WO2003104072A1

WO2003104072A1 - Device used to adjust the height of the saddle while riding a bicycle

Info

Publication number: WO2003104072A1
Application number: PCT/IT2002/000577
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alessandro Cirilli
Original assignee: Alessandro Cirilli
Priority date: 2002-06-11
Filing date: 2002-09-11
Publication date: 2003-12-18
Also published as: ITAN20020027A1; ITAN20020027A0; AU2002341392A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device used to adjust the height of the saddle (6) when riding a bicycle, which comprises a special pneumatic jack (7), whose automatic extension is determined by a valve (16) that can be manually adjusted with a control lever (15) suitably located on the bicycle frame.

Description

Device used to adjust the height of the saddle while riding a bicycle

The present patent application for industrial invention relates to a device used to adjust the height of the saddle while riding a bicycle, which comprises a special pneumatic jack, whose automatic extension is determined by a valve that can be manually adjusted with a control lever suitably located on the bicycle frame.

In the bicycles that are normally available on the market, the height of the saddle from the ground can be adjusted by means of locking devices located on the bicycle frame, basically consisting in a clamp located at the beginning of the rod that supports the stem of the saddle. The adjustment of the saddle is always a difficult operation, being the result of two opposite needs: the need to adjust the saddle in such a way that the user can touch the ground with his/her feet without getting off the bicycle, and the need to completely extend his/her legs when pedalling. It appears evident that if the user wants to pedal correctly he/she must adjust the saddle in such a way that his/her leg will reach the maximum extension when the pedal reaches the bottom dead centre. In this way, however, the user is forced to get off the bicycle if he/she wants to touch the ground with his/her feet without tilting the bicycle laterally. The opposite problem occurs when the user wants to adjust the height of the saddle in such a way that he/she can touch the ground with his/her feet without getting off the bicycle, thus avoiding manoeuvres that can result in balance loss in case of dangers. However, in this condition the height of the saddle would not allow the user to pedal correctly, only permitting the partial extension of his/her legs. In view of the above, it has been so far impossible to satisfy both needs at the same time and the user has to choose his/her priority. Alternatively, he/she can try to adjust the saddle in intermediate position. The limit of the clamps used to adjust and lock the saddle is overcome by using the device of the invention, which basically comprises a tubular rod that supports the saddle, is inserted and slides within a tube that is in turn inserted and tightened inside the tubular vertical rod that supports the saddle in ordinary bicycles. It must be remembered that the tubular vertical rod ends with a tightening clamp used to adjust the height of the saddle.

The rod that supports the saddle houses a special pneumatic jack, whose sleeve is fixed on the bottom of the tube, while the stem of the jack is connected to the rod that supports the saddle in such a way that the expulsion and retraction of the stem correspond to an identical lowering or raising travel of the saddle mounted on top of the tubular rod. The special characteristic of the pneumatic jack is represented by the fact that it is provided with a valve that prevents the stem from sliding when the valve is closed. On the contrary, when the valve is open, both the automatic expulsion and forced retraction of the stem are possible.

It must be noted that the jack can be found on the marked and is usually identified by the experts of the art as "gas spring".

For major clarity the description of the invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawings, which are intended for purposes of illustration and not in a limiting sense, whereby:

- Fig. 1 is the cross-section of the device mounted inside the tube with a vertical plane;

- Fig. 2 is the cross-section of the jack inside the tube with an horizontal plane. With reference to the aforementioned figures the device (1 ) is composed of a tube (2) with circular section whose lower part is closed with a bottom (3) and whose upper part is closed with a collar (4) in which a tubular rod (5) is inserted and slides, supporting the saddle (6). A pneumatic jack (7) is housed and slides inside the tubular rod (5). The sleeve of the jack (7) is equipped with a bracket (8) used to fix it with a plug (9) to the bottom (3) of the tube (2). The lower end of the tubular rod (5) is provided with a piston (11) with central hole, which slides freely outside the sleeve of the jack (7) and inside the tube (2).

An "L-shaped" bracket (10) is fixed on top of the stem (7a) of the jack (7), whose vertical arm (10a) has a hole for a plug (12) that connects the bracket (10) to the tubular rod (5), which therefore follows the travels of the stem (7a).

