Human propelled recreational cart

专利摘要:
There is provided a human propelled vehicle having a front cart portion and a rear cycle portion, the rear cycle portion comprising a frame having a single wheel mounted thereon, and a seat, pedals being operatively connected to drive the wheel in a conventional bicycle arrangement, the front cart portion having a plurality of ground contact members such as wheels, a seat or the like for a passenger, a steering assembly to steer the ground contact members and connecting means connecting the rear cycle portion and front cart portion which permit the rotational movement the rear cycle portion and the front cart portion and also a tilting motion for the rear cycle portion.
公开号:CA2287827A1
申请号:C2287827
申请日:1999-11-01
公开日:2000-05-02
发明作者:Richard Jobidon
申请人:Richard Jobidon；
IPC主号:B62K5-00

专利说明:
[1" class="description-paragraph] HUMAN PROPELLED RECREATIONAL CARTThe present invention relates to a human propelled vehicle and more particularly, relates to a cycle type human propelled vehicle. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are various types of human propelled recreational vehicles known in the art. The vehicles will vary depending upon the surface being moved along and such surfaces can include snow, ice, pavement, grass, etc. Typical of such vehicles are bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, skis, etc.One area which is being addressed by many different types of vehicles is a multi person type of vehicle. Such vehicles are particularly desirable for use with smaller children who are unable to practice the recreational activity on the same level as the adult. To this end, there have been proposed in the art many different types of vehicles wherein the adult provides the power for the vehicle and the child may ride along with the adult by means of an attachment or the like. Recently, many such carts or trailers have been proposed for use with bicycles wherein the cart or trailer is towed along behind the bicycle.When towed along behind the bicycle, the child is essentially put in the role of a spectator and there is no opportunity for the child to practice motor skills. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a human propelled vehicle wherein there is provided a rear cycle portion and a front cart portion. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a human propelled vehicle wherein the steering of the vehicle may be done by the person being transported in a cart portion. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a human propelled vehicle wherein there is a different variety of front cart portions which may be adapted to ride along a number of dii~erent substrate surfaces. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a human propelled vehicle wherein a front cart portion is suitable for use by a child including steering and brake means with supplementary steering and brake means rearwardly of the front cart portion to be accessible by a cyclist. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising a rear cycle portion and a front cart portion, the rear cycle portion comprising a frame, a seat mounted on the frame, a wheel mounted on the frame, pedal means operatively connected to drive the wheel, the front cart portion comprising a plurality of ground contact members, passenger support means and steering means to steer at least one of the ground contact members.In greater detail, and as above mentioned, the vehicle of the present invention comprises a rear cycle portion and a front cart portion. The rear cycle portion may be any suitable arrangement whereby a forward motion is imparted to the vehicle.Conveniently, the rear cycle portion may resemble the rear portion of a bicycle - i.e.there would be provided a frame, a seat mounted on the frame for supporting the rider, a wheel along with conventional pedals mounted on cranks to a chain wheel which in
[2" class="description-paragraph] -2-turn will drive a sprocket wheel on the wheel. It will be understood that other arrangements known in the art can also be used. Thus, it has been proposed that a reciprocal drive arrangement using pedals can also be employed in a bicycle type arrangement. The front cart portion may assume many different forms. In general, it will comprise a frame on which there is mounted means to support a passenger. Ground contact members to permit the front cart portion to move smoothly along the surface are provided. The ground contact members would be arranged to be those which are suitable for the surface on which the cart is being moved along. Thus, in a conventional arrangement, there would be provided wheels mounted on axles. The arrangement would be such that there would be either three or four wheels with four wheels being preferred for purposes of stability. Alternative ground contact members may includes skis and other forms of runners such as blades and the like. Again, one could employ either three or four ski arrangements. There are provided means for steering the vehicle and to this end, one could employ a handlebar arrangement or a steering wheel such as is employed in numerous types of carts. Various forms of suspension may be provided including coil springs, shock absorbers, etc. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there are provided duplicate means for steering the vehicle such that the cyclist on the rear cycle portion
[3" class="description-paragraph] -3-may override the steering control by the child in the front cart portion. Preferably, there are also provided brakes which are operable on one or more of the ground contact members. The brakes, in the preferred embodiment may be actuated by either the person in the cart or the person on the rear cycle portion.The connecting means between the front cart portion and the rear cycle portion will preferably permit both the turning of the cart portion with respect to the cycle portion, but will also allow a tilting action. This will provide more stability for the cyclist on the rear cycle portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Having thus generally described the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments thereof, in which:Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of a vehicle having a rear cycle portion and a front cart portion; Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof; Figure 3 is a front elevational view thereof; Figure 4 is a rear elevational view thereof;Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a modified embodiment of the front cart portion of a vehicle;Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a still further embodiment of the vehicle of the present invention; Figure 7 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of a front cart portion;
