# US 2014/0151421 A1 · Collapsible bicycle rack having adjustable front wheel holders > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0151421 A1 - Document ID: US20140151421A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/692,056 - Filed: 2012-12-03 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-03 - Assignees: Danik Industries Ltd. - Inventors: Strahan Lingjerde Loken - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151421A1 ## CPC - B60R 9/06: at vehicle front or rear {(rear luggage compartments within vehicle extensible externally of the vehicle body B60R5/041)} - B60R 9/10: for cycles - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A collapsible bicycle rack to be transported at the rear of a motor vehicle for carrying bicycles that are aligned vertically with their front wheels facing up. The bicycle rack includes an upper front wheel support having stationary front wheel holders and oppositely-aligned adjustable front wheel holders that can be moved relative to the stationary front wheel holders to vary the distance therebetween in order to support the front wheels of bicycles having different diameters. The bicycle rack also includes a lower rear wheel support that rotates simultaneously with the upper front wheel support between an unfolded deployed configuration extending outwardly from an upstanding main support bar and a collapsed compact configuration lying adjacent the upstanding main support bar. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bicycle rack to carry at least first and second bicycles, each of said bicycles having front and rear wheels, said bicycle rack comprising: a receiver bar adapted to be attached to the hitch at the rear of a motor vehicle; a main support bar standing upwardly from said receiver bar; an upper front wheel support coupled to and extending from said main support bar, said upper front wheel support having first and second front wheel support bars that are spaced from one another; at least first and second front wheel holders attached to the first front wheel support bar of the upper front wheel support and adapted to support the front wheels of the first and second bicycles at a first location around the circumference thereof; at least third and fourth front wheel holders attached to the second front wheel support bar of the upper front wheel support and adapted to support the front wheels of the first and second bicycles at a different location around the circumference thereof said third and fourth front wheel holders being located in opposite facing alignment with said first and second front wheel holders; the positions of at least some of said first, second, third, and fourth front wheel holders being adjustable relative to one another in order to support front wheels of different diameter; and a lower rear wheel support coupled to and extending from said main support bar below said upper front wheel support, said lower rear wheel support having at least first and second, rear wheel holders adapted to receive and support the rear wheels of the first and second bicycles. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The bicycle rack recited in claim 1, wherein the first rear wheel holder is connected to a first side of said lower rear wheel support, and the second rear wheel holder is connected to the opposite side of said lower rear wheel support such that said first and second rear wheel holders face in opposite directions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The bicycle rack recited in claim 2, wherein the first rear wheel holder connected to the first side of said lower rear wheel support lies closer to said main support bar than the second rear wheel holder connected to the opposite side of said lower rear wheel support. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The bicycle rack recited in claim 2, wherein the upper front wheel support is positioned above the lower rear wheel support such that the first and second bicycles carried by said bicycle rack are transported vertically along the upstanding main support bar and parallel to the center line of the motor vehicle with the from wheel of the bicycles facing up. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The bicycle rack recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second front wheel holders attached to the first front wheel support bar of said upper front wheel, support are positioned in spaced opposing alignment with respective ones of the third and fourth front wheel, holders attached to the second from wheel support bar of said upper front wheel support, the position of said first front wheel bolder being adjustable relative to the position of said opposing third front wheel holder. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The bicycle rack recited in claim 5, wherein said adjustable first front wheel holder attached to the first front wheel support bar of said upper front wheel support includes a tire basket in which to receive the front wheel of a first of the first and second bicycles, the position of said adjustable first front wheel holder being adjustable such that the tire basket thereof is movable relative to the opposing third front wheel holder attached to said second front wheel support bar. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The bicycle rack recited in claim 6, wherein said adjustable first front wheel holder also includes a tire basket adjustment channel carried by said tire basket and a tire basket adjustment rod located within said channel, said tire basket adjustment channel riding over and along said tire basket adjustment rod to cause the position of the tire basket of said adjustable first front wheel holder to he correspondingly adjusted relative to the opposite third front wheel holder. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The bicycle rack recited in claim 7, wherein said adjustable first front wheel holder also includes a stop extending between the tire basket adjustment channel and said tire basket adjustment rod located within said channel, said stop preventing said tire basket adjustment channel from riding over and along said tire basket adjustment rod to correspondingly prevent the position of the tire basket of said adjustable first front wheel holder from being adjusted relative to said third front wheel holder. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The bicycle rack recited in claim 8, wherein said tire basket adjustment rod located within said tire basket adjustment channel has a series of tire basket adjustment depressions formed therein, said stop extending from said tire basket adjustment channel into engagement with said tire basket adjustment rod at one of said series of tire basket adjustment depressions thereof to prevent said tire basket adjustment channel from riding over and along said tire basket adjustment rod. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The bicycle rack recited in claim 9, wherein said stop includes a plunger having a position locking barrel, said plunger also having a shaft that extends from the outside to the inside of said tire basket adjustment channel, the shall of said plunger connected to said position locking barrel to hold said position locking barrel in engagement with said tire basket adjustment rod at the one of said series of tire basket adjustment depressions thereof. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The bicycle rack recited in claim 10, wherein said adjustable first front wheel holder also includes a spring housing and a spring located within said spring housing to communicate with the position locking barrel of said plunger, said spring being expanded within said spring housing to urge said position locking barrel into engagement with said tire basket adjustment rod at the one of said series of tire basket adjustment depressions thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The bicycle rack recited in claim 11, wherein the shaft of said plunger is responsive to a pushing force applied thereto at die outside of said tire basket adjustment channel for correspondingly moving the position locking barrel of said plunger out of the one of said series of tire basket adjustment depressions and out of its engagement with said fire basket adjustment rod to penult said tire basket adjustment channel to ride over and along said tire basket adjustment rod so that the position of the tire basket of said adjustable first front wheel holder will be adjusted relative to said third front wheel holder. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The bicycle rack recited in claim 12, wherein the pushing force applied to the shall of said plunger causes the position locking barrel of said plunger to be moved into said spring housing such that said spring is compressed within said spring housing to store energy, said spring releasing its stored energy and expanding to correspondingly force the locking barrel of said plunger back into engagement with the tire basket adjustment rod at a different one of said series of tire basket depressions after the position of the tire basket of said adjustable first front wheel holder has been adjusted and the pulling force applied to the shaft of said plunger has terminated. ### Claim 14 (depends on 6) The bicycle rack recited in claim 6, wherein the third front wheel holder attached to the second front wheel support bar of said upper front wheel support includes a tire basket in which to receive the front wheel of the first bicycle, the tire baskets of said first and third front wheel holders lying opposite one another so as to receive the front wheel of the first bicycle at different points around the circumference thereof. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The bicycle rack recited in claim 1, wherein said upper front wheel support and said lower rear wheel support extending from said upstanding main support bar are rotatable simultaneously so as to lie adjacent one another along said main support bar. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The bicycle rack recited in claim 15, further comprising a linking arm extending between said upper front wheel support and said lower rear wheel, support, such that a rotation of one of said upper front wheel support or said lower rear wheel support causes a corresponding rotation of the other one of said upper front wheel support or said lower rear wheel support. ### Claim 17 A bicycle rack to carry at least first and second bicycles, each of said bicycles having front and rear wheels, said bicycle rack comprising: a receiver bar adapted to he attached to the hitch at the rear of a motor vehicle; a main support bar standing upwardly from said receiver bar; an upper front wheel support coupled to and extending from said main support bar, said upper front wheel support having first and second front wheel support bars that are spaced from one another; at least first and second front wheel holders attached to the first front wheel support bar of the upper front wheel support and adapted to support the front wheels of the first and second bicycles at a first location around the circumference thereof; at least third and fourth front wheel holders attached to the second front wheel support bar of the upper front wheel support and adapted to support the front wheels of the first and second bicycles at a different location around the circumference thereof; and a lower rear wheel support coupled to and extending from said main, support bar below said upper front wheel support, said lower rear wheel support having at least first and second rear wheel holders adapted to receive and support the rear wheels of the first and second bicycles, wherein said upper front wheel support and said lower rear wheel support extending from said upstanding main support bar are rotatable simultaneously so as to lie adjacent one another along said main support bar. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The bicycle rack recited in claim 17, further comprising a linking arm pivotally coupled at a first end thereof to said upper front wheel support and pivotally coupled at the opposite end to said lower rear wheel support, such that a rotation of one of said upper front wheel support or said lower rear wheel support in a first direction causes a corresponding rotation of the other one of said upper front wheel support or said lower rear wheel support in an opposite direction. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The bicycle rack recited in claim 18, wherein said first and second front wheel holders attached to the first front wheel support bar of said upper front wheel support are located in spaced facing alignment with said third and fourth front wheel holders attached to the second front wheel support bar of said upper front wheel support, the positions of at least some of said first, second, third and fourth front wheel holders being adjustable relative to one another in order to support front, wheels of different diameter. ### Claim 20 A bicycle rack to carry at least first and second bicycles, each of said bicycles having front and rear wheels, said bicycle rack comprising: a receiver bar adapted to be attached to the hitch at the rear of a motor vehicle; a main support bar standing upwardly from said receiver bar; an upper front wheel support coupled to and extending from said main support bar, said upper front wheel support having first and second front wheel support bars that are spaced from one another; at least first and second front wheel holders extending between the first and second front wheel support bars of said upper front wheel support, each of said first and second front wheel holders including a first tire basket attached to the first front wheel support bar to receive the front wheel of one of the first and second bicycles at a first position therearound and a second tire basket attached to the second front wheel support bar to receive said front wheel at a different location, the first and second tire baskets of each of said first and second front wheel holders lying in spaced oppositely facing alignment with one another, such that the position of at least one of said first and second tire baskets is adjustable relative to the other one of said tire baskets; and a lower rear wheel support coupled to and extending from said main support bar below said upper front wheel support, said lower rear wheel support having first and second rear wheel holders adapted to receive and support the rear wheels of the first and second bicycles.