GB2419328A

GB2419328A - Handle shaft and mounting for golf cart

Info

Publication number: GB2419328A
Application number: GB0423318A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Wu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-10-20
Filing date: 2004-10-20
Publication date: 2006-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 2024-10-20
Also published as: GB0423318D0; GB2419328B

Abstract

A main shaft and bottom bracket mounting arrangement for use in a golf cart is disclosed to include a bottom bracket 1 holding a wheel axle 11 with two wheels at the ends and a driving mechanism for rotating the wheels, a main shaft 4 pivoted to a coupling frame 31 at the bottom bracket, and a stop bar 5 coupled to the coupling frame and supported on a spring member 511 for locking the main shaft in the operative position and for enabling the main shaft to be turned out of the coupling frame to the collapsed position when the user presses a press handle 51 to lower the stop bar.

Description

24 1 9328

HANDLE SHAFT AND MOUNTING FOR GOLF CART

The present invention relates to a golf cart and to a handle shaft and bottom bracket mounting arrangement of a golf cart which allows the user to s collapse the main shaft when the golf cart is not in use.

A conventional golf cart, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a bottom bracket 91, a front wheel 911 provided at the front side of the bottom bracket 91, two rear wheels 912 provided at the rear side of the bottom bracket 91, and a driving mechanism 8 installed in the bottom bracket 91 for rotating the rear to wheels 912. This golf cart construction requires considerable storage space when not in use.

An object of the present invention is to overcome or alleviate the above disadvantage.

The scope of the invention is defined by the independent claims.

Preferably the handle shaft and bottom bracket mounting arrangement of the invention enables the user to unlock the handle shaft conveniently with one single hand or foot.

Further preferred features are defined in the dependent claims.

In a preferred embodiment, the handle shaft is directly pivoted to a coupling frame on a wheel axle supporting sleeve at the bottom bracket and is lockable by a stop bar which is automatically shifted to the locking position by the spring power of a spring member to lock the main shaft in position when the user turns the handle shaft from the non- operative position to the operative position.

When not in use, the stop bar can be lowered to unlock the handle shaft (also as referred to as the main shaft), for enabling the handle shaft to be turned to the non-operative (collapsed) position to reduce the size of the golf cart. Further, a press handle is conveniently connected to one end of the stop bar and supported on the aforesaid spring member in a mounting sleeve. The user can use one single hand or one single foot to press the press handle and to further unlock the so stop bar from the main shaft.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional golf cart; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present s invention; Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a part of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a sectional top view of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the present invention, showing the main shaft unlocked and turned out of the coupling frame toward the collapsed to position; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the present invention, showing the collapsed status of the main shaft; Figure 7 is similar to Figure 4 but showing the stop bar lowered to the unlocking position.

Is Referring to the various drawings attached herewith, a detailed description of the structural features of a main shaft and bottom bracket mounting arrangement for golf cart of the present invention is as follows: Referring to Figures 2 to 7, the bottom bracket, referenced by numeral 1, comprises a transversely extending sleeve 11. A wheel axle 12 is rotatably go mounted in the sleeve 11 to support wheels 13 at each end. A driving mechanism 2 is installed in the bottom bracket 1, and adapted to rotate the wheels 13.

A coupling frame 3 is provided at the periphery of the sleeve 11 near one end. The coupling frame 3 comprises a top wall 33, and a channel portion us comprising two parallel sidewalls 31 extending perpendicularly from the two opposite lateral sides of the top wall 33 and pivotally connected to a part 41 near the bottom end 42 of a main shaft 4 by a pivot bolt 32. The parallel sidewalls 31 define respective sliding grooves 311, which extend parallel to the top wall 33. A stop bar 5 is transversely inserted through the sliding grooves 311, and movable so along the sliding grooves 311 between the locking position where the bottom end 42 of the main shaft (i.e. the handle shaft) 4 is stopped between the top wall 33 and the stop bar 5 (see Figures 3 and 5), and the unlocking position where the top side 50 of the stop bar 5 is spaced below the bottom end 42 of the main shaft 4 for enabling the main shaft 4 to be turned about the pivot bolt 32 relative to the coupling frame 3. A press handle 51 is connected to one end of the stop bar 5 outside the coupling frame 3. The press handle 51 has a bottom barrel 511 axially slidably inserted into the axially extended bore 61 of a cylindrical casing or mounting sleeve 6, which is fixedly connected to the periphery of the sleeve 11.

