Package and article carriers – Vehicle attached – Carrier attached to the front or rear end of vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-05
2003-04-15
Cronin, Stephen K. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Vehicle attached
Carrier attached to the front or rear end of vehicle
C224S311000, C224S497000, C224S501000, C224S504000, C224S924000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06547115
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle or wheelchair carrier for a car, and more particularly to a car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carrier that can be completely stored in the car trunk in a compact fashion when the bicycle, etc. is not being carried.
2. Description of the Related Art
Car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carriers that transport bicycles while they are fixed to the roof of the car or suspended from a fairly high position at the rear of the car are conventionally known. However, in the case of a car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carrier that fixes bicycles to the roof of the car, not only does it require a great deal of effort to lift a bicycle up to the car roof and take it down, where the lifter is a person of short stature, a ladder or other mechanism is often used, which entails the risk of falling over. In the case of a car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carrier that suspends bicycles from a fairly high position at the rear of the car, the bicycle must be raised to and lowered from a fairly high position, which leads to the problem that mounting of a bicycle is difficult for one person such as a woman to perform, and there is also a risk of damage to the car. Furthermore, such carriers include carriers that cannot carry commonly used women's bicycles, as well as permanently mounted carriers that are difficult to attach and detach. In these cases, because the carrier is always protruding from the rear of the car, the problems arise that the carrier poses a hindrance to normal driving and parking, and that more time and effort are required to wash the car.
With regard to a car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carrier, the following prior art is known. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. S47-36351 discloses a car-mounted bicycle transport device in which one end is bent into an inwardly-facing U shape and engages with the bumper, and the microfilm of Japanese Utility Model Application No. S49-118320 (See Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. S51-45737) discloses a car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carrier equipped with a means that supports both the front and rear wheels and a part of the frame of the bicycle, as well as with a detachable frame that can be mounted to the rear bumper of the car. Both of these carriers are mounted to the metal bumper that protrudes from the rear of the car, and cannot be applied to the recent larger-sized composite resin bumpers, nor can they be completely stored in the car trunk in a compact fashion when they are not being used.
The specification for U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,413 discloses a bicycle carrier that can be stored in a car trunk when it is not being used, but because this carrier suspends the bicycle from the rear of the car, it entails the problem that the bicycle is difficult to load, and because the carrier is vertically high, when it is stored in the car trunk while unused, it can only be stored such that it leans diagonally in the trunk interior (FIG. 3), or such that it is stored in an unstable fashion along the interior surface of the trunk lid (FIG. 5), giving rise to the problems that (i) where the carrier leans diagonally in the trunk interior, the center of the trunk interior is taken up by the carrier and can no longer be freely used for its original purpose as a compartment to house packages, baggage, etc., and (ii) where the carrier is stored in an unstable fashion when the car is running, the carrier may be damaged through a collision between the carrier and the trunk lid interior surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With a view to further promoting the use of environmentally superior bicycles, the inventors of the present invention diligently investigated car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carriers, and as a result selected the following items (1) through (6) as development concepts:
(1) A person of short stature or a woman can easily and quickly load or unload a bicycle.
(2) The carrier may be completely stored in the trunk in a compact fashion when it is not being used, and may be removed from the trunk in a one-step operation.
(3) The carrier may be easily mounted to an existing car without the need for special modifications.
(4) The bicycle or wheelchair is reliably fixed to the carrier when the car is run, and the car can run safely in such a state.
(5) The carrier can be applied to various types of bicycles as well as to wheelchairs.
(6) Use of the carrier does not damage the bicycle.
(7) The carrier can be manufactured at low cost.
In other words, an object of the present invention is to provide a superior car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carrier to which a bicycle or wheelchair can be easily and quickly loaded or unloaded, that may be completely stored in the trunk in a compact fashion when it is not being used and may be removed from the trunk in a one-step operation, that may be easily mounted to an existing car, that can reliably immobilize a bicycle or wheelchair when the car is run, that can be applied to various types of bicycles as well as to wheelchairs, and that can be manufactured at low cost.
The inventors of the present invention diligently performed research in order to achieve the above object, and embarked on development of a car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carrier that achieves the development concepts (1) through (6). The inventors learned that in order to achieve the above concept (1), the bicycle/wheelchair fixing part must be a lowloading type, and the suspension concept cannot be used. The inventors further learned that in order to achieve the above concept (2), a construction is necessary in which a bicycle/wheelchair rack rotatably mounted to a carrier fixing unit or units in the trunk is stored substantially parallel to the bottom of the trunk and has a height that is less than the rear wall of the trunk, and that a construction is preferred in which the positions of the rotating shaft pivots between the carrier fixing unit(s)and the bicycle/wheelchair rack can be adjusted in at least one of the front-back, lateral or vertical directions.
The inventors learned that in order to achieve the concept (3), it is desirable to use the bumper mounting mechanisms or the spare tire fixing mechanism in the trunk as a means for mounting the carrier. The inventors further learned that in order to achieve the concept (4), it is preferred both of the bicycle's wheels as well as the main frame be fixed to the carrier, that the bicycle be located as far below the rotating shaft pivots as possible, that the front wheel holder hold the front wheel such that the handlebars are turned, and that the number plate and taillights be mountable to the bicycle/wheelchair rack. The inventors further learned that in order to achieve the concept (5), it is preferred that the distance between the front and rear wheel holders be variable and that the mounting position and mounting angle of the frame fixing unit be adjustable so that the bicycle/wheelchair rack may be adjusted to accommodate various types and sizes of bicycles. The inventors further learned that in order to achieve the concept (6), it is preferred that buffer members be located between the bumper and the bicycle/wheelchair rack. Finally, the inventors learned that in order to achieve the concept (7), it is preferred that the carrier comprise assemblable components that are as few in number as possible, and that the existing structural features of the car be used. The present invention was ultimately arrived at based on an organic synthesis of these understandings.
In other words, the present invention relates to a car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carrier having a carrier fixing unit or units that can be mounted inside the car trunk and a bicycle/wheelchair rack that is rotatably connected to said carrier fixing unit(s), wherein when the bicycle/wheelchair rack is stored inside the trunk, it is lower than the trunk rear wall and runs substantially along the bottom of the trunk (first aspect), car-mounted bicycle or wheelchair carrier according to the first aspect,
Iura Tadashi
Kato Tadahiko
Mori Kazuki
Cronin Stephen K.
Kato Tadahiko
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