive shaft fixing aperture, wherein the drive shaft fixing aperture constrains the drive shaft from non-synchronized rotation relative to the one disc shaped member.

24. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 23 , further comprising an axial restraint configured to axially restrain the movement of the drive shaft relative to the one disc shaped member.

25. The drive mechanism as recited in claim 1 , wherein the drive shaft is threaded.

26. A bicycle carrier configured for receiving a wheel of a bicycle, the bicycle carrier comprising:
a main tube;
a wheel tray for receiving the wheel of the bicycle, the wheel tray coupled to the main tube; and
a drive mechanism for the bicycle carrier, the drive mechanism comprising:
a manually operable actuator coupled to a transmission comprising a slip mechanism connected to a drive shaft; and
a retaining member configured to retain the slip mechanism,
wherein the retaining member is cylindrical in shape and the slip mechanism comprises a pair of disc shaped members,
wherein the retaining member includes a bottom face and a side face comprising a plurality of tabs,
wherein a plurality of retention tabs extend radially inward from at least some of the plurality of tabs, and
wherein one of the disc shaped members has a retention groove formed around the perimeter, the retention groove configured to receive a portion of the plurality of retention tabs.

27. The bicycle carrier as recited in claim 26 , wherein the manually operable actuator is rotatably constrained to the retaining member.

28. The bicycle carrier as recited in claim 27 , wherein the manually operable actuator is further constrained to one of the pair of disc shaped members.

Assignees

• Thule Sweden Ab

Inventors

• Flaherty Joseph

Classifications

• B60R9/10

  for cycles · CPC title

• F16H25/24

  Elements essential to such mechanisms, e.g. screws, nuts (F16H25/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R9/048 Primary

  Carriers characterised by article-gripping {, -covering,}-retaining, or -locking means · CPC title

• B62K2206/00

  Quick release mechanisms adapted for cycles · CPC title

• Y10S224/924

  Vehicle attached carrier for bicycle or motorcycle · CPC title