Title of Invention

REDUCEABLE BICYCLE

Abstract While reducing of length of normal bicycle, the conventional chain wheel has to be either shifted or eliminated using a new type of drive mechanism according to this invention. The Bottom bracket is provided with hinge pin to swing & come close to the rear wheel after separating itself from the down tube shifting the chain wheel along with it. The down tube hangs vertically from a T shaped hinge pin after it gets decoupled from bottom bracket on turning a threaded sleeve unscrewing from threaded stud attached to the bottom bracket. The entire front wheel assembly is pulled rearwardly sliding top tubes within sleeve at junction of the seat tube & seat stays & is turned around the T shaped hinge pin to bring it near to rear wheel. The maximum reduction of the length is thus achieved as chain wheel also shifted towards rear wheel and the down tube hangs just close to ,the rear wheel. By totally eliminating the chain wheel by new drive mechanism to power wheel. Two short pedal levers pulling ends of wire rope that go around to rotate a spindle of a pair of barrels on common axis, & the rotating barrels force the rear wheel transmitting power through an endless loop on the barrels & on a pair of free wheels on the hub of rear wheel. The height reduction is due to handlebars that slide down within respective sleeves hinged on crown of fork & by pushing down the seat port. Pedals also slide within a short bush on free end of crank.
Full Text

This invention delates to a conventional bicycle capable of reducing its length and height to the least possible extent, which is just 2 to 4 inches longer than that diameter of the wheels used.
All the available patent specifications including US patent specification numbers (4,448, 437/5, 590895/5,836,602/6,032,971) are various inventions relating to bicycles with unique frames capable of reducing the bicycle to considerable extent on folding, but not to the least possible extent as stated above. Even after complete folding, the reduction of length or height still remains to be more than 1.5 times the diameter of the wheels used and such insufficient reductions are very much in convenient for handling the folded bi cycle. If the chain wheel is shifted closer to the rear wheel as shown in this invention, the reduction in the length will be very significant and extremely convenient to handle the bicycle especially when it is not in its usual usage and an entirely new drive mechanism according to this invention is an alternative choice for the conventional chain wheel drive system to enable to achieve the least possible reduction, the aim of this invention being the same. To reduce the a bicycle to the least possible extent this invention has made the conventional down tube to delink from the bottom bracket on turning a threaded sleeve, disengaging itself with corresponding threaded portion introduced on the bottom bracket, the coupling the down tube from the bottom bracket The decoupled down tube hangs freely from a hinge pin held by the front link, a short extension of the head tube, the hinge pin being inverted T shaped. The vertical part of the T shaped hinge pin held by the top tube is for the said front link to turn. The length reduction take place by following steps:-
An internally threaded sleeve freely movable on the down tube is turned manually to disengage from corresponding threaded stud attached to the bottom bracket and the down tube de couples from the bottom bracket to freely hang on the horizontal arm of T shaped hinge pin held by the top tube at its front end, on the vertical arm of the said hinge pin turned the head tube with its short extension called front link. The entire bottom bracket assembly turned around a hinge pin which is parallel to the rear wheel axis, on decoupling from the down tube, coming closer to the rear wheel, creating enough room for the entire front wheel assembly to move rearward on gentle push on the top tube to slide it with in sleeves held firmly at top junction of seat stays and seat tube which is even extended little beyond to act as conventional carrier. Both the wheels come close to each other when the top tube is pushed rearward, the freely hanging down tube being in between them and front link is turned manually to bring entire front wheel assembly to be by the side of rear wheel to complete the reduction of the length of the bicycle to the least possible extent because the chain wheel also now occupy a very close position to the rear wheel
The height reduction also gradual according to this invention is as follows:-The handle bars and the seat are the two components that occupy higher position
Two separate handlebars are moving down or up turn around within a sleeve fulcrumed at the crown of the fork. While reducing the height of bicycle each handlebar move down gradually and turn around its longitudinal axis and when they move upward. Till a stopper at their bottom the two handlebars is wide enough for the rider to hold it in the conventional way, A detachable cross-link is provided to maintain the said distance between the handlebars.
The other component that is normally at high level in a bicycle is the seat, which is made to lower itself gradually, by this invention, by providing number of spring loaded stoppers on the seat post, each at an interval of two centimeters, act as stopper for the seat post which otherwise can freely come down. By manually pressing the said stopper one by one and at the same time pressing the seat downward to reduce the height of the seat, while on the reverse direction it could simply lifted up, the spring loaded stoppers coming out one by one till the desired height is set.

