Bicycle Rack With Pivoting Fork And Plastic Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bicycle floor racks are heavy, costly to produce due to metallic tubular elements, require complex assembly, and occupy significant space during storage and transport.
Innovation Solution
A bicycle rack with a plastic resting base and a pivoting fall arrester fork made from metallic tubular elements and a plastic connection beam, featuring reversible locking mechanisms to facilitate easy configuration changes for reduced space occupation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metallic tubular elements are used to construct the bicycle rack, then the rack achieves sufficient strength and stability, but the weight and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction by combining metallic tubular elements (for strength-critical components like the fork) with plastic materials (for the base and connection beams). This allows the rack to achieve sufficient structural strength where needed while reducing overall weight and cost through the use of lighter, cheaper plastic components for non-critical structural elements.
2Strength
If metallic tubular elements are bent and welded to form the rack structure, then the rack achieves the required structural integrity, but the manufacturing complexity and assembly labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rack is divided into separate modular components: a base, a fork, and connection beams, which are manufactured independently and then assembled. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized separately and simplifies assembly, as components can be connected through straightforward joining operations rather than complex welding of bent tubes.
Solution Approach 2:
By using plastic for the base and connection beams, the patent eliminates the need to bend and weld these components, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity. Only the metallic fork requires traditional metalworking operations, while the plastic parts can be produced through molding processes.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the rack is designed with a fixed L-shaped configuration, then the rack provides stable bicycle support, but the space occupation during storage and transport increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pivot connection between the fork and base, transforming the rack from a static fixed configuration to a dynamic adjustable structure. The fork can rotate between a horizontal position (for bicycle support) and a vertical position (for compact storage), allowing the rack to adapt its configuration based on operational or storage needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack serves multiple functions through its adjustable design: it provides stable bicycle support when the fork is in the horizontal position, and compact storage capability when the fork is rotated to the vertical position. This multi-functionality allows a single device to meet both operational and storage requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A bicycle floor rack (10), comprising - a resting base (11) with a positioning opening (12) for a wheel of a bicycle or the like, - a fall arrester fork (13), which is extended upward, in the active configuration, from the resting base (11), and is adapted to prevent the lateral fall of a wheel inserted therein. The bicycle floor rack (10) is characterized in that - the resting base (11) is made of plastic material, - the fork (13) is pivoted to the base and designed to be arranged either in an inactive configuration, lowered onto the resting base (11), or in an active configuration, rotated upward, reversible means for locking the fall arrester fork (13) in the active configuration being provided.