METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR RELEASABLY SUPPORTING A VEHICLE WHEEL ASSEMBLY
First Claim
1. An axle for removably retaining a wheel on a vehicle, said axle comprising:
- a rotary-type connector at a first end thereof;
a cam assembly operatively connected to the second end, said cam assembly including a cam having an axis of rotation;
a lever operatively connected to a second end of said axle, said lever being rotatable about an axis substantially parallel said axis of rotation of said cam, between an open position in which said axle is removable from and mountable on said vehicle and a closed position in which said axle is retained on said vehicle;
and a lever stop ensuring that an angle of maximum rotation for said lever from said closed position is less than 180 degrees.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An axle for removably retaining a wheel on a vehicle. The axle comprises a rotary-type connector at a first end thereof; a cam assembly operatively connected to the second end, the cam assembly including a cam having an axis of rotation; a lever operatively connected to a second end of the axle, said lever being rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the cam, between an open position in which the axle is removable from and mountable on the vehicle and a closed position in which the axle is retained on the vehicle; and a cam assembly operatively connected to the second end; and a lever stop ensuring that an angle of maximum rotation for the lever from the closed position is less than 180 degrees
18 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An axle for removably retaining a wheel on a vehicle, said axle comprising:
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a rotary-type connector at a first end thereof; a cam assembly operatively connected to the second end, said cam assembly including a cam having an axis of rotation; a lever operatively connected to a second end of said axle, said lever being rotatable about an axis substantially parallel said axis of rotation of said cam, between an open position in which said axle is removable from and mountable on said vehicle and a closed position in which said axle is retained on said vehicle; and a lever stop ensuring that an angle of maximum rotation for said lever from said closed position is less than 180 degrees. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A tension adjustment system for adjusting tension in an axle of a vehicle, said tension adjustment system comprising:
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a component part of said vehicle comprising an axle nut receiving portion; and an axle nut, wherein said axle nut includes an index contour surface and said axle nut receiving portion includes a mating contour surface whereby an inter-engaged index contour surface an mating contour surface maintain said axle nut and said receiving portion in a relative rotational orientation; and a positional retainer engaged between said receiving portion and said axle nut and restricting axial movement of said axle nut within said receiving portion, whereby upon moving said positional retainer said axle nut may be at least partly withdrawn from said component part, rotated to a different rotational position of a plurality of predefined rotational positions, and re-inserted into said component part, whereby re-insertion into said component part facilitates tension adjustment in said axle. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for installing an axle in a fork, said method comprising:
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inserting an axle through a first fork leg and then into a second fork leg; inserting an axle nut into said second fork leg; engaging a thread of said axle with a mating thread of said axle nut; making said thread up into said mating thread until a flange of said axle nut is proximate a surface of said first fork leg; determining a distance between an orientation of a lever of said axle at make up and a desired orientation of said lever; reading an axle nut position indicator and determining an indicator increment adjustment required for adjustment of said lever to a desired orientation; removing said axle from said axle nut; adjusting an orientation of said axle nut based on a determined indicator increment; replacing said axle nut within said second fork leg; and fixing said axle nut within said second fork leg. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A method of fabricating an axle fork assembly comprising:
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mounting a rotary-type connector at a first end of an axle, said rotary-type connector configured to be removably coupled with an axle nut, said axle nut configured to be received by an axle nut receiving portion of a vehicle, said axle nut comprising; a plurality of protrusions on an external surface thereof, said plurality of protrusions indicating a plurality of predefined rotational positions corresponding to a plurality of predefined tensions, each of said predefined plurality of rotational positions being a position at which said axle nut is held in place in said component part of said vehicle; a positional adjustment portion configured for enabling said axle nut to be at least partly withdrawn from said component part, rotated to a different rotational position of said plurality of predefined rotational positions, and re-inserted into said component part, whereby re-insertion into said component part causes tension adjustment in said axle; and mounting on a second end of said axle a lever-operated cam assembly comprising a lever mounted on a second end of said axle, said lever being rotatable between an open position in which said axle is removable from or mountable on said vehicle, said lever-operated cam assembly comprising a lever stop ensuring that an angle of maximum rotation for said lever from said closed position is less than 180 degrees.
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Specification