Back to results
US 10,239,465 B2Granted
Method and system for carrying a bicycle on a vehicle
OwnerJoseph E. Kovarikinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle-mounted bicycle carrier allows a bicycle to be mounted to the carrier in a ride-ready fashion, without the need to remove one of the bicycle wheels, and permits the reversible securement of both wheels simultaneously by a simple single pivotal movement of a tire retention loop.
Claims20
A bicycle carrier for a vehicle, comprising:
- a pivoting wheel anchor for securing a bicycle wheel in an arched tire loop configured to accept bicycle wheels of different sizes;
- a tire receiving body having a bottom surface configured to be secured to the roof of a vehicle or to a roof rack connected to a vehicle, said tire receiving body having a top surface having a tire receiving recess therein, said tire recess having a length, a bottom, opposing sides, and an opening for receiving a tire therein,
- a rotatable member for rotating relative to the tire receiving body from an open position, which provides tire access to operably position the tire within the tire receiving recess, to a closed position, wherein at least one arm associated with said rotatable member inhibits the tire from moving vertically out of the tire recess;
- wherein a first portion of the rotatable member is secured within a recess of the body, and rotates therein when the rotatable member rotates between the open position and the closed position;
- wherein the rotatable member includes two opposed tire retaining arms that move from an open position, wherein the tire retaining arms provide tire access for positioning the tire within the tire recess, and a closed position,
- wherein the tire retaining arms inhibit the tire from moving vertically out of the tire recess, wherein when said retaining arms are in said open position, said tire retaining arms providing no obstruction to a tire from entering the tire recess, said rotatable member having an axis of rotation that extends from the bottom surface towards the axle of a tire when the tire is positioned within the tire retaining recess, the axis of rotation also being perpendicular to the rotational axis of the axle when the tire is positioned within the tire retaining recess;
- a bar extending from and below the pivotable arch loop and to the tire receiving body, said bar being associated with the pivotable arch loop and movable when the arch loop is pivoted, said bar being moved in one of two ways:
- i) rotationally, such that one end of the bar causes a bevel gear to turn the rotational member to reversibly engage a tire wheel;
- and ii) horizontally, such that the rotational member is reversibly moved from an engaged tire wheel position to an unengaged tire wheel position.
6 more elements
A bicycle carrier for a vehicle that secures a bike with both front and back tires to the carrier, comprising:
- an arched tire loop configured to accept a front tire of a bike, said arched tire loop pivotally mounted on a front portion of a bicycle carrier;
- a front tire recess having a length, a bottom, opposing sides, and an opening for receiving a front tire therein, said front tire recess being adjacent the arched tire loop;
- a back tire recess having a length, a bottom, opposing sides, and an opening for receiving a back tire therein, said back tire recess associated with a rear portion of the carrier;
- at least one rotatable member for rotating relative to the back tire recess, said at least one rotatable member movable from an open position, which provides access to operably position a tire within the tire receiving recess, to a closed position, wherein the at least one rotatable member covers the opening of the back tire recess;
- wherein the at least one rotatable member includes at least two opposed tire retaining arms that move between said open position and said closed position, said at least one rotatable member having an axis of rotation that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and from below the bottom of the recess upwards between the opposing sides;
- a bar extending from the arched tire loop and to the back tire recess, said bar being associated with the arched loop such that when the arched tire loop is pivoted, said bar is moved in one of two ways:
- i) rotationally, such that one end of the bar causes a bevel gear connected to the bar to turn the at least one rotatable member;
- and ii) horizontally along the longitudinal axis of the back tire recess, such that the at least one rotatable member is moved from the open position to the closed position.
5 more elements
A bicycle carrier for a vehicle that secures a bike with both front and back tires to the carrier, comprising:
- an arched tire loop configured to accept a front tire of a bike, said arched tire loop pivotally mounted on a front portion of a bicycle carrier;
- a front tire recess having a length, a bottom, opposing sides, and an opening for receiving a front tire therein, said front tire recess being adjacent the arched tire loop;
- a back tire recess having a length, a bottom, opposing sides, and an opening for receiving a back tire therein, said back tire recess associated with a rear portion of the carrier;
- a rotatable member for rotating relative to the back tire recess, said rotatable member movable from an open position, which provides access to operably position a tire within the tire receiving recess, to a closed position, wherein the rotatable member covers the opening of the back tire recess;
- wherein the rotatable member includes at least two opposed tire retaining arms that move between said open position and said closed position, said rotatable member having an axis of rotation that extends from the axle of a tire towards the bottom of the recess when the tire is positioned within the tire retaining recess, the axis of rotation also being perpendicular to the rotational axis of the axle when the tire is positioned within the tire retaining recess;
- a bar extending from the arched tire loop and to the back tire recess, said bar being associated with the arched loop such that when the arched tire loop is pivoted, said bar rotates and turns the rotatable member from the open position to the closed position.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.