Title:
SCOOTER SKATEBOARD
United States Patent 3751062
Abstract:
The scooter skateboard has a platform with any well-known tracking wheel trucks suspended for automatic balancing and steering by tilting the rider's body and the skateboard platform in the steering direction, and a removable handle mounted firmly on one end of the platform for assisting novice riders in gaining practice in balanced riding and steering maneuvers until they can perform without relying on the assistance of the handle to ride the skateboard unobstructively and with more dexterity in either direction.
Application Number:
05/228811
Publication Date:
08/07/1973
Other Classes:
74/543, 280/87.05
International Classes:
B62K3/00; (IPC1-7): B62K9/00
Primary Examiner:
Friaglia, Leo
Claims:
What is claimed is
1. A scooter skateboard comprising:
2. A removable handle for a scooter skateboard, comprising:
Description:
In a search of the prior art, the closest reference found was U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,528, which discloses a permanent-handled scooter with automatic steering and balancing by tilting, but the handle is an undesirable obstruction for those who are proficient in the use of the skateboard and wish to perform some reverse maneuvers, when the trailing end of the platform is required to be free of obstructions so that the rider can freely move his trailing foot over the trailing end of the platform in stepping on or off the skateboard therewith. This is quite impossible with the toy vehicle disclosed in this patent unless the handle is removed, which is not an easy task.
Since the advent of the articulated truck mountings for the tracking wheels on the scooter-type platform with a handle for more automatic balance and steering of the scooter vehicle, the handle became an unnecessary obstruction for experienced riders, and the handleless skateboard was developed as a more popular toy vehicle, comprising a simple scooter platform with tracking wheel trucks mounted on inclined pin bearings under the platform, for balancing by automatic steering without obstruction of a post or handle on top of the platform.
While the skateboard can provide a lot more fun with locomotion in either forward or reverse direction for the experienced rider, in balancing himself with either foot forward on the flat board which forms the simple platform of this toy vehicle, for beginners, the assistance of a strong handle is almost indispensable to avoid falls, skins and bruises while learning how to handle a skateboard and perform the various balancing and steering maneuvers gracefully.
The applicant conceived a strong handle structure readily applicable to the commonly elongated platforms of skateboards having a substantially rounded or pointed nose at each end, for use on a skateboard whenever a handle is desired for practice by beginners or those who wish to acquire more proficiency in some more difficult maneuvers without the danger of loosening or breaking the handle when the skateboard should strike an immovable or massive obstruction.
The main object of the present invention is to provide a removable handle for a skateboard, for selective use therewith when desired.
A further object is to provide a strong handle made integrally with a base extending over the nose end of the skateboard platform to form a closely fitting pocket therefor, and having ears extending around the sides of said nose end back of the pocket and under said platform, where they are provided with set screws threaded therethrough for locking against the bottom of said platform to hold said base from loosening off of said nose end.
A further object to provide an attractive design of a supporting bracket post extending horizontally from the front of the main post of the handle and curved downwardly to a point in the base spaced forwardly from said main post, to reenforce it against axial shock stresses when the skateboard strikes an immovable or massive obstruction at high speed, while the rider is braced against the handle bar at the top of the main post.
Other and more specific objects will become apparent in the following detailed description of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:
Fig. 1 is an elevational side view of a skateboard with a removable handle made in accordance with the present invention, and
Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective detail view of the front or handle end of this scooter skateboard.
The skateboard illustrated has a simple elongated flat platform 12 of hard wood or other suitable material, with round pointed ends, on one of which is mounted a removable handle having a tubular post 14 with a handle bar 16 at its upper end, its lower end being formed integrally with the base 18 and the tubular bracket post 10, as by welding joints 44, a vertical portion of the bracket post 46 extending from the base at a point spaced in front of the main post 16 and being curved at the top into a horizontal portion joined to the front of the main post, making an attractive reenforcement for the handle.
The base 18 is formed with a pocket 20 for nestingly engaging the round pointed nose end of the skateboard platform, and extends over the top and sides 24 of said nose end back of said pocket, with ear flaps 26 extending under the bottom of the platform and provided with set screws 28 threaded therethrough for quickly engaging the platform to hold the base from working loose from its firmly mounted engagement with the nose end of the platform when the scooter handle is used with the skateboard.
The set