[4" class="description-paragraph] -4-Figure 8 is a side elevational view of a still further embodiment of a vehicle having a rear cycle portion and a front cart portion;Figure 9 is a detail view of the interconnection between the rear cycle portion and front cart portion; and Figure 10 is an exploded view illustrating the interconnection of the rear cycle portion and front cart portion.DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSReferring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference characters thereto, there is illustrated a vehicle which comprises a rear cycle portion generally designated by reference numeral 10 and a front cart portion generally designated by reference numeral 12. Rear cycle portion 10 includes a lower tube 14 which is connected to a conventional seat tube 16. The triangular frame also includes a down tube 18 extending between an upper portion of seat tube 16 and one end of lower tube 14. Seat stays 20 extend from an upper end of seat tube 16 to a rear axle. Rear cycle portion 10 also includes a conventional chain wheel 22 extending outwardly from which are cranks 24 each having a pedal 26 connected thereto in a conventional fashion. Wheel 28 has a sprocket wheel 30 associated therewith and idler 32. Chain 34 extends between chain wheel 22 and sprocket wheel 30 and idler 32. A seat 36 is mounted within seat tube 16.Front cart portion 12 has a pair of longitudinally extending side frame members 38, 38'. As the front cart portion 12 is substantially symmetrical about its longitudinal
[5" class="description-paragraph] -5-axis, reference numerals with a prime will be used for similar components on an opposite side, with only one side being described in detail. Front cart portion 12, as aforementioned, has longitudinally extending side frame members 38, 38' and also includes a front transverse frame member 42, rear wheel frame members 82, 82', reinforcement bars 84, 84' and rear diagonal frame members 148, 148'. A seat 150 is mounted on the frame members in a conventional manner. As may be best seen in Figure 3, there is provided a front transverse frame member 42 which has upwardly extending legs 44, 44'. Extending from leg 44 proximate its upper end is a upper flange 46 while proximate its lower end, there is provided an outwardly extending lower flange 48. A yoke 50 is provided and which yoke 50 has an axle 52 extending between yoke arms S 1, 53. Front wheel 54 is mounted on axle 52 in a conventional manner. Mounted on yoke arm 51 is a plate 56 which serves to connect yoke arm 51 and parallelogram rod 58 by means of a parallelogram rod connector 60. A compression spring 62 extends from the top of plate 56 adjacent yoke arm 51 to upper flange 46 to function as a shock absorber for the wheel assembly.Front cart portion 12 also includes a steering column 66 having a steering wheel 68 mounted at one end thereof in a conventional fashion. Steering column also includes a steering column sleeve 70 to receive steering column support 72, 72'.Steering column 66 is pivotably connected so that it can be moved up and downwardly as shown in Figure 1 by arrow 73.
[6" class="description-paragraph] -6-Front cart portion 12 includes outwardly extending rear wheel frame members 82, 82' each having an associated reinforcement bar 84, 84' extending between a remote end of a respective rear wheel frame member to a respective side frame member 38, 38'. A yoke 86 having yoke arms 90, 92 is provided and connected by means of pivot attachment 88. Extending between yoke arms 90 and 92 is a rear axle 94 to mount a rear wheel 96.A conventional brake assembly includes a brake caliper generally designated by reference numeral 98 and having a brake cable 100 extending to a brake actuator mounted on side frame member 38'. Extending from a distal end of yoke arm 90 is a conventional shock absorber 104 having a coil spring 106 extending thereabout. As seen in Figure 4, there is provided a rear vertical assembly generally designated by reference numeral 110 and which includes a pair of upwardly extending vertical members 112, 112'. Each upper vertical member 112, 112' has an inwardly extending horizontal segment 114 and 114' respectively. At the end of each of top horizontal segments 114, 114' there is provided an outer sleeve 115, 115' each connected to a respective bevel gear 116, 116'. Also mounted on top horizontal segment 114 is a brake actuator 118 having a brake cable 120 extending therefrom and operatively connecting to brake caliber 98. The arrangement includes a center post 122 having outer sleeve 121 extending therebout; which center post 122 includes a bevel gear 124 engaging bevel gears 116, 116'. Mounted on outer sleeve 121 is a connector assembly 126 for connecting front cart portion 12 and rear cycle 10 together. A pulley 144 is connected to center post 122.Connector 126 is illustrated in greater detail in Figures 9 and 10 and reference will now be had thereto. Connecter 126 includes a coupling sleeve 130 on the end of lower tube 14 and which terminates in a pair of ears 132. Mounted on center post 122 is a coupling 136.It will be noted that coupling sleeve 136 is angled with respect to center post 122.Mounted interiorly of coupling sleeve 136 is coupling rod 138. A mounting member 140 extends outwardly from coupling rod 138 to a cutout in coupling sleeve 136.Coupling member 140 is apertured as are ears 132 and designed to receive a coupling pin 140 to thereby join rear cycle portion 10 and front cart portion 12 together. The arrangement, as will be discussed hereinbelow, permits a tilting movement of the cycle portion with respect to the front cart portion. It will also be noted in Figure 9 that a rear pulley 144 is mounted on center post 122. A steering cable 74 is provided and is journalled about steering cable front pullies 76, 76', steering cable rear pullies 78, 78' and rear pulley 144. Steering cable 74 is secured to steering column 66 and is wound thereabout as may be seen in Figure 2. A second steering cable 77 is also likewise wound about steering column 74 and has its ends connected to plates 56, 56'. Thus, rotation of steering column 66 will cause the wheels to turn due to the actiomof steering cable 77 on the wheel assembly. The provision of center post 122 will permit steering by means of rotation of top sleeves 115, 115' which will transmit a movement through bevel gears 116, 116' _g_ to bevel gear 124 to cause rotation of center post 122. In so doing, pulley 144 will likewise rotate and through steering cable 74, will cause rotation of steering column 66 thus permitting the cyclist at the rear to steer the vehicle when required.In the embodiment of Figure 5, there is illustrated an arrangement wherein the front cart portion 12 includes a receptacle 170 for receiving any baggage or other commodity to be carried. As shown in Figure 6, the front cart portion may include a shovel 177 which may be actuated by the user through a connecting member 174 leading to a handle 176. In the arrangement shown in Figure 7, front cart portion 12 is mounted on a plurality of ski assemblies 180 or alternatively, as shown in Figure 8, on blades 182 for use on ice.It will be understood that the above described embodiments are for purposes of illustration only and that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

