US1232501A - Bicycle-rack. - Google Patents

Description

J. l. COLEN.

BICYCLE RACK APPLICATION F|LEDJuN22.191e.

Patented J uly ,10, 1917.

JEROME IRWIN GOLEN, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

BICYCLE-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J i115r 10, 1917.

Application filed June 22, 1916. Serial No. 105,206.

To all whom t 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, JEROME IRWIN CoLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Vestchester and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Bicycle-Rack, of which the following is a complete, clear, and exact description. v

My invention relates to bicycle racks of a kind suitable for supporting bicycles under conditions for conserving space, holding the bicycle firmly in position, and enabling it to be released quickly and with comparatively little effort upon the part of the operator.

More particularly stated, my invention comprehends a rack from which the bicycle is suspended by its front wheel, in such manner that the bicycle is by its own weight held steadily in a lixed position, from which it can be released in an instant by merely pulling a cord for the purpose.

My invention further contemplates, Ylor the purposes above indicated, the use of a number of separate racks, each being a unit complete within itself, so that any number of such units can be placed together in practically the form of a single rack of large size, each unit of the rack being disposed in an elevated position, preferably near the ceiling of a room, so that the bicycles occupy a portion of the room not otherwise likely to be occupied.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which like letters indicate like parts in all of the figures.

Figure 1 is a prespective of a number of my improved racks, as used for supporting bicycles.

Fig. 2 partly broken away, racks.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. l is a perspective of a block forming a part of the rack.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a suspension pin and the spring associated with such pin for normally holding it in a predetermined position.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section is a view partly in elevation and showing one of the somewhat similar to Fig. 3 but made upon a smaller scale and showing a larger portion of the bicycle.

A wall is shown at 7 and a ceiling atv 8. Engaging this wall and ceiling is a rack which comprises all parts shown in Fig. 2. A pair of end bars 9 are connected with a ceiling plate 10 and a wall plate 11, the ceiling plate being provided with holes 12 and the wall plate being similarly provided with holes 13. Screws 14, 15 extend through the holes 12, 13 in order to secure the rack to the ceiling and to the wall.

A pair of flat cross bars 16, 17 extend from the ceiling plate 10 to the wall plate 11 and are parallel with each other. The ceiling plate 10 is provided with a thickened portion 18 and lthe wall plate 11 is similarly provided with a thickened portion 19, these two thickened portions each being located between the cross bars.-

A guide block 2O is provided with holes 21 through which extend screws 22, the latter engaging the cross bar 17 and holding the guide block thereupon.

The guide block 20 is provided` centrally with a hole 23, and extending through this hole is a pin 241. This pin also extends through holes 25 with which the cross bars 16, 17 are provided.

A tensile spring 26 of spiral form encircles the pin 2G, and is provided with an end portion 27 which extends diametrically through the'pin. The spring 2G is further provided with an end portion 28 which may it into a groove 28"L in the guide block 20, or otherwise held in position The pin is provided with an eye 30, and secured to this eye is a 'Flexible connection 31, in this instance a cord, which is threaded through a hole 32, and hangs downward. The cord is provided at its lower end with a handle 32.

The operator, by grasping the handle 32 and pulling upon the cord, stretches or extends the spring 26 and thus causes the pin 24 to move to the right according to Fig. 2, so as to clear the space between the cross bars 1G, 17. Then the pull upon the cord is relaxed the spring 26 reti-acts the pin 24 to normal position, indicated in Fig. 1. Normally the pin 24 extends across the space between the cross bars 16, 17.

A`l bicycle is shown at 33, its Jfront wheel appearing at 34 and its rear wheel at 35. The hub of the frontv wheel appears at 36, and is. of course located. at the proximate centerl of the wheel.

The cross barsvlG, 17v are spaced apartv a sufficient distance to accommodate the front wheel of the bicycle.

The bicycle may be suspended from the pin` 24 and parts associated therewith,` as indicated in Figs. l, 3 and 6. VThe pin 24 is so located relatively to the wall 7 that when the bicycle is suspended as indicated the point of suspension of the bicycle-that is, the location of' the pin 24-is a little closer than the hub 36 to the wall 7. Thus, the weight of' the front wheel, andv indeed the weight of the entire machine, tends to cause the front wheel to swing bodily upon the pin 24 as a. center, so that the front wheel is pressed toward the wallv 7, and against the thickened portion 19 of the wall plate l1.

Again, all the rear portion of the bicycle tends to swing upon the hub 86 of the front wheel as a center, so that the rear wheel is pressed into engagement with the wall 7,. Both the front wheel andthe rear wheel are thus held in stable equilibrium, as muchy so as if the bicycle rested in its usual horizontal position, with both of its heavily upon the ground.

Such beingthe case, the bicycle is unable to dangle or to twist around/if disturbediby any ordinary cause,lsuch as the wind blowing or a person accidentally brushing against the machine.

The operation of my device is as follows:

lVhen the operator wishes to dispose of his bicycle for the time being,lhe lifts the machine with the front wheelupward, and inserts the front wheel between the cross bars 1G, 17 and at the same time grasps the ring S32-andl pulls upon the cord 3l. This moves the pin- 24ste the right according to F ig. 2, so that the rim of the frontA wheel. passes upwardly between the holes 25. The cord then being relaxed the spring 26 retracts the pin 24 to normal position, the pin being thus thrust through the front wheel of' the bicycle. Thus the bicycle remains suspended from the pin, vyet in a condition of stable equilibrium as above explained. l

Any number of machines may thus be suswheels resting pended or stored, as the separate units of the system may be multiplied indefinitely.

I- do not limit myselfl to the precise mechanism shown, as variations therefrom may be made withouty departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

l. In a device of the character described the combination of a pair of' cross bars adapted to be secured to a wall and extending parallel to each other in a direction oblique relatively to said wall, said cross bars being spaced apart in order to permit the front wheel of a bicycleto be thrustbetween them, and a supporting pin mounted upon said supporting bars and movable rela.- tively thereto in order to be thrust through said wheel and withdrawn therefrom, said supporting pin being so -positioned relatively to said wall thatv said bicycle, when suspended from said pin thus thrust through said frontwheel, is by its own weight forced horizontally into firm engagement with said wall.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a ceiling plate, a wall plate, a pair of cross bars extending from said ceiling vplate to saidwall plate and disposed parallelto each other, said cross bars being spaced apart to permit the `front wheel ofl a bicycle-being thrust between them andA being'` provided with holes in registry with each other, a pin slidably mountedwithin said holes and adapted-to bethrust through said wheelv and; withdrawn therefrom, a. spring for retracting. said pin to its normal position, anda flexible connection-securedto said pin in order tomove the same fromits said normal position.

3. As an article` ofmanufacture a rack comprising a ceiling plate, a w-allplate, a pair of end bars extendingfrom said ceiling plate to said'wall plate, a pair of cross bars extending from said ceiling plate to said wall plate, a pin mounted uponfone-ofsaid cross bars and movablefor the purpose of engaging andfdisengaging the other of' said cross bars, a flexible connection securedA to said pin for moving the same, and a spring connected with said pin and with one ofsaid cross bars for-the purpose offretracting said pin into a predetermined normal position.

JEROME IRIVIN COLEN.

Copies of this patentvmay be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ID. C.

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