Land vehicles – Convertible – Wheel to or from runner
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-27
2004-11-30
Morris, Lesley D. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Convertible
Wheel to or from runner
C280S007120, C280S043240, C280S008000, C280S009000, C280S043140, C280S028000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06824147
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of ski-supported vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to snowmobiles equipped with wheels that will allow the snowmobile to travel readily over surfaces not covered with snow or ice.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Snowmobiles are vehicles that are constructed to travel across snow and ice. As is generally known, the snowmobile is driven by an endless drive track arranged at the rear end of the underside of the snowmobile. The front end of the snowmobile is supported and rides along two skis, which glide across the surface of the snow or ice. The skis typically have a carbide runner that runs along a portion of the bottom surface of the ski, to help keep the snowmobile traveling along a smooth track.
A disadvantage of snowmobiles is that the skis don't readily glide across gravel, hardtop, or other non-snow surfaces. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to steer a snowmobile because the skis do not respond properly to the steering operations initiated at the handlebars. Quite often, the snowmobile needs to be dragged or pushed in driveways and across roadways, etc. Furthermore, when a snowmobile is driven or dragged across a non-snow surface, the carbide runners on the skis are subject to excessive wear and must be replaced more frequently, depending on how often a snowmobile travels across a non-snow surface. This inability to steer snowmobiles on surfaces other than snow and ice makes it difficult for people to maneuver their snowmobiles across roadways, driveways, onto ferries, etc.
In recent years, the sport of snowmobiling has changed evolved from one of traveling relatively short distances over trails close to home to one of weekend-long or longer cross-country trips. Previously, for example, a snowmobile operator would fill the gasoline tank of the snowmobile in his or her backyard, transport the snowmobile to a trail site or depart directly from the backyard for an afternoon or day of travel over snowmobile club trails, and then return home. Nowadays, people are traveling great distances across country on snowmobiles that involve two-or three-day tours or even such mammoth tours as from Alaska to Maine.
This development of the sport of snowmobiling into extended trips means that snowmobiles must now be refilled with gasoline and maintained while they are out traveling across open country. Thus, where in the past the tank on the snowmobile was filled at home or at the point of departure before a daylong excursion, snowmobiles now need to be refilled while out traveling. This means that the snowmobile must be driven to a service station, typically by traveling some distance along a road surface other than snow or ice. Also, now that such lengthy trips are being undertaken with snowmobiles, the presence of snow along the entire route is not guaranteed, and consequently, snowmobiles are being required more and more frequently to travel some distance across surfaces other than snow or ice. Before, when a snowmobile needed to be dragged or pushed only a short distance across a roadway or driveway, or up a ramp onto a ferry, it was possible for a person to do it alone or with the assistance of a traveling companion. Now, however, with the need to travel several miles along a roadway to get to a filling station, the inability to steer a snowmobile has become a major obstacle in the logistics and the enjoyment of the sport.
Efforts to make snowmobiles mobile on gravel or other surfaces have been undertaken over the years. Prior art includes conversion kits to replace the skis with wheels. These conversion kits were intended to replace the skis on a semi-permanent basis, that is, to convert a snowmobile into a wheeled vehicle for an extended period of time. Such conversion kits typically require that the ski be removed in order to mount the wheels, or, if the ski does remain attached to the vehicle, a longer kingpin must be used to mount the wheels. Thus, each time the wheels are mounted or removed, the kingpin must be replaced with the longer or shorter one, respectively. Both methods of converting the snowmobile to a wheeled vehicle involve a fair amount of work. Thus, such conversion kits are not generally an acceptable solution to the problem of having to change in relatively quick succession back and forth between a vehicle that rides on skis and one that rides on wheels, as happens when traveling over gravel or hardtop or other surface other than snow or ice to fill the gas tank or to load onto a ferry.
What is needed, therefore, are means for quickly converting a vehicle back and forth between one that glides on skis to one that rolls on wheels. What is further needed are such means that do not impair the steerability of the vehicle. What is yet further needed are such means that are easily implemented, without requiring great physical strength and without requiring the use of tools. What is still yet further needed are such means that are retrofittable on any conventional snowmobile ski.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a combination ski-wheel unit that will allow one to convert a ski-supported vehicle quickly and easily to a wheeled vehicle and back to a ski-supported vehicle, without requiring the use of tools. Another object of the present invention is to provide such a unit that will maintain the steerability of the vehicle, whether on skis or on wheels. A further object is to provide such a unit that, once installed, can be easily deployed without requiring great physical strength. Still another object is to provide a wheel kit with deployable wheels that can be retrofitted onto any conventional snowmobile ski.
The objects are achieved by providing a road wheel unit having one or more wheels that is permanently or semi-permanently installed on the ski of a conventional snowmobile so as to provide easily deployable or retractable wheels, as the conditions require. In a retracted position, i.e. the standard snowmobile mode of operation, the wheel is carried alongside the ski, raised above the gliding surface of the ski. In a deployed position, the wheel is lowered, so that the weight of the machine is supported by the wheel. In this deployed position, the wheel unit holds the ski above the rolling surface of the wheel and allows the snowmobile to ride on wheels and the conventional endless track at the rear end. In the deployed mode, the snowmobile remains readily steerable with the handlebars, and the carbide runners on the ski surfaces are not subject to excessive wear. Ideally, the wheel or wheels of the wheel unit are easily detachable from the mounting means, leaving the mounting means permanently installed on the vehicle, without impairing the functionality of the skis. As mentioned above, a wheel unit has one or more wheels. Generally, at least one wheel is mounted on each of the two skis of the snowmobile and, thus, the term “wheels” is generally used hereinafter, although it is understood that, depending on the type of wheel unit, only one wheel may be mounted on a ski.
There are various types of conventional skis. Some have a kingpin assembly for linking the ski to the snowmobile; other skis have built-up sidewalls and/or a saddle-shape protrusion extending from the sidewall that is constructed with sufficient strength and rigidity to support a linking assembly that links the ski to the snowmobile. The scope of the invention includes a wheel unit that is mountable on the kingpin that links the ski to the snowmobile, as well as a wheel unit that is mountable on the side wall or the saddle of the ski, or onto a mounting block that is integrated into the side wall construction of the ski. The wheel unit mountable on the kingpin is hereinafter referred to as the kingpin-mount wheel unit; the unit mountable on the side wall, saddle, or onto a mounting block integrated into the side wall construction is referred to as the side wall-mount wheel unit; and a unit that is mountable on virtually any type of ski, that is
Bohan Thomas L.
Mathers Patricia M.
Shriver J. Allen
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