Vertical Bicycle Storage Assembly with Nested Enclosures
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in providing efficient storage solutions for bicycles at rapid transit stations, where a large number of commuters need to securely store their bicycles to prevent theft and protect them from adverse weather conditions, while also addressing the issue of space constraints and the need for convenient access and security.
Innovation Solution
A vertically oriented bicycle storage assembly with a movable carriage that elevates bicycles to a storage position, featuring a support system that holds either the front or rear tire and wheel assembly, and includes clamping members to secure the bicycle, along with an enclosure that inhibits removal and minimizes space usage through nested designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If bicycles are stored in traditional ground-level facilities, then access and security are improved, but space utilization deteriorates due to limited available area at transit stations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from ground-level horizontal storage to vertical three-dimensional storage by elevating bicycles onto an elevated platform. This dimensional change allows the storage system to utilize vertical space rather than consuming valuable horizontal area at the transit station, thereby resolving the contradiction between access convenience and space utilization.
2Quantity of substance
If more storage facilities are added to accommodate increasing number of commuters, then storage capacity is improved, but space constraints worsen due to limited station area
Solution Approach 1:
By implementing vertical elevation storage, the system increases storage capacity along the vertical dimension rather than expanding horizontally. This allows a greater number of bicycles to be stored within the same station footprint, resolving the contradiction between storage quantity and available area.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system employs a nested configuration where multiple bicycles are arranged vertically stacked on the elevated platform. This nesting approach maximizes the use of vertical space, allowing multiple layers of bicycle storage within a compact volume, thereby increasing storage capacity without proportionally increasing the occupied area.
3Reliability
If bicycles are secured with traditional locking mechanisms, then theft prevention is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional locking components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the security function from separate locking mechanisms and integrates it directly into the elevated platform structure itself. The platform's design inherently prevents unauthorized access and bicycle removal, eliminating the need for additional complex locking components while maintaining reliable theft prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevated platform provides self-service security through its inherent design features that automatically prevent theft without requiring external locking mechanisms. The structure itself serves the security function by making bicycle removal difficult and unauthorized access impractical, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A bicycle storage assembly includes a vertically oriented track. A carriage is movable on the track from a loading position to a storage position, the storage position being elevated above the loading position. The carriage holds a tire and wheel assembly of the bicycle above the other in a storage, elevated position. In a first aspect the carriage comprising a pair of clamping members being devoid of any element that extends over an inside circumferential surface of a rim of the front or rear tire and wheel assembly in the storage position. A second aspect has nested enclosures to reduce storage space. A third aspect includes a movable member coupled to the carriage. The movable member inhibits removal of the bicycle in the storage position.