权利要求:
Claims (13)
[1] 1. A vehicle comprising a rear cycle portion and a front cart portion, said rear cycle portion comprising:a frame;a seat mounted on said frame;a wheel mounted on said frame;pedal means operatively connected to drive said wheel;said front cart portion comprising:a plurality of ground contact members;passenger support means; and steering means to steer at least one of said ground contact members;connecting means connecting said rear cycle portion and said front cart portion.
[2] 2. The vehicle of Claim 1 wherein said pedal means operatively connected to drive said wheel comprises first and second pedals each mounted on a crank to a chain wheel, a sprocket wheel on said wheel, and chain means extending between said chain wheel and said sprocket wheel.
[3] 3. The vehicle of Claim 1 wherein all of said ground contact members are wheels.
[4] 4. The vehicle of Claim 1 further including a handlebar operatively connected to at least one front wheel for steering of said front cart portion.
[5] 5. The vehicle of Claim 3 further including a steering wheel operatively connected to said ground contact members for steering of said front cart portion.
[6] 6. The vehicle of Claim 1 wherein said ground contact members are at least three skis.
[7] 7. The vehicle of Claim 1 wherein said ground contact members comprise a front pair of skis and a rear pair of skis.
[8] 8. The vehicle of Claim 1 wherein said passenger support means comprises a seat structure mounted to said front cart frame.
[9] 9. The vehicle of Claim 1 wherein said ground contact members comprise a plurality of blades.
[10] 10. The vehicle of Claim 1 wherein said front cart portion further includes an upwardly extending frame member at a rear end thereof to provide gripping means for a person driving said rear cycle portion.
[11] 11. The vehicle of Claim 1 wherein said connecting means connecting said rear cycle portion and said front cart portion comprises a first connecting sleeve on said front cart portion, said first connecting sleeve having a longitudinal axis which is diagonal to a horizontal plane, a first connecting rod rotatably journalled within said first connecting sleeve, said first connecting rod having a connecting member extending therefrom, said connecting member being connected to said rear cycle portion, the arrangement being such that said rear cycle portion can tilt when turning a corner.
[12] 12. The vehicle of Claim 5 further including brake means on at least one of said wheels, first brake actuator means situated so as to be accessible by a rider of said front cart portion, and second brake actuator means positioned to be accessible by a user of said rear cycle portion.
[13] 13. The vehicle of Claim 1 wherein said steering means comprises first steering means situated for access by a rider in said front cart portion and second steering means situated to be accessible by a person on said rear cycle portion.

