WO2003051473A1

WO2003051473A1 - Skateboard braking system

Info

Publication number: WO2003051473A1
Application number: PCT/AU2002/001645
Authority: WO
Inventors: William Jorgensen
Original assignee: William Jorgensen
Priority date: 2001-12-16
Filing date: 2002-12-06
Publication date: 2003-06-26
Also published as: AUPR952701A0

Abstract

A skateboard wherein one or more sections (9a) of the skateboard deck immediately behind the rear wheels are pivotally attached by a substantially longitudinally aligned pivot (9) to the main fixed deck (2) of the skateboard inboard of the peripheral longitudinal rails of the skateboard; pavement contacting brake pads (13) adjacent the rail portion of such sections; a spring or springs (10) associated with the pivoting sections adapted to facilitate downward movement of the outboard rail of the section against the biasing spring under the influence of the weight of a rider such that the brake pads may contact the pavement and effect braking; the biasing spring being adapted to restore the pivotable sections to an equilibrium position wherein the friction material is free of the pavement upon withdrawal of the riders weight from the deck section.

Description

SKATEBOARD BRAKING SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a skateboard braking system and in particular to a system wherein the rear deck of a skateboard is capable of pivoting downwardly so as to contact the pavement.

For many years people have struggled to devise appropriate braking systems for use in conjunction with skateboards. To date an entirely satisfactory skateboard braking system has yet to be devised and it is principally for this reason that the riding of skateboards is banned in many areas.

Systems have been proposed whereby rubber or other surfaces capable of generating friction have been attached to riders' footwear or alternatively attached to non-mo veable parts of the skateboard. Such systems however have not been found to be adequate to assist in retarding a skateboard in a controlled manner whether the rider is involved in a turn or whether the rider is progressing in a straight line.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an effective skateboard braking system which does not suffer from one or more of the above disadvantages or alternatively provides the market with a choice. According to the present invention there is disclosed a skateboard wherein one or more sections of the skateboard deck immediately behind the rear wheels are pivotally attached by substantially longitudinally aligned pivot means to the main fixed deck of the skateboard inboard of the peripheral longitudinal rails of the skateboard; pavement contacting brake pads adjacent the rail portion of such sections; spring biasing means associated with the pivoting sections adapted to facilitate downward movement of the outboard rail of the section against the biasing means under the influence of the weight of a rider such that the brake pads may contact the pavement and effect braking; the biasing means being adapted to restore the pivotable sections to an equilibrium position wherein the friction material is free of the pavement upon withdrawal of the riders weight from the deck section.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of skateboard in accordance with the present convention;

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the skateboard of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a part view of a segment of the skateboard of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is another part view of a skateboard in accordance with

Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the skateboard of Figure 2; Figure 6 is a rear elevation of an alternate embodiment of the present invention, and

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of Figure 6.

According to the embodiment of Figure 1 there is disclosed a skateboard 1 having a deck 2 supported on conventional skateboard trucks 3 and 4, having four wheels 5.

The skateboard is provided with a front overhang area 6 and a rear overhang area 7, both being substantially continuous with the main span of the deck 2 intermediate the front and rear wheels.

The rear overhang deck portion 7 is provided with pivoting deck sections 8 and 9a attached to the central portion of the rear overhang portion 7 of the deck 2 by hinges 9. Leaf springs 10 are attached to the central portion of the rear overhang segment of the deck 7 and also the pivoting deck sections 8 and 9a so as to bias the pivoting deck sections 8 and 9a into a substantially continuous co-planer orientation with the main part of the deck 2 but to permit pivoting of the pivoting deck sections 8 and 9a downwardly out of such co-planer arrangement such that the outboard rails 11 of such pivoting deck sections 8 and 9a may move downwardly towards the pavement. The outboard rails 11 are provided with brake pads 13 of friction generating material such as high abrasive rubber as is common in connection with in-line skate or skateboard brakes. Various configurations for attachment of this high abrasive rubber to or beneath the rail position of the pivoting deck sections 8 and 9a may be devised and three different arrangements are shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. In Figure 2 an angled mount 12 is provided beneath the rail 11 of the pivoting deck section 8 to which high abrasive rubber brake pad 13 is attached. With reference to Figure 3 the high abrasive rubber of pad 13 completely surrounds the rail 11 and with reference to Figure 4 the high abrasive rubber is again of semi-circular configuration but surrounds only the lower and lateral edges of the rail 11. In the embodiment of figure of 3 the rubber brake pad is bonded about a "C" shaped extrusion which is adapted to slide onto rail 11 from the forward end of pivoting deck section 8 with the free ends of the "C" section sliding in longitudinal depressions in pivoting deck section 8 adjacent the rail 11: there being stops at the rear of pivoting deck section 8 to prevent the brake pad sliding off the rear during use. In figure 4 the brake pad is simply screwed into the ends of pivoting deck section 8. Obviously the version depicted in figure 3 facilitates quicker and simpler and changing of brake pads 13.

With reference now to Figure 5 it may be seen that the high abrasive rubber brake pad 13 is configured so that when pivoting deck section 9a is lowered from the main skateboard deck level 2 and contacts the pavement 14 a significant area may be brought to bear on the pavement. It will be observed in Figure 5 that leaf springs 10 are in the flexed position whilst the brake is being operated under the influence of the weight of the rider (not shown) above pivoting deck section 9a although as soon as the weight of the rider's foot is removed from the pivoting deck section 9a the spring 10 will return the deck section 9a back to the position depicted in Figure 2. In this orientation the square edges and the configuration of the pivoting deck sections 8 and 9a and the hinges 9 prevent sections 8 and 9a pivoting to a position whereat they sit substantially above the plane of the skateboard deck 2.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention is depicted at Figure 6 whereat that portion of the rear overhang of the skateboard deck 2 which is capable of pivoting downwardly on either side is fabricated as only one pivoting segment 15 rather than as two pivoting sections 8 and 9a. In the embodiment of Figure 6 it will be observed that there; is a central longitudinal pivot associated with the rear overhang portion of the deck 7 which is biased by a longitudinal spring 16 best viewed in Figure 7 to a position being substantially co-planer with main deck 2 but which is capable of pivoting about central longitudinal pivot shaft 17 about which the spring 16 is located so that the outboard rails 11 of the pivoting segment 15, which are provided with high abrasive rubber brake pads 18, may be lowered under the influence of the rider's weight to contact the pavement. Once again the abrasive rubber material affixed adjacent or beneath the rails may be of various configurations.

The spring 16 and pivot shaft 17 are configured to bias the pivoting deck section to an equilibrium position substantially co-planar with the main deck 2.

It will be appreciated that either of the embodiments above described are capable of being used by the rider to effect braking whether the skateboard is proceeding in a fixed direction or whether it is banked and negotiating a turn.

According to a further feature of the present invention there is provided a weight 19 adjacent to the front of the skateboard. This weight has been found to be highly desirable in connection with skateboards generally and particularly skateboards in accordance with the present invention in order to alleviate high speed instability in skateboards commonly known as a "death wobble"; the symptoms of a "death wobble' being a side to side oscillation of the rear of the skateboard at high speed. Ideally the weight should be placed under the front of the skateboard and may be varied with rider weight. A light rider may utilise a weight of one kilogram or less whereas a heavy rider may utilise a weight of two kilograms or even a little more. The braking system in accordance with the present invention results in a heavier than normal skateboard which tends to be faster than conventional skateboards. The inclusion of a weight under the front of the skateboard is therefore a highly desirable feature and also serves to balance any additional weight associated with the rear of the skateboard due to inclusion of a braking system in accordance with the present invention.

It should be appreciated that alternative embodiments of the present invention may be devised apart from those two above mentioned without departing from the scope and intendment thereof. All such embodiments involving the pivoting of segments of the deck down out of their conventional alignments so as to permit friction material adjacent to the rails contacting the pavement are intended to fall within the scope and intendment of the specification of this invention.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A skateboard wherein one or more sections of the skateboard deck immediately behind the rear wheels are pivotally attached by substantially longitudinally aligned pivots to the main fixed deck of the skateboard inboard of the peripheral longitudinal rails of the skateboard; pavement contacting brake pads adjacent the outboard rail portion of such sections; spring biasing means associated with the pivoting sections adapted to facilitate downward movement of the outboard rail of the section against the biasing means under the influence of the weight of a rider such that the brake pads may contact the pavement and effect braking; the biasing means being adapted to restore the pivotable sections to an equilibrium position wherein the friction material is free of the pavement upon withdrawal of the riders weight from the deck section.

2. A skateboard with a braking system in accordance with that described in Claim 1 having two pivoting deck sections immediately behind the rear wheels each pivotally attached to and one either side of a central portion of the deck behind the rear wheels.

3. A skateboard with a braking system in accordance with that described in Claim 1 having one pivoting deck segment directly behind the rear wheels extending either side of a pivot rod centrally located, substantially co- planer with the deck and on the longitudinal axis of the board; each outboard extremity of the pivoting deck segment being provided with a pavement contacting brake pad such that in use the pivoting deck segment may be utilised to effect braking by depressing either the area of the deck segment on the right of the pivot or that on the left of the pivot.

4. A skateboard in accordance with Claim 1 wherein the equilibrium position of the pivotable sections is substantially co-planar with the deck of the skateboard.

5. A skateboard in accordance with Claim 1 wherein the pavement contacting brake pads are fabricated from high abrasive rubber.

6. A skateboard in accordance with Claim 1 wherein the pavement contacting brake pads completely surround a section the outboard rail of one or more of the pivoting sections of the deck.

7. A skateboard in accordance with Claim 1 wherein the pavement contacting brake pads comprise high abrasive rubber bonded about an extrusion adapted to slide onto the outboard rails of the pivoting sections of the deck from the front; there being stops on the pivoting deck section in order to prevent the brake pad sliding rearwardly during use.

8. A skateboard in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the pavement contacting brake pads extend downwardly and laterally outwardly from the underside of the pivotable deck sections in order that they may contact the pavement at an optimal angle prior to the rail of the pivotal deck section when the pivotal deck section is pivoted downwardly from its equilibrium position towards the pavement.

9. A skateboard in accordance with Claim 1 wherein there is a weight adjacent the front of the skateboard in order to assist dynamic stability.

10. A skateboard in accordance with Claim 1 wherein there is a weight mounted adjacent the front underside of the skateboard in order to assist dynamic stability.