Land vehicles – Wheeled – Two-wheel
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-12
2001-06-19
Johnson, Brian (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Two-wheel
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247711
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to harness racing, and more specifically to a pivotable sulky for use in harness racing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Horse racing is a sport that has enjoyed great popularity over the years. One variation of horse racing, also referred to as low-wheeled harness racing, typically employs specially trained horses which strive to pull rider-mounted sulkies around a race track of prescribed length in the shortest length of time possible.
Typically, a sulky is an apparatus that has two rotatable wheels that are fixedly mounted to a frame, a rear-mounted seat for a rider and at least one forward-mounted shaft that is harnessed to a horse. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,408 discloses a single shaft sulky that has two wheels that are supported by axles at the outer ends of a flexible arch, a driver's seat secured to the arch, and a single flexible shaft that extends upwardly and forwardly from the arch to a single point connection on a horse's harness. The two wheels are fixedly mounted to the axles in that the centerline of the wheels'path is always perpendicular to the axis of the axle.
FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrate another sulky of the prior art, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,975, which is incorporated herein by reference as fully as if set forth in its entirety.
FIG. 1
is a side view that shows wheel
14
which rotates around center hub
30
. The wheel assembly is rotatably mounted to U-shaped trailing arm
16
which has an upward-extending rod
18
. Rod
18
is inserted and pivots in vertical tube
20
, which extends downwardly from frame
12
. Seat
22
is mounted to the frame via rearwardly-extending support bar
26
, in an adjustable horizontal position that is approximately even with center hub
30
of the wheels and which is about thirty inches above the ground. A pair of forwardly-mounted shafts
28
, adjustable to different widths and heights, extend from frame
12
so as to be harnessed to a horse.
FIG. 2
is a top view that shows the same features as FIG.
1
.
As is well known in the prior art, one of the primary problems experienced by most sulkies is their susceptibility to tipping. This problem is particularly acute when a sulky is travelling around curved sections of the racetrack. This, along with sudden lateral movements of the horse, irregularities in the racing surface or a slightly too aggressive manuever, among many other factors, can result in a vertical tipping force at one of the wheels. If the vertical tipping force is sufficiently large, the sulky may tip, causing the rider to fall from the seat and potentially into the path of oncoming horse-drawn sulkies. Thus, in addition to causing the race to be lost, a tipped sulky may place a rider in serious danger of injury.
Fixed-wheel sulkies of the prior art typically do not have features that prevent the sulky from tipping, but instead rely on the skill of the rider to manuever the apparatus and to regulate the speed of the horse so as to minimize the likelihood of tipping. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,975 discloses a pivotable wheel feature meant to decrease the likelihood of tipping.
Another problem experienced by sulkies of the prior art is friction between various moving parts of the apparatus. For instance, prior art sulkies that have wheels that are fixedly mounted to an axle experience undesirable friction between the wheels and the axle, and between the wheels and the surface of the track, as the alternating gait of the horse produces alternating sideway displacement forces thereon. In addition, fixedly mounted wheels experience similar frictional forces caused by sideways displacement forces when the apparatus is pulled around the curved sections of the racetrack. Also, when the sulky is pulled around a curved racetrack, torsional stresses are experienced in the axle carrying the wheels, which restrict the movement of the horse.
These frictional and torsional stresses slow the speed of the sulky in numerous ways. First, they increase the resistance experienced by the wheels of the sulky as they rotate around their axles, thus slowing the rotation of the wheels. In addition, because of the increased likelihood of tipping, a rider is more likely to slow the horse down to avoid a dangerous spill. Also, the frictional forces may interfere with the rolling gait of the horse, causing the horse to misstep, or may cause the horse to tire prematurely.
Thus, there is a need for a sulky which decreases the likelihood of tipping while decreasing undesirable forces experienced by the sulky that slow its progress during a race.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, in accordance with one embodiment, relates to a sulky that comprises an upper support having at each end an outer frame member and an inner frame member. The sulky further comprises a pair of axles, each of which are disposed between one of the outer and the inner frame members, and onto which are rotatably mounted, via a wheel hub, a pair of wheels. The sulky also comprises a pair of shafts for harnessing the sulky to a horse. Each of the shafts has a pivot connection along its length. A pair of fork assemblies, each having a pair of forks which are joined at one end, is pivotably secured at the joined end to the pivot connection along one of the shafts. The unjoined ends of the forks are rotatably connected to one of the axles on opposite sides of the wheel hub. The wheels are configured to pivot around the pivot connection upon the exertion of a sideways displacement force at the wheels.
In one embodiment of the invention, each of the pair of axles is horizontally slidably secured to the outer and inner frame members. In another embodiment, each of the pair of axles is axially slidably secured to the outer and inner frame members. In still another embodiment, each of the pair of axles is horizontally and axially slidably secured to the outer and inner frame members via a ball joint, preferably mounted on a track disposed in the outer and inner frame members.
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Johnson Brian
Klebe G B
Sofer & Haroun LLP
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