CA2171350A1 - Personal portable transportation vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosure is of a vehicle which may be powered and ridden by a person sitting on said vehicle, in such a manner that the rider may transport himself of herself from place to place, or perform maneuvers and stunts while operating said vehicle. The advantages of the invention resides in it's very compact design and it's ability to collapse into an even more compact size for the purpose of shipping or storage. A further advantage is the ability to alter the gear ratio of the drive train by the toes of the operator, while the vehicle is in motion, and the ability of the seat height adjustment mechanism to also serve as a security locking method.

Description

' - a flexible shifter arm with deralleur PERSONAL PORTABLE wheel.
two freewheeling chain guides.
TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE
a shifter arm travel limit assembly.
a series of adjustment holes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION an optional padlock.
1. Field of the invention BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention relates to human powered vehicles, used for llal~ Jullalion or le~l~dlion.
FIGURE 1 is a side vlew of the mvention FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view of 2. Brief Des.; i~,lion of the Prior Art shifter assembly Other human powered vehicles have been FIGURE 3 is an enlarged right elevation invented and built. IIvwt;vti-, in typical vehicles of of shifter arm travel limit assembly this kind, the vehicle through the necessity of the FIGURE 4 is an enlarged plan view of design, must be built in a larger scale, relative to this in~e..lion. The typical steering me..l,~ ... thederalleurwheelandfreewheelingchainguides used in these other vehicles is l~lalively cumbersome and heavy compared to that used in DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THEthis invention. A typical method of altering the EMBODIMENTS OF l-~ INVENTIONgear ratio of the drive train in these other vehicles involves the use of a relatively Y~mplin~od deralleur wheel and cable system. The invention WLu~ es a rigid frame 1, commnnly of steel tubing, designed to have attached to it a rear wheel 2, and a set of dual front The vehlcle of my mventlon IS adapted to permit the construction of an extremely wmpact wheels 3, and drive sprocket with set of pedals 4.
vehicle, which can be wllapsed even further for Seat and shaft 5, are free to slide up and down in storage or shipping, with a gear changing method frame 1. Locking pin 6 permits seat height to be which allows simple gear changing while the adjusted to various heights using holes 14.
vehicle is in motion. Locking pin 6 can also be used'to act as a security restraint device when used with security cable 7, SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION and optional padlock 15. Steering handle 8 rotates around bolt 22, and is attached to steering control The invention colllp-ises a rideable cables 9 in a cross pattern to facilitate pulling on vehicle composed of: axle 21, utilizing a mechanical advantage possible bv wider s~acin~ at the axle 21 than at steerin~
a ngld frame c~ po~;d of metal or other suitable material. handle 8. Cable guide restraints 10 allow inner cables to move freely while holding outer cable a rear wheel wlth two or more drlve casing in place. Flexible shifter arm 11 holds ~,. u~ ,t~.
deralleur wheel 19 and free wheeling chain guides a palr of front wheels on an axle whlch 12. Flexible shifter arm 11 is under tension can plVOt and rotate.
between either of it's ends, caused by pressing a drive sprocket with pedals and drive agamst dnve chaln 23 and shlfter arm travel limit cham. assembly 13. Flexible shifter arm 11 is free to a seat on a length of tubing with rotate in both the vertical plane and the ho. i~o-llal adj u~ holes. plane by movement around bolt 17 in oversize hole a pin which can be used to hold the seat through flexible shifter armll. Toe bars 16 at end at various heights, and provide a means of locking of flexible shifter arm 11 permit rider to push vehicle for security purposes. flexible shifter arm in either a right or left direction a cable which retains said pin and in by the use of the rider's ,c;~ iv~ toes. Rear coop.,.alion with said pin provides a means of sprocket 18 can be utilized by pushing the flexible locking vehicle for security purposes. shifter arm to the left with the rider's right toes.
a steering handle. Deralleur wheel 19 m~in~inc drive chain tension a pair of steering cables with outer and ~lignml~n~ of the drive chain on either rear guides. sprocket. Rubber washer 20 permits axle to pivot a pair of cable guide restraints. on bolt 24 attached to frame 1. Shifter travel arm limit assembly 13 holds flexible shifter arm in ~ 2171350 either position A or position B, such positions c~nl~s~ollding with the desired position of drive chain 23 on either rear sprocket.
OPERATION OF THE PORTABLE
TRANSPORTATION VE~CLE
Rider sits on seat 5 and positions hands on steering handle 8, and positions feet on pedals on drive sprocket with set of pedals 4. By rotating drive sprocket with set of pedals 4 in a forward motion, power is tr~ mit1~d through drive chain 23 to rear sprocket 18. Vehicle is balanced in an upright position by the bz~l~ncing ability of the rider. Rider can steer the vehicle both by leaning in the desired direction and by moving the steering handle 8. Rider can change the gear ratio of the drive train, 4, 23, and 18, by pushing on either toe bar 16 with the rider's respective toes. The free wheeling chain guides 12 are free to rotate as drive chain 23 touches them, reducing friction and wear on the drive chain 23. Axle 21 can pivot and rotate around bolt 24, compressing rubber washer 20 as ncce~a,g. This action permits vehicle to lean into a turn as axle 21 rotates around bolt 24.
Those skilled in the art will realize that valialiolls to the invention can be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
For example a rigid shifter arm could be used instead of a flexible shifter arm, with deralleur wheel tension being maintained on the drive chain by way of a spring, and more than two ~,u.,~t~
could be utilized at the rear wheel. Also, an alternate means of adjusting the seat to accommodate riders of different heights could be used.

Claims (5)

1. A set of dual steering control cables utilizing a cross over design and a mechanical advantage.

2. A security locking cable and pin which also serve to facilitate seat height adjustments.

3. A flexible shifter arm.

4. A shifter arm travel limit assembly with locking positions.

5. A pair of free wheeling chain guides.