GB2477512A

GB2477512A - Folding scooter

Info

Publication number: GB2477512A
Application number: GB1001761A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alessandro Mechelli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-02-04
Filing date: 2010-02-04
Publication date: 2011-08-10
Also published as: GB201001761D0

Abstract

A scooter 1 comprises a body, at least two wheels 3 and a handle 5, which comprises a handle stem 17 and handles 19, 21. The body comprises a front portion and a rear portion each of which has an upper surface 11, and wherein the front and rear portions are pivotally connected to one another such that in a folded state the upper surfaces 11 of the front and rear portions lie parallel to one another but in a different plane and in a developed state the upper surfaces 11 of the front and rear portions lie parallel to one another in the same plane to provide a platform for a rider. The front and rear portions may comprise downwardly depending peripheral walls 13 which align when folded to form a box around the scooter. Additional wheels 15 may be exposed when the scooter 1 is folded. The scooter 1 may also be electrically driven.

Description

Scooter The present invention relates to a scooter, more particularly it relates to a foldable scooter.

Scooters are well known, generally comprising a platform with two or more wheels and an upstanding handle stem, which is provided with handles that are used to give stability and a means for steering the scooter. Such scooters are propelled by a rider pushing off the ground and are available in a range of sizes and shapes. Among these are foldable scooters, which are provided with two hard small wheels and are made primarily of a lightweight material such as aluminium. These scooters offer a lightweight and convenient transport means, which can be used, for example, by commuters, wherein the light weight and foldability of the scooter means that it is convenient for the rider to take the scooter with them onto buses, trains, trams or similar.

Also known are powered scooters. In contrast to the lightweight folding scooters, these are not foldable, are heavy and are somewhat cumbersome. They offer the user the benefit of powered transport but at the cost of portability, which severely limits their usability. They are not, for example, practical for use by a commuter, since they cannot easily be taken onto buses, trains, trams or similar.

The present invention arose in a bid to provide an improved scooter.

According to the present invention in a first aspect, there is provided a scooter comprising a body, at least one front wheel and at least one rear wheel and a handle, which comprises a handlebar stem and handles, wherein the body comprises a front portion and a rear portion each of which has an upper surface, and wherein the front and rear portions are pivotally connected to one another such that in a folded state the upper surfaces of the front and rear portions lie substantially parallel to one another but in a different plane and in a developed state the upper surfaces of the front and rear portions lie substantially parallel to one another and in substantially the same plane to provide a platform for a rider.

By such an arrangement it is possible to provide a lightweight, compact and discreet scooter that may be folded for storage or transportation of the scooter and which allows for numerous configurations, including powered configurations.

Preferably, the front and rear portions are pivotally joined between the front and rear wheels along a transversely extending folding line.

Preferably, the front portion and the rear portion each comprise a substantially continuous peripheral wall that is downwardly depending from the upper surface, wherein in the folded state the downwardly depending peripheral walls of the front and rear portions are aligned such that the front and rear portions combine to form a substantially closed box.

Accordingly, by virtue of the box-like folded configuration, the scooter may either provide for secondary use as a bag or can provide a space for powered workings, including one or more electric motors and all other required components, such as but not limited to one or more batteries and control/charging circuits.

Preferably, in the folded state the wheels are contained entirely within the box.

Preferably, the handle stem is slidably and pivotally mounted to the front portion such that it lies substantially parallel to an upper surface of the front portion in the folded state and substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the front portion in the developed state. The handle may be telescopic.

Preferably, the handle is arranged such that it may be extended parallel to the upper surface of the front portion and locked when the scooter is in the folded state.

Preferably, the rear portion is provided with at least two wheels and the front portion is provided with at least one wheel. Most preferably, the scooter is provided with one front wheel and two rear wheels.

Preferably, the rear wheels are mounted on independent axes and are arranged to lie laterally outside the front wheels, such that when the scooter is in the folded state the front wheels lie between the rear wheels.

Preferably, an additional set of wheels is provided on the rear portion, which are exposed in at least the folded state and are arranged to contact the ground when the scooter is pulled along the ground by the handle in the folded state and to not contact the ground when the scooter is in the developed state.

Preferably, the scooter is an electric scooter, provided with an electric motor that is arranged to drive the wheels.

