Linear derailleur mechanism
AssigneeYeti Design, LLC
InventorPeter ZAWISTOWSKI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A derailleur system is provided that moves the derailleur cage in a substantially rectilinear path. The derailleur is mounted to a frame having a gear cassette mounted thereon. The gear cassette includes an axis of rotation. The derailleur includes a drive member engaging the gear cassette. The derailleur is positioned on the frame adjacent the gear cassette, and including a spatial linkage having a stationary link, a floating link, and a cage assembly having two pulleys each defining an axis of rotation. The drive member engages each of the pulleys. The path of the floating link is substantially linear through substantially its entire range of motion and variously aligns at least one of the pulleys with the gear cassette.
Claims30
A bicycle comprising:
- a frame having a gear cassette mounted thereon, the gear cassette having an axis of rotation;
- a drive member engaging the gear cassette;
- a derailleur positioned on the frame adjacent the gear cassette, with the derailleur having a cage assembly with two pulleys each defining an axis of rotation and the drive member engaging each of the pulleys, wherein the derailleur also includes a spatial linkage having:
- a stationary link and a floating link wherein the path of the floating link is substantially linear through substantially its entire range of motion.
A derailleur for a bicycle comprising:
- a stationary link and a floating link wherein the path of the floating link is substantially linear through substantially all of the floating link's range of motion, wherein the floating link is operable to move a drive member which is operable to engage a gear cassette, wherein the stationary link is operable to be positioned on a frame having the gear cassette mounted thereon, the gear cassette having an axis of rotation, wherein the stationary link is positioned on the frame adjacent the gear cassette.
A bicycle comprising:
- a frame having a gear cassette mounted thereon, the gear cassette having an axis of rotation;
- a drive member engaging the gear cassette;
- a derailleur positioned on the frame adjacent the gear cassette, with the derailleur having a stationary link and a floating link, wherein the stationary link is connected to the floating link via a first linkset and a second linkset, each linkset having a plurality of axis of rotation, wherein the axes of rotation in the first link set are not parallel to the axes of ration in the second linkset.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.