Alternate to above, the seat post is with number of holes at one inch intervals and a spring loaded pin at top of seat tube is set to enter in to a desired hole to have desired height. The width reduction takes place when the side ways projecting components of the bicycle that is the pedals are made to slide inward according to the invention. The conventional crank is provided with a bush at its free end instead of its pedal axle and an anchor shaped pedal whose stem spins within the said bush when the bicycle is used and the stem moves linearly within the same said bush in order to reduce the width of the bicycle when it is not in use,
This invention is described with reference to the accompanying sketches and Fig. A is schematic view of the reducing bicycle according to this invention showing the various modifications of its conventional frame, showing with the conventional wheels:Fig.B, Fig C, Fig E show partially reduced bicycle. Fig D is indicative sketch of a drive mechanism replacing the conventional chain wheel drive mechanism. Fig F shows completely reduced bicycle according to this invention.
The top tubes 2 of a conventional frame of bicycle is made movable rearward within the respective sleeves 3 which are rigidly attached to seat tube 4 and seat stays 5a. The down tube 5 being hinged to short arms of an inverted T - shaped hinge pin 6, swings on the hinge axis denoted a-a', freely hangs vertically after it is separated from the bottom bracket 12 on turning the internally threaded sleeve 40 unscrewing from the threaded stud 41 attached to bottom bracket 12 which also then hangs freely from a hinge pin 9 located at the junction7 of seat tube 4 and chain stays 8.when the top tubes 2 fully slide rearward, bring the entire front wheel assembly 10 close to the rearwheel assembly 11, the downtube 5 and bottom bracket 12 now being in between the front and rearwheel assemblies, freely hanging on respective hinge pins 6and 9, Next the frontwheel assembly 10 is turned around the vertical arm of said T-shaped hinge pin 6 to position it next to the rearwheel assembly 11 completing the reduction of length of the bicycle, this length being the length of the diameter of the wheels and a part of the diameter of the chainwheel 23 which is generally about 4 inches as the other part of the chainwheel is now within the area of rearwheel assembly 11. This can be visualise in Fig B. and this is final length on maximum reduction.
The handlebars 13 move downward in their respective sleeves 14 which are fulcrumed at 15 on the crown of the at the crown of the fork 16. the handlebars 13 when move to


The pedals 19 of this invention are shaped like anchor the stem 20 remains in the bush 21 revolves within it for its normal action while the bicycle is used and moves inward by simply pushing in and reduces the width of the bicycle when it is not in use. The said bush 21 is located at the free-end of the conventional cranks 22 with the conventional chain wheel 23
An important addition to the conventional frame of the bicycle according to this invention is the extension 24 to the conventional head tube 25 such that the said hinge pin 6 is held by it at a little distance from the headtube 25 to have sufficient length for the front wheel assembly 10 to be beside the rear wheel assembly 11 while the folding operation takes place.
The drive mechanism of the reduceable bicycle according to this invention can be conventional one comprising of chain wheel pedal cranks chain and the free wheel on the hub. An alternative drive mechanism instead of the above conventional drive is comprising a pair of longitudinal barrels (30, 31) as shown in the Fig:D positioned just above the rear wheel rotate on common axis X -X* in mutually opposite directions since a wire loop 32 run over the said barrels (30, 31) and on a pair of freewheels (33, 34) on either side of the wheel whose axle is denoted by 35. The barrel 30 has extension 36 on which another wire rope 37 wind, the ends being clamped each to a lever (38, 39) such that they pull the ends of the wire rope 37 alternately effecting rotation of the barrel 30, forcing the freewheels (33,34) to rotate through the loop 32 The down tube is provided with a sleeve 40 having internal threading to couple with threaded stud 41 at the junction 7. The seatpost design clearly described in earlier paragraphs is not shown 1 the sketches.









I CLAIM:-
1. A Reducing bicycle comprising:
a frontwheel fork with pair of tilting sleeves 14 on common hinge 15 at the crown, each supporting a slidable Handlebar 13 a crosslink 18 firmly keeping the handlebars with short extension of the headtube 25 called frontlink 24 rotatable mounted on longer arms of a T -shaped hingepin 6.
a pair of toptubes 2 slidably supported by rigid sleeves 3 holding said T-shaped hingepin 6 at their front-end.
a down tube 5 hinged to short arms of the T-shaped hingepin 6 with an internally threaded coupler sleeve 40 with hingepin 9.
a bottom bracket 12 hinged at junction 7 of seat-stays and seattube having a threaded stud 41 holding cranks 22 whose freeends provided with short bush 22 which rotatably hold shank 20 of an anchor shaped pedal 19.
a drive mechanism consisting of Bottom Bracket 12 hinged at junction 7 cf Seat-Stays and Seat-Tubes having a threaded stud 41 holding cranks 22 whose free-ends having a short bush 22 which rotatably hold shank 20 of anchor shaped pedal 19
2. a reducing bicycle as in claim-1 with drive mechanism consist of two barrels 30,31 rotated
on common axis X X* by an endless wire loop 32 winding on said barrels 30,31 and on
freewheels 33,34 , a pair of pedal levers 38;39 each pulling an erld of wire rope 37 that wind
around extended spindle 36 of the barrel 30 and the threaded stud 41 at the junction 7.
3. a reducing bicycle as in claim 1 and claim 2, the hinged downtube 5 being provided with
a short cylindrical projection 42 enterable into a short hollow 43 in the threaded stud 41.


Documents:

494-che-2003 abstract.pdf

494-che-2003-claims.pdf

494-che-2003-correspondnece-others.pdf

494-che-2003-correspondnece-po.pdf

494-che-2003-description(complete).pdf

494-che-2003-drawings.pdf

494-che-2003-form 1.pdf

494-che-2003-form 19.pdf


Patent Number 194794
Indian Patent Application Number 494/CHE/2003
PG Journal Number 30/2009
Publication Date 24-Jul-2009
Grant Date 05-Jan-2006
Date of Filing 17-Jun-2003
Name of Patentee SHRI.RAMANATHAN BALASUBRAMANIAN
Applicant Address DOOR NO.2, KALAIWANAR CROSS ROAD, ORAGADAM,AMBATTUR, CHENNAI-600 053
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 RAMANATHAN BALASUBRAMANIAN DOOR NO.2, KALAIWANAR CROSS ROAD, ORAGADAM,AMBATTUR, CHENNAI-600 053
PCT International Classification Number B62K15/00
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 NA