In this article, we’ll be discussing a Bicycle Tire Pump by Everlast Climbing Industries Inc., US publication 20200362841. The publication date is November 19, 2020 and the filing date is May 16, 2019.
Since this is a fairly simple idea, this article will be a bit shorter, though not any less interesting. It’s a cool little idea for a new tire pump.
Brief Summary (tl;dr)
Everlast are attempting to patent a new public bike pump that can be bolted to the ground and also accept the tire of a bike, to keep the bike upright and stable during tire work. The idea is to place pumps in communal areas and also provide the convenience of not having to flip your bike, place it against a wall, or do the ol’ belly hold to keep it upright.
Background
Everlast is a company that specialize in climbing gear, from hand-holds to entire climbing walls. I can’t say for sure why they’ve submitted a patent for a bike pump, but I imagine that one of the employees had an idea and the company had the design capabilities, manufacturing power, and money to run with it.
Intro
Obviously, a bike without a kickstand isn’t going to stand on its own. How many times have you had to flip a bike upside down or had to lean a bike against a wall to pump up the tires? Or more importantly, how many times have you gone to a bike park and there’s no bike pump at the communal tool table? It’s a pretty frustrating situation.
Intended novelty
Firstly, the bike pump Everlast have invented is bolted to the ground, which is where the novelty comes in. The intended novelty of this invention is a slot in a bike pump, where a wheel can be inserted into the pump. Therefore, the bike can be kept upright for tire attention. In Fig 1. below, slot 30 is where a bike would be inserted.
Why
This idea is based on public bike pumps. Typically, they’re just pumps bolted to the ground, where the same issues of either putting your bike upside down, messing up your seat or grips, or having the bike lean against something still exist. Additionally, many people carry a small pump with them on a ride, but I’ve never carried a pump at a bike park. And does anyone carry a pump with them during their commute?
It appears the reasoning is simple: Everlast want to install bike pumps in public places, where the bike pump itself can hold the bike in place. A one-and-done solution.
What
The design is elegantly simple, both good for consumers and manufacturing. The pump is tall with a T-handle for displacing air. There is also a large slot in the bike pump, where a tire can be inserted. Everlast state:
The body includes a cutout extending there through. The cutout is configured and sized to receive a bicycle tire. The interior of the body includes protective plates on each side of the cutout. The plates can be connected to the body by tamper resistant fasteners and are made of, by way of example only, metal, and, in particular, pre-galvanized steel. The cutout can extend through the base such that the bottom of the pump under the cutout is open.
And there it is, that’s all they’re doing. I love the simple solution to the problem. This will be one of those inventions that people will see and say “Why didn’t I think of that”. Well, Everlast did and it’s super cool.