Title of Invention

HANDLEBAR ASSEMBLY OF A MOTORCYCLE

Abstract The subject matter described herein relates to design of a rear cover 120 for the handlebar 105 for a motorcycle. The rear cover 120 includes a first opening 125 disposed substantially centrally on the handlebar 105 to accommodate a meter. One or more switch recesses 130 are disposed transversely at peripheral ends of rear cover 120. One or more second opening 135 are formed in between the first opening 125 and switch recesses 130 such that master cylinder 145 is disposed directly behind the second opening 135. The openings are covered with a transparent sheet 140. The rear cover for the handlebar assembly enhances the view-ability of the oil level inside the master cylinder.
Full Text WE CLAIM
1. A handlebar assembly 100 of a motorcycle, said handlebar assembly 100 comprising:
a handlebar 105;
one or more master cylinder 145 assembled on one or both sides of said handlebar 105;
a steering system 110 attached to said handlebar 105;
an upper bracket 115 securing said handlebar 105 to said steering system 110;
one or more switches disposed on either side of said handlebar 105;
a rear cover 120 attached to said upper bracket 115, said rear cover 120 characterized in that:
a first opening 125 disposed centrally of said rear cover 120, said first opening 125 adapted to accommodate a meter;
one or more switch receivers having switch recesses 130 being shaped complementarily to said switches, said switch receivers disposed substantially transversely at one or both peripheral ends of said rear cover 120,and wherein one or more second openings 135 are formed in between said first opening 125 and said switch recesses 130 such that said master cylinder 145 is disposed substantially behind said second opening 135.
2. The handlebar assembly 100, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said motorcycle is a step through vehicle.
3. The handlebar assembly 100, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second openings 135 are symmetrically placed on either sides of said first openings 125.
4. The handlebar assembly 100, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said master cylinder 145 contains oil or brake fluid.
5. The handlebar assembly 100, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear cover 120 is made of polymer.
6. The handlebar assembly 100, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first opening 125 is covered by a transparent material 140.
7. The handlebar assembly 100, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second opening 135 is provided with a cover made of transparent material 140.











TECHNICAL FIELD
The subject matter described herein in general relates to handlebar assembly of a motorcycle and in particular relates to a rear cover for the handlebar assembly of a motorcycle.
BACKGROUND
Conventionally, a motorcycle handlebar assembly includes a front cover and a rear cover adapted to constitute a handle cover. Headlamp and other signaling devices of the motorcycle are housed in the front cover. Other parts such as control switches, electric start, indicators etc are housed in the rear cover. The handlebar assembly comprising the front cover and the rear cover is mounted on the handlebar of the motorcycle. In such a design, front cover is rigidly fixed to the handlebar of the motorcycle. A relief is provided on the rear cover to locate the master cylinder.
The master cylinder is filled with oil. The predetermined level of oil should be maintained inside the master cylinder so as to achieve optimum performance of the braking system of the motorcycle. In order to examine the level of oil present inside the master cylinder, a portion of the master cylinder is kept protruding out of the rear cover. In such type of layout, wherein the master cylinder is kept protruding, the movement of the handlebar is hindered due to the unusual protrusion. Moreover this protrusion results in a recess, which allows the entry for unwanted dust particles and water to ingress inside the opening. Entry of dust particle and water leads to corrosion and rusting of the parts housed beneath the rear cover of the motorcycle.
In other existing layouts, the master cylinder is enclosed by the front cover. In such type of layouts, a view hole is provided on top of the front cover and a person needs to lean forward in order to observe the level of oil present inside the master cylinder. Further, the view hole is typically kept open. Since the view hole is kept open, it allows the unwanted dust particles and water to penetrate through the view hole, thereby leading to corrosion and rusting of the parts present beneath the rear cover of the motorcycle. Also, the positioning of master cylinder in front cover makes it inconvenient for a rider of the two-wheeler to view the level of oil present inside the master cylinder. Therefore, a challenge is to enhance the ease of view-ability of oil level inside the master cylinder. Another challenge is to prevent the ingress of water and other external particles, such as dust particles, into the opening or recess, thereby preventing rusting and corrosion of the parts underneath.
SUMMARY
The subject matter described herein is directed to the a rear cover of a handlebar assembly for a motorcycle that enhances the view-ability of the oil level inside the master cylinder in addition to preventing the rusting and the corrosion of the parts present underneath the rear cover by stopping the ingress of water and other environmental particles, such as dust, inside the opening or recess formed.
According to one aspect of the present subject matter, the handlebar assembly includes a handlebar and a steering system, the steering system being secured to the handlebar by means of an upper bracket. The other end of the upper bracket is attached to the rear cover. The rear cover includes a first opening, one or more switch recesses, and one or more second opening wherein the first opening is disposed at the centre of the rear cover in order to accommodate a meter. One or more switch receivers are disposed crosswise at one or more peripheral ends of the rear cover. In order to view the level of oil present inside the master cylinder, one or more second openings are formed in between the first opening and the switch recesses in such a way that master cylinder is positioned directly behind the second opening and is clearly visible.
In another aspect of the present subject matter, the first opening and the second openings are covered with a transparent sheet, which eliminates the infiltration of water and environmental particles inside the opening, thereby preventing the rusting and the corrosion of the parts disposed beneath the first and the second openings.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present subject matter will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Fig.l shows a perspective view of a motorcycle with respect to one embodiment of the present subject matter.
Fig.2 shows a perspective view of a handlebar assembly of the motorcycle of
Fig.l.
Fig.3 shows a perspective view of a rear cover of the handlebar of Fig.2.
Fig.4 shows a sectional perspective view of the rear cover of Fig.3. DESCRIPTION
In order to address the aforesaid challenges, a rear cover for the handlebar assembly which enhances the view-ability of the oil level inside the master cylinder is designed. Further, the rear cover also prevents infiltration of water and other environmental particles inside the opening or recess, thereby preventing the rusting and wear of parts consequently resulting in increased life span of parts disposed underneath the rear cover.
According to one embodiment of the subject matter described herein, an opening of a predetermined shape is formed on the rear cover. The opening is covered with a transparent sheet in such a way that it allows easy and convenient viewing of oil level present inside the master cylinder. Thus by employing the aforesaid methodology, irregular protrusion of the master cylinder is evaded. Secondly, penetration of the water and the unwanted environmental particles inside the handlebar assembly is eliminated.
Fig.l illustrates a perspective view of a motorcycle in accordance with one embodiment of the present subject matter. The embodiments disclosed herein are described in the context of a motorcycle. However, the embodiments and the subject matter herein can also be applied to other vehicles, such as scooter type two or three- wheeled vehicles, all terrain vehicles, and other vehicles with more than two wheels.
As used herein, the terms "front", "rear", "left", "right", "up", and "down", correspond to the direction assumed by a driver of the vehicle. The motorcycle is configured for accommodating two persons, a rider and a pillion. The motorcycle includes a seat, a front wheel, a rear wheel, and a handlebar assembly 100(shown in Fig.2). At the front end of the motorcycle, a handlebar assembly 100 is provided, which includes a front cover 150 and a rear cover 120 to constitute a handle cover.
