WO2012046028A1

WO2012046028A1 - Scooter accessory

Info

Publication number: WO2012046028A1
Application number: PCT/GB2011/051860
Authority: WO
Inventors: Clare Hartnell
Original assignee: Reid, Mike
Priority date: 2010-10-04
Filing date: 2011-09-30
Publication date: 2012-04-12
Also published as: GB201016589D0; GB2484456A

Abstract

A scooter accessory (12), said accessory comprising a strap (14) for releasably attaching said accessory and a badge (16) which is releasably attachable to said strap (14), wherein the strap is configured to prevent movement of the accessory (12) when it is attached.

Description

Scooter accessory

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to accessories, particularly but not exclusively to scooter accessories.

BACKGROUND ART

Scooters are becoming increasingly popular. The present applicant has recognised that there is a need for scooter users to be able to recognise their scooters in busy parking areas such as schools. The lack of ability to recognise your own scooter means that scooters get stolen frequently from school and other parking zones. Furthermore, the present applicant has recognised that scooter users have an emotional need to personalise their scooters to project an image about themselves and who they are. It may also be advantageous for scooter users are increasingly travelling around dangerous situations and in low light situations.

Badges and name-plates for bicycles are shown in GB21409. A handlebar display for bicycles is shown in US 6288633 and a Thomas and Friends ® version is shown for scooters on http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000SZVZ6/enevacom04. A Thomas ® rail bracelet is shown for sale on http://www.ue-ei-portal.de.

STATEMENTS OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an accessory for attachment to a scooter, said accessory comprising a strap for releasably attaching said accessory and a badge which is releasably attachable to said strap, wherein the strap is configured to prevent movement of the accessory when it is attached. When attached to a scooter, the accessory is preferably attached to the upright pole connecting the handle bars and the foot plate. Accordingly, the accessory attachment is designed to prevent the accessory sliding down the pole. The strap may be configured to prevent movement by use of an appropriate attachment mechanism which provides flexibility in attaching to different widths, e.g. to poles of different widths. The strap may comprise a plurality of protrusions at one end which cooperate with a plurality of holes at the opposed end to releasably and securely attach the accessory to prevent movement. The use of a plurality of protrusions and holes offers flexibility in attaching to different widths. Said protrusions may have domed ends to increase ease of use. Alternatively, other male and female attachment mechanisms may be used.

An alternative or complementary mechanism to prevent movement is appropriate selection of the material. The strap may be made from a flexible plastics material which provides a gripping surface to prevent movement of the accessory. The two-part design means that the badge may be made from the same or a different material to the strap. The badge and/or strap comprise fluorescent material and/or lights to assist in visibility at night. The badges and or straps may be designed to be brightly coloured whereby the accessory connects emotionally with the child using the scooter to ensure they keep it on the Scooter. The material selection may also ensure weather resistance Said badge may comprise a base and a bridge member attached to said base, said bridge member defining a slot for receiving said strap. Said strap may comprise a recessed section which is configured to receive said bridge member whereby, in use, said bridge member and said strap form a continuous flat surface. In this way, the accessory sits flush against a pole of the scooter to which it is attached. The bridge member may be centrally located on the badge base. Similarly, the recessed section may be centrally located on the strap.

The advantages of the present invention are thus:

a. It provides an easy and simple way to recognise your own scooter.

b. It is designed to warn other people off either stealing or mistakenly taking your scooter. c. It is designed to enable users to enjoy the process of making a scooter recognisable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which: -

Fig la is a sketch of a scooter showing a plurality of accessories attached thereto;

Fig lb is a cross-section showing the accessory strap and badge and scooter pole;

Fig 2a is a plan view of an accessory strap for one of the accessories of Fig la;

Fig 2b is an end view of the accessory strap of Fig 2a;

Fig 2c is an cross-sectional view of the accessory strap of Fig 2a along line AA;

Fig 3a is a view of an accessory badge for one of the accessories of Fig la;

Fig 3b is a side view of the accessory badge of Fig 3a; and

Fig 4 show the accessory badge of Fig 3a adjacent and mounted on the accessory strap of Fig 2a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig la shows a scooter with a plurality of accessories 12 attached to the pole. A scooter may be defined as a wheel based transport mechanism comprising a foot plate for the user to stand on a section of the mechanism, handle bars for steering and a generally vertical pole 10 connecting the foot plate and handle bars. A scooter generally has no seat or peddles and may be powered by human foot power, electric motor or other forms of power.

