AU2002100199A4

AU2002100199A4 - Safety device for a front wheel of a vehicle for children

Info

Publication number: AU2002100199A4
Application number: AU2002100199A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jung-Jyh Wu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-03-13
Filing date: 2002-03-13
Publication date: 2002-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 2010-03-13

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Agent and Address for Service: Invention Title: Jung-Jyh Wu Jung-Jyh Wu MADDERNS, 1st Floor, 64 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia SAFETY DEVICE FOR A FRONT WHEEL OF A VEHICLE FOR CHILDREN The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me.

1 Safety Device for a Front Wheel of a Vehicle for Children 2 Background of the Invention 3 1. Field of the Invention 4 The present invention relates to a safety device for a front wheel of a vehicle for children. In particular, the present invention relates to a safety 6 device for controlling joint or independent rotations of the front wheel and the 7 pedals of a vehicle for children.

8 2. Description of the Related Art 9 Fig. 1 of the drawings illustrates a tricycle 1 for children comprising a front fork 11 to which a front wheel 12 is attached. A pair of pedals 13 is 11 directly attached to the front wheel 12 for driving the latter forward or 12 rearward. However, a child might step on the ground with his/her feet to drive 13 the tricycle if he/she is too small to pedal. Thus, the pedals 13 would turn and 14 thus cause injury to the insteps of the feet or the shanks of the child while the tricycle is moving, as the pedals 13 are directly mounted to the front wheel 12 16 to turn therewith. The present invention is intended to provide a safety device 17 to solve this problem.

18 Summary of the Invention 19 An object of the present invention is to provide a safety device for controlling joint or independent rotations of the front wheel and the pedals of a 21 vehicle for children.

22 A front wheel for a vehicle for children, the front wheel comprises: 23 a wheel frame including a first side and a second side defining a 24 compartment therebetween, the wheel frame further including a slot extending from the first side through the second side, the wheel frame further including a 26 guide slot; 1 a crank extending through the slot of the wheel frame, a locking plate 2 being securely mounted to the crank to turn therewith, the locking plate being 3 located in the compartment and including at least one positioning notch; and 4 a safety device for controlling independent rotations of the wheel frame and the crank, the safety device including a switch member that is attached to 6 the wheel frame and that is rotatable between a first position and a second 7 position, the switch member further including a guide groove having a first 8 end and a second end, the safety device further including a pin having a first 9 end received in the guide groove of the switch member and a second end extending through the guide slot into the compartment of the wheel frame, the 11 pin being moved between a locking position and an unlocking position 12 corresponding to the first position and the second position of the switch 13 member; 14 wherein when the first end of the pin is in the first end of the guide groove of the switch member, the second end of the pin is in the locking position that 16 is engaged with said at least one positioning notch of the locking plate, thereby 17 allowing joint rotation of the wheel frame and the crank; and 18 wherein when the first end of the pin is in the second end of the guide 19 groove of the switch member, the second end of the pin is in the unlocking position that is disengaged from said at least one positioning notch of the 21 locking plate, thereby allowing independent rotations of the crank and the 22 wheel frame.

23 Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become 24 more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

26 1 Brief Description of the Drawings 2 Fig. I is a perspective view of a conventional tricycle in accordance with 3 the present invention.

4 Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a front wheel of a vehicle for children having a safety device in accordance with the present invention.

6 Fig. 3 is a perspective view, partly exploded, of the front wheel in 7 accordance with the present invention.

8 Fig. 4 is a side view of the front wheel in accordance with the present 9 invention.

Fig. 5 is a side view illustrating inner structure of the front wheel in 11 accordance with the present invention.

12 Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, wherein the safety device is in a position 13 allowing independent rotations of the front wheel and the pedals.

14 Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5, wherein the safety device is in a position allowing independent rotations of the front wheel and the pedals.

16 Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment 17 Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a front wheel in accordance with the present 18 invention generally includes a wheel frame 2, a crank 4, and a safety device 3.

19 A rubber tire (not shown) is mounted around the wheel frame 2. In this embodiment, the wheel frame 2 is comprised of a left cover 21 and a right 21 cover 22 that together define a compartment 23. The left cover 21 and the right 22 cover 22 include aligned holes or slots 211 and 221 allowing the crank 4 to 23 extend therethrough. An inner side of at least one of the covers 21 and 22 24 further includes a guide slot 212, 222 extending in a radial direction. Further, a receiving groove 213 is defined in an outer side of at least one of the covers 21 26 and 22 and has a portion communicates with the respective guide slot 212, 222.

1 Further, the left cover 21 includes an arcuate guide slot 214 extending in a 2 circumferential direction. Namely, the arcuate guide slot 214 extends along a 3 circle having a center coincident to that of the left cover 21. Preferably, the 4 arcuate guide slot 214 includes two reduced ends.

The safety device 3 comprises a pin 31 and a switch member 32. The pin 6 31 is extended through the guide slots 212 and 222 of the covers 21 and 22.

7 Further, the pin 31 is movable toward or away from a center of the wheel 8 frame 2. The switch member 32 is preferably a disc having a hole 321 through 9 which the crank 4 extends. The switch member 32 further includes a guide groove 322 for receiving an end 311 of the pin 31. The guide groove 322 11 includes a relatively larger end 323 adjacent to the hole 321 and a relatively 12 smaller end 324 distal to the hole 321. The end 311 of the pin 31 is movable 13 between the relatively larger end 323 and the relatively smaller end 324 of the 14 guide groove 322. Further, the switch member 32 includes a peg 325 (Fig. 2) projecting from an inner side thereof, the peg 325 extending into the arcuate 16 guide slot 214 of the left cover 214.

17 The crank 4 includes two crooked end sections 41 and 42 to which two 18 pedals (not shown) are respectively mounted. A locking plate 43 is securely 19 mounted to a middle section of the crank 4 to turn therewith. The locking plate 43 includes at least one positioning notch 44 for releasably engaging with the 21 other end 312 of the pin 31.

22 In assembly, the covers 21 and 22 are mounted to the crank 4; namely, the 23 crank 4 is extended through the slots 211 and 221 of the covers 21 and 22 with 24 the locking plate 43 being located in the compartment 23 defined by the covers 21 and 22. The other end 312 of the pin 31 is extended through the guide slots 26 212 and 222 with a protrusion 313 on the pin 31 being located in the receiving 1 groove 213. An elastic element 5 is mounted in the receiving groove 213 and 2 attached between the protrusion 313 of the pin 31 and an end wall defining the 3 receiving groove 213, thereby biasing the pin 31 toward the center of the left 4 cover 21. Next, the switch member 32 is attached to the left cover 21. The hole 321 of the switch member 32 is extended through by the crank 4. The end 311 6 of the pin 31 is located in the guide groove 322 of the switch member 32. The 7 peg 325 of the switch member 32 is located in the arcuate guide slot 214.

8 Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, when the end 311 of the pin 31 is located in the 9 relatively larger end 323 of the guide groove 322 of the switch member 32, the pin 31 is biased by the elastic element 5 toward the center of the wheel frame 2 11 the locking plate 43). Thus, the pin 31 is engaged in one of the 12 positioning notches 44 of the locking plate 43. The wheel frame 2 turns 13 together with the crank 4 when either one of the wheel frame 2 and the pedals 14 (not shown) is turned.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, in a case that the parent intends to push the 16 vehicle for children or the child likes to step on the ground for moving the 17 vehicle, the switch member 32 is turned through an angle until the end 311 of 18 the pin 31 is engaged in the relatively smaller end 324 of the guide groove 322 19 of the switch member 32 that is distal to the center of the wheel frame 2.

Namely, the guide groove 322 of the switch member 32 is so configured that 21 when the switch member 32 is in a first position, the pin 31 is moved to a 22 position adjacent to the locking plate 43 and thus engaged with one of the 23 positioning notches 44 to allow joint rotation of the wheel frame 2 and the 24 crank 4 and that when the switch member 32 is turned to a second position, the pin 31 is moved to another position distal to the locking plate 43 and thus 26 disengaged from the positioning notch 44 of the locking plate 43 to allow 1 independent rotations of the wheel frame 2 and the crank 4. Thus, the crank 4 2 would not turn when the wheel frame 2 turns. Injury to the child riding the 3 vehicle is prevented. The peg 325 slides along the arcuate guide slot 214 of the 4 left cover 21, thereby allowing reliably rotation of the switch member 32. The ends of the arcuate guide slot 214 may be reduced to position the peg 325 in 6 place.

7 Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred 8 embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and 9 variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

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