ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 13 -- United States Patent no. 12,523,277, issued on Jan. 13, was assigned to SRAM LLC (Chicago).
"Front gear changer" was invented by Christopher Shipman (Chicago), Brian Jordan (Highland Park, Ill.) and Mark Santurbane (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An electromechanical front gear changer for a bicycle is provided, the bicycle having a chain, including a base member attachable to the bicycle. A linkage is movably coupled to the base member. A chain guide is movably coupled to the linkage for contacting the chain. A motor is supported by the base member. A gear transmission is driven by the motor to move the linkage. A CPU is provided for contro...