Chairs and seats – Straddle seat – Adjustable to plural use positions
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-22
2001-01-16
Cranmer, Laurie K. (Department: 3624)
Chairs and seats
Straddle seat
Adjustable to plural use positions
C297S215140, C297S215130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174027
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the design and construction of cycle seat post assemblies. More specifically, the present invention relates to cycle seat post designs which are adjustable while a cyclist is riding the cycle or the like.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Over the years, several cycle seat post assembly designs have offered various degrees of adjustability in order to provide the most comfortable riding position. Both the inclination and the horizontal position of the saddle affect the comfort of the rider. Due to the demand for adjustable seat assemblies, many inventors have applied for and obtained patents for various designs. Most of these designs have required the rider to dismount before adjusting the inclination of the seat, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,624 by Alan S. Kingsbery in 1993 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,155 by Eric Herting in 1997.
Several designs have permitted adjustment while riding. U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,327, issued on Aug. 15, 1995 to Mark B. Sanderson, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,895, issued on May 6, 1997 to Gary M. Olson, allow adjustment during pedaling. However, these designs are complex, expensive, and lack the needed rigidity to hold the cycle saddle solidly in place.
Other designs such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,604, issued on Jun. 6, 1989 to Antonio Roinano, uses a double control in order to tilt the seat. During the adjustment of the seat inclination, the seat is free to move forward or rearward and consequently is difficult to position quickly. The small control wheel is also difficult to rotate due to both its awkward location and the friction created by the rider's weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,273, issued on Nov. 5, 1996 to Sulevi Saarinen, shows a manually tiltable seat primarily for use on an exercise bicycle. This design does not accommodate the low cost mass production bicycle seat design using two rails. Also, this design does not provide any horizontal adjustment of the seat, nor any shock cushioning provided by the two rail seat design. Furthermore, most of the handwheel's circumference is hidden by the lower portion of the seat and rotation of the handwheel is difficult.
None of the prior adjustable seat designs combine simplicity, durability, low cost, and easy adjustability while accommodating the current mass production seat design. Therefore there is a need for a simple, rigid and low cost cycle seat which permits the cyclist to adjust the seat easily.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
The primary object and advantage of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cycle seat system having a design which provides the rider with the capability to easily adjust the saddle position when needed during a ride, even during pedaling. This would allow the rider to use one seat position during warm-up, a second position during aerodynamic riding and a third position for hill climbing. Experience and study show that one degree of tilt can make a large impact on the rider's comfort and performance.
A second object of the invention is to provide a quick and precise adjustment of the seat inclination and position. The seat inclination is controlled through rotation of a control handwheel located underneath and behind the seat. The maximum tilt in both directions can be set by the rider by means of two adjustable locknuts installed on the control bolt. Control of the horizontal position of the saddle is optional and would be locked by a cam action bolt.
Another advantage of this invention is the ability to incorporate a suspension into the seat assembly. The addition of an elastomer or spring member as part of the control bolt and seat support system would improve the comfort of the rider by allowing the rear of the saddle to absorb impact loads.
Another object of this design is to accommodate the common two rail seat. This allows the rider to use the proposed seat assembly with almost any saddle currently on the market.
A further object of this invention is to provide a design which can be manufactured out of low cost components such as castings, extrusions, and readily available machine parts. The number of parts in the design is also minimized. Not only is the cost of the seat assembly reduced, but it is much more durable.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4836604 (1989-06-01), Romano
patent: 5048891 (1991-09-01), Yach
patent: 5190346 (1993-03-01), Ringle
patent: 5383706 (1995-01-01), Chen
patent: 5441327 (1995-08-01), Sanderson
patent: 5466042 (1995-11-01), Herman
patent: 5915784 (1999-06-01), Clark
Cranmer Laurie K.
Fincham Eric
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