Vertically rotatable bicycle storage rack

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a movable rack to which bicycles can be easily attached and raised up, off the floor, for storage or display purposes. Since movement of the rack lever is accomplished by a hand crank, battery power, or electricity, a child or small adult can use the invention to store or retrieve his/her bicycle.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . a bicycle storage rack, comprising: 
 a resilient, sturdy lever constructed to hold one or more bicycles,    one or more hangers attached to said lever at regular intervals along said lever,    said lever having a larger gear attached to one end,    a mounting bracket to which said lever and said larger gear are attached by way of a crank rod,    a means of anchoring and stabilizing said mounting bracket,    a smaller gear meshed with said larger gear, wherein said smaller gear turns said larger gear to raise or lower said lever, and, optionally, when using the invention on a women's bicycle,    a telescoping adaptor clamp designed for a women's bicycle,    
     
     
         2 . The bicycle rack of  claim 1  where, 
 said hanger has attached to its end not attached to said lever a spreader bar at the end of which are two rotatable, swinging hooks for each bicycle intended to be held by said rack which are capable of hooking into the wheels or other parts of the bicycles and lifting said bicycles when lever is raised,  
 
     
     
         3 . The hooks of  claim 2  where, 
 each said hook is padded by either a plastic coating or sleeve of material to prevent metal—metal contact and the attendant scraping of paint of the bicycle.  
 
     
     
         4 . The bicycle rack of  claim 1  where, 
 said hanger has attached to its end not attached to said lever a clamp hanger, which can freely rotate, which, in turn, is attached to a clamp consisting of an upper clamp portion and a lower clamp portion, said upper clamp portion being welded or otherwise solidly attached to the clamp hanger, the two clamp portions being held together by a bolt, pop-rivet or other similar means of attachment on one side and a wing nut on the other.  
 
     
     
         5 . The clamp portions of  claim 4  where, 
 each said clamp portion is padded by either a plastic coating or sleeve of material to prevent metal—metal contact and the attendant scraping of paint of the bicycle.  
 
     
     
         6 . The means of anchoring and stabilizing said mounting bracket of  claim 1  where, 
 said means of anchoring and stabilizing said mounting bracket consists of holes in the back of said mounting bracket which allows said mounting bracket to be affixed in a solid and stable condition to a vertical wall, such as the side of a garage or the back of a motor home or other transportation vehicle,  
 
     
     
         7 . The means of anchoring and stabilizing said mounting bracket of  claim 1  where, 
 said means of anchoring and stabilizing said mounting bracket consists of holes in the back of said mounting bracket which allows said mounting bracket to be attached to a stand, which is a sturdy, resilient piece of wood, metal, plastic or other similarly suitable material, said stand attaching at one end to said mounting bracket and having pre-drilled holes along its surface which allows it to be attached by way of bolts, screws or other similar means of attachment to a vertical wall, such as the side of a garage or the back of a motor home or other transportation vehicle,  
 
     
     
         8 . The means of anchoring and stabilizing said mounting bracket of  claim 1  where, 
 said means of anchoring and stabilizing said mounting bracket consists of holes in the back of said mounting bracket which allows said mounting bracket to be attached to a stand, which is a sturdy, resilient piece of wood, metal, plastic or other similarly suitable material, said stand attaching at one end to said mounting bracket and having pre-drilled holes along its surface which allows it to be attached by way of bolts, screws or other similar means of attachment to a weighted block,  
 
     
     
         9 . The weighted block of  claim 8  where, 
 said weighted block as its bottom a metal plate with pre-drilled holes which can be set over bolts and secured by nuts and washers or screwed into the floor with bolts or screws suitably strong to keep said rack from falling over in its various positions,  
 
     
     
         10 . The weighted block of  claim 8  where, 
 said weighted block consists of a rectangular box with a cover, which not only is of suitable weight to stabilize the invention with said lever in all possible positions, but also where said rectangular box can serve to store items such as bicycle helmets, bicycles packs, and other like items,  
 
     
     
         11 . The weighted block of  claim 10  where, 
 said weighted block has wheels or casters attached to its corner such that it can be moved around,  
 
     
     
         12 . The smaller gear of  claim 1  where, 
 said smaller gear is driven by a hand crank attached to said anchoring pin,  
 
     
     
         13 . The smaller gear of  claim 1  where, 
 said smaller gear is driven by a motor powered by battery or electrical power.  
 
     
     
         14 . A telescoping adaptor clamp designed for a women's bicycle which consists of: 
 A telescoping cylinder tube with one hollow cylinder fitting within another hollow cylinder of a slightly larger diameter,    Where the cylinder tube is adjustable by having a spring embedded inside the smaller hollow cylinder which exerts constant pressure against the larger hollow cylinder, or with a clamping or tightening screw mechanism, or other adjustable mechanism,    Where the diameter of the larger hollow cylinder is slightly smaller than the diameter of the lever clamp, and    Two clamps, one at the end of each hollow cylinder, which consist of a clamp device tightened by wing nuts, which secure said telescoping adaptor clamp to the bars near the handlebar and seat portions of a women's bicycle.    
     
     
         15 . The telescoping adaptor clamp of  claim 14  where, 
 said clamp is padded by either a plastic coating or sleeve of material to prevent metal—metal contact and the attendant scraping of paint of the bicycle.