摘要 |
An apparatus for inflating inflatable articles, such as bicycle tire inner tubes, and for securing mobile articles, such as bicycles, to other objects. In one preferred embodiment, a first length of cable and a second length of cable are kept within a housing until needed to secure the article to an object. A cable holding sleeve holds the lengths of cable in a substantially side-by-side relationship when the cables are within the housing. When needed, the lengths of cable are withdrawn from the housing, passed through the frame of the article, around the object and the two ends of the cables are locked together by way of, for example, a cylindrical combination lock. When the first and second lengths of cable are unlocked, a constant tension spring, provided in some embodiments, retracts the lengths of cable back into the housing. Other embodiments of the invention are provided with a pump piston at the end of the lengths of cable which remain within the housing. As the pump piston is moved linearly within the housing, the pump piston acts to force air out of the housing through a pump nozzle located at one end of the opposite end of the housing. The present invention is particularly well suited for application with bicycles and may be applied to a variety of other wheeled vehicles.
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