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US 12,715,368 B2Granted
Bicycle carrier for 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.
Claims18
A bicycle carrier for a vehicle, comprising:
- a bicycle wheel retaining recess having a length, a bottom, opposing sides, and an opening for receiving a bicycle wheel therein,
- a wheel engaging member that moves from an open position, which provides access to a bicycle wheel, to a closed position, wherein at least one arm associated with said wheel engaging member inhibits the bicycle wheel from moving vertically when in the closed position;
- wherein a first portion of the wheel engaging member is secured within a recess of a body, and rotates therein when the wheel engaging member moves between the open position and the closed position;
- wherein the wheel engaging member includes at least one bicycle wheel retaining arm that moves from the open position, wherein the at least one bicycle wheel retaining arms provides bicycle wheel access for positioning the bicycle wheel when in the open position, and secures the bicycle wheel by the wheel engaging member when in the closed position, and wherein said wheel engaging member has an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the bicycle wheel when the bicycle wheel is positioned within the bicycle wheel retaining recess;
- and
- a resilient component selected from the group consisting of a spring and an elastomeric member, said resilient component biasing the wheel engaging member when in the closed position;
- and a lock associated with the wheel engaging member.
4 more elements
A bicycle carrier for a vehicle, comprising:
- a bicycle wheel retaining recess having a length, a bottom, opposing sides, and an opening for receiving a bicycle wheel therein, at least one rotatable member for rotating relative to a bicycle wheel, said at least one rotatable member movable from an open position, which provides access to operably position the bicycle wheel, to a closed position, wherein the at least one rotatable member includes at least one bicycle wheel retaining arms that moves between said open position and said closed position, said at least one rotatable member having an axis of rotation that extends perpendicular to the bicycle wheel's axis of rotation when the bicycle wheel is positioned within the bicycle wheel retaining recess, and wherein said at least one bicycle wheel retaining arms-comprises an extending, curved arms configured so that upon rotation of the at least one rotatable member into the closed position, the bicycle wheel retaining arms secures the bicycle wheel to the bicycle carrier.
A bicycle carrier for a vehicle, comprising:
- a bicycle wheel retaining recess having a length, a bottom, opposing sides, and an opening for receiving a bicycle wheel therein, a rotatable member for rotating on a circular plane relative to a bicycle wheel, said rotatable member movable from an open position, which provides access to operably position the bicycle wheel, to a closed position, wherein the rotatable member includes at least one bicycle wheel retaining arms that moves between said open position and said closed position, the at least one bicycle wheel retaining arms restraining the bicycle wheel from moving either vertically or horizontally when in said closed position, said rotatable member having an axis of rotation being perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the bicycle wheel when the bicycle wheel is positioned within the bicycle wheel retaining recess, and a resilient component biasing the rotatable member when in the closed position, wherein the at least one bicycle wheel retaining arms provides bicycle wheel access for positioning the bicycle wheel when in the open position, and secures the bicycle wheel when in the closed position.
A bicycle carrier for a vehicle, comprising:
- a bicycle wheel retaining recess having a length, a bottom, opposing sides, and an opening for receiving a bicycle wheel therein, at least one rotatable member for rotating relative to a bicycle wheel, said at least one rotatable member movable from an open position, which provides access to operably position the bicycle wheel, to a closed position, wherein the at least one rotatable member includes at least one bicycle wheel retaining arm that moves between said open position and said closed position, said at least one rotatable member having an axis of rotation being perpendicular to the bicycle wheel's axis of rotation when the bicycle wheel is positioned within the bicycle wheel retaining recess and wherein said at least one bicycle wheel retaining arm comprises an extending, curved arm configured so that upon rotation of the at least one rotatable member into the closed position, the at least one bicycle wheel retaining arm secures the bicycle wheel to the bicycle carrier, wherein the at least one bicycle wheel retaining arm rotates in a circular plane to a position just above a rim of the bicycle wheel and between spokes of the bicycle wheel to restrain the bicycle wheel from moving vertically when in said closed position, wherein the bicycle carrier is devoid of conventional straps to achieve a function of securing a bicycle wheel, and said bicycle carrier having a lock associated with the at least one rotatable member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.