US3319971A

US3319971A - Ski scooter

Info

Publication number: US3319971A
Application number: US480876A
Authority: US
Inventors: Morton I Thomas; Bertrand R Lesser
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-08-19
Filing date: 1965-08-19
Publication date: 1967-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 1984-05-16

Description

May 16, 1967 M. i. THOMAS ETAL SKI S COOTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 19, 1965 PEG. 4

l NVEN '1 UKS. MORTON f. THO/WAS EFRTRANO R. 61535 .4 7' TOR/WE)? SKI SCOOTER Filed Aug. 19, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .974 INVENTORS.

MORTON I. THOMAS 524 30, 30' .30 30,4 BERTRAIVD RLESSER FIG. 6 BY W W A T TORNE Y.

y 1967 M. THOMAS ETAL 3,319,971

SKI SCOOTER Filed Aug. 19, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 30A [34 Wit 1!! INVENTORS. 1 ,V fi 9 MORTON I. THOMAS BERTRAND R. LESSER FIQIB United States Patent 3,319,971 SKI SCOOTER Morton I. Thomas, Bakertown Road, Monroe, N.Y. 10950, and Bertrand R. Lesser, 24 Stonewall Lane, Marnaroneck,N.Y. 10543 Filed Aug. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 480,876 12 Ciaims. (Ci. 28(l16) This invention relates to a ski scooter.

An object of this invention is to provide a ski scooter of an improved design wherein the scooter is very light and easy to handle, yet exhibits high strength and resistance to deformation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ski scooter formed of metal tubing which lends itself to economies in manufacture and assembly; provides excellent stability in use and is of minimum weight to facilitate handling, usage and storage of the same.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ski scooter embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a partial bottom plan view showing the stop means for the steering section of the ski scooter;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on the line 1111 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on the line 1212 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line Iii-13 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken on the line 14-14 of FIG. 3.

Essentially, the ski scooter of the instant invention comprises a seat supporting section and a steering sec tion in articulated relation to the seat supporting section; each of the sections being formed of light metal tubing in a novel form of construction.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the ski scooter embodying the invention, generally indicated at 10, comprises a seat supporting section 11 and a steering section 12 articulated to section 11. Each of the sections is formed of light metal, such as aluminum or aluminum alloy tubing of polygonal section, and preferably of square cross section, as indicated in FIGS. 5, 6.

For the purpose of illustration, the seat supporting section 11 is shown as made up of five square section tubings 13, the outermost tubings being indicated at 13A; said tubings being tightly secured together in side by side relation, by an internally threaded collar 14 extending through aligned openings in the side wall portions of the tubings 13, the opposite ends of said collar 14 being disposed immediately adjacent the outer side walls of the tubings 13A and a pair of screws 15 extending through openings in said outer side walls of tubings 13A and threaded into collar 14. Such interconnecting means is provided at suitable intervals along the longitudinal extent of the laterally related tubings.

The seat supporting section 11 includes a horizontal snow and ice contacting portion generally indicated at 16, and a connector portion 17 extending forwardly of portion 16; said portion 17 being bent in upwardly offset relation to portion 16 so as to overlie a portion of steering section 12 as later described.

A flat seat member 13 is mounted in a horizontal position on seat supporting section 11; the same being supported by extensions of the outer tubings 13A which are bent to provide upwardly and forwardly inclined portions 19 and forwardly extending portions 20 which contact the underside of seat member 18. Screws 21 and nuts 22 connect member 18 and tubular portions 20, FIG. 12. The forward ends of tubular portions 20 are bent to bring ends 23 toward each other at a spacing to receive therebetween the upper end of a tubular post 24 in an upstanding position; a rivet 25 interconnecting post 24 and tubular ends 23. The lower end of post 24 includes a right angle portion 26 which is secured to tubing 13 by suitable means such as a screw 27, blind rivet or the like.

As indicated in FIG. 1, the rear ends of intermediate tubings 13 terminate immediately after being bent to provide relatively short forwardly and upwardly inclined portions 23 disposed between inclined portions 19 of the outer tubings 13A.

