GB2377644A

GB2377644A - Skateboard or skiboard foldable handle structure

Info

Publication number: GB2377644A
Application number: GB0117450A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ting-Hsing Chen
Original assignee: Far Great Plastics Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Far Great Plastics Industrial Co Ltd
Priority date: 2001-07-18
Filing date: 2001-07-18
Publication date: 2003-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2021-07-18
Also published as: GB0117450D0; GB2377644B

Abstract

A foldable skateboard or skiboard handle has a vertical handle 3 connected to an abutment 2 on the upper front end of the board 1, the abutment having a sleeve portion 21 perpendicular to the board which includes a restriction hole 211 through which a snap button 4 inside the lower end of the handle protrudes to fix the handle to the sleeve, a flexible cord 5 links the snap button and the handle to the inside of the sleeve, allowing the handle when disconnected from the sleeve to be folded to lie flat against the board for storage or carriage. Preferably a flexible ring 6 is provided at the rear end of the board to fasten and hold in position a knob 31 which is provided at the top of the handle.

Description

TITLE : SKATE/SKI BOARD HANDLE STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a skate/ski board handle, and more particularly to one that allows the handle to be substantially folded onto the board and fixed in position by means of a knuckle joint.

(b) Description of the Prior Art: The earlier version of a skateboard relates to a four-wheel skateboard. It is essentially comprised of a wheel seat each in the front and in the rear beneath the board ; two wheels pivoted to both ends of each wheel seat by an axial rod, and an absorber made of resilient material such as rubber in the wheel seat. The absorber also offers certain inclination for steering purpose. The skateboard now becoming very popular is comprised of two wheels each respectively pivoted to the front and the rear of the frame with the front wheel being subject to a handle erected in the front of the board for steering purpose. By putting either foot on the board provided in the middle section of the frame, the player uses his

another foot to press against the ground for advancing the board, and then puts both feet on the board to glide on while controlling the handle for steering purpose. Another modified version relates to one with a vertical handle directly connected to the four-wheel skateboard that provides a knob on the top of the handle. The player grabs and controls the knob to execute certain inclination to the board to facilitate taking a turn by changing the central gravity of his weight.

However, the skateboard handle of the prior art is fixed at a right angle to the board forming an L-shaped for the frame. Such configuration consumes a comparatively larger storage space and prevents easy carrying along. The best solution is to have the handle to be folded down to lie flat on the board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a skate/ski board handle by having the lower end of the handle connected to an abutment, so that the handle can be folded down to lie flat on the skateboard. To achieve the, purpose, an abutment is provided on top of the front of the skate/ski board, and a vertical sleeve is fixed to the abutment to receive insertion of the lower end of the handle, wherein, a snap button protruding outward and connected to a flexible cord is provided. The flexible cord extends for a proper length to have its another end penetrating into and fixed in the sleeve. A restriction hole is provided in the sleeve corresponding to the snap button, and a flexible ring is provided at the rear end of the skate/ski board. With the lower end of the handle inserted into the sleeve of the abutment provided in the front of the skate/ski, and the snap button caught in the restriction hole of the sleeve to secure the insertion, the snap button is pressed in to release it from the restriction hole to pull out the lower end of the handle, in turn, the inner flexible cord extends to fold the handle pulled away from the sleeve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the appearance of the present invention when assembled.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the neat appearance of the present invention when folded to lie flat against the board.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As illustrated in Fig. 1, a skate/ski board handle of the present invention is constructed by sections with its substantial portion to be folded to facilitate storage and carriage, characterized by that An abutment (2) fixed on top of the front end of a skateboard (1) is fixedly connected to a sleeve (21) erected at right angle to the abutment (2) and the lower end of a handle (3) is inserted into the sleeve (21). Wherein, a knob (31) is provided on top of the handle (3), and a snap button (4) having its outer portion exposed from the sleeve (21) is provided in the lower end of the handle (3). A flexible cord (5) connected to the snap button (4) inside the handle (3) extends for a proper length to enter into and fixed in the sleeve (21). As illustrated in Fig. 1, one end of the flexible cord (5) penetrates the skateboard (1) and be

locked with the skateboard (1) by a fixing bolt. However, it is to be noted here that the fixing bolt disclosed in Fig. I is not inclusive since there are many ways to fix the flexible cord (5) penetrating into the sleeve (21). Furthermore, a restriction hole (211) is provided in the sleeve (21) at where corresponds to the outer portion of the snap button (4) and a flexible ring (6) is provided in the rear end of the skateboard.

With the structural design as disclosed above, the handle (3) is assembled as illustrated in Fig. 2. The handle (3) is erected having its lower end placed into the sleeve (21) of the abutment (2) at the front end of the skateboard (1). By taking advantage of the pull force created by the flexible cord (5), the snap button (4) is pressed in to aim at the restriction hole (211) in the sleeve (21) for the outer portion of the snap button (4) to automatically eject and to be caught in the restriction hole (211). Therefore, the handle (3) is properly inserted and held in position in the sleeve (21) to achieve a firm control of the handle (3).

To carry or to store the skateboard (1) with the handle (3) lying flat on the skateboard (1), the snap button (4) is pressed for its outer portion to clear away

from the restriction hole (211) in the sleeve (21) to pull out the lower end of the handle (3). As the handle (3) clears away from the sleeve (21), the flexible cord (5) is stretched to maintain the lower end of the handle (3) holding against the sleeve (21) in a tight connection status. Now referring to Fig. 3, the handle (3) is folded down to clear away from the sleeve (21). The knob (31) at top of the handle (3) lies flat against the rear end of the skateboard (1) and is fastened by the properly stretched flexible ring (6) provided in the rear end of the skateboard (1) to hold the handle (3) in position against the skateboard (1).

Furthermore, the present invention can be also applied to a ski board as illustrated in Fig. 4. Wherein, the abutment (2) is also provided and fixed at the front end of the ski board (7) and the handle (3) is erected with its lower end inserted into the sleeve (21) erected at a right angle to the ski board (1) connected by the abutment (2) while the snap button (4) is also provided to secure the insertion of the handle (3) into the sleeve (21) with both applications differ only in that the ski board (7) is larger in size, made of different material and does not provide any wheels when compared to the skate board (1).

Claims

I Claim,

1. A skate or ski board handle structure having a vertical handle to be connected to an abutment provided at the front end of a skate or ski board, characterized by that: said abutment fixed on top of the front end of said skate/ski board having a sleeve fixed to it at a right angle to said skatelski board and a restriction hole provided in the sleeve ; a snap button provided inside the lower end of said handle being connected to a flexible cord inside said handle with said flexible cord extending for a proper length to penetrate into and be fixed in position into said sleeve ; thus, said lower end of said handle being inserted into said sleeve and fixed by said snap button caught in said restriction hole in said sleeve while being subject to the pull by said flexible cord when the skate or ski board is in use ; or said lower end of said handle being pulled out to leave said sleeve by pressing said snap button to clear away from said restriction hole and said flexible cord being stretched when said handle being folded down to lie flat against said skate or ski board for storage or carnage.

2. A skate or ski board handle structure as claimed in Claim 1, wherein, a flexible ring is provided in the rear end of said skate or ski board to

fasten and hold in position a knob provided on the top of said handle when lying down flat against said skate or ski board.