Other

Wade Spital

Phillip H Neal

Jon Oxford

A weight-controlled, motorized vehicle can be accelerated in either direction, steered, or decelerated without hand controls and without repositioning of a rider situated atop the vehicle. Like a skateboard, the vehicle is normally ridden by a rider standing upon a platform on top of the vehicle with one foot in front of the other. The vehicle is propelled forward when the rider increases weight on the front portion of the platform and backward when weight is increased on the rear portion. The vehicle is steered like a skateboard, by tilting the platform from side-to-side. An improved drive system utilizes a single front drive wheel to power and steer the vehicle. The drive system eliminates need of a flexible power transmission coupling such as a U-joint or constant-velocity joint. It also eliminates need of the differential mechanism normally required for two laterally spaced drive wheels.

Foot-controlled motorized vehicle

A convertible cargo carrier for offering a traveler the advantages of both pulling and pushing systems for use in conveying objects during their travels. The apparatus includes a cargo platform having a base, and a back coupled to the base; a motive structure coupled to the base for moveably supporting the cargo platform above a surface; a handle, coupled to the back, and a rack member, moveably and extendably coupled to the base, including one or more rack motive elements, the rack member including a first mode for engaging the surface with the one or more rack motive elements and a second mode with the one or more rack motive elements disengaged from the surface, the rack member presenting a platform adjacent the cargo platform when in the first mode.

Apparatus and method for convertible cargo carrier

Improved propulsion, suspension, and steering means for a skateboard-like vehicle which can be propelled and steered entirely by the feet of a rider without those feet touching the ground. An actuating means is also provided which allows the operation of brakes and/or other appropriate mechanisms without the repositioning of the rider's feet on the vehicle's foot supporting surface. The vehicle incorporates front and rear, independently-actuable pedals (53, 53R) which are actually discontinuous sections of the foot supporting platform or deck. These, combined with their support means (54, 55-front; 54R, 55R-rear), compose opposing front and rear level members which are pivotally mounted along crosswise axes. The pivotal axis of the front pedal is positioned substantially to the rear of the pivotal axis of the rear pedal so that the pedals can achieve a greater range of motion with a minimum of angular deviation. Each pedal support means retains a roller (58, 58R) which moves up and down with the support means. Using the front drive train as an example, a drive belt (52) is fixed in its middle to the frame (50) of the vehicle and is guided by two other rollers before winding around and terminating at a drive sleeve (76) to which it is fixed at its front end. When the pedal (53) is depressed, the roller (58) descends into the drive belt (52) causing it to unwind from the drive sleeve (76), imparting in it, a rotational motion. The drive sleeve retains one way clutches (80 and 81) which engage a wheel axle (82) causing a wheel (92) to rotate and propel the vehicle. A return spring (78) biases the drive sleeve to rotate in the other direction when the rider lifts their foot off the pedal. At that time, the vehicle coasts, as the drive sleeve (76) disengages from the drive axle (82), winding up the drive belt (52) and pushing the pedal (53) back up to its original position. Other embodiments include a vehicle with a crank-clutch-gear drive and a vehicle with an alternate arrangement and style of pedal brackets.

Growing community of inventors

Petaluma, CA, United States of America

Wade Spital