Anti-sway arrangement for cargo on a load carrier

Abstract

Method and apparatus for providing and anti-sway arrangement for stabilizing a bicycle supported upon a cradle borne upon an elongate arm of a vehicular mountable load carrier. The arrangement includes a cradle borne upon an elongate arm of a vehicular mountable load carrier. The elongate arm is insert-received in a through-hole located in the cradle and the cradle is configured to abuttingly receive a portion of a bicycle frame thereupon. An anti-sway device is included that has a substantially Y-shape with two upper arms straddling the cradle, and the two upper arms are joined together at a lower common leg thereof. Each of the two upper arms have an arm engaging portion having a releasable clasp that is operator transitionable between a clasping configuration in which the anti-sway device is secured to the elongate arm and an open configuration in which the device is installable upon and removable away from the arm in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the elongate arm and whereby the anti-sway device accommodates installation onto, and removal off of, the elongate arm of the load carrier without disengagement of the cradle from the elongate arm.

1 . An anti-sway device for stabilizing a bicycle supported upon a cradle borne upon an elongate arm of a vehicular mountable load carrier, said device comprising:
 an arm engaging portion and a bicycle engaging portion configured to abuttingly engage a tube of said bicycle, said arm engaging portion having a releasable clasp that is operator transitionable between a clasping configuration in which the device is secured to an elongate arm of a vehicular mountable load carrier and an open configuration in which the device is installable upon and removable away from the arm in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the elongate arm, and   wherein the bicycle engaging portion is concave shaped to receive the tube of the bicycle.   
     
     
         2 . The device as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said releasable clasp further comprises two jaws movable with respect to one another and which are positioned closer to one another in the clasping configuration than in the open configuration. 
     
     
         3 . The device as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said two jaws are hinged together thereby accommodating transition between the clasping configuration and the open configuration. 
     
     
         4 . The device as recited in  claim 3 , further comprising a hinge mechanism interconnecting said two jaws and said hinge mechanism enabling relative pivotation between said two jaws. 
     
     
         5 . The device as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said hinge mechanism is constituted by a flexible connector between said two jaws. 
     
     
         6 . The device as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said hinge mechanism is constituted by a piano-hinge formed by adjacently positioned cylindrical portions of each of said two jaws that are interlaced by a hinge pin. 
     
     
         7 . The device as recited in  claim 4 , further comprising a releasable catch located substantially opposite said hinge mechanism for holding said two jaws in a secured configuration about an elongate arm of a vehicular mountable load carrier. 
     
     
         8 . The device as recited in  claim 7 , wherein said releasable catch is constituted by two mating portions, one on each of said two jaws, and said mating portions together constituting a snap device. 
     
     
         9 . The device as recited in  claim 8 , wherein at least one of said two mating portions constituting said releasable catch is flexible and has an undercut ramped surface configured for mating engagement with an opposite undercut on the other of the two mating portions. 
     
     
         10 . The device as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a second arm engaging portion interconnected with said bicycle engaging portion, said second arm engaging portion having a second releasable clasp that is operator transitionable between a clasping configuration in which the second arm engaging portion is secured to the elongate arm of the vehicular mountable load carrier and an open configuration in which the second arm engaging portion is installable upon and removable away from the arm in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the elongate arm, and whereby said anti-sway device is configured to accommodate installation onto, and removal off of, the elongate arm of the load carrier about an associated cradle without disengagement of the cradle from the elongate arm. 
     
     
         11 . An anti-sway arrangement for stabilizing a bicycle supported upon a cradle borne upon an elongate arm of a vehicular mountable load carrier, said arrangement comprising:
 a cradle borne upon an elongate arm of a vehicular mountable load carrier, said elongate arm being insert-received in a through-hole located in the cradle and said cradle being configured to abuttingly receive a portion of a bicycle frame thereupon;   an anti-sway device having a substantially Y-shape with two upper arms straddling said cradle, and said two upper arms being joined together at a lower common leg thereof; and   each of said two upper arms having an arm engaging portion having a releasable clasp that is operator transitionable between a clasping configuration in which the anti-sway device is secured to the elongate arm and an open configuration in which the device is installable upon and removable away from the arm in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the elongate arm and whereby said anti-sway device accommodates installation onto, and removal off of, the elongate arm of the load carrier without disengagement of the cradle from the elongate arm.   
     
     
         12 . The arrangement as recited in  claim 11 , wherein each releasable clasp further comprises a pair of two jaws movable with respect to one another and which are positioned closer to one another in the clasping configuration than in the open configuration. 
     
     
         13 . The arrangement as recited in  claim 12 , wherein each pair of two jaws is hinged together thereby accommodating transition between the clasping configuration and the open configuration. 
     
     
         14 . The arrangement as recited in  claim 13 , wherein each pair of two jaws further comprises a hinge mechanism interconnecting said pair of two jaws and said hinge mechanism enabling relative pivotation between said pair of two jaws. 
     
     
         15 . The arrangement as recited in  claim 14 , wherein each of said hinge mechanisms is constituted by a flexible connector between the respective pair of two jaws. 
     
     
         16 . The arrangement as recited in  claim 14 , wherein each of said hinge mechanisms is constituted by a piano-hinge formed by adjacently positioned cylindrical portions of each of the respective pair of two jaws, said adjacently positioned cylindrical portions being interlaced by a hinge pin. 
     
     
         17 . The arrangement as recited in  claim 14 , wherein each pair of two jaws further comprises a releasable catch located substantially opposite said respective hinge mechanism for holding said pair of two jaws in a secured configuration about the elongate arm of the vehicular mountable load carrier. 
     
     
         18 . The arrangement as recited in  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the pairs of two jaws, when in the secured configuration, forms a tight fit that resists translational movement of said anti-sway device along the elongate arm. 
     
     
         19 . The arrangement as recited in  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the pairs of two jaws, when in the secured configuration, together with said cradle, establishes a binding fit upon the elongate arm that resists translational movement of said cradle and anti-sway device along the elongate arm. 
     
     
         20 . The arrangement as recited in  claim 11 , wherein each releasable catch is constituted by two mating portions, one on each of said pair of two jaws, and said mating portions together constituting a snap device. 
     
     
         21 - 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . The device as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the releasable clasp opens on the top portion of the arm engaging portion.