Independent pedaling system for tandem bicycles
US5964472A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 14, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 12, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 14, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB62K3/005
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A drive system for a tandem bicycle (10) to allow a captain or a stoker to pedal independently of one another. A unidirectional bearing, e.g., a freewheel assembly (24) is incorporated in a captain crank assembly (20), a stoker crank assembly (100), or both assemblies. In the preferred embodiment of the captain crank assembly, a first adapter plate (36) and a second adapter plate (38) attach the freewheel assembly to a chainring (34). In the preferred embodiment of the stoker crank assembly, a first adapter plate (102) and a second adapter plate (104) attach the freewheel assembly to four chainrings (114, 128, 130, 134). The captain crank assembly is coupled to the stoker crank assembly by a single chain (12), and the stoker crank assembly is coupled to a rear hub (18) of the bicycle by a single chain (14). When the freewheel assembly is incorporated in both the captain crank assembly and the stoker crank assembly, either rider may stop pedaling while the other rider continues to pedal forward.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.