Pivotable bicycle rack
AssigneeBell Sports, Inc.
InventorsStefan STAHL, Tommy KNIGHT
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bike carrier that retains the wheels of a bike in a tray between pivoting retention arms with ratchets that hold the arms against the tires. In embodiments, a retention arm pivot lock acts on a stay between each wheel retention arm and the tray to which it is attached, wherein the pivot ratchet is configured to allow the wheel retention arm to pivot through a reflex angle to provide inward pivoting of the wheel retention arm and outward pivoting of the wheel retention arm to provide a frame for a ramp to allow the bike to roll onto first and second wheel trays. In embodiments, the carrier comprises a rotational pivot assembly configured to pivot the bike carrying tray assembly among a horizontal position, a first downward position and a second downward position.
Claims20
A bike carrier comprising:
- a bike carrying tray assembly;
- a drawbar assembly coupled to the bike carrying tray assembly, the drawbar assembly comprising a drawbar configured for engagement to a tubular trailer hitch receiver;
- and
- a centrally disposed rotational pivot assembly coupled to the drawbar and the bike carrying tray assembly configured to pivot the bike carrying tray assembly relative to thedraw bar among a horizontal position, a first downward position and a second downward position to allow the bike to roll onto the bike carrying tray assembly in either the first downward position or the second downward position;
- wherein the rotational pivot assembly comprises a pivot ring fixedly engaged to the draw bar and rotatably engaged to a vertically oriented pivot plate attached to the bike carrying tray assembly, the pivot ring comprising a positioning hole, a first bevel and a second bevel;
- and a spring loaded adjustment pin disposed through a passage in the pivot plate and configured to engage the positioning hole to dispose the bike carrying tray assembly in the horizontal position, wherein pulling a handle attached to the spring loaded adjustment pin pulls the spring loaded adjustment pin from the positioning hole and allows the spring loaded adjustment pin to engage the first bevel and tilt the bike carrying tray assembly downward into the first downward position, or engage the second bevel and tilt the bike carrying tray assembly downward into the second downward position.
A bike carrier comprising:
- a bike carrying tray assembly;
- a drawbar assembly coupled to a bike carrying tray assembly, the drawbar assembly comprising a drawbar configured for engagement to a tubular trailer hitch receiver;
- and
- a centrally disposed rotational pivot assembly coupled to the drawbar and the bike carrying tray assembly configured to pivot the bike carrying tray assembly relative to the drawbar among a horizontal position, a first downward position and a second downward position to allow the bike to roll onto the bike carrying tray assembly in either the first downward position or the second downward position;
- wherein the rotational pivot assembly comprises a vertically oriented pivot plate attached to the bike carrying tray assembly, the pivot plate including a positioning hole defining a first keyhole recess;
- and
- the drawbar assembly comprises a pivot ring rotatable in the positioning hole, the pivot ring further defining a second keyhole recess alignable with the first keyhole recess;
- a retention pin assembly comprising a handle rotatably coupled to the vertically oriented pivot plate;
- and a spring-loaded retention pin movable by the handle and comprising an engagement member configured to move between a first position in which the engagement member is disposed in the first and second keyhole recess to inhibit rotation of the pivot ring with respect to the pivot plate and a second position in which the engagement member is disposed within the first keyhole recess to permit rotation of the pivot ring with respect to the pivot plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.