Saddle Cover

Abstract

To fix a cover body to saddle rails in a manner that prevents displacement of the cover body and secure exposed areas of the saddle rails.SOLUTION: A saddle cover A includes: a cover body 1 which covers a front surface of a saddle S and part of a rear surface on which saddle rails R are provided in a protruding manner; an opening peripheral edge part 2 provided at the bottom surface side of the cover body 1 so as to cover the rear surface of the saddle S partially; and multiple protruding pieces 3 which are provided protruding from one part of the opening peripheral edge part 2 to the other part. The multiple protruding pieces 3 enter a rail rear space Rs formed between the rear surface of the saddle S and the saddle rails R, are detachably fastened to the other part of the opening peripheral edge part 2, and have engagement edges 3L which make pressure contact with the saddle rails R in a travel direction and a width direction of the saddle S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a saddle cover used to cover a saddle of a bicycle, including a sports bicycle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, this type of saddle cover has a pair of fastening straps with Velcro fasteners that are arranged facing each other at approximately the center of the annular bag portion of the cover body to fasten the cover body to the saddle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The peripheral edge of the opening of the cover body is formed by folding back the peripheral edge of the cover body and sewing it together to form an annular bag portion, and an elastic member is disposed within the annular bag portion so that the peripheral edge of the opening is constantly contracted. When using the saddle cover, the annular bag portion formed on the periphery of the opening of the cover body is placed over the saddle, and then the cover body is fixed to the saddle by the fastening band. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-54982 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Among bicycles, sports bikes such as road bikes, cross bikes, and mountain bikes are lightweight and easier to pedal than general city bikes, making them suitable for high-speed and long-distance riding. For this reason, saddle covers used on sports bikes in particular are required to be able to stay in place relative to the saddle. However, in Patent Document 1, the opening side of the cover body, which is covered along the outer surface of the saddle, is fastened and fixed with a locking band to prevent it from spreading, so that misalignment is likely to occur between the buttocks and the seating surface of the saddle as the rider shifts his or her weight. To explain in detail, since Patent Document 1 has a structure in which the cover body simply encases the entire saddle from the outside, when weight is shifted in the width direction intersecting the forward direction by pedaling, the cover body fastened by the fastening belt shifts in position overall in the width direction relative to the seat surface of the saddle. Also, when weight is shifted in the forward direction by sudden braking, the cover body fastened by the fastening belt shifts in position overall in the forward direction relative to the seat surface of the saddle. Such misalignment of the saddle in the width direction or direction of travel relative to the seat surface causes the rider to lose their posture, making it difficult to pedal efficiently or brake suddenly, resulting in pain in the buttocks and making it difficult to achieve stable high-speed or long-distance riding. Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, when the opening side of the cover body is tightened and fixed with the locking band, most of the bottom surface of the saddle is covered except for the seat post, so the saddle rails protruding from the bottom surface of the saddle are not exposed, making it difficult to attach bicycle accessories such as saddle bags, tail lights, and reflectors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve such problems, the saddle cover of the present invention comprises a cover body covering the surface of the saddle and a portion of the back surface from which the saddle rails are protruding, an opening peripheral portion provided on the bottom side of the cover body so as to partially cover the back surface of the saddle, and a plurality of protruding pieces protruding from a portion of the opening peripheral portion toward another portion, the plurality of protruding pieces entering the back space of the rail formed between the back surface of the saddle and the saddle rail, being removably attached to the other portion of the opening peripheral portion, and having a plurality of engaging edges that press against the saddle rail in the direction of travel and width of the saddle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1]1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing the overall configuration of a saddle cover according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a bottom view of the saddle cover when it is covered, and (b) is a side view of the same. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] This is a bottom view of the saddle cover only, showing the multiple protruding pieces in an open state. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a bottom view of only the saddle cover with multiple protruding pieces closed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. A saddle cover A according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, is a saddle cover that is detachably fitted to and covers a saddle S of a bicycle, including a sports bicycle (sports bike) or the like. The saddle S is composed of a front surface S1 with which the rider's buttocks come into contact, and a back surface S2 from which saddle rails R are protruding. The saddle rails R are arranged in a pair in the width direction intersecting the travel direction so as to protrude from the back surface S2 of the saddle S in the thickness direction of the saddle S and extend approximately parallel to the travel direction of the saddle S. Therefore, a rail back space Rs is formed between the back surface S2 of the saddle S and the saddle rail R. A rail gap Ra is formed between the pair of saddle rails R, which opens in the width direction and communicates with the rail back space Rs, and a pair of rail openings Rb are formed in each of the pair of saddle rails R, which open in the width direction and communicate with the rail back space Rs. The shape of the saddle rail R has a horizontal shaft portion R1 in the middle of its longitudinal direction and an inclined shaft portion R2 formed on both longitudinal sides of the horizontal shaft portion R1. The horizontal shaft portion R1 is formed approximately parallel to the back surface S2 of the saddle S, and the seat post P is connected via a saddle clamp (yoke) C. The horizontal shaft portion R1 on the rear side in the direction of travel from the mounting position of the saddle clamp C and the inclined shaft portion R2 on the rear side are effectively used as spaces for mounting bicycle accessories B such as saddlebags, tail lights (rear lights), reflectors, mounts for cameras, bottle cases, etc. In the illustrated example, a saddlebag is attached as the bicycle accessory B. As a specific example of the saddle S, the illustrated example shows a lightweight saddle S for a sports bike in which only a pair of saddle rails R are protruded from the rear surface S2.

[0008] To explain in more detail, the saddle cover A of an embodiment of the present invention has as its main components a cover body 1 arranged to cover a portion of the front surface S1 and back surface S2 of the saddle S, an opening peripheral portion 2 arranged on the bottom side of the cover body 1 so as to partially cover the back surface S2 of the saddle S, and a plurality of protruding pieces 3 arranged to protrude from a portion of the opening peripheral portion 2 toward another portion. The cover body 1 is made of a sheet material that is deformable, has a predetermined stretchability, and is excellent in breathability and durability, and is formed to conform to the outer shape of the saddle S so as to cover at least the surface S1. The cover body 1 has a seating surface 1a formed on its flat surface along the surface S1 of the saddle S. A cushioning portion 1b shaped to fit the rider's buttocks is formed unevenly on the seating surface 1a of the cover body 1. The cushioning portion 1b is made of a cushioning material (not shown) with appropriate resilience. An inner surface 1c of the seating surface 1a of the cover body 1 that faces the surface S1 of the saddle S in the thickness direction is made of an anti-slip material that has a large frictional resistance with the surface S1 of the saddle S. Furthermore, the cover body 1 has an opening 1d on the bottom side thereof.

[0009] The opening peripheral portion 2 of the cover body 1 is formed in a deformable ring shape around the opening 1d and facing the outer periphery of the back surface S2 of the saddle S in the thickness direction. The opening peripheral portion 2 is preferably divided into a plurality of covering portions in the circumferential direction, each of which partially covers the outer periphery of the back surface S2 of the saddle S. 1 to 4 as specific examples of the opening peripheral portion 2, the opening peripheral portion 2 is divided into four parts, left and right in the width direction and front and rear in the traveling direction, to form four covering portions. To explain in detail, the opening peripheral portion 2 (plurality of covering portions) has a one-side covering portion 21 facing one side portion in the width direction of the back surface S2 of the saddle S in the thickness direction, an other-side covering portion 22 facing the other side portion in the width direction of the back surface S2, a tip covering portion 23 facing the front side portion in the traveling direction of the back surface S2, and an end covering portion 24 facing the rear side portion in the traveling direction of the back surface S2. That is, the opening 1d of the cover body 1 is formed in the central portion surrounded by the multiple covering parts (one side covering part 21, the other side covering part 22, the tip covering part 23, and the end covering part 24) and is smaller than the size of the saddle S. For this reason, when the cover body 1 is attached to the saddle S, the opening 1d is expanded by deforming one or more of the multiple covering parts (the one side covering part 21, the other side covering part 22, the tip covering part 23, and the end covering part 24), so that the saddle S can be inserted from the opening 1d.

[0010] The one-side covering portion 21 is formed in a planar shape at one widthwise side portion of the opening peripheral portion 2 toward one of the pair of rail openings Rb. The other-side covering portion 22 is formed in a planar shape toward the other widthwise side portion of the opening peripheral portion 2 with the other of the pair of rail openings Rb facing it. The tip covering portion 23 is formed in a planar shape with the rail gap Ra facing the front portion of the opening peripheral portion 2 in the traveling direction. The end covering portion 24 is formed in a planar shape with the pair of saddle rails R and rail gap Ra facing the side portion of the opening peripheral portion 2 in the traveling direction. Furthermore, the edge (front edge) 21a of the one-side covering part 21 on the front side in the traveling direction is continuous with the edge (rear edge) 23a on the rear side in the traveling direction of the tip covering part 23, as shown in Fig. 3. The rear edge 21b of the one-side covering part 21 is continuous with the front edge 24a of the terminal covering part 24, as shown in Figs. 1(a) and 3. The front edge 22a of the other-side covering part 22 is continuous with the edge (rear edge) 23a on the rear side in the traveling direction of the tip covering part 23, as shown in Fig. 3. The rear edge 22b of the other-side covering part 22 is continuous with the front edge 24a of the terminal covering part 24, as shown in Figs. 1(a) and 3.

[0011] The multiple protruding pieces 3 are formed to protrude partially from one part of the multiple covering parts (one side covering part 21, other side covering part 22, tip covering part 23, end covering part 24) that form the opening peripheral part 2 toward the other parts, and are positioned so that they can be opened and closed freely by deformation of the multiple protruding pieces 3. The multiple protruding pieces 3 are disposed so as to enter the rail back space Rs and to be detachably attached to other parts of the opening peripheral portion 2 or to different multiple protruding pieces 3. 1 to 4 show specific examples of the multiple protruding pieces 3, in which three of the four covering parts (one-side covering part 21, the other-side covering part 22, and the tip covering part 23) are formed with three protruding pieces 3. That is, the multiple protruding pieces 3 include a one-side protruding piece 31 formed continuously with the one-side covering part 21, an other-side protruding piece 32 formed continuously with the other-side covering part 22, and a tip-side protruding piece 33 formed continuously with the tip covering part 23. In the illustrated example, the one-side protruding piece 31 of the one-side covering part 21 and the other-side protruding piece 32 of the other-side covering part 22 are each detachably fastened to the distal covering part 24 with a fastener. The distal protruding piece 33 of the distal covering part 23 is detachably fastened to the one-side covering part 21 and the other-side covering part 22 and the one-side protruding piece 31 and the other-side protruding piece 32 with a fastener. As another example (not shown), it is also possible to modify the configuration so that two protruding pieces 3 protrude from the end covering portion 24 toward the one side covering portion 21 and the other side covering portion 22 in the opposite direction to the illustrated example, and can be removably attached to the one side covering portion 21 and the other side covering portion 22 with fasteners, respectively.

[0012] The one-side protruding piece 31 in the illustrated example is formed to protrude from the one-side covering part 21 through one of the pair of rail openings Rb into the rail back space Rs toward the end covering part 24. A one-side fastening surface 31a is continuously formed at the protruding end of the one-side protruding piece 31, which passes through the rail gap Ra and faces the end covering part 24 in the thickness direction. The other-side protruding piece 32 is formed to protrude from the other-side covering part 22 through the other of the pair of rail openings Rb into the rail back space Rs toward the end covering part 24. The protruding end of the other-side protruding piece 32 is continuously formed with an other-side fastening surface 32a that faces the end covering part 24 in the thickness direction through the rail gap Ra. As a result, the one-side protruding piece 31 and the other-side protruding piece 32 overlap in the thickness direction at the rail gap Ra, generating frictional resistance between them. The tip side protruding piece 33 passes through the rail gap Ra from the tip covering part 23 into the rail back space Rs and is formed to protrude toward the one side covering part 21 and the other side covering part 22 and the one side protruding piece 31 and the other side protruding piece 32. A tip side fastening surface 33a that faces the one side covering part 21 and the other side covering part 22 and the one side protruding piece 31 and the other side protruding piece 32 arranged in the rail back space Rs is continuously formed at the protruding end of the tip side protruding piece 33. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the size of the tip end fastening surface 33a is set larger than the width dimension of the rail gap Ra, thereby ensuring a wide joining area for the one side protruding piece 31 and the other side protruding piece 32.

[0013] The one-side fastening surface 31a and the other-side fastening surface 32a are provided on the opposing surfaces of the end covering portion 24 with one-side fastener 31b and other-side fastener 32b as fasteners. A tip side fastening surface 33a is provided on an opposing surface of the one side covering portion 21, the one side protruding piece 31, the other side covering portion 22, and the other side protruding piece 32, with a tip side fastener 33b. The one-side fastener 31b, the other-side fastener 32b, and the tip-side fastener 33b are composed of one or a combination of a surface fastener such as a magic tape (registered trademark), a Velcro (registered trademark) fastener, or a hook-and-loop fastener, a point fastener such as a snap button, or a linear fastener such as a slide fastener. In the cases shown in Figs. 1 to 4 as specific examples of one-side fastener 31b, other-side fastener 32b, and tip-end fastener 33b, only planar fasteners are used.

[0014] Furthermore, the multiple protruding pieces 3 have multiple locking edges 3L that come into pressure contact with the pair of saddle rails R in the travel direction and width direction when the cover body 1 is attached to the saddle S. In the case shown in Figures 1 to 4 as a specific example of multiple locking edges 3L, all of the three protruding pieces 3 (one side protruding piece 31, the other side protruding piece 32, and the tip side protruding piece 33) are engaged with the inclined shaft portion R2 of a pair of saddle rails R so that they cannot be misaligned in the travel direction or width direction by partially pressing each locking edge 3L against the inclined shaft portion R2. In the illustrated example, a first locking edge 31L is formed near its protruding end (one-side fastening surface 31a) which engages with one of the rear inclined shaft portions R2 by pressing against it in the forward and width directions when the cover body 1 is attached to the saddle S. The other-side protruding piece 32 has a second locking edge 32L formed near its protruding end (other-side fastening surface 32a) which engages with the other side of the rear inclined shaft portion R2 by pressing against it in the forward and width directions when the cover body 1 is attached to the saddle S. By forming the width dimension of the entire or part of the tip-side protruding piece 33 to be equal to or wider than the rail gap Ra, a third engaging edge 33L is formed which, when the cover body 1 is attached to the saddle S, is pressed against and engages with both of the front inclined shaft portions R2 in the forward and width directions.

[0015] Next, a method for attaching the cover body 1 to the saddle S will be described. First, with all of the multiple protruding pieces 3 (one-side protruding piece 31, other-side protruding piece 32, tip-side protruding piece 33) shown in Figure 3 open, the opening 1d expands due to deformation of the multiple covering parts (one-side covering part 21, other-side covering part 22, tip covering part 23, end covering part 24), and the saddle S is inserted. Following this, the multiple protruding pieces 3 (one-side protruding piece 31, other-side protruding piece 32, tip-side protruding piece 33) protruding from a part of the opening peripheral portion 2 are deformed in sequence, and as shown in Figures 1(a) and 4, each protruding end (one-side fastening surface 31a, other-side fastening surface 32a, tip-side fastening surface 33a) is removably fastened to another part of the opening peripheral portion 2 or to any of the different multiple protruding pieces 3, thereby closing the opening. In the illustrated example, two protruding pieces 3 (one-side protruding piece 31, the other-side protruding piece 32) arranged at laterally opposing positions in the width direction of the opening peripheral portion 2 are sequentially deformed and inserted into a pair of rail openings Rb into the rail back space Rs. Then, the two protruding ends (one-side fastening surface 31a, the other-side fastening surface 32a) are detachably joined and fastened to the covering portion (terminal covering portion 24) at the rear portion in the traveling direction. After that, the remaining protruding end (tip-side fastening surface 33a) is detachably joined and fastened to the different protruding pieces 3 (one-side protruding piece 31, the other-side protruding piece 32). As a result, the first locking edge 31L of the one-side protruding piece 31 and the second locking edge 32L of the other-side protruding piece 32 are pressed against and engaged with the rear inclined shaft portion R2 of the pair of saddle rails R in the travel direction and width direction, and are positioned. At the same time, the third locking edge 33L of the tip-side protruding piece 33 is pressed against and engaged with the front inclined shaft portion R2 of the pair of saddle rails R in the travel direction and width direction, and are positioned.

