The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 06, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 28, 1994
Jonathan Watkins, Vista, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
A vehicle having a chassis frame and a single front and single rear wheel aligned on the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and retractable side wheels on opposite sides of the frame. A basic linkage transmits force to the side wheels for extending and retracting them in response to operator activation. The linkage is activated by a foot pedal lever which stows behind the driver's legs and a mechanism for locking the foot pedal lever in position behind the driver's legs and releasing it only when the driver depresses the foot pedal lever. The side wheels are further automatically steerable in synchronism with the vehicle front wheel by a mechanism which detects the front wheel position and activates an electrical motor to position the side wheels in accordance with the front wheel position. The steering mechanism is further capable of steering the side wheels to a position perpendicular to the track of the vehicle. Finally, an additional or second pair of side wheels may be provided with both pairs being retractable and extendable and one pair arranged to come into play when the vehicle tips.