Machine element or mechanism – Elements – Cranks and pedals
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-16
2001-09-04
Bonck, Rodney H. (Department: 3681)
Machine element or mechanism
Elements
Cranks and pedals
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282984
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pedal assembly, more particularly to a bicycle pedal assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional bicycle pedal assembly is adapted to be mounted on a bicycle pedal shaft and to engage a cleat unit fixed to a bottom surface of a sole of a cyclist's shoe.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional bicycle pedal assembly
10
is shown to include a rectangular pedal body
11
having front and rear portions
111
a,
111
b
along a treading direction, and a central tubular portion
112
extending between and parallel to the front and rear portions
111
a,
111
b.
The central tubular portion
112
has a co-axial spindle
12
for mounting on a bicycle pedal shaft (not shown). The front and rear portions
111
a,
111
b
and the central tubular portion
112
cooperatively define front and rear accommodating spaces
113
a,
113
b.
Each of the upper surface of the front portion
111
a
and the lower surface of the rear portion
111
b
is formed with a receiving cavity
116
(only the one in the front portin
111
a
is shown).
The bicycle pedal assembly
10
further includes a pair of anchoring units
20
, each having two anchoring members
21
accommodated in the respective one of the front and rear accommodating spaces
113
a,
113
b.
Each of the anchoring units
20
further includes two biasing members
22
, an adjusting plate
23
, an adjusting bolt
24
, a mounting axle
25
, and a positioning plate
26
. Each of the anchoring members
21
has two side walls
211
which define a space to receive a respective one of the biasing members
22
. Each side wall
211
has a through hole
212
for passage of the mounting axle
25
therethrough. Each of the front and rear portions
111
a,
111
b
has two aligned mounting holes
114
and
115
. The axles
25
pass through the mounting holes
114
and
115
and the through holes
212
formed in the side walls
211
of the anchoring members
21
to pivotably mount the respective one of the anchoring members
21
on the front and rear portions
111
a,
111
b,
respectively, with each of the biasing members
22
being sleeved on the respective one of the axles
25
. The biasing members
22
bias the anchoring members
21
against rotation when a rearward end
33
of a cleat unit
30
(see
FIGS. 2 and 3
) presses on the anchoring members
21
. The cleat unit
30
is fixed to a bottom surface of a cyclist's shoe (not shown in the drawings) by a locking member
31
, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
.
Referring to
FIGS. 2 and 3
, when the biasing members
22
are mounted on the respective one of the anchoring members
21
, a secured end
221
of each of the biasing members
22
abuts closely against the respective one of the anchoring members
21
, and an adjusting end
222
thereof is secured to the adjusting plate
23
. The adjusting bolt
24
is threaded into a threaded hole formed in the adjusting plate
23
for adjusting the tension of the biasing members
22
. When the adjusting bolt
24
is threaded into or out relative to the adjusting plate
23
, the adjusting plate
23
will move toward or away from the tubular portion
112
along the adjusting bolt
24
, thereby resulting in the concurrent movement of the adjusting end
222
which is secured on the adjusting plate
23
. As a result, the tension of the biasing members
22
can be adjusted.
The positioning plate
26
of each of the anchoring units
20
is mounted fixedly on the tubular portion
112
by a pair of screws
27
. Each of the positioning plates
26
has a contacting base for contacting the bottom surface of the cleat unit
30
, a front stop portion
261
which extends upwardly from the contacting base and which is received in the respective one of the receiving cavities
116
, and a pair of rear stop portions
262
. The rear stop portions
262
abut against the anchoring members
21
.
In order to engage the cleat unit
30
to the pedal assembly
10
, the forward end
32
of the cleat unit
30
first engages the front stop portion
261
of the positioning plate
26
. Then, the cleat unit
30
is rotated about the forward end
32
to move the rearward end
33
thereof into engagement with the anchoring members
21
. Since the anchoring members
21
are pressed away by the rearward end
33
of the cleat unit
30
, a biasing force generated by the biasing members
22
will be applied to the rearward end
33
of the cleat unit
30
. As a result, the cleat unit
30
is clamped between the positioning plate
26
and the anchoring members
21
. In order to disengage the cleat unit
30
from the bicycle pedal assembly
10
, the cleat unit
30
is rotated about the forward end
32
thereof to slide the rearward end
33
relative to the anchoring members
21
. As a result, the cleat unit
30
can be released from the positioning plate
26
and the anchoring members
21
.
The bicycle pedal assembly
10
, though capable of functioning to releaseably engage the cleat unit
30
, has following disadvantages:
1. When the cleat unit
30
engages the bicycle pedal assembly
10
, since the bottom surface
34
of the cleat unit
30
closely contacts the upper surface of the positioning plate
26
, as shown in
FIG. 3
, it takes the cyclist more effort to release the cleat unit
30
from the bicycle pedal assembly
10
.
2. Since the bottom surface
34
of the cleat
30
contacts closely the upper surface of the positioning plate
26
, disengagement of the cleat unit
30
from the pedal assembly
10
can not be smoothly performed.
3. Since the bottom surface
34
of the cleat unit
30
contacts closely the upper surface of the positioning plate
26
, dirt is easily stuck between the positioning plate
26
and the biasing members
22
, between the biasing members
22
and the anchoring members
21
, and between the cleat unit
30
and the positioning plate
26
. Thus, cleanliness of the pedal assembly is hard to maintain, and precise movement of the moving parts of the pedal assembly
10
is not ensured.
4. Since each of the anchoring units
20
includes two anchoring members
21
and a positioning plate
26
for engaging the cleat unit
30
, the number of components that constitute the bicycle pedal assembly
10
is relatively large, and the structure of the pedal assembly
10
is complicated, thus resulting in a time-consuming assembly procedure and in high production costs.
In view of the above disadvantages, it would be desirable to provide a less complicated bicycle pedal assembly which requires less effort to release the cleat unit from the pedal assembly and which is easy to maintain.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle pedal assembly which requires less effort to releases the cleat unit from the pedal assembly.
Another object of this invention is to provide a bicycle pedal assembly which includes a relatively small number of components and which is easy to assemble.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a bicycle pedal assembly having a relatively low production cost.
The bicycle pedal assembly of this invention, which is adapted to be mounted on a bicycle pedal shaft and which is adapted to engage a cleat unit having forward and rearward ends, comprises: a one-piece pedal body including a tubular portion adapted to be mounted rotatably on the bicycle pedal shaft that extends in a longitudinal direction, and a front pair and a rear pair of left and right lateral walls extending respectively from the tubular portion forward and rearward in a first transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction, each of the lateral walls having upper and lower surfaces opposite to each other in a second transverse direction relative to both the first transverse direction and the longitudinal direction; front and rear anchoring frames, each including upper and lower engaging walls spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction, and left and right mounting walls interposed between the upper and lower engaging
Bonck Rodney H.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Parekh Ankur
LandOfFree
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