[0016] According to the saddle cover A of this embodiment of the present invention, with the cover body 1 covering a portion of the front surface S1 and the back surface S2 of the saddle S, a plurality of protruding pieces 3 protruding from a portion of the opening peripheral portion 2 enter the back space Rs of the rail and are removably attached to the other portion of the opening peripheral portion 2. At the same time, the locking edges 3L of the multiple protruding pieces 3 are pressed against the saddle rail R in the travel direction and width direction, thereby positioning the multiple protruding pieces 3 so that they cannot move in the travel direction and width direction via the multiple locking edges 3L. Furthermore, at least the rail portions of the saddle rail R where the plurality of protruding pieces 3 enter the rail back space Rs are not covered by the plurality of protruding pieces 3 and are exposed. Therefore, the cover body 1 can be fixed to the saddle rail R so that it cannot be displaced, and an exposed area of ​​the saddle rail R can be secured. As a result, compared to conventional structures in which the cover body completely encases the saddle from the outside, when weight is shifted widthwise during pedaling or when weight is shifted forward during sudden braking, the cover body 1 does not shift widthwise or forward relative to the saddle S. This prevents the rider from losing his or her posture, ensures efficient pedaling and sudden braking, and allows for stable high-speed and long-distance riding without causing pain in the buttocks. Furthermore, compared to conventional cover covers in which most of the bottom surface of the saddle is covered except for the seat post when the opening side of the cover body is fastened and fixed with the fastening band, the saddle rail R is fully exposed in areas other than the attachment point of the seat post P, making it possible to attach bicycle accessories B such as saddle bags, tail lights (rear lights), reflectors, and mounts for cameras and bottle cases, etc., providing excellent convenience.

[0017] In particular, it is preferable that the saddle rails R are arranged in a pair in the width direction, with a rail gap Ra formed between the pair of saddle rails R, and that the multiple protruding pieces 3 are arranged so as to pass through the rail gap Ra into the rail back space Rs and press the multiple engaging edges 3L against the pair of saddle rails R in the width direction. In this case, the multiple protruding pieces 3 pass through the rail gap Ra and enter the rail back space Rs, causing the multiple engaging edges 3L to press against the pair of saddle rails R in the width direction, thereby more firmly positioning the cover body 1 so that it cannot move in the width direction. Therefore, the function of preventing the cover body 1 from shifting in the width direction relative to the saddle rail R can be improved with a simple structure. As a result, the lightweight structure can more reliably prevent the cover body 1 from shifting in position in the width direction when weight is shifted in the width direction during pedaling.

[0018] Furthermore, the multiple protruding pieces 3 include a one-side protruding piece 31 that protrudes from one widthwise side portion (one-side covering portion 21) of the opening peripheral portion 2 toward or in the opposite direction to the rear portion (terminal covering portion 24) of the opening peripheral portion 2 in the traveling direction, and an other-side protruding piece 32 that protrudes from the other widthwise side portion (other-side covering portion 22) of the opening peripheral portion 2 toward or in the opposite direction to the rear portion (terminal covering portion 24) of the opening peripheral portion 2 in the traveling direction, and it is preferable that the one-side protruding piece 31 and the other-side protruding piece 32 are arranged so that they enter the rail back space Rs through a pair of rail openings Rb that open in the width direction of a pair of saddle rails R. In this case, even when the saddle S is attached and fixed with the seat post P connected to the saddle rail R via the saddle clamp C, the one-side protruding piece 31 and the other-side protruding piece 32 pass through a pair of rail openings Rb and enter the rail back space Rs and are secured therein. Therefore, the cover body 1 can be fixed to the saddle S in the attached and fixed state so as to cover the saddle S in a manner that prevents the cover body 1 from shifting in position in the width direction. As a result, the saddle clamp C and the seat post P do not get in the way even when the saddle S is in the attached and fixed state, so that the covering and removal operations of the cover body 1 are easy and convenient.