The steering section 12, also made up of square cross section tubings 36, similar to

tubings

13, 13A; which are held together by screws 15 and collars 14, as previously described; includes snow and ice contacting portion 31 which underlies portion 17 of the seat supporting section 11. Extending from the forward end of portion 31 are bent portions 32 inclined forwardly and upwardly, from which extends a steering post portion 33 inclined rearwardly and upwardly. The outermost tubings 30A terminate at the lower end of steering post portion 33, FIG. 1, and a handle bar 34 is secured to the upper end portions of post portion 33 by a screw 35 threaded into a tapped opening in block 36 fixed in the open end of a tubing 30, FIG. 11. The tubings 30 are further interconnected by a cross rivet 37, FIG. 13.

Means is provided for articulating

sections

11, 12 and to this end, a pivot screw 38 having a square shank 39 is passed through a square central opening 40A in a disc 40, shank 39 extending through an oversize circular opening 41 in the top wall of tubing 13, and an opening 42 in the bottom wall thereof and thence through an opening 43 in a tubing 30 and then threaded into a nut 44 within tubing 30. The disc 40 is then blind riveted to tubings 13, as at 45.

Bearing means is provided to reduce friction between the

varticualted sections

11, 12. To this end, a flat bearing strip 46 is fixed to the flat underside of

tubings

13, 13A of portion 17 of section 11, as by rivets 47, thus disposing bearing strip 46 in sliding contact with the upper surfaces of

tubings

30, 30A of section 12, FIG. 8. A second bearing strip 48 is located forwardly of strip 46 and is secured to the top surfaces of

tubings

30, 30A of section 12, as by rivets 49; strip 48 having an opening to pass pivot screw '38, FIG. 6. Thus a second bearing position is established between

sections

11, 12.

Bearing strips

46, 48 may be formed of nylon or the like.

Means is provided for limiting the angular movement of the steering section 12 relative to section 11. T 0 this end, a stop member in the form of a collar 50 is secured in depending relation to medial tubing 13 of section 11, as by a rivet 51. The rear terminal ends of intermediate tubings 30 of section 12 at portion 31 thereof stop short of the terminal ends of tubings 30A, thus providing a space between tubings 30A to receive stop member 50 which will be 'abutted by the inner side surfaces of tubings 3 30A, as steering section 12 is manipulated by handles 34A on handle bar 34, FIGS. 9, 10.

It has been found that ski scooter may be used most efiiciently with the flat bottom surfaces of

tubings

13, 13A and 30, A of

sections

11, 12 making good contact with the snow and ice. The limited steering afforded by steering section 12 is adequate for the purpose, taken together with the usual manipulation of such ski devices.

To stabilize the ski scooter, plates 52 are secured to the outer tubings 13A of section 11 and tubings 30A of section 12, as by rivets 55. Plates 52 are preferably located at the rear of portion 16 of section 11, while plates 52A are disposed at the juncture of

portions

31, 32 of section 12, FIG. 3. The bottom edges of

plates

52, 52A project slightly below the bottom surfaces of

tubings

13A, 30A, so as to exert a gripping action on ice or the like.

The open ends of

tubings

13 and 30A are sealed and finished by means of plastic caps 55 having portions thereof inserted into said tubing ends and frictionally retained therein.

As various changes might be made in the embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed without departing from the spirit thereof, it is understood that all matter herein shown or described shall be deemed as illustrative and not by way of limitation except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A ski scooter comprising a rear section, and a front section in articulated relation to said rear section, each of said sections comprising a plurality of metal tubings in side by side relation and means for securing said tubings together, seat means on the rear section and means for supporting said seat means comprising extended portions of selected ones of the tubings forming said rear section; said front section including handle means; said rear section including a forwardly extending and upwardly offset portion overlying a rearwardly extending portion of said front section; and pivot means interconnecting the overlying portions of said front and rear sections.

