Just how recognizable is the Saris Bones bike rack? According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, the design is now iconic enough to deserve its own Trademark Registration for its unique shape. First introduced in 1996, the Bones Trunk Rack has now sold over a million models around the world. Designed by Fabio Pedrini, the Bologna, Italy based designer has an interesting take on design stating, “emotion may follow form, once form follows revolutionary function”. Pedrini has designed many Saris products including the recent Thelma, Freedom, and SuperClamp Hitch Tray racks.
Meet Fabio after the break…
From Saris:
Madison, Wis. – (December 24, 2014) – Saris Cycling Group is proud to announce that on November 4,2014, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted a Trademark Registration for the distinctive shape of the two bike and three bike Bones Trunk Racks. This coveted and difficult to obtain designation indicates that the Bones Rack has a significant recognizable and distinctive shape and design in the minds of consumers. Simply by looking at the design, people are able to immediately recognize it as a Bones Rack, and an iconic Saris product. It is extremely rare in the U.S. Bicycle Industry for a product to have the market presence and design notoriety required for the Trademark Office to grant a Configuration Trademark.
The Bones Trunk Racks were first introduced to the U.S. Bicycle industry in 1996. At that time, the Bones rack was a revolutionary design, introducing sweeping shapes and new materials to the trunk rack market. It changed the way the market viewed bike racks – moving from well-engineered, functional products to a designed piece that not only safely and securely transports bikes but also shows off the bike and car. Since its introduction, the Bones rack has won numerous design awards, including the prestigious Outside Magazine Best Product designation. The Bones rack has become synonymous with a bike rack, and Saris has produced more than 1 million Bones Racks, which have been sold around the globe. The Bones Rack has been made in a variety of colors, several of which support philanthropic efforts such as World Bicycle Relief (red bones rack), Cancer Research (pink bones), and Bike MS (orange bones).
The designer of the Bones Trunk Rack is Fabio Pedrini, a leading industry designer based in Bologna, Italy. Fabio’s philosophy is based on the design equation that “emotion may follow form, once form follows revolutionary function”. He begins the design process by examining the way consumers interact, so that his products make the user experience better, and marry the user’s emotional connection to the delight in using a product, all while instilling confidence. Fabio’s many car rack design patents have covered the last two decades, and include roof systems, Bones Trunk Racks, Solo Trunk Racks, Hitch Racks, and other Saris products like the Thelma, Freedom, and SuperClamp Hitch Tray Racks. Innovative products like the Bones will always be the goal of Saris Brand. Saris will continue to manufacture the unique design of the Bones Trunk Rack striving to deliver joy and a good experience to bicycle consumers everywhere.
