US3452998A

US3452998A - Land vehicle propelled in the manner of a rowboat

Info

Publication number: US3452998A
Application number: US656211A
Authority: US
Inventors: E Wilson Carr
Original assignee: WILSON CARR E
Current assignee: WILSON CARR E
Priority date: 1967-07-26
Filing date: 1967-07-26
Publication date: 1969-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 1986-07-01

Description

July 1, 1969 E.W.'CARR 3,452,998

LAND VEHICLE PROPELLED IN THE MANNER OF A ROWBOAT Filed July 26, 1967 5/4 1730 Carr I United States Patent 3,452,998 LAND VEHICLE PROPELLED IN THE MANNER OF A ROWBOAT E. Wilson Carr, 94 East St., Grauby, Mass. 01033 Filed July 26, 1967, Ser. No. 656,211 Int. Cl. A63g 25/00; B62m 1/14 US. Cl. 2801.11 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to riding vehicles for children.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a riding vehicle for children which resembles a boat and which is manipulated to move forwardly and to turn by the use of oars which are handled in a conventional manner used in the moving ahead and turning of rowboats.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a childs riding vehicle wherein conventionally operated oars will drive a wheeled vehicle upon land.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a childs vehicle which will promote the knowledge of rowing a real rowboat.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a childs vehicle which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use and efficient in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom plan view of the present invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral represents a childs riding vehicle, according to the present invention, wherein there is a vehicle body 11 in the configuration of a rowboat, the body including a pointed forward end 12 to form a how, the body having upstanding side walls 13 and a transverse extending rear wall 14 to form a transom. The body is further provided with a floor '15 and a transverse extending seat 16 upon which the child may sit.

As shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawing, the side walls 13 extend downwardly below the floor so as to enclose from general view a pair of rear wheels 17 and a front wheel 18. Alternately shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawing by phantom lines the device is provided with a pair of front wheels 19 so as to offer a greater stability from tipping over sidewardly, it being understood that the manufacturer may construct the present device with either design.

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The rear wheels 17 are mounted upon a transverse extending shaft 20 supported in bearings 21 at each end, each wheel 17 having a rewind starter 22 secured thereto. Each rewind starter is a rewind starter one-way clutch that is similar to the rewind starters used to start small gasoline engines.

A cable 23 is connected at one end to each rewind starter, each cable 23 being passed around a pulley 24 mounted rotatably free on a pin 25 on the underside of the flooring 15, each cable 23 being attached at its opposite end to an arm 26 extending horizontally below the floor 15 from a vertically extending shaft 27 supported within a bracket 28 located alongside each side wall 13 of the vehicle body 11.

At the upper end of the shaft 27 there are a pair of outwardly extending oars 29 which are pivotable at an intermediate portion upon the shaft 27. Each inward extending end of the oars forms a handle 30 which may be grasped by a child sitting upon the seat 16, the opposite ends of each oar extending outwardly being configurated to form blades 31.

The wheel 18 is mounted within a caster-type wheel assembly 32 wherein there is a bracket 33 that is pivotable freely about a shaft 34 supported within a bearing 35 in the floor 15 of the body 11.

In operative use, a child sits upon the seat 16 and with his hands placed upon the handles 30 of the oars he then proceeds to row in a conventional manner of rowing a rowboat. To make the vehicle to travel straight forwardly, the child pulls upon both oars equally. In order to turn the vehicle, the child pulls upon one oar more than upon the other oar, thereby making the vehicle to turn in the maner of a conventional rowboat. It is to be noted that operation of the oars will cause a pull upon the cables 23 leading to the rewind starters attached to the rear wheels which turn upon the stationary shaft.

It is to be noted further that the body of the vehicle may be made either from plywood, metal or plastic as is preferred by the manufacturer.

I claim:

1. In a childs riding vehicle, the combination of a vehicle body having the configuration of a row boat, said body having a floor, said body having a tapered forward end to resemble a bow of a boat, said bod having a transversely extending rear wall to resemble a transom of a boat, said body having opposite upwardly extending side walls, a transverse extending seat supported between said side walls upon which said child may sit, and said body having a propulsion mechanism which resembles a row boat, said propulsion mechanism comprising a pair of oars, said oars being mounted at an intermediate portion at the upper ends of vertically extending shafts, each of said shafts being supported within bearings located along said side walls, the lower ends of said shafts having each a sidewardly extending arm, each said arm being connected to one end of a cable, the opposite end of said cable being connected to a winding drum and one-way clutch arrangement secured to a rear wheel carried pivotally free on a stationary shaft, thus providing a mechanism whereby pivotal movement of said oar will cause rotation of said wheels, said vehicle being provided 3 4 with a caster Wheel at its forward end, said side Walls Of 1,607,958 11/1926 Koehler 2801.11 said body extending downwardly below said floor so to 3,052,486 9/1962 Malmquist 2801.11 generally hide said wheels of said vehicle, each of said oars being provided with a handle at its inner end, and a FOREIGN PATENTS fiat blade at its opposite end so as to resemble a con- 5 74 492 7 1 3 France ventlonal 446,970 3/1949 Italy.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,0 0 11/1919 Benas 2801.11 10 U.S.Cl.X.R. 1,392,565 10/1921 French 2s0 243 280-243 KENNETH H. BETTS, Primary Examiner.