The cylindrical casing 6 has two diametrically opposite side holes 63 (Figure 4).

The bottom barrel 511 has two diametrically opposite longitudinal sliding slots to 5111 aligned with the side holes 63. A pivot 62 is inserted through the longitudinal sliding slots 5111 of the bottom barrel 511 and fastened to the side holes 63 of the cylindrical casing 6 to secure the bottom barrel 511 to the cylindrical casing 5, for enabling the bottom barrel 511 to be moved axially in the cylindrical casing 6 within a limited distance corresponding to the length of the longitudinal sliding slots 5111. A spring member 60 is mounted inside the bottom barrel 511, having a bottom end 601 stopped at the pivot 62. The spring member imparts an outward pressure to (i.e. biases) the press handle 51 relative to the cylindrical casing 6 to support the stop bar 5 in the locking position. When the press handle 51 is pressed to compress the spring member 60, the stop bar 5 is ho lowered relative to the main shaft 4 from the locking position to the unlocking position to unlock the main shaft 4, for enabling the main shaft 4 to be turned about the pivot bolt 32 from the operative position to the non-operative (collapsed) position (see Figures 5 to 7).

Referring to Figure 6, the bottom end 42 of the main shaft 4 has a guide face 421 facing the stop bar 5, and inclined or bevelled to enable the main shaft 4 to be conveniently moved over the stop bar 5 to the operative (locked) position from the non-operative (collapsed) position.

As indicated above, the preferred embodiment of the invention has the following features: so 1. The main shaft 4 is directly pivoted to the coupling frame 3 at the wheel axle supporting sleeve 11 and lockable by the stop bar 5, which is automatically shifted to the locking position by the spring power of the spring member 60 to lock the main shaft 4 in position when the user turns the main shaft 4 from the non-operative (collapsed) position to the operative position.

When not in use, the stop bar 5 can be lowered to unlock the main shaft 4, for enabling the main shaft 4 to be turned to the non-operative (collapsed) position to reduce the size of the golf cart.

2. The user can use one single hand or one single foot to press the press handle 51, thereby unlocking the stop bar 5 from the main shaft 4.

While only one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and lo described, it will be understood that various modifications and changes could be made "hereunto without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. s

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A bottom mounting arrangement and handle shaft assembly for use

in a golf cart, said mounting arrangement including a bottom bracket comprising a s transversely extending sleeve for a wheel axle of the golf cart, a driving mechanism mounted on said bottom bracket and arranged to drive the golf cart wheels, said handle shaft having a lower region connected to said bottom bracket, wherein said bottom bracket comprises a coupling frame fixedly connected to said transversely extending sleeve, said coupling frame comprising to a channel portion with two sidewalls pivotally connected with a pivot bolt to said lower region of said main shaft so as to enable said main shaft to be turned about said pivot bolt between an operative position where the lower extremity of said main shaft is retained within said channel portion and a collapsed position in which said lower extremity is released from said channel portion, said sidewalls having elongate projecting portions with sliding grooves formed therein, a stop bar being mounted in and movable along said grooves between a locking position and an unlocking position to lock/unlock said main shaft, a mounting sleeve fixedly connected to the periphery of said transversely extending sleeve, a press handle coupled to said stop bar and mounting in said mounting sleeve, and a spring member mounted inside said mounting sleeve and biasing said press handle and said stop bar to said locking position.
2. A bottom bracket mounting arrangement and handle shaft assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower extremity of said main shaft is shaped and dimensioned to ride over said stop bar to said locking position.
3. A golf cart comprising a bottom bracket mounting arrangement and handle shaft assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2.

so
4. A golf cart with a folding handle assembly, the golf cart comprising a handle shaft pivotally coupled to a mounting on the golf cart frame, the mounting having a movable stop which in a locking position engages said handle shaft and fixes it in an extended configuration and in an unlockng position releases said handle shaft to allow it to be folded about its pivotal coupling to a retracted configuration, the movable stop being biased to said locking position and being s coupled to an actuator operable by the user to move it to the unlocking position.
5. A golf cart substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 2 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.