Land vehicles – Wheeled – Occupant propelled type
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-17
2002-03-05
Boehler, Anne Marie (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Occupant propelled type
C280S266000, C280S267000, C280S282000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06352274
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
References Cited:
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
85,501
12/1868
Wood
280/235
252,455
01/1882
Giles
280/235
329,755
11/1885
McIntosh
280/235
838,228
12/1906
Williams
280/7.15
1,105,216
07/1914
Smith
280/240
2,643,898
06/1953
Everest et al.
280/240
3,958,814
05/1976
Smith
280/269
4,132,435
01/1979
Wilson
280/772
4,279,429
07/1981
Hopkins et al.
280/267
4,432,561
02/1984
Feikuma et al.
280/281 LP
4,460,190
07/1984
Spiess
280/247
4,526,392
07/1985
Berkstresser
280/281 LP
4,632,414
12/1986
Ellefson
280/246
4,705,284
11/1987
Stout
280/242
4,789,173
12/1988
Lofgren
280/281 LP
4,925,200
05/1990
Jones
280/233
5,028,064
07/1996
Johnson
280/250.1
5,209,506
05/1993
Klopfenstein
280/240
5,322,312
06/1994
Cammack
280/244
5,354,084
10/1994
Lofgren et al.
280/250
5,536,029
07/1996
Gramckow
280/263
The field of this invention is that of occupant propelled vehicles (class 280/200), propelled by hand (class 280/242.1), by means of a lever connected to a crank (class 280/247), wherein the vehicle is constructed to be steered by the seat of the vehicle under influence of the body of the occupant (class 280/235). The vehicle disclosed herein is intended for, but not limited to, the outdoor leisure use of persons with restricted or no capacity of the lower limbs.
Beyond the common wheelchair, there has opened up in recent years a category of human-powered vehicles for handicapped riders, developed around wheelchair sports applications. Two styles have emerged: one is a variation on the conventional wheelchair, in which the rider pushes with the hands directly onto rings attached to the main wheels; and the other, typically referred to as a ‘handcycle’, derives from the bicycle, but with additional wheels, and the driving pedals moved to within reach of the hands. There are a number of disadvantages to both of these styles which render them unsuitable for either daily outdoor transportation, or for casual, recreational use, in the way that an able-bodied person might use an ordinary bicycle. Neither style is particularly well suited to the human form in terms of the ergonomic factors of efficient muscle use, strain avoidance, and overall rider comfort. By and large, they are adaptations of designs which have been optimized over time, for other purposes, or other muscle groups.
Most wheelchair-style designs force the rider to sit in a doubled-over position, head facing towards the ground, thereby restricting both breathing, vision and rider comfort. This style offers none of the mechanical advantages that bicycle-type gearing might deliver, but requires the rider to grip the wheel ring, push through an arc using an awkward extension of the wrist muscles, release the grip, retract the arm and reposition the hand for the next thrust; this sequence must be repeated constantly, and in rapid succession in order to gain forward momentum.
The typical handcycle positions the pedals, sprocket and chain uncomfortably close to the rider's face, often directly in the line of sight. Such a layout also requires the rider to operate the vehicle with his arms in a constantly elevated position, with the consequent strain and fatigue that results from this attitude. The handcycle style presents a safety concern in the location of the handbrake levers: because the hand pedals require full 360 degree freedom of rotation around their axes, the brake levers typically are not attached to these same hand pedals, but are located on a frame member nearby, requiring the rider to release his grip on the thrust member and reposition it elsewhere for braking, which is far from optimum in emergency situations.
Both styles tend to be quite low-slung in order to achieve a degree of stability while cornering quickly. But this low seating position makes mounting and dismounting difficult, and makes these vehicles quite unsafe for street use, as the rider's head is positioned lower than the fender height of the average automobile. As well as seriously restricting the rider's field of vision, in traffic situations both rider and vehicle can fall below the line of sight of drivers nearby. Unable to either see or be seen, riders of such vehicles pose a considerable risk to their own wellbeing.
These factors, as well as the high cost of most commercially available sports wheelchairs and handcycles, are seen as impediments to their more widespread adoption and enjoyment by the handicapped community. The present invention attempts to solve the foregoing problems by configuring a design which is based on the premise that a maximum amount of sustained power can be extracted from the rider's arms and upper torso working in unison, in a rowing action that powers on the forward as well as the backward stroke, wherein the seat is arranged in relation to the rowing handles so as to provide firm support against which to both push and pull, and wherein the rider is positioned in a semi-reclined and relaxed attitude, facing forward and suitably elevated, with the driving arms falling in a natural, comfortable and neutral position with regards to muscle extension. Many patents have been issued for designs, some quite extraordinary, which attempt to harness the rowing energy of the human body for the propulsion of a land vehicle. The common shortcoming of all such previously disclosed devices, which is resolved by the present invention, is the absence of a positive, safe, and mechanically simple method of steering the vehicle, which would allow the handicapped rider to lean into turns in an effortless and intuitive way.
A review of prior claims registered with the U.S. Patent Office revealed no fewer than 74 patents relating to human-powered devices incorporating a rowing or similarly reciprocal motion by which to impart motive power, of which the earliest appears to be U.S. Pat. No. 85,501 (Wood) in 1868. Nine patents were found in which an occupant propelled vehicle is steered by pivoting the seat about a generally vertical axis. A further 18 patents were identified which pertain to the steering of human-powered vehicles in which a leaning motion is either directly applied, or is the result of some other motion applied to initiate steering; this group is exclusive of the conventional bicycle inventions in which a leaning steering action is necessarily implied. (The full list of these prior patents is not cited here, but is attached for reference at the end of this submission as Appendix A). Many of these designs, as in the Wood patent, rely on the operator's feet to perform some function, such as braking, steering, or in some cases, to assist in forward propulsion, while some patents apply to two-wheeled vehicles, which require use of the lower limbs for balance and stability.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,898 (Everest et al.) discloses the first instance of a wheelchair, in the familiar style most commonly in use today, propelled using a reciprocating drive; steering is achieved by independently powering wheels disposed on either side of the chair. A great many variants of this latter design have been disclosed, the most recent of which would appear to be U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,312 (Cammack), and most, if not all, of which steer in the same manner as the Everest instance.
The earliest apparent application of a reciprocal, hand-powered driving motion to a chair, which may be operated by a person without the use of his lower limbs, appears in U.S. Pat. No. 838,228 (Williams). Steering in the Williams instance is by way of a lever handle. U.S. Pat. No. 1,105,216 (Smith) describes the first vehicle which could be said to impart the spirit, if not the embodiment of the present invention, but employs two levers operating in opposition to one another, and steers by way of one of the levers which is linked to the front wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,200 (Jones), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,506 (Klopfens
LandOfFree
Occupant propelled land vehicle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Occupant propelled land vehicle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Occupant propelled land vehicle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2839277