The present invention is directed to bicycle derailleurs, and, more specifically, to a support for the cable which operates the derailleur.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art bicycle derailleur (10) affixed to a mounting member (14). Mounting member (14) may be a separate mounting member that is adapted to be affixed to a bicycle frame, or it may be a portion of the bicycle frame itself. Derailleur (10) includes a base member (18) affixed to mounting member (14) through a bolt (22); a linkage mechanism (26); and a chain guide assembly (30). Base member (18) may be the main attachment member for the derailleur, or it may be a cover for the main attachment member for the derailleur. An end of an inner cable (34) of a derailleur cable (38) is affixed to chain guide assembly (30) through a cable fixing bolt (42). An outer casing (46) of derailleur cable (38) is supported by a separate cable retainer (50). When inner cable (34) is pulled or released, chain guide assembly (30) moves relative to base member (18) in a known manner to shift a chain (no shown) among a plurality of sprockets shown schematically at (54).
Prior art derailleurs such as derailleur (10) have the disadvantage that a separate cable retainer (50) is used to fix the derailleur cable (38) to the derailleur. This increases the manufacturing expense of the derailleur and makes assembly more complicated. Some prior art derailleurs mold the cable retainer with the base member (18) as a very thick portion of the base member which is subsequently drilled with a bore to receive the derailleur cable. The disadvantage of this structure is that a substantial amount of the material used to form the base member is wasted because of the drilled bore, and the drilling operation adds to the time and expense of manufacture.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds