Apple Inc.

Rockshox, Inc.

Avi Systems, Inc.

William M Becker

Sung Hoon Kim

Thomas M Young

Brion E LaPointe

Joseph Shamash

A bicycle suspension fork for use on a bicycle, and preferably a road bicycle. The suspension fork has a preload adjuster that is designed and formed such that it is readily usable in the front fork of a bicycle without adding undue weight to the bicycle. The preload adjuster has interengaging preload elements that, instead of having a bulky adjustment mechanism typically provided for preload adjustment. Preferably, the preload elements have interengaging ribs and grooves, the relative position of which are adjustable to adjust preload on the suspension biasing element in the fork. Additionally, a lockout mechanism is provided for adjusting the compressibility of the suspension fork by rotating no more than about 60&deg; during use of the bicycle. The lockout mechanism preferably has first and second fluid chambers in fluid communication and a fluid circulation control unit. Fluid flows between the chambers during compression and expansion of the suspension fork. The control unit controls fluid flow between the chambers and thus controls compressibility of the fork.

Bicycle suspension system with spring preload adjuster and hydraulic lockout device

A hub retainer device for maintaining the position of a bicycle wheel, particularly the wheel hub, with respect to a bicycle fork dropout. The hub retainer device includes a base portion dimensioned to fit securely within a recess defined in an outer surface of a bicycle fork dropout. The bicycle wheel skewer rod is passed through a hole defined in the base portion of the hub retainer device. The hub retainer further includes a projecting portion shaped to fit securely within the dropout slot. Preferably, a shoulder portion extends from the projecting portion beyond the inside surface of the dropout and is shaped to receive a shoulder on the wheel hub or an axle stub. Thus, loads on the wheel are transferred to the interface between the hub and hub retainer rather than to the interface between the skewer rod and the dropout as in prior art configurations not having a hub retainer as described.

Wheel hub retaining device

An apparatus and a method for securing a component in an electronics housing utilizing an apparatus including a rail attached to a side portion of an electronics housing, a door slidably coupled to the rail, a bezel coupled to the electronics housing and covering a portion of the rail, and a multiple position locking mechanism coupled to the rear of the bezel. The apparatus is used to cover and secure the external components of a server wherein the server contains one or more removable external components that are data drives and the media in those data drives. The locking mechanism includes a rotatable switch lock connected to an axial moving link that rotates a specially designed shaft that contains predetermined locking locations to contact a protruding rib portion of the door and hold or lock the door in a particular position. The multiple position locking mechanism contemplates that the door will be locked in such a position so as to prohibit the removal of the external components completely or alternatively prohibit removal of the external components that are, for example, the data drives, but allow the removal from the electronics housing of the external components that are the media within those drives. Thus, for example, there is a locking position of the door such that a floppy disk on CDROM is removable, whereas the drives that cover the media are not removable.

Three-position locking mechanism

A gear-driven docking apparatus for removable mass-storage drives comprises a guide rail, mounted inside a computer chassis, and a drive carrier, bearing a mass-storage drive. The drive carrier includes an alignment groove for slidingly receiving the guide rail and a gear train for engaging a rack profile formed at the proximal end of the guide rail, The rack profile and the gear train incorporate a mechanism that provides gear-and-rack synchronization under all operating conditions. Data and power connectors of the mass-storage drive are terminated to a printed circuit board that is movably attached to the drive carrier. The circuit board merges the separate power and data connectors into a single docking connector having registration pins.

Gear-driven docking apparatus for removable mass-storage drives

A touch screen or touch panel wherein there is a monitoring of relative distribution of force via one or more, preferably symmetrically positioned, sensors such as strain gage sensors. The strain gage sensors are positioned such that bending strain on the touch screen, engendered by touch, is detected by the one or more strain gages and accurately measured by an electronic controller, connected to the strain gage(s). The electronic controller, or associated hardware, is programmed to relate relative bending force to a unique position on the screen and is a charge balancing and multiplying analog-to-digital converter which provides accurate position determination, even with very low forces and with very minor differentiation in position related forces. A sum and divide analog-to-digital converter uses charge balancing and integration, with the balance charge coming from the plus and minus sum of the corners (wherein four sensors are positioned at the corners of a square or rectangular display), and the input signal is the difference between two sides of the display panel. This, in effect, results in the input signal being divided by the sum signal and the sum of charge counts over a fixed interval, resulting in the output value and unique position determination. A unique mounting structure for flat panel displays includes using the flat panel as the bending beam and wherein a circuit board mounted behind the flat panel transmits forces to sensors mounted on the circuit board.

Growing community of inventors

San Carlos, CA, United States of America

William M Becker