2. A ski scooter as in claim 1 wherein said seat support means comprises extensions of the outermost of the tubings forming said rear section, said extensions comprising upwardly and forwardly inclined portions extending from the rear end of said rear section and forwardly extending horizontal portions extending from the top ends of said inclined portions, said horizontal portions underlying said seat means, and means connecting said seat means and said horizontal portions, and upright post means connecting a forward portion of said seat means and a mid portion of said rear section.

3. A ski scooter as in claim 1 and further including a bearing strip lying between opposed portions of the articulated portions of said front and rear sections, and means for securing said bearing strip to one of said sections.

4. A ski scooter as in claim 1 and further including means for limiting the angular movement of said front section relative to said rear section.

5. A ski scooter as in claim 4 wherein said means comprises a stop member depending from the underside of a mid-portion of the forwardly extending portion of said rear section, the intermediate tubings forming the rearwardly extending portion of said front section terminating short of the outer tubings thereof whereby inner surface portions of said outer tubings can abut said stop member upon angular movement of said front section relative to said rear section.

6. A ski scooter as in claim 1 and further including stabilizing means on said front and rear sections, said stabilizing means comprising plates secured to the outer faces of the outer tubings forming said front and rear sections, said plates having their bottom edges projecting slightly below the bottom surfaces of the tubings of said front and rear sections.

7. A ski scooter as in claim 1 wherein said tubing securing means comprises screw and collar means extending transversely of said tubings for gripping and locking the laterally related tubings together.

8. A ski scooter comprising a pair of articulated sections, said sections comprising a forward steering section and a rearward seat mounting section, each of said sections being formed of a plurality of metal tubings of polygonal cross section arranged in side by side relation to provide substantially continuous flat bottom surfaces and flat top surfaces, means for securing said tubings together, the tubings of said steering section comprising horizontal portions, upwardly and rearwardly inclined steering post portions and transverse handle means secured to the upper ends of said steering post portions; said seat mounting section having its tubings including rearwardly disposed horizontal portions in longitudinal alignment with the horizontal portions of said steering section, forwardly disposed horizontal portions in upwardly offset relation to said rearwardly disposed horizontal portions and overlying said horizontal portions of the steering section, pivot means interconnecting said overlying horizontal portions of said steering and seat mounting portions, means on said sections for limiting the steering range of said steering section, seat means on said seat supporting section, and extended portions of the tubings of the horizontal portion of said seat supporting section being bent into positions for engaging the underside of said seat means, and means for securing said seat means to said extended portions of said tubings.

9. A ski scooter as in claim 8 and further including an upright tubular member interconnecting the horizontal portion of said seat supporting section and said seat means at a forward portion thereof.

10. A ski scooter comprising a rear seat section and a front steering section, means for pivotally connecting said sections together, each section comprising a plurality of metal tubing members of quadrangular section in laterally disposed abutting relation, means for securing said tubing members together to provide each section with substantially fiat bottom surface portions, selected tubing members of said seat section having upwardly extending portions, seat means secured to said upwardly extending portions of said selected tubing members, selected tubing members of said steering section having upwardly extending steering post portions, and handle bar means mounted on the upper ends of said steering post portion.

11. A ski scooter as in claim 10 wherein the selected tubing members of said seat section are the opposite, outermost tubing members of said seat section; and the selected tubing members of said steering section are tubing members intermediate the opposite, outermost tubing members of said steering section.

12. A ski scooter as in claim 10 wherein said pivot connecting means comprises a pivot screw, means for nonrotatably mounting said screw in a tubing member of said seat section at a forward end portion thereof, nut means fixed in a tubing member of said steering section underlying said tubing member of the seat section for receiving the lower end portion of said pivot screw, and coacting means on the rear end portion of said steering section and the forward end portion of said seat portion for limiting the pivotal movement of said sections relative to each other.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,264,490 4/1918 Crowe 28016 1,462,889 7/1923 Slater 28016 2,241,733 5/1941 Perry 280-21 2,926,364 3/1960 Cox 28011.13 X

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

L. D. MORRIS, Assistant Examiner.