Lever assembly for positive lock adjustable seat post

• US 10,086,892 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fox Factory Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fox Factory Incorporated
• Inventors: Laird, Andrew, Calendrille, Jr., John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garft, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US15/593,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20170247072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 248161
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 1/08 Frames for saddles; Connections between saddle frames and seat pillars; Seat pillars attaching seat pillars to cycle frames B62K19/36
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 2001/085 Seat pillars having mechanisms to vary seat height, independently of the cycle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2201/08 Fluid springs
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 23/06 Levers
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 1/12 Arrangements for transmitting movement to or from the flexible member
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/04 Controlling members for hand actuation by pivoting movement, e.g. levers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20396 Hand operated

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a seat post assembly that is adjustable to an upper, intermediate, and lower seat post position using a locking member and a sleeve member coupled to an actuator for securing and releasing an inner tube with respect to an outer tube. The actuator may move the sleeve member to release the locking member from engagement with the outer tube to adjust the inner tube and thus the seat post assembly to the upper, intermediate, or lower seat post positions. The actuator and the sleeve may be biased into an initial position that urges the locking member into engagement with outer tube to lock the inner tube to the outer tube.

Claims

1. A lever assembly for shifting a suspension system between at least two positions, said lever assembly comprising:

a support member, said support member comprising an adjustably secured opening at a first distal end and a support structure at an opposite distal end;

a housing, said housing rotatably supporting a first lever and a second lever for manual operation by a user, said housing mountable directly to said support structure to orient said first lever and said second lever in a first orientation and inversely mountable to said support structure to orient said first lever and said second lever in a second orientation;

at least one cable coupled with the first lever and with a suspension system;

said first lever configured to rotate through a first angular distance to pull an amount of cable necessary to cause an adjustment to said suspension component; and

said second lever configured to rotate through only a portion of the first angular distance of said first lever, wherein a portion of said second lever overlaps a portion of said first lever, and wherein a force applied to said second lever in one direction causes the first lever to move in a same direction at a same time.