[0019] In addition, the multiple protruding pieces 3 have a tip side protruding piece 33 that protrudes from the front portion (tip covering portion 23) of the opening peripheral portion 2 in the traveling direction toward the one side protruding piece 31 and the other side protruding piece 32, and it is preferable that the tip side protruding piece 33 is arranged so as to pass through the rail gap Ra and enter the rail back space Rs. In this case, even when the saddle S is attached and fixed with the seat post P connected to the saddle rail R via the saddle clamp C, the tip end protruding piece 33 passes through the rail gap Ra and enters the rail back space Rs and is secured therein. Therefore, the cover body 1 can be fixed to the saddle S in the attached and fixed state so as to prevent the cover body 1 from shifting in position in the travel direction. As a result, the saddle clamp C and the seat post P do not get in the way even when the saddle S is in the attached and fixed state, so that the covering and removal operations of the cover body 1 are easy and convenient.

[0020] In the illustrated example of the above embodiment, a lightweight saddle S for a sports bike is shown in which only a pair of saddle rails R protrude from the rear surface S2 of the saddle S, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a general saddle for a city bike may also be used as long as it has a pair of saddle rails R. In this case, too, the same effects and advantages as those of the above embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, the opening peripheral portion 2 is divided into four parts left and right in the width direction and front and rear in the traveling direction to form four covering portions, but this is not limited to this, and the opening peripheral portion 2 may be divided into two, three, or five or more parts to form two, three, five or more covering portions, and the shape of each covering portion may be changed to a shape other than that of the illustrated example. In addition, although three protruding pieces 3 are formed on three of the four covering parts, this is not limited to this, and two, four or more protruding pieces 3 may be formed, and the shape of each protruding piece 3 may be changed to a shape other than that shown in the illustrated example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0021] A Saddle cover 1 Cover body 2 Opening peripheral portion 21 Width direction one side portion (one side covering portion) 22 other side portion in width direction (other side covering portion) 23 forward side portion in travel direction (tip covering portion) 24 Rear part in the direction of travel (terminal covering part) 3 Protruding piece 31 One side protruding piece 32 Other side protruding piece 33 Tip side protruding piece 3L locking edge S saddle S1 surface S2 Back R Saddle rail Ra Rail gap Rs Space behind the rail Rb Rail opening

Claims

[Claim 1] A cover body that covers a surface of the saddle and a part of a back surface on which the saddle rail is protruding; an opening periphery provided on a bottom surface side of the cover body so as to partially cover the back surface of the saddle; a plurality of protruding pieces protruding from one part of the opening peripheral portion toward another part, the plurality of protruding pieces are inserted into a rail back space formed between the back surface of the saddle and the saddle rail, are detachably fastened to the other portion of the opening peripheral portion, and have a plurality of engaging edges that are in pressure contact with the saddle rail in the travel direction and width direction of the saddle, The saddle rails are arranged in a pair in the width direction, and have a rail gap formed between the pair of saddle rails, At least one of the plurality of protruding pieces is disposed so as to pass through the rail gap and enter the rail back space, and the plurality of engaging edges are disposed so as to be in pressure contact with the pair of saddle rails in the width direction, The plurality of protruding pieces include a one-side protruding piece formed to protrude from one widthwise side portion of the opening peripheral portion toward a rear portion of the opening peripheral portion in the traveling direction or in the opposite direction, and an other-side protruding piece formed to protrude from the other widthwise side portion of the opening peripheral portion toward the rear portion of the opening peripheral portion in the traveling direction or in the opposite direction, and the one-side protruding piece and the other-side protruding piece are arranged to enter the rail back space through a pair of rail openings that open in the width direction of the pair of saddle rails, The plurality of protruding pieces have a tip-side protruding piece that protrudes from the front portion of the opening peripheral portion in the direction of travel toward the one-side protruding piece and the other-side protruding piece, and the tip-side protruding piece is positioned so as to pass through the rail gap and enter the space behind the rail.

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