GB2231313A - Bicycle attachment - Google Patents

Abstract

An ornament, more especially in the form of a human or animal figure with outstretched arms, and having means associated therewith for attachment of the ornament to the handle-bar of the bicycle. The ornament may have a bag 50 for storing a puncture repair outfit or other items. <IMAGE>

Description

Bicycle Attachment This invention relates to an attachment for a bicycle.

According to the invention, in its broadest aspect, there is provided an ornament for a bicycle, incorporating or associated with means enabling said ornament to be attached to a bar of the bicycle frame such as the cross-bar and/or handle-bar.

The term "ornament", as used herein, means a figure of a human, animal or bird or any other figure or form which would conventionally be considered an article of decoration, although decoration may not be the sole purpose of the attachment.

One possible means of attachment is a circlip-type bar grip incorporating a saddle, the ornament having a clasp which can be fitted-and secured to the saddle. Securing may be by means of a grub screw or like locking screw, but is preferably by means of a spring loaded element on the saddle or clasp which springs into engagement with a matching recess in the clasp or saddle when the clasp is slidably fitted on to the saddle. A small lever may be provided to depress the spring loaded element and release the ornament.

This afore-described means of attachment can enable any one of a series of clasp-equipped ornaments, e.g. a range of different bird figures, to be attached to a saddleequipped clip on the bicycle, without the necessity to unfasten the clip.

Moreover, the arrangement of the saddle and clasp may be such that the ornament can be fitted in a chosen orientation, simply by slidably fitting the clasp to the saddle in a chosen sense. Thus, in the case of a square saddle, the ornament can be fitted to face in any one of four directions.

Another possible means of attachment is for the ornament to incorporate a spring clip as part of its design, e.g.

sprung curved hands, claws or paws, whereby the ornament can be snap-fitted to the bar on the bicycle. Such an arrangement may be especially convenient for an ornament, such as the figure of a man or an animal, which sits astride the front end of the cross-bar and has forwardly extending arms or legs with sprung curved end portions, e.g. hands or paws, which snap-fit to the handle-bar.

However, a preferred simpler means of attachment is a strap of hooked pile fabric, such as that known by the Trade Mark Velcro, which can be fastened to itself in a tight loop around a bar on the bicycle. Thus, in the case of the figure of a man or animal which sits astride the front end of the cross-bar and has forwardly extending arms or legs with curved hands or paws for fitting around the handlebar, a Velcro strip may be provided for securing the body to the handle-bar stem and another Velcro strip may act to secure the hands or paws to the handle-bar. A back pack carried by an animal or human figure may incorporate a pocket(s) for the storage of a puncture repair kit or other items.

The bicycle attachment in accordance with the invention is exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows one design of ornament fitted to a bicycle; Figure 2 shows details of the means of attachment of the ornament of Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a different ornament fitted by an alternative attachment means.

Referring to Figure 1, an ornament in the form of the figure of an animal 10 is attached to the front end of the crossbar 12 of a bicycle by means of a two part attachment means 14. The figure has forwardly extending arms and curved paws 16 which rest on the handle-bars 18. The curved paws could be spring set to snap-fit to the handle-bars. It is possible that, in this case, the attachment means 14 could be omitted.

Details of the attachment means 14 are shown in Figure 2.

A circlip-type bar grip 20 with fastening screw 22 is formed with a square saddle 24 equipped with a spring loaded detent 26. The ornament has a clasp 28 which can be slidably fitted to the saddle, possibly from any one of four directions, and has a recess 30 for receiving the spring loaded detent 26, thereby to lock the ornament in its fitted condition. A lever 32 is provided for unlocking.

In the example of Figure 3, the ornament 40 attaches both to the handle-bar stem 42 of the bicycle and to the handlebar 44 by means of straps 46, 48 of Velcro (Trade Mark), which fasten each to itself in a tight loop around the stem and handle-bar, respectively.

The ornament, again in the form of an animal figure, carries a bag 50 on its back for storage of a puncture repair outfit and/or other items.

Various mocifications of the above-described arrangement are possible within the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims (6)

Claims

1. An ornament for a bicycle, incorporating or associated with means enabling said ornament to be attached to a bar of the bicycle frame such as the cross-bar and/or handle-bar.

2. An ornament according to claim 1, wherein the ornament carries at least one strap of hooked pile fabric for attaching to itself around the bar.

3. An ornament according to claim 2, in the form of a figure of a human or animal with outstretched arms or front legs, haing a strap of hooked pile fabric on the body for attaching around the handle-bar stem and a strap of hooked pile fabric on the hands or paws for attaching around the handle-bar.

4. An ornament according to claim 1, wherein the means of attachment is a circlip-type bar grip incorporating a saddle, the ornament halving a clasp which can be fitted and secured tc the saddle.

5. An ornament according to any of claims 1 to 4, including a bag or pocket for storage of a puncture repair set and/or other items.

6. An ornament for 2 bicycle, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.