The scooter may be provided with a container arranged to allow for the transport of liquid in the folded and/or developed state.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a scooter according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the scooter of Figure 1 in a folded state; Figures 3a-3f show the unfolding steps from the folded state to the developed state; Figure 4 shows a sectional view of a channel, which is arranged to receive the handle stem.

Figure 5 shows a sectional view of a handle locking arrangement; and Figure 6 shows a schematic view of drive components of the scooter.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a scooter according to the present invention in a developed state, i.e. unfolded and usable as a scooter. Figure 2 shows the scooter in its folded state, which allows for storage and/or transportation of the scooter. Figure 3 shows the unfolding steps from the folded state to the developed state.

The scooter comprises, generally, a body 1, wheels 3 and a handle 5.

The body comprises a front portion 7 and a rear portion 9. The handle 5 is connected to the front portion. The front and rear portions are pivotally connected to one another using any suitable means. In the present embodiment a pair of hinges (not shown) provides the pivotal connection.

Each of the body portions is substantially rectangular, when viewed in plan view and comprises an upper surface 11 and a substantially continuous downwardly depending peripheral wall 13. The hinges pivotally join a rear portion of the peripheral wall of the front body portion to a front portion of the peripheral wall of the rear body portion, The body portions are thus joined between front and rear wheels along a line that extends transversely, i.e. parallel to the axes of the rear wheels. The pivotal join allows for rotation of the body portions relative to one another through an angle of substantially 1800. As shown in Figure 1, in the developed state the upper surfaces of the front and rear portions lie parallel to one another and in the same plane to provide a platform for a rider. In the folded state, as shown in Figure 2, the upper surfaces of the front and rear portions lie parallel to one another but in a different plane. As also shown in Figure 2, in the folded state, the downwardly depending peripheral walls of the front and rear portions are aligned such that the front and rear portions combine to form a substantially closed box. In the present embodiment the peripheral walls abut one another. The bottom edge of one of the peripheral walls is preferably profiled to include a male element with the bottom edge of the other of the peripheral walls profiled to include a complementary female element, such that the peripheral walls mate with one another when they are brought into contact with one another in the folded state. A seal element may be provided, such as a gasket or similar.

The body portions are formed from plastic, however, any material may be used that is suitably rigid and hardwearing. Whilst the front and rear portions are substantiaJly rectangular in the present embodiment they may take other shapes, as will be readily appreciated.

In addition to the wheels 3, which comprise front and rear wheels that are arranged such that they are contained entirely within the body when the scooter is in the folded state and such that they contact the ground to permit the scooter to move, as a scooter, in the developed state, there are provided additional wheels 15. The additional wheels are provided on the rear body portion and are arranged such that they are exposed when the scooter is in the folded state and such that they may contact the ground to allow a user to drag the folded scooter along the ground, much like a roller suitcase (as shown in Figure 3a).

The additional wheels 15 have a smaller diameter than the wheels 3. Any suitable wheels, including those commonly found on roller suitcases may be used as the additional wheels.

The additional wheels are recessed into the front upper corner of the rear portion to lie above the hinges. In order to ensure that the upper surfaces of the front and rear body portions may be brought parallel to one another in the developed state, it is necessary to provide corresponding recesses in the rear upper corner of the front portion, such recesses in the present embodiment are provided as chamfered portions although could take any

suitable form.

There is a locking mechanism provided to lock the first and second body portions together in the folded state and there is a locking mechanism provided to lock the first and second body portions in the developed state. These locking mechanisms may take any conventional form and may, in some configurations, be combined in a single mechanism.

The locking mechanism to lock the body portions together in the folded state may, for example, take the form of any suitable known suitcase locking mechanism.

The locking mechanism to lock the body portions together in the developed state is preferably activated automatically when the body portions are brought next to one another, i.e. during the step shown in Figure 3c. The mechanism may comprise a pivoted spring loaded latch that is provided on the front body portion and an opening in the rear body portion adjacent one of the additional wheels. The opening is arranged to receive the spring loaded latch. The spring loaded latch comprises an element that is arranged to be contacted by the additional wheel when the scooter is brought into the developed state, wherein by such contact a locking element is urged into the hole, thereby locking the front and rear body portions together in the developed state. There is preferably a locking mechanism provided adjacent each of the additional wheels. Each locking mechanism is preferably provided with a release mechanism that features an exposed button on the side of the front body portion, the depression of which disengages the spring loaded latch, against the biasing force of the spring, and allows for separation of the front and rear body portions to arrive at the folded configuration.

