Land vehicles – Wheeled – Occupant propelled type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-26
2001-07-10
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Occupant propelled type
C280S249000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257607
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of hand cycles, and more particularly to a novel mounting means for installing and securing the brake and shift levers on the frame of a hand cycle so that the mounting is in close proximity to the hand-operated pedals or hand grips.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to mount the hand brake levers and the gear shift levers on the handle bars of a bicycle so that the levers would be available to the rider when his hands are on the handle bars for steering purposes during the riding of the bike. However, in the case of hand cycles, steering is achieved by other means than the turning of a handle bar, such as by change of balance or by employing foot and leg control to achieve steering. In such an instance, the motive power for advancing the cycle resides in hand cranks employed to actuate a gear train generally employing a chain deployed about gearing on the hand crank and the front wheel of the bike. In such an instance, it is highly advantageous to have the brake and shift levers in close proximity to the hand crank so that the user of the bike can readily remove at least one hand from the crank and use one or both hands for braking or shifting purposes. Due to the requirement that the hand crank be in close proximity to the brake and shift levers, proper mounting of the brake and shift levers to the frame of the bike presents certain problems. Some of the problems and difficulties arise from the fact that the frame does not provide a means for mounting conventional handle bars and therefore a special mount is required to place the shift and brake levers in a proper location.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed in the manufacture and fabrication of hand cycles to provide a proper mounting for the shift and brake levers so that the levers are in a convenient location for use by the driver of the vehicle while employing hand motivation for vehicle advancement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are avoided by the present invention which provides a novel mount for a cycle shift and brake handle assembly which includes a frame having a mid support bar with a front post integrally connected at one end and a rear post integrally connected at the other end. The top of the front post terminates in a mounting assembly for the shift and brake handles which include a collar clamp carried on the end of the front post for detachably connecting with an elongated support member having opposite ends. The clamp member is releasably coupled to the midsection of the support member and the rear-most end of the support member carries a bearing assembly for operably mounting a crank handle with hand pedals. The hand crank further includes sprocket gearing which rotates with the hand crank as the rider turns the hand crank via the hand pedals during a riding procedure.
The opposite end of a support member terminates in a mounting tube which is connected at its midsection to the support member. The mounting tube includes mounting sleeves at its respective opposite ends that are cantilevered outwardly from the end of the support tube and each of the mounting sleeves supports a pair of levers constituting the shift and brake levers. Cabling for operating a deraileur mechanism is attached to each of the respective shift levers while the brake mechanism is operably connected to each of the respective brake levers. The collar crank attached to the front post is in close proximity to the hand crank when the support member is mounted on the clamp so that the hand pedals can be rotated about the axis of the bearing assembly and in close position to the shift and brake levers. Therefore, the operator of the cycle can release either one or both of the hand pedals and effectively operate the shift and brake levers as desired.
Therefore, the primary object of the present invention resides in providing a convenient mounting method for combining installation of a bicycle brake and shift system so that a hand-propelled bicycle rider may readily grasp the hand crank as well as optionally or alternately operating the brake and shift levers.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel means for mounting combined shift and brake levers onto the frame of a hand cycle so that the levers may be installed or removed for maintenance and service purposes as a single unit.
Another object resides in providing a mounting assembly for hand-operated brake and shift levers that are in close proximity to the hand crank for propelling a cycle so that the cycle operator may comfortably alternately grip either the hand crank or the brake and shift levers.
An object also resides in providing a detachable mount for a set of shift and brake levers carried on the frame of a hand cycle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3910599 (1975-10-01), Thomas
patent: 4109927 (1978-08-01), Harper
patent: 4152005 (1979-05-01), Vanore
patent: 4270766 (1981-06-01), Thomas
patent: 4303255 (1981-12-01), Thomas
patent: 4685692 (1987-08-01), Fullilove et al.
patent: 4773662 (1988-09-01), Phillips
patent: 4858942 (1989-08-01), Rodriguez
patent: 5082302 (1992-01-01), Nacar
patent: 5383676 (1995-01-01), Valentino
patent: 5464989 (1995-11-01), Grove
patent: 5816598 (1998-10-01), Dodakian
patent: 5853184 (1998-12-01), Lofgren et al.
patent: 5873589 (1999-02-01), Hallett
patent: 5908199 (1999-06-01), Rigato
patent: 6070894 (2000-06-01), Augspurger
Lum L.
Swann J. J.
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