类似技术:

---

公开号 | 公开日 | 专利标题

---

US6398237B1|2002-06-04|Skateboard

---

US5240267A|1993-08-31|Tricycle

---

US6739606B2|2004-05-25|Dual-footboard scooter

---

US4789174A|1988-12-06|Suspension bicycle

---

US4132435A|1979-01-02|Steerable wheeled vehicle

---

US7530582B2|2009-05-12|Wheeled vehicle for amusement purposes

---

US20040124033A1|2004-07-01|Utility motor vehicle with carrier

---

WO2003057549A1|2003-07-17|Lean-induced steerable wheel assembly

---

EP0113772A1|1984-07-25|Tricycle

---

US6070894A|2000-06-06|Arm-powered wheeled vehicle with bicycle-type cranks

---

US4225147A|1980-09-30|Vehicles

---

US3656777A|1972-04-18|Scooter-like toy vehicle

---

US20030214113A1|2003-11-20|Vehicle having independently articulating rear frame members

---

US8764040B1|2014-07-01|Quadricycle with suspension

---

US6378879B2|2002-04-30|Dual footboard off-road scooter

---

US5868413A|1999-02-09|Unicycle having rearwardly mounted handle structure for training riders

---

CA2238468C|2007-05-08|Gravity driven steerable wheeled vehicle

---

US7309081B1|2007-12-18|Four wheel off-road vehicle

---

US6685201B1|2004-02-03|Road luge

---

US4592441A|1986-06-03|Three-wheeled motor vehicle with pivotable frame

---

US20040238251A1|2004-12-02|Small and lightweight snow vehicle

---

CA1215407A|1986-12-16|Sportcycle

---

US6517092B2|2003-02-11|Four-wheeled push vehicle

---

US3961810A|1976-06-08|Bicycle safety and conversion wheel

---

US4958843A|1990-09-25|Multi-purpose speed-away toy coaster vehicle and method therefor

同族专利:

---

公开号 | 公开日

---

GB9823827D0|1998-12-23|

引用文献:

---

公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题

---

US7011320B1|2005-02-14|2006-03-14|Ramon Gomez|Motorcycle carriage|

---

法律状态:
2002-11-01| FZDE| Dead|

优先权:

---

申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

---

GBGB9823827.2A|GB9823827D0|1998-11-02|1998-11-02|Human propelled recreational cart|

---

GB9823827.2||1998-11-02||

---