Land vehicles – Wheeled – Occupant propelled type
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-01
2001-04-10
Boehler, Anne Marie (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Occupant propelled type
C280S288400, C297S195100, C297S215160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213488
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacture of high performance bicycle components and, more specifically, to lightweight, high strength seat posts.
2. Prior Art
High performance cycling requires a frame and other components of a bicycle to possess strength, rigidity, and light weight. As is well known, tubular bicycle frames and seat posts are ordinarily made of metal or metal alloys such as steel, aluminum, or titanium. High strength composites such as carbon or fiberglass reinforced cured resins are also useful for high strength tubular structural parts. Bicycle seat posts that are manufactured from composite materials are subject to damage since clamping of an end of a bicycle seat post into a less than ideally prepared frame structure can quickly destroy the structural integrity of composites through gouging, fretting and point loading. For the same reason, a bicycle seat assembly cannot be clamped to the upper end of a seat post manufactured of composites.
Since most high performance bicycles now employ a high performance seat-receiving head to which the seat is clamped, a new seat post is desired which combines the best features of metals and composites.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a high strength light weight bicycle seat post having a tubular metal end to be received in and clamped to a bicycle frame and an exposed composite end to which a high performance bicycle seat-receiving head can be permanently attached.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bicycle seat post having an exposed carbon composite core of outside diameter which is less than the outside diameter of the metal end of the seat post which is designed to be received in the bicycle frame so that the exposed composite end cannot inadvertently be clamped in the bicycle frame.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacture of bicycle seat posts of the foregoing type.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention accordingly provides a bicycle seat post comprising:
a) a metal tube;
b) a tubular composite core having a first portion compressively restrained in said metal tube and a second portion projecting from one end thereof, said core having an end adapted to receive a bicycle seat head.
The present invention further provides a method of manufacturing a bicycle seat post comprising the steps of:
a) forming a metal tube;
b) inserting an uncured composite core having a length greater than the length of said tube into said metal tube;
c) placing an exposed end of said core into a mold having an inside shape sized to produce said post; and
d) expanding said core into engagement with the inside of said metal tube and said mold under heat and pressure sufficient to cure said core and affix said core in said tube with substantial compressive stress between said core and said tube.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4613187 (1986-09-01), Gordon
patent: 4826192 (1989-05-01), Borromeo
patent: 5364095 (1994-11-01), Easton et al.
patent: 5695241 (1997-12-01), Olsen et al.
patent: 5979978 (1999-11-01), Olsen et al.
Filice Gary W.
Teixeira Charles R.
Boehler Anne Marie
Jas. D. Easton, Inc.
Roth & Goldman
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