The tubular rod (5) has a slot (5a) from which the horizontal arm (10b) of the bracket (10) laterally protrudes, on which a sheath (13) is stopped, in which a cable (14) slides and is hooked to a control lever (15), pivoted on the bracket (10), designed to open the valve (16), normally closed, located on top (7b) of the stem (7a).

The other end of the cable (14) is hooked to a second lever mounted on the bicycle frame in an easily accessible position for the user. The main characteristic of the jack (7) - normally available on the market - consists in the fact that the stem (7a) cannot slide until the valve (16) remains closed.

When the valve (16) is opened, the stem (7a) is automatically expelled because of the compressed gas contained inside the jack (7), in which the stem (7a) can be reinserted by pushing it strongly enough to overcome the expulsive pressure of the gas.

For a better understanding of the operation of the device according to the invention this description continues with a practical example. The user keeps the valve (15) open until the stem (7a) reaches its maximum extension and then adjusts the height of the saddle from the ground (in order to extend his/her legs completely when pedalling) by tightening the tube (2) inside the tubular vertical rod (M) used in ordinary bicycles to support the saddle. Now the user decides to actuate the control lever (15), perhaps because he/she is going to stop and wants to touch the ground with his/her feet, without getting off the saddle, for stable and safe balance. As soon as the valve (16) is opened, the entire weight of the user, who is sitting on the saddle, is transmitted from the rod (5) to the stem (7a), which is therefore pushed downwards inside the sleeve, thus causing the rod (5) driven by the piston (11 ) and the collar (4) to lower inside the tube (2). The downward travel is interrupted as soon as the control lever (15) is released with consequent automatic closing of the valve (16).

Obviously, the downward travel of the rod (5) corresponds to the downward travel of the saddle which allows the user to touch the ground with his/her feet by simply extending his/her legs without getting off the saddle and without tilting the bicycle laterally.

When the user wants to raise the saddle, once he/she has started pedalling, he/she only needs to get off the saddle for a few seconds and open the valve (16) with the control lever, to favour the expulsion of the stem (7a), temporarily under no load, with the consequent raising of the rod (5) connected to the stem by means of the plug (12).

During its alternated travels the tubular rod (5) is driven by the piston (11 ) and by the collar (4). Attention is drawn on the fact that the tubular rod (5) preferably has square cross-section, in order to prevent possible rotations inside the tube (2) which would correspond to the undesired rotation of the saddle mounted on top of the rod (5).

It is understood that the rotation can be avoided with different constructive versions, such as the realisation of the rod (5) with circular section, providing it with an external longitudinal groove in which a tooth located on the collar

(4) slides.

Claims

1 ) Device used to adjust the height of a bicycle saddle, characterised in that it comprises a rod (5) that supports the saddle that is inserted and slides inside a tube (2) in which the sleeve of a special pneumatic jack (7) of known type is housed and fixed, whose stem (7a) is connected to the rod (5) and is automatically extended when the normally closed valve (16) is opened, provided on the jack (7) and actuated with a control lever (15) pivoted on top of the stem (7a).

2) Device according to claim 1 characterised in that the lower part of the tube (2) is closed with a bottom (3) while the upper part is closed with a collar (4) in which the tubular rod (5) exactly slides, equipped at its base with a piston (11 ) that exactly slides inside the tube (2).

3) Device according to the previous claim characterised in that the rod (5) has a tubular structure and contains the jack (7) whose sleeve features a bracket (8) connected to the bottom (3) by means of a plug (9). 4) Device according to claim 1 characterised in that the control lever (15) is pivoted on an "-.-shaped" bracket (10) fixed to the top (7b) of the stem (7), whose vertical arm (10a) has a hole for a plug (12) that connects the bracket (10) to the tubular rod (5), which has a slot (5a) from which the horizontal arm (10b) of the bracket (10) and the control lever (15) laterally protrude. 5) Device according to claim 1 and 4, characterised in that the control lever (15) can be remotely actuated by means of a cable hooked to the horizontal arm (10) of the lever (15) that slides inside a sheath (14). 6) Device according to claim 3 characterised in that it is provided with means used to prevent the rod (5) from rotating around its longitudinal axis. 7) Device according to claim 6 characterised in that these means consist in the prismatic coupling of the rod (5) and the collar (4). 8) Device according to claim 1 characterised in that the diameter of the tube (2) is such that it can be inserted and tightened inside the clamp used to adjust the height of the saddle which is normally located at the beginning of the tubular vertical rod (M) that supports the saddle in ordinary bicycles.