Patent US3948542A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3948542A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Bicycle with auxiliary seat drive
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1975-02-13
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Granted: 1976-04-06
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Expires: 1995-02-13
Abstract
Abstract Additional propelling power for a bicycle is provided by mounting the bicycle seat to reciprocate in an up and down direction and converting this motion into rotary motion by a ratchet gear. Rotation of this ratchet gear takes place when the seat moves down under the weight of the bicycle rider, a compression spring returning the seat to its up position when the rider lifts his weight from the seat. The motion of the ratchet gear is imparted to the rear wheel of the bicycle through a gear train which amplifies the rotary motion and further which may be provided with a gear shift mechanism for varying the number of rear wheel rotations imparted for one down stroke of the bicycle seat. The auxiliary seat drive is provided in addition to the conventional pedal drive sprocket and chain arrangement normally provided on bicycles.
Inventors
- 👤 Aleksander Lukich
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 23:28
CPC Classifications
B; B62; B62M; B62M1/00; B62M1/18; B62M1/20; B62M11/00; B62M11/04; B62M11/06; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/19; Y10T74/19219; Y10T74/19377; Y10T74/19414; Y10T74/19419; Y10T74/19442; Y10T74/19451; Y10T74/19465
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
292 words
A bicycle with an auxiliary seat drive including, in combination: a. a frame; b. front and rear wheels rotatably mounted on said frame; c. a pedal drive on the frame; d. a rear drive sprocket coupled to the rear wheel; e. a chain connecting said pedal drive to the rear drive sprocket to rotate said rear wheel; f. a seat; g. seat mounting means supporting said seat for generally up and down movement relative to said frame including a first tube; horizontal sliding means secured to said seat and slidably coupled to the upper end of said first tube, a portion of said frame including a larger diameter tube telescopically receiving the lower end of said first tube; spring biasing means in said second tube urging the lower end of said first tube upwardly; a lever arm pivoted to said frame at one end and to said seat at its other end to form an acute angle with the horizontal; h. gear ratchet means mounted on said frame and coupled to said lever arm by a sector gear means mounted on said lever arm for converting downward movement of said seat into a rotary gear motion; i. an auxiliary drive sprocket coupled to said rear wheel; j. transmission means connecting said gear ratchet means to said auxiliary drive sprocket whereby the weight of a bicycle rider on said seat moving it downwardly imparts driving force to said rear wheel; and k. a series of indents on a portion of said sector gear means, said frame portion including a locking projection for insertion into any one of said detents to lock said sector gear means and thus said seat in a given position when it is not desired to use the seat drive.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
292 words
A bicycle with an auxiliary seat drive including, in combination: a. a frame; b. front and rear wheels rotatably mounted on said frame; c. a pedal drive on the frame; d. a rear drive sprocket coupled to the rear wheel; e. a chain connecting said pedal drive to the rear drive sprocket to rotate said rear wheel; f. a seat; g. seat mounting means supporting said seat for generally up and down movement relative to said frame including a first tube; horizontal sliding means secured to said seat and slidably coupled to the upper end of said first tube, a portion of said frame including a larger diameter tube telescopically receiving the lower end of said first tube; spring biasing means in said second tube urging the lower end of said first tube upwardly; a lever arm pivoted to said frame at one end and to said seat at its other end to form an acute angle with the horizontal; h. gear ratchet means mounted on said frame and coupled to said lever arm by a sector gear means mounted on said lever arm for converting downward movement of said seat into a rotary gear motion; i. an auxiliary drive sprocket coupled to said rear wheel; j. transmission means connecting said gear ratchet means to said auxiliary drive sprocket whereby the weight of a bicycle rider on said seat moving it downwardly imparts driving force to said rear wheel; and k. a series of indents on a portion of said sector gear means, said frame portion including a locking projection for insertion into any one of said detents to lock said sector gear means and thus said seat in a given position when it is not desired to use the seat drive.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
66 words
The subject matter of claim 1, in which said sector gear means further includes an arcuate row of gear teeth in a vertical plane, the center of the arc corresponding with the pivot point of the lever arm to the frame so that up and down movement of said seat rocks said sector gear back and forth about said center, and rotates said ratchet gear means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The subject matter of claim 2, wherein the series of indents in said sector gear form an arc concentric with the arcuate gear teeth.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
The subject matter of claim 1, in which said transmission means includes a gear train amplifying the motion of said ratchet gear means; and gear shift means coupled between the last gear of said gear train and said auxiliary drive sprocket on said rear wheel to enable the gear ratio to be shifted.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
231 words
The subject matter of claim 4, in which said gear shift means includes a cylinder having at least one longitudinal slot, rotatably mounted to said frame and coupled to said last gear for rotation thereby; a first plurality of gears successively of increasing diameter in one direction rotatably mounted on said cylinder, said cylinder functioning as a journal, each of said gears including at least one cavity on its inner central opening surrounding the cylinder; a shaft parallel to and spaced from said cylinder rotatably mounted to the frame and including a second plurality of gears of increasing diameter in a direction opposite to said one direction secured to said shaft for rotation therewith and in meshing engagement respectively with said first plurality of gears; a plunger member slidably received in one end of said cylinder; and a clutch member rotatably mounted to the inner end of said plunger member and including at least one pin extending laterally through said slot in said cylinder so that by longitudinally moving said clutch member in said cylinder, said pin may selectively be received in one of said gear cavities to lock the gear to the cylinder for rotation therewith so that said shaft is positively rotated by the corresponding meshing thereon, said shaft including an end sprocket; and a chain connecting said end sprocket to said axuiliary drive sprocket on said rear wheel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
78 words
The subject matter of claim 5, in which said cylinder includes two diametrically opposite slots and said clutch member includes two diametrically opposite laterally extending pins passing through said slots respectively, each of said first plurality of gears including four cavities spaced at 90° so that no more than one quarter turn of any of the gears on the cylinder is necessary to position diametrically opposite cavities in line with the diametrically opposite slots for receiving said pins.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
55 words
The subject matter of claim 6, including a spring biasing said plunger into said cylinder and a flexible line connected to said plunger for manual operation by a bicycle rider to pull the plunger against the bias of the spring and thereby position said plunger and clutch member in accord with a desired gear ratio.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
The subject matter of claim 7, including handlebars on said frame, one of said handlebars being rotatably mounted, said flexible line connecting to said one handlebar such that twisting of the handlebar to rotate the same exerts a pull on said flexible line to shift gears.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-04-06 | 1979-10-06 | 1980-04-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-04-06 | 1983-10-06 | 1984-04-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-04-06 | 1987-10-06 | 1988-04-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |