Description:FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules, 2005

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION
“UNIFIED IMPACT PROTECTOR CAP FOR FRONT SUSPENSION OF A TWO WHEELER”

Endurance Technologies Limited
E-92, M.I.D.C. Industrial Area, Waluj,
Aurangabad – 431136, Maharashtra, India

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

Field of Invention

[001] The present invention is related to impact protector cap for front suspension of a two wheeled vehicle. More particularly, the invention is related to unified structure impact protector cap for protecting the fork pipe of front suspension of a motor bike against impact of stones and foreign objects in running condition of a vehicle.

Background of the Invention

[002] Conventionally the dust seals are employed in the front suspension for preventing the entry of dust into the bottom case of the fork leg and also to facilitate the smooth movement fork pipe inside the bottom case without subjecting to any impact of foreign objects and scratches thereby thereon. The dust seals are normally installed in a groove given on inner peripheral surface of the bottom case. Such dust seals are ordinarily provided with metallic reinforcement within their polymeric body to provide them with sufficient structural rigidity. As the metallic reinforcement cannot be manufactured and moulded into the polymeric body in the same step, such dust seals have to be manufactured in multiple steps. This adds to the time and cost of manufacturing such dust seals.

[003] Further, to protect the fork pipe from the impact of foreign objects/stones in moving condition of the motor bike, a protector is generally employed in the front suspension of said motor bikes. These protectors are mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth of the bottom case in a specially made grooves therefor. This adds to the additional operation of providing the grooves on the outer surface of the mouth of the bottom case during its manufacturing.

[004] The dust seals as briefed above are faced with the limitations as well. One such limitation is that it is very hard to provide any pathway or holes within the seals that allow for evacuation of fluids (most commonly mud) from in between the base of the impact protectors and the dust seals. Given that dust seals are typically not sufficiently thick, providing such pathways or holes leads to weaken the dust seal along multiple points thereby reducing their life in the process. It is for this very reason the impact protectors also cannot be provided with any pathways or holes to facilitate air circulation over the fork pipe of the front suspension so as to dissipate the heat generated due to continuous sliding movement of the fork pipe within the bottom case. These factors ultimately affect the front suspension by allowing foreign objects to accumulate between the impact protector and the dust seal. The accumulated foreign objects increase the risk of the fork pipe of the front suspension getting scratched. The scratched fork pipe can rub against the oil seals and damage them as well thereby causing leakages along sliding surfaces of the fork pipe and the bottom case.

[005] Providing the impact protectors and dust seal is necessary when the vehicle is likely to be used in off-road and/or dusty road conditions. Removing the protectors after every such ride for cleaning purpose is not always an optimum and recommended solution for this problem. As the space available between the impact protectors, dust seal and the fork pipe of the front suspension is very limited, frequent cleaning is also not very effective in removing all the accumulated foreign dirt and entrapped foreign objects.

[006] Therefore, too address this problem, there is a long pending unmet need to provide an intelligent solution that will ensure the removal of dirt and foreign objects by itself during the running condition of the vehicle. Therefore, for overcoming the cited limitations of the existing arrangements / solutions and fulfilling the important requirement of protecting the fork pipe of the suspension from impacts of stones and other foreign objects the following invention is disclosed. The solution described in the invention not only addresses all these gaps but also provide a cover for the dust seal and ensures its self-cleaning, reduces the operations required to manufacture and drastically reduces the cycle time of assembly of the bottom case with the protector cap.

Objectives of the Invention

[007] The main objective of the present invention is to provide a unified impact protector cap for front suspension of a motor bike.

[008] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a unified impact protector cap for front suspension of a bike that does not allow accumulation of any foreign objects between itself and the dust seal.

[009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a unified impact protector cap for front suspension that intelligently maintains the desired structural rigidity to effectively function as a cover for dust seal and impact protector for the fork pipe.

[0010] Still the objective of the present invention is to provide a unified impact protector cap for front suspension that can be easily manufactured reducing the operational steps in its manufacturing.

[0011] Yet, the objective of the invention is to provide a unified impact protector cap for front suspension that ensures efficient heat dissipation from the fork pipe and reduces the assembly time of bottom case with said protector cap.

Summary of the Invention

[0012] To achieve the stated objectives of the present invention, a unified impact protector cap for front suspension is provided which comprises of a hollow cylindrical base, a hollow conical top body and a curved flap. The hollow conical top body of the impact protector cap is joined to the hollow cylindrical base to form an integral unit and the curved flap is integrated with the said unit along the joint of the hollow conical top body and the hollow cylindrical base in such way that the curved flap is projected vertically and displaced outside the outer surface of the hollow cylindrical base in the radial direction of the said hollow cylindrical base. The curved flap of the impact protector cap is profiled over the hollow cylindrical base in such way that the extreme edges of the flap, that connect at the cylindrical base, make an angle of at least 180 degrees with the center of the hollow conical top body. However, this angle of extreme edges of the flap with cylindrical base varies from 180 to 270 degrees. In the disclosed impact protector cap, any point on the inner surface of the curved flap along the same horizontal plane is equidistant from the central axis from the hollow conical top body.

[0013] Typically, the impact protector cap has a plurality of equally spaced openings on the curved flap and the said openings are in the same horizontal plane on the projecting curved flap; and said impact protector cap has a plurality of equally spaced openings along the joint between the hollow cylindrical base and the curved flap on the displaced base of the curved flap. The hollow cylindrical base has a thick annular ring on its inside curved surface along the lower edge, the thick annular ring has a top flat surface, a middle cylindrical curved surface and a lower surface, and the lower surface is slopped in an outward direction to facilitate easy mounting of the impact protector cap onto a groove given on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth of the bottom case.

[0014] The plurality of equally spaced openings of the impact protector cap are profiled to have conical cross section projecting inside towards the top conical body at the inner face of the curved flap that direct air onto the outer curved surface of the hollow conical top body. The plurality of equally spaced openings are selected from a set of profiles of rectangular slits, said slits inclined right, inclined left and/or combination thereof and the said profiles are configured to have converging cross section projecting inside towards the hollow conical top body at the inner face of the curved flap making the venturi effect to direct air onto the outer curved surface of the hollow conical top body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters / numerals indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiment/s herein and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein

[0016] Figures 1a and 1b discloses an isometric view and cut view, respectively of a fork leg of front suspension of motor bike having impact protector cap in accordance with the present invention.

[0017] Figures 2a and 2b show enlarged cut view and enlarged sectional view, respectively of the impact protector cap of the invention mounted on the mouth of the bottom case.

[0018] Figures 3a and 3b show the isometric view and the front view, respectively of the impact protector cap in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 presents vertical cut sectional view across A-A of the impact protector cap shown in Fig. 3b of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5a shows the top view of the impact protector cap as per the present invention; whereas, Fig. 5b shows cut sectional view across D-D of the impact protector cap shown in Fig. 5a of the present invention.
[0021] Figure 6a presents front view of the impact protector cap with an another embodiment with rectangular slits / openings on its curved flap as per the present invention; whereas, Fig. 6b shows cut sectional view across A-A of the impact protector cap shown in Fig. 6a of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7a presents front view of the impact protector cap with third embodiment with inclined openings on its curved flap as per the present invention; whereas, Fig. 7b shows cut sectional view across A-A of the impact protector cap shown in Fig. 7a of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Present Invention

[0023] The unified impact protector cap in accordance an embodiment of the present invention as shown Figs. 2a to 5b comprises of a hollow cylindrical base (5), a hollow conical top body (45), and a curved flap (15). The hollow conical top body (45) is joined to the hollow cylindrical base (5) to form an integral unit and the curved flap (15) is formed with the said unit along the joint of the hollow conical top body and the hollow cylindrical base in such way that the curved flap (15) is projected vertically and displaced outside the outer surface of the hollow cylindrical base in the radial direction of the said hollow cylindrical base. This unique integrated construction makes the impact protector cap (100) stiffer and stronger along the joint between the curved flap (15), the hollow cylindrical base (5) and the hollow conical top body (45). This feature strengthens the impact protector cap and provides it with capacity to resist being damaged along the joint.

[0024] The curved flap (15) is profiled over the hollow cylindrical base (5) in such way that the extreme edges (15e and 15f) of the flap (15), that connects at the cylindrical base, makes an angle of at least 180 degrees with the center of the hollow conical top body (45). The curved flap (15) is so profiled that, any point on the inner surface (15b) of the curved flap (15) along the same horizontal plane is equidistant from the central axis from the hollow conical top body (45) (refer Figs. 3b, 5a and 7a). Structurally, this means that the curved flap (15) proceeds straight upwards from its displaced base (15c) (refer Fig. 4). Given the important requirement of providing rigidity and strength to the curved flap (15), the curved flap (15) so provided, can also proceed upwards with a positive or negative inclination instead proceeding straight upwards while following this condition. The curved flap (15) of the impact protector cap (100) so created would be curved along more than one axis which would provide it with a structure more capable of resisting any loads applied on it. As the curved flap (15) is a portion of the impact protector cap (100) having limited thickness and weight, structural strength it has is primarily required only for facing rare impacts from stones and/or foreign flying objects hitting it on its outer surface (15a).

[0025] The impact protector cap (100) has a plurality of equally spaced openings (25) on the curved flap (15) and said openings (25) are configured to be in the same horizontal plane on the projecting curved flap (15). The plurality of equally spaced openings (25) are profiled to have conical cross section projecting inside (25a) towards the hollow conical top body (45) at the inner face (15b) of the curved flap (15) that direct air onto the outer curved surface of the hollow conical top body (45) (refer Figs. 4 to 5b). These conical projections have air passage carved through it and the said air passage has the diameter converging towards the inner side thus creating the venturi effect in the passage of air. The plurality of equally spaced openings (25) have a profile selected from a set of rectangular slits, said slits inclined right, inclined left and/or combination thereof, and said profiles are configured to have converging cross section projecting inside (25a) towards the hollow conical top body (45) at the inner face (15b) of the curved flap (15) (refer Figs. 3a, 4, 6a, 6b, 7a and 7b). Hence, the inner profile of the openings (25) is such that it enables utilization of venturi effect to direct the air at higher speed creating an air jet directed onto the outer curved surface of the hollow conical top body (45). The plurality of equally spaced openings (25) are angularly displaced from the plurality of equally spaced openings (35) such that when the impact protector cap (100) is viewed from the top, the plurality of equally spaced flap surface opening (25) do not lie along the same imaginary line proceeding outwards from the center of the circular opening (45aa). Not having the openings (25 and 35) directly above one another enables the air flowing through the openings (25) to take a curved path around the hollow conical top body (45) without having its energy dissipated immediately by the flow that is occurring via the openings (35).

[0026] Equally spacing the openings (25) on the curved flap (15) helps in better managing the negative effect that providing them has on the strength of the curved flap (15). The openings (25) circulate the air when the vehicle is moving thereby helping in removal of foreign objects from the portion where the curved flap (15), the hollow cylindrical base (5) and the hollow conical top body (45) join together. The secondary purpose of providing the openings (25) is to facilitate cooling of the fork pipe (105) in the area immediately behind the curved flap (15).
[0027] The impact protector cap (100) also has a plurality of equally spaced openings (35) along the joint between the hollow cylindrical base (5) and the curved flap (15) on the displaced base (15c) of the curved flap (15). The joint between the hollow cylindrical base (5) and the curved flap (15) on the displaced base (15c) is incidentally one portion of the impact protector cap (100) that is on an average thicker than the other portions of the impact protector cap (100). Providing some equally spaced openings (35) in this location therefore does not compromise the overall strength of the impact protector cap (100). The openings (35) provide a clear pathway for facilitating outflow of any fluid (most commonly mud) that might get accumulated during vehicle operation / running condition of the vehicle. Working together with the openings (25), the openings (35) ensure that most foreign objects never settle down along the joint between the hollow cylindrical base (5) and the curved flap (15) on the displaced base (15c).

[0028] The hollow cylindrical base (5) is configured to have a thick annular ring (5a) on its inside curved surface along the lower edge, and said thick annular ring (5a) is further configured to have a top flat surface (5aa), a middle cylindrical curved surface (5ab) and a lower surface (5ac). The lower surface (5ac) is slopped in an outward direction to facilitate easy mounting of the impact protector cap (100) onto a groove (110aa) given on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth of the bottom case (110) (refer Figs. 4, 5b, 6b, 7b). The thick annular ring (5a) allows the impact protector cap (100) to get conveniently mounted in a groove (110aa) given on the outer surface of the mouth of the bottom case (110) (refer Fig. 12) of the front suspension of a vehicle. The thick annular ring (5a) also has a projection (5ad) that rotationally locks the impact protector cap (100) to a matching recess (110ab) given on the bottom case (110).
[0029] The hollow conical top body (45) has an inside lower flat surface (45ac) that forms the upper boundary of the hollow cylindrical base (5) on the inside curved surface. The hollow conical top body (45) has an inwardly curved profile with a circular opening (45aa) on its top. The hollow conical top body (45) has an inner lip (45c) along the upper opening (45aa) and an inner lip (45d) below the inner lip (45c) separated by a curved surface (45cd). The inner lip (45d) forms the upper edge of an inside curved surface (45ab) and the inside lower flat surface (45ac) forms the lower edge of the inside curved surface (45ab) (refer Figs. 4, 5b, 6b, 7b). The curved surface (45cd) provided between the inner lips (45c and 45d) is a feature which works to enhance the functioning of the inner lips (45c and 45d). The structure formed by the curved surface (45cd) does have sufficient flexibility to hold and eject substances / foreign particles accumulated within the space given between it and the fork pipe (105) during the upward and downward movement of said fork pipe (105).

[0030] The hollow conical top body (45) is profiled to have a lower outer portion (45L) having steeper slope than its top outer portion (45U). The hollow conical top body (45) is hence provided with the required inclined/curved structure that is effective in handling the loads that might be applied on the impact protector cap (100) by the inner lips (45c and 45d).

[0031] The impact protector cap (100) so disclosed when mounted onto the mouth of the bottom case (110) of the front suspension of the two wheeler (refer Fig. 12) functions to protect the fork pipe (105) from being hit by any of the foreign objects in the entire area lying behind the curved flap (15). The impact protector cap (100) also functions to prevent ingestion of foreign objects into the bottom case of the front suspension via its inner lips (45c and 45d). The impact protector cap (100) further has openings (25 and 35) which work to prevent accumulation of foreign objects thereby reducing the possibility of them scratching the outer surface of the fork pipe (105). The impact protector cap (100) requires no metallic reinforcement to be provided within it as its structure gives it sufficient rigidity and strength to perform its functions as per the intent of the present invention.

[0032] Thus, the novelty of the impact protector cap (100) resides in the hollow conical top body (45) joined to the hollow cylindrical base (5) to form an integral unit and the curved flap (15) is formed with the said unit along the joint of the hollow conical top body (45) and the hollow cylindrical base (5) in such way that the curved flap (15) is projected vertically and displaced outside the outer surface of the hollow cylindrical base (5) in the radial direction of the said hollow cylindrical base (5). The impact protector cap (100) has a plurality of equally spaced openings (25) on the curved flap (15) and the said openings (25) are in the same horizontal plane on the projecting curved flap (15). The openings (25) are profiled to have conical cross section projecting inside (25a) towards the top conical body (45) at the inner face (15b) of the curved flap (15) that creates a jet directing onto the outer curved surface of the hollow conical top body (45). These novel and inventive features of the impact protector cap (100) do contribute to the technological advancement in the domain of the impact protector cap and also impart technical advantages as discussed above. Thus, the invention qualifies the test of inventive step also. Additionally, the technical advantages derived from the invention are as under.
- The impact protector cap of the invention does not require metallic reinforcement to achieve the required strength and rigidity.
- It can be easily manufactured in very few steps given that it does not require any embedded reinforcement, thus reducing the cycle time of its manufacturing.
- It has a curved flap which is capable of functioning as an impact protector, thus eliminating the requirement of separate and dedicate impact protector.
- It has features that allow foreign objects to be removed from in between the dust seal and the impact protector before they accumulate and become cause of damage to the surface of the fork pipe of the front suspension.
- It efficiently functions to allow cooling of the fork pipe by allowing air to flow from within its openings towards the curved surface of the fork pipe.
- The openings given on curved flap of the impact protector cap are perfectly positioned with respect to the openings given on the displaced base to maximize the advantage obtained by air flowing through them.
- The openings given on the curved flap are profiled to the maximize airflow for removing foreign objects and also cool the fork pipe by effectively creating a venturi effect.
- The curved flap (15) protects a wide surface area of the fork pipe from getting hit by foreign objects.

[0033] The number of openings that are provided on the impact protector cap can be changed by altering the strength and hardness of the material used for making the impact protector cap. The limiting condition being that the impact protector cap must still have sufficient flexibility to be pushed onto and mounted into the groove given on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth of the bottom case of the front suspension. Any such alterations would be obvious to a person skilled in the art and must hence not be seen to be lying outside the scope of the described invention.

[0034] The foregoing description of the specific embodiment/s will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
, Claims:We Claim:

1. A unified impact protector cap (100) for front suspension of a two wheeler comprising of a hollow cylindrical base (5), a hollow conical top body (45), and a curved flap (15)
wherein,
- the hollow conical top body (45) is joined with the hollow cylindrical base (5) to form an integral unit and the curved flap (15) is formed with the said unit along the joint of the hollow conical top body (45) and the hollow cylindrical base (5) so as to have the curved flap (15) projected vertically and displaced outside the outer surface of the hollow cylindrical base (5) in the radial direction of the said hollow cylindrical base (5); and
- said curved flap (15) is profiled over the hollow cylindrical base (5) so that the extreme edges (15e and 15f) of the flap (15), that connects at the cylindrical base (5), makes an angle in the range of 180 to 270 degrees with the center of the hollow conical top body (45) and any point on the inner surface (15b) of the curved flap (15) along the same horizontal plane is equidistant from the central axis from the hollow conical top body (45).

2. The unified impact protector cap (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein
- the unified impact protector cap (100) is configured to have a plurality of equally spaced openings (25) on the curved flap (15) and the said openings (25) are in the same horizontal plane on the projecting curved flap (15); and
- said unified impact protector cap (100) is configured to have a plurality of equally spaced openings (35) along the joint between the hollow cylindrical base (5) and the curved flap (15) on the displaced base (15c) of the curved flap (15).

3. The unified impact protector cap (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein
- the hollow cylindrical base (5) is configured to have a thick annular ring (5a) on its inside curved surface along the lower edge;
- said thick annular ring (5a) has a top flat surface (5aa), a middle cylindrical curved surface (5ab) and a lower surface (5ac); and
- the lower surface (5ac) is slopped in an outward direction to facilitate easy mounting of the unified impact protector cap (100) onto a groove (110aa) given on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth of the bottom case (110).

4. The unified impact protector cap (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein
- the hollow conical top body (45) has an inside lower flat surface (45ac) configured to form the upper boundary of the hollow cylindrical base (5) on the inside curved surface;
- said hollow conical top body (45) is configured to have an inwardly curved profile with a circular opening (45aa) on its top;
- the hollow conical top body (45) has an inner lip (45c) along the upper opening (45aa) and an inner lip (45d) below the inner lip (45c) separated by a curved surface (45cd); and
- said inner lip (45d) is configured to form an upper edge of an inside curved surface (45ab) and the inside lower flat surface (45ac) forms the lower edge of the inside curved surface (45ab).

5. The unified impact protector cap (100) for front suspension of a vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the equally spaced openings (25) are profiled to have conical cross section projecting inside (25a) towards the top conical body (45) at the inner face (15b) of the curved flap (15) and are configured to direct air onto the outer curved surface of the hollow conical top body (45).

6. The unified impact protector cap (100) for front suspension as claimed in claim 4, wherein the equally spaced openings (25) are selected from a set of profiles of rectangular slits; said slits inclined right, inclined left and combination thereof and the said profiles are configured to have converging cross section projecting inside (25a) towards the hollow conical top body (45) at the inner face (15b) of the curved flap (15) creating a venturi to direct air onto the outer curved surface of the hollow conical top body (45).

7. The unified impact protector cap (100) for front suspension as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the equally spaced openings (25) are angularly displaced from the equally spaced openings (35) such that when said unified impact protector cap (100) is viewed from the top, the equally spaced flap surface opening (25) do not lie along the same imaginary line proceeding outwards from the center of the circular opening (45aa).

8. The unified impact protector cap (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the hollow conical top body (45) is profiled to have a lower outer portion (45L) having steeper slope than its top outer portion (45U).

9. The unified impact protector cap (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the thick annular ring (5a) has a projection (5ad) that rotationally locks the impact protector cap (100) to a matching recess (110ab) given on the bottom case (110).

Dated this 23rd day of May 2024

Sahastrarashmi Pund
Head – IPR
Endurance Technologies Ltd.

To,
The Controller of Patents,
The Patent Office, at Mumbai.