The handle 5 is telescopic and comprises the handle stem 17 and a pair of handles 19. The handle stem of the present embodiment comprises three sections of gradually reduced size, although more or less sections may be provided. It should be noted that the upper two sections of the handle may be retracted/extended when the handle stem is in the fully retracted position, as shown in Figure 3a. The telescopic handle is of standard construction. The handle sections are of hollow square tubular construction, allowing for the passage of wires/cables internally. A pair of handles are provided, which in the present embodiment are of unitary construction forming a handlebar. On the underside of the handlebar an accelerator lever 21 and a brake lever 23 are provided, which are connected to a motor control circuit (discussed below) and brakes respectively by wires and cables that pass through the handle. The front and/or the rear wheels may be provided with a brake of conventional structure. On top of the handle bar there is provided a release button 25, which is used to operate a handle stem locking mechanism (discussed below).

In the present embodiment, the front body portion is provided with a square longitudinally extending raised channel 27 (as shown most clearly in Figures 1 and 2), which receives the handle stem when the scooter is in the folded state. The longitudinally extending raised channel is preferably integrally formed with the front body portion. The longitudinally extending raised channel is provided on the upper surface of the front body portion and is open at its front end both at its front and upper surfaces but is otherwise closed. It comprises a pair of laterally spaced sidewalls 27a that are joined by a rear wall 27b and an upper wall 27c. The opening is curved on the upper surface, as shown in Figure 2. The opening allows for longitudinal and rotational movement of the handle, when unfolding the scooter as shown in Figures 3d and 3e, and rotational movement for steering the scooter, when the handle is engaged by a downwardly extending handle stem support element (described below).

The front body portion is also provided with a downwardly extending handle stem support element 29 (as mentioned above and as shown in Figures 2 and 4). The handle stem support element is separate to the raised channel and forms part of a mount 31 for the front wheel that is rotatably connected to the front body portion. The handle stem support element is perpendicular to the raised channel. The handle stem support element is the same width as the raised channel and extends above the upper surface of the front body portion, through an appropriate opening 33 in the upper surface of the front body portion, by the same distance as the raised channel in the height direction. The portion of the handle stem support element extending above the upper surface of the front body portion comprises a pair of lateral walls 29a. Below this level, the lateral walls continue and are joined by front and rear walls to form a square tube 29b.

The raised channel and the handle stem support element are aligned with one another by the handle when the handle is within the raised channel, i.e. when the handle stem is parallel to the upper surface of the front body portion, wherein the extension of the handle through the raised portion of the handle stem support element constrains rotation of the front wheel mount. The raised channel and the handle stem support element, when aligned (i.e. when the scooter is in the folded state), provide a substantially L-shaped channel, as shown in Figure 4. A substantially continuous L-shaped groove 35 is provided in each of the lateral sidewalls of the L-shaped channel. The grooves are arranged to receive pins 37 provided on the handle stem. The handle stem is provided with a double pin arrangement on either of its transverse sides. The double pin arrangement is used as part of the handle stem locking mechanism, which is described below. In order to accommodate the double pin arrangement when the handle is rotated from being parallel to the upper surface of the front body portion to being perpendicular thereto, in the step of Figure 3e, the grooves are each split at the junction of the longitudinally extending portion and the perpendicular portion of the grooves. The grooves are split to provide a right angled portion 35a and a radiussed portion 35b, as shown in Figure 4.

The interaction of the pins and the grooves constrains movement of the handle relative to the body and to the front wheel mount. Referring to Figures 3d, 4a and 4b, Figure 3d shows the handle stem being slid in the longitudinal direction, whilst parallel to the upper surface of the front body portion; Figure 4a shows the handle stem in a fully retracted position; and Figure 4b shows the handle stem in its fully longitudinally extended position. In the positions shown in Figures4a and 4bthe longitudinal movement of the handle stem is restricted by the ends of the longitudinal extending portions of the grooves.