The two wheeled motorcycle further includes a wheel braking apparatus which comprises a front brake and a rear brake for a front wheel and a rear wheel, and a master cylinder 145 (shown in Fig.4) disposed on the handlebar 105 (shown in Fig.2). A master cylinder 145 assembly actuates the brake system or the clutch system or both. Master cylinder 145 is filled with oil or brake fluid and is disposed on right hand side of the handlebar 105 of the motorcycle. The oil or brake fluid present inside the master cylinder 145 is delivered to the brakes of the motorcycle through a circuit. In another embodiment master cylinder 145 is disposed on left hand side of the handlebar 105. In yet another embodiment, master cylinder 145 is disposed either on left hand side or right hand side or both sides of the handlebar 105 of the motorcycle.
Fig.2 shows the perspective view of a handlebar assembly 100 of the motorcycle of Fig.l. The handlebar assembly 100 comprises a handlebar 105, a steering system 110 secured rigidly to the handlebar 105 by means of an upper bracket 115. The handlebar 105 is attached to a first end of upper bracket 115 by means of fasteners such as handlebar holders and bolts. The second end of upper bracket 115 is attached to steering system 110 by means of fasteners such as nuts and bolts. Master cylinder 145 (shown in
the Fig.4) containing oil or brake fluid is rigidly fixed onto the handlebar 105 of the motorcycle by means of fasteners such as nuts and bolts.
Fig.3 shows the perspective view of a rear cover 120 of a handlebar 105 of the motorcycle of Fig.l.
Fig.4 shows the sectional perspective view of a rear cover 120 of a handlebar 105 of the motorcycle of Fig.l.
As shown in Fig.3 and Fig.4, the rear cover 120 is typically made of plastic, metal or any suitable polymer and includes openings which are formed at different locations on its surface. A first opening 125 is disposed at the centre portion of the rear cover 120. The first opening 125 is adapted to accommodate a meter. One or more switch receivers are disposed crosswise at one or both peripheral ends of the rear cover 120. Switch receivers include switch recesses 130. In order to accommodate the switches, the switch recesses 130 are designed in accordance with the shape of switches.
One or more second openings 135 are formed on one or both sides of the first opening 125 of the rear cover 120. One or more second openings 135 are positioned in between the first opening 125 and the switch recesses 130 on one or both sides of the rear cover 120. The master cylinder 145 containing oil is rigidly fixed to the handlebar 105 of the motorcycle. In order to view the level of oil present inside the master cylinder 145, the master cylinder 145 is positioned directly behind the second opening 135 on the rear cover 120. The second opening 135 which allows viewing of the oil or brake fluid level present inside the master cylinder 145 is covered with a transparent material 140 such as a plastic sheet. The covering of the second opening 135 is made of transparent material 140, such as a plastic sheet, in order to allow light to pass through and illuminate the opening 135. The illumination facilitates the viewing of the oil level present inside the master cylinder 145. The covering of second opening 135 by the transparent material 140 further inhibit the penetration of water droplets and unwanted environmental particles such as dust to enter the handlebar assembly 100 (shown in Fig.2). Thus, the covering avoids corrosion and rusting of the parts housed inside the handlebar assembly 100, thereby increasing the life span and durability of the parts. In another embodiment of the subject matter described herein, the second opening 135 is left uncovered.
In order to provide symmetry and better aesthetics, the second openings 135 are provided on either side of the rear cover 120. However, it possible to accommodate the second openings 135 on only one side of the rear cover 120.
The embodiments described above can have many variations, each of which would be clear to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of the present subject matter. It must be noted here that the first end and second end of the upper bracket 115 used in the embodiment may also be called as front and rear end respectively. The front and rear portion may be attached to the handlebar assembly 100 by some other known means in conformity of the present subject matter. The attaching means may include but are not restricted to nuts and bolts, rivets, studs and the like. Therefore, applicant intends to encompass within the language any structure presently existing or developed in future that performs the same function.
From the design and implementation standpoint, the aforementioned selection vis¬a-vis the assemblage and specifications thereof, aggregate number of parts therein, the total number of parts for the assemblage of the handlebar assembly 100 suggested herein are merely illustrative of the present subject matter and in no way limit the scope of the present subject matter. Various modifications to the aforementioned embodiment may be readily known to persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present subject matter.
Although the illustrated embodiments are in the context of a step through motorcycle type vehicle, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited to such an embodiment. Rather, the subject matter disclosed herein can be applied to any two- wheeled vehicle.
Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. As such, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiment contained therein.




Documents:

http://ipindiaonline.gov.in/patentsearch/GrantedSearch/viewdoc.aspx?id=BJUQY2d0zYv3Udfso4qgww==&loc=egcICQiyoj82NGgGrC5ChA==


Patent Number 268837
Indian Patent Application Number 119/CHE/2007
PG Journal Number 39/2015
Publication Date 25-Sep-2015
Grant Date 18-Sep-2015
Date of Filing 19-Jan-2007
Name of Patentee R &D, TVS MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED
Applicant Address JAYALAKSHMI ESTATE, 24(OLD # 8),HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 RAGHAVAN VENKATESAN JAYALAKSHMI ESTATE, 24(OLD # 8), HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006
2 ARULDAS PAUL CHRISTUDASS JAYALAKSHMI ESTATE, 24(OLD # 8), HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006
3 ANUMALASETTY GURUVAIAH JAYALAKSHMI ESTATE, 24(OLD # 8), HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006
PCT International Classification Number B62J1/12
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 NA