Bicycle Parking Structure With Hidden Post-Locking Sleeve
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing need for bicycle parking structures due to the rise in bicycle usage coincides with the removal of traditional meter posts, leading to a lack of secure parking solutions for bicycles, as municipalities replace traditional parking meters with ticket-dispensing machines, resulting in unused meter posts being removed at significant cost and disruption.
Innovation Solution
A bicycle parking structure is designed to be mounted on and affixed to vertical posts, utilizing a hidden and inaccessible locking mechanism that engages a tubular sleeve member with the post through-bore, providing secure attachment and protection against removal or severance, incorporating a security rod and cap lock member for enhanced security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional parking meters are replaced with ticket-dispensing machines, then parking management efficiency is improved, but meter posts are removed causing cost and disruption
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing and discarding the meter posts, the invention recovers and repurposes them as bicycle parking structures. The posts are retained in their original locations and transformed into functional bicycle parking stations, eliminating the costs and disruptions associated with removal while maintaining the improved parking management system.
Solution Approach 2:
The meter posts are transformed into multi-functional structures that serve both as structural support for the bicycle parking system and as anchored security points. The posts transition from a single function (parking meter support) to multiple functions (structural support, security anchor, and bicycle parking station base), maximizing resource utilization.
2Adaptability or versatility
If meter posts are removed, then obsolete infrastructure is eliminated, but secure bicycle parking solutions become unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The invention recovers the meter posts from obsolescence and transforms them into reliable bicycle parking structures. By retaining the existing anchored posts and adapting them for bicycle parking, the system ensures both infrastructure utilization and security reliability simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular sleeve member acts as an intermediary component that connects the bicycle parking structure to the existing meter post. This intermediary element adapts the old infrastructure to new uses while maintaining security, bridging the gap between obsolete infrastructure and modern bicycle parking requirements.
3Ease of operation
If a locking mechanism is made accessible for ease of use, then operational convenience is improved, but security against tampering decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is nested within the cap member, which itself is attached to the tubular sleeve member on the meter post. This nested arrangement allows the locking mechanism to be accessible for authorized users while being protected from tampering by the enclosing cap structure. The cap member serves as both a protective cover and an access interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap member serves as an intermediary between the user and the locking mechanism. It provides a controlled access point that allows legitimate operation while preventing direct access and tampering. The cap member mediates between security requirements and operational convenience.
Data Source
AI summary
A bicycle parking structure that is adapted to be mounted on and affixed to a vertical post wherein the mechanism for affixing the parking structure to the post includes a security rod that is hidden and inaccessible.