Referring to Figures 3e and 4c, Figure 3e shows the handle stem being rotated; and Figure 4c shows the handle stem in its rotated position. The rotational movement is permitted by the split groove portions, as mentioned, and rotational movement of the handle stem beyond the desired perpendicular orientation is constrained, at least in part, by the lower pin (as viewed in Figure 4c) abutting the perpendicular groove portions. The upper pins provide a pivot point during rotation, by their contact with the upper corners of the junctions between the longitudinally extending and perpendicular portions of the grooves, as shown in Figures 4b and 4c. Referring to Figures 3f and 4d, Figure 4d shows pushing down of the handle, following the rotation of the handle, wherein the pins travel in the perpendicular portion of the grooves during this movement; and Figure 4d shows the handle stem in its lowest perpendicular position. The bottom of the perpendicular portions of the grooves constrains movement of the handle stem in the downwards direction. In the lowermost position shown in Figure 4d, the bottom of the handle stem is locked in position for steering the scooter.

As mentioned, there is a handle stem locking mechanism provided, which acts to lock the handle stem in the fully retracted position, as shown in Figures 2 and 4a, and to lock the handle stem in the perpendicular position, as shown in Figures 1 and 4d.

The components of the locking mechanism that are provided to lock the handle stem in the fully retracted position are located in the raised channel adjacent the end of the longitudinally extending grooves, and is shown in Figures 5a and Sb. There is provided a spring loaded locking pin 36 and an activation member 39. In a first position, shown in Figure 5a, the locking mechanism is primed. A spring urges the activation member against a stop 41 and into a position that blocks downwards travel of the locking pin. In a second position, as shown in Figure 5b, the locking member is locked. The pins provided on the transverse sides of the handle stem have been moved rearwards with retraction of the handle stem, the rearmost pin has pushed the activation member rearwards out of the path of the spring loaded locking pin and against a second, rearward stop 43, and with no resistance, the force of the spring 45 acting upon the locking pin has urged it downwards between the forward and rearward locking pins to thereby prevent longitudinal movement of the handle stem, thus locking the handle stem. The spring loaded locking pin is connected to a cable 47 which may be retracted by operation of the button 25 provided on top of the handle. The cable is arranged to raise the locking pin from between the pins to allow for extension of the handle stem from the retracted position. With the locking pin retracted and the pins moved forwards in the groove, the spring acts upon the activation member and the activation member is urged into its forward position to block downward travel of the locking pin. The locking mechanism is therefore primed again.

The locking mechanism provided to lock the handle stem in the perpendicular position is located in handle stem support element adjacent the end of the perpendicularly extending grooves, and is identical in operation to the above described locking mechanism but arranged at 90° thereto.

It should be noted that whilst, in the present embodiment, a raised channel is provided it is possible that the upper surfaces of the front and rear portions are raised to the height of the raised channel so that the raised portion of the present embodiment is concealed beneath the upper surface of the front portion. With such an alternative a substantially entirely planar platform may be provided in the developed mode.

The downwardly extending handle stem support element, as stated, forms part of the front wheel mount 31, which is rotatably mounted to the front body portion to allow the scooter to be steered using the handle. The wheel mount comprises a castor 31a that is fixed to the handle stem support element so that the castor and the handle stem support element do not rotate relative to each other. To allow for rotation of the front wheel mount and thereby the wheel and handle together, the wheel mount is attached to the front body portion via a conventional roller bearing 31b. The front wheel mount is located on the longitudinal centerline of the body, adjacent the front of the front body portion. The wheel may be any suitable known scooter wheel and may comprise a solid plastic or rubber material or may be pneumatic.

-10 -The rear wheels are identical to the front wheel. There are two rear wheels provided, which are mounted laterally outside the transverse centerline of the body, adjacent the rear of the rear body portion. The rear wheels are mounted on independent aligned axes. Rear wheel mounting brackets 49 are formed integrally with the rear body portion.

The positioning of the front and rear wheels is such that when the scooter is in the folded state the front wheels lie between the rear wheels. In alternative embodiments there may be two wheels at the front and rear, there may be two wheels at the front and one at the rear, or there may be only a single wheel at the front and a single wheel at the rear.

The scooter of the present embodiment is powered. There is an electric drive train comprising a battery 51, a control circuit 53 and a motor 55. There are also provided a charging control circuit 61 and a charging connector 63. The electric motor is arranged to drive a pair of belts 57 with one belt driving each of the rear wheels. A clutch may be provided, arranged to disengage the motor drive to the wheels, so that the scooter may be used as a non-powered scooter if desired, for instance in the event that the battery loses charge. The battery is located in the front body portion and is connected to the control circuits and motor in the rear body portion via a ribbon cable 59. The control circuit is connected to the accelerator provided on the handle via a wire that runs through the handle. The drive train is of conventional structure and alterations/modifications will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The scooter may, in place of a charging connector, be provided with a retractable power cord to allow charging of the battery.

There are storage compartments 65 provided in the front body portion, one on either side, these may be accessed by hinged or sliding openings 67 provided in the peripheral wall.

-11 -Whilst the above described scooter is powered, with an electric motor and associated components located within the volumes of the front and rear body portions, as discussed, the scooter need not be powered. Rather the power train may be removed, wherein the volumes of the front and rear body portions are empty with the exception of the front and rear wheels. Such an arrangement provides an extremely lightweight and discreet scooter that can double as a roller bag.

In addition to embodiments that double as roller bags, further embodiments are envisaged that may be used for the transportation of water. These embodiments are similar to the roller bag embodiment but with the addition of a means for holding water, such as a bag or any other suitable sealed container, which is accommodated in the empty volume of the front and/or rear body portion and which is provided with a filling and delivery means, such as one or more sealable openings. Such an embodiment may be of particular use in third world countries where individuals are required to travel large distances to obtain drinking water. The scooter may be arranged to allow for the transportation of water in any of the arrangements of Figures 3a, 3d or 3e. The additional wheels may be made larger in any of these embodiments to facilitate travel of the scooter in the arrangement of Figure 3a over uneven ground.

Modifications to the above described embodiments, within the scope of the appended claims, will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art. For example, alternative locking mechanisms, alternative braking arrangements, and alternative drive trains will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

-12 -Claims 1. A scooter comprising a body, at least one front wheel and one rear wheel and a handle, which comprises a handle stem and handles, wherein the body comprises a front portion and a rear portion each of which has an upper surface, and wherein the front and rear portions are pivotally connected to one another such that in a folded state the upper surfaces of the front and rear portions lie substantially parallel to one another but in a different plane and in a developed state the upper surfaces of the front and rear portions lie substantially parallel to one another and in substantially the same plane to provide a platform for a rider.
2. A scooter as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the front and rear portions are pivotally joined between the front and rear wheels along a transversely extending folding line.
3. A scooter as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the front portion and the rear portion each comprise a substantially continuous peripheral wall that is downwardly depending from the upper surface, wherein in the folded state the downwardly depending peripheral walls of the front and rear portions are aligned such that the front and rear portions combine to form a substantially closed box.
4. A scooter as claimed in Claim 3, wherein in the folded state the wheels are contained entirely within the box.
5. A scooter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the handle stem is slidably and pivotally mounted to the front portion such that it lies substantially parallel to an upper surface of the front portion in the folded state and substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the front portion in the developed state.
6. A scooter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the handle is telescopic.

-13 -
7. A scooter as claimed in Claim 5 or 6, wherein the handle is arranged such that it may be extended parallel to the upper surface of the front portion and locked when the scooter is in the folded state.
8. A scooter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the rear portion is provided with at least two wheels and the front portion is provided with at least one wheel.9. A scooter as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the rear wheels are mounted on independent axes and are arranged to lie laterally outside the front wheels, such that when the scooter is in the folded state the front wheels lie between the rear wheels.
9. A scooter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein an additional set of wheels is provided on the rear portion, which are exposed in at least the folded state and are arranged to contact the ground when the scooter is pulled along the ground by the handle in the folded state and to not contact the ground when the scooter is in the developed state.
10. A scooter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the scooter is an electric scooter, provided with an electric motor that is arranged to drive the wheels.
11. A scooter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the scooter is provided with a container arranged to allow for the transport of liquid in the folded and/or developed state.
12. A scooter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.