Land vehicles – Wheeled – Coasters
Patent
1994-10-11
1996-09-03
Culbreth, Eric D.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Coasters
280 87041, 280 1127, B62M 100
Patent
active
055517170
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a sports conveyance, and it is more particularly concerned with a sports conveyance of the type having land wheels, with or without motor propulsion, and adapted to carry a rider after the manner of a skateboard.
BACKGROUND ART
Sports-minded people derive great satisfaction and enjoyment; as well as pleasure in demonstrating their athleticism, from skateboards which enable them to transverse land at not-inconsiderable speed, standing on a wheeled platform which must be constrained in its directional requirements without the presence of steering wheels, handlebars or other manual control means. Conventional skateboards have not changed appreciably since they came into vogue about four decades ago. They were developed simply by placing a board--commonly called a "deck"--on roller skates at front and rear, and the turning mechanism has essentially remained the same, with the wheels being allowed, when the board is leaned by body weight, to turn in the direction of the lean. In certain further developments, larger skateboards have been produced--and with sails in some instances--aimed at obtaining better turning abilities, but without any noteworthy success. The fact remains that difficulty or limitation in turning invariably arises when small wheels are used and are located essentially under the board, with the wheels being unable to be spaced apart more than say 25 cm.
Another disadvantage associated with current types of skateboards is that their small, substantially solid wheels cause them to be limited to firm-surface terrain such as roads and footpaths, so that they cannot be used on sand or on grassed surfaces which may include sot areas. In consequence they cannot compete with grass skis where the latter are usable, and if fitted with sails or the like they are fraught with danger even exceeding the normal high incidence of accidents and damage to the person occurring when normal skateboard are used on concrete or the like surfaces, especially when their inherently low-stability characteristics are combined with the low-ability problems of inexperienced or accident-prone riders.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
My invention has been devised with a view to overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages associated with current skateboards and it has for its principal object the provision of a sports conveyance which can be controlled to simulate all desirable features of a skateboard and yet will have major novel features of its own, such as the ability to be made with larger and more widely spaced front wheels at locations beyond the lateral limits of the board or deck. Another object of the invention, tied in with the ability to employ larger wheels, is the provision of a conveyance able to traverse grass and moderately firm sand. In particular the invention aims to provide a conveyance of the aforedescribed type having a novel turning mechanism permitting greater turning ability and greater turning control.
Further objects of the invention are to provide a new type of sports conveyance as aforementioned in which excellent use may be made of the leaning of body weight of the rider, as basically employed in a skateboard, and yet achieving great stability and safety, while being able to be made to simple and efficient design and at very reasonable cost, yet proving strong and durable in use.
It is a further object that, when so desired, a rider may be restrained against accidental separation from the conveyance as may occur on bumpy terrain. Yet another object is to provide such stability features that the rider's weight may be distributed most efficiently in operating conditions. Other objects will be apparent from consideration of specific modifications which can be provided and which are described herein.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides broadly, according to one aspect, in a sports conveyance having a frame mounted on a pair of spaced front wheels and also supported by rear wheel means, the front wheels having interconnecting mea
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Culbreth Eric D.
Yu Min
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