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Charging Apparatus for Use on Bicycles & A Related External

Device for Providing Power, Lighting and Radio

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

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Field of the Invention

The

present

invention

generally

relates

to

charging

apparatus

wheel electrical generator to produce electricity to then be

for

use

with

bicycles,

comprising

frame

mounted

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stored

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battery.

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voltage regulator and an external device that may comprise an

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LED lighting component, radio device and/or charging circuit.

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The external device may be housed in a container that is sized

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and configured to be carried in a water bottle cage found on

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many

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overall shape of water bottle carried on bikes in such cages.

in

battery,

such

as

but

not

limited

to

12

Volt

The charged battery can be used to supply power to a

bicycles,

and

in

preferred

embodiment,

may

have

the

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Description of Need for the Invention & the Related Art

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According to the International Electricity Agency some 1.2

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billion people in the world lack access to electricity and 95%

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of those people live in sub-Saharan Africa and southwest Asia.

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It is believed that many of these people rely on biomass as

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fuel, which is the use of organic matter from either plants or

F:\MM DOCS\1-PAT\PAT 2016\APP\1623-16 Gulliver Preparatory\2016-04-05 Disclosure.docx

animals as a fuel source.

source

environment because of its CO2 emission.

of

energy

is

However, the use of biomass as a

inefficient

and

harmful

to

the

earths

As such, it would be very helpful to provide a relatively

easy and quick way for people living in rural areas to generate

some

example, if it were possible to provide electrical power to a

personal device, the device could include a light source to that

a person could read, study and learn more at night or carry out

electricity

or

electrical

power

for

personal

use.

For

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other tasks.

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a radio so that a person could listen and obtain news or other

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information.

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include suitable structure for allowing another device to be

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charge, such as a cell phone, computing device, medical device

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or the like.

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areas, including campers or others with no immediate access to

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electrical power, would find such as invention quite useful.

It would be helpful for any such device to include

It would also be helpful for any such device to

Accordingly, people living in remote or rural

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With regard to what is already known in this field of art,

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bikes that use electricity are known so that the rider faces

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less stress and does not have to pedal (or may simply pedal

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less) when traveling long distances or going uphill. Such bikes,

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however, do not actually generate electricity just by using the

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bike, but rather require a motor which is then used to propel

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the bike, wasting electricity.

There are drawbacks associated

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with

Additionally, there are some mobile generator devices known for

bikes which directly employ Faradays Law in order to power a

safety light, usually for allowing the bike rider to see ahead

or

magnets on each wheel spoke of the bike passing by an iron-core

solenoid,

generating

current.

The resulting power is then rectified, regulated and

stored

such

be

bikes

seen.

being

too

These

fed

in

that

devices

they

usually

electromotive

into

bicycle

are

very

involve

force

expensive.

strong

(EMF)

light.

neodymium

and

inducing

However,

10

understood

that

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components

with

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electricity for use outside of when the bike is in motion.

such

devices

such

do

not

electrical

offer

power,

any

and

other
do

not

it

is

usable
store

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Drawings

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Attached are several drawings, Figures 1 through 5, that

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illustrate various embodiments and functionality of the present

17

invention.

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Photos/Other Disclosure
An

Appendix

is

also

attached

with

several

pages

herein

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including photos, rough sketches and/or additional disclosure of

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the inventors herein.

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Description of the Invention in One or More Embodiments

The present invention is directed to a charging apparatus

for use with bicycles.

to harness the rotational energy from the wheel of a bicycle and

to generate electricity at an efficient rate while the bike is

being caused to move from the pedaling of a rider on the bike.

As

electrical generator to produce electricity.

also

such,

be

the

The apparatus is designed and configured

apparatus

structured

to

consists

allow

for

of

being

frame

mounted,

wheel

It will ideally

easily

assembled

and

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installed on the bike, and in one embodiment, may require no

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tools

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preferably have in one embodiment a wheel to gear ratio thought

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to be particularly effective of generally about 6:1 or 6.5:1

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although it is contemplated that this apparatus is capable of

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use on different sized bikes, wheels, etc. at different ratios.

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This ratio is believed to allow for or cause a usable electrical

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charge to be stored on the battery within a relatively short

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period of pedaling time e.g., 15 minutes to a half hour.

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one or more places, the inventors herein may have referred to

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the invention as a Generating Electricity through Motion or GEM.

at

all

for

installation.

The

apparatus

will

also

In

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Additionally, the invention includes structure for allowing

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the electrical power produced by the apparatus to be stored in a

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battery, such as but not limited to a 12 Volt battery.

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embodiment the apparatus includes a battery stored in a housing

In one

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adjacent

release feature for accessing the battery easily.

battery can then be used to supply power to a voltage regulator

and an external device.

be

and/or to the external device described below.

the

connected

In

generating

via

wire,

preferred

device,

and

which

includes

quick

The charged

In other embodiments, the battery can


cable

and

embodiment,

the

the

like

to

the

external

apparatus

device

is

structured and dimensioned to be carried on the bicycle.

of example, the external device may be housed in a container

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that is sized and configured to be carried in a water bottle

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cage found on many bicycles.

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external device may have the overall shape of a water bottle

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commonly carried on bikes in such cages.

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inventors herein that this embodiment allows the external device

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to be viewed by some, who might otherwise try to steal it, as a

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simple water bottle not worth stealing.

By way

In a preferred embodiment, the

It is believed by the

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Additionally, the external device is structured to include

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one or more various usable components and a charging circuit.

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By way of example only, the external device may include a usable

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component such as, but not limited to, a light source. The light

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source may include one or more LED lighting components, to allow

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a person to direct the light or orient it in a particular way so

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as to then read or carry out other tasks during the night. The

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external device may include other usable components such as a

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radio, so that a person could listen and obtain news or other

information once the stored electrical power on the battery is

plugged into or otherwise made available to the external device.

The

including but not limited to a USB port, for allowing another

device to be connected to it and charged, such as a cell phone,

computing device, medical device or the like.

external

In

device

another

could

also

embodiment

include

of

the

suitable

present

structure,

invention,

the

external

device

10

suitable

components

11

traditional power source for providing electricity to recharge

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it.

13

14

battery.

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and/or

battery

for

can

allowing

be

it

structured
to

be

to

include

connected

to

This may include an electrical cord for being plugged into


wall

and

receiving

electrical

current

to

re-charge

the

Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail

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can

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invention,

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description

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interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

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the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended

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claims and their legal equivalents.

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be

made
it

to

the

is

intended

and

described

shown

that
in

preferred
all

the

embodiment

matters

accompanying

Now that the invention has been described,

in

the

of

the

foregoing

drawings

be

Thus,

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What is claimed is:


1. A charging apparatus for use on a bicycle comprising:

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a frame mounted, electrical generator in contact with


a wheel of a bicycle structured to produce electricity; and

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a battery connected thereto to which electricity can


be stored.
2. A device carried on a bicycle comprising:

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a housing that is sized and configured to be carried


in a water bottle cage found on a bicycles;

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a charged battery for supplying power to at least one

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useful components, wherein such components may comprise a

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lighting component, a radio device or charging circuit.

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3. The device recited in claim 1 further having the overall

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shape of a water bottle carried on a bike in a water bottle

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cage.

APPENDIX

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