As shown in Fig lb, each accessory 12 comprises a strap 14 which is wrapped around the scooter pole 10 and a badge 16 mounted on the strap 14. Figs 2a to 2c show the detail of the strap 14 which is elongate with rounded ends. The central portion of the strap 14 is formed with a recess 18 which cooperates with the badge 16 as explained in more detail below. The strap has a plurality of holes 20 to one side of the central recess 18 and a corresponding plurality of protrusions (pegs) 22 on the other side of the central recess. As shown in Fig lb, the strap is passed around the scooter pole and the protrusions 22 engage in the holes 20 to secure the accessory to the pole.

The protrusions and holes thus form a male/female type attachment mechanism which could be replaced by similar attachment mechanisms. The dimensions of the strap are indicated in Fig 2c. It will be appreciated that these dimensions are merely illustrative and other dimensions may provide the same functionality. Similarly, whilst four protrusions and holes are shown, a different number may be used. By providing a plurality of holes, there is flexibility to accommodate poles of different diameters, i.e. it is a one-size fits all design. The strap is long enough to fit all diameters of scooter poles and short enough to fit the smallest pole. For narrow poles, all protrusions will be engaged in holes; for wider poles, not all protrusions will be engaged. One advantage of the attachment mechanism is that it is easy to secure the accessory and no tools are required. Furthermore, the protrusions are designed with a slight dome to make it easier for people to get them through the holes of the strap.

The strap is formed from a stretchy plastics material strap so that it is a snug fit on scooter pole and does not slip down. This allows several accessories to be positioned one on top of the other (as shown in Fig la). This increases the number of permutations of accessories on a scooter and means it is unlikely that other scooter riders will have the same series of accessories on their scooter. The material may be a specific rubber and plastic material (e.g. silicon or pvc plastic) such that it releasably adheres to the scooter pole. The material is also weather proof, safe for children and preferably brightly coloured to appeal to children.

Figs 3a and 3b show the detail of the badge 16. The badge comprises a generally circular (although other shapes are possible) base 24 having an emblem 26 on one face and a bridge 28 on the opposed face. The emblem 26 may have any design, e.g. cartoon characters, animals, faces or other child-friendly images. The size of the badge 16 is in proportion to the size of the scooter, e.g. the diameter of the base 24 is approximately equal or slightly greater than the pole of the scooter. The bridge 28 forms the fixing mechanism to attach the badge 16 to the strap. Fig 4 shows how the badge 16 is releasably secured to the strap 14. The bridge 28 has a span member with a length and width equal to that of the recess in the strap 14 and walls. The walls have a height which defines a gap or slot between the span member and the base into which the strap is slidable. In use, the badge 16 is slid along the strap until the bridge is aligned with the recess. Opposed end faces of the span member abut the side walls of the recess. The height of the gap is comparable to the thickness of the strap. In use, the bridge of the badge sits flush with the strap (i.e. forms a continuous flat surface therewith) so that when the accessory is fixed to the scooter the strap sits flush against the scooter pole.

Another advantage of the bridge design is that it prevents the badge from falling off the strap and the badge cannot be ripped off by another user. There is also no need to glue the badge to the strap and thus different badges may be interchanged with different straps allowing full customisation by a user. In addition to increasing flexibility for a user, the two-part design means that the badge and strap may be made from different materials. This may make the manufacturing process more efficient, faster and more flexible. The badges may be made from a range of rubber and plastics material. The badges may be made from a more robust, harder material than the strap without losing the one-size fits all and gripping attributes.

The badges and/or straps may include fluorescent materials and/or lights to aid with road safety. No doubt many other effective alternatives will occur to the skilled person. For example, the scooter accessories are products which may be used on other child related products like prams, and bicycles. The non-slip design means that they are particularly advantageously used on generally vertical poles of such products. It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments and encompasses modifications apparent to those skilled in the art lying within the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An accessory for attachment to a scooter, said accessory comprising

a strap for releasably attaching said accessory and

a badge which is releasably attachable to said strap,

wherein the strap is configured to prevent movement of the accessory when it is attached.

2. An accessory according to claim 1, wherein said badge comprises a base and a bridge member attached to said base, said bridge member defining a slot for receiving said strap.

3. An accessory according to claim 2, wherein said strap comprises a recessed section which is configured to receive said bridge member whereby, in use, said bridge member and said strap form a continuous flat surface.

4. An accessory according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the strap comprises a plurality of protrusions at one end which cooperate with a plurality of holes at the opposed end to releasably and securely attach the accessory to prevent movement.

5. An accessory according to claim 4, wherein said protrusions have domed ends.

6. An accessory according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the strap is made from a flexible plastics material which provides a gripping surface to prevent movement of the accessory.

7. An accessory according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the badge is made from a different material to the strap.

8. An accessory according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the badge and/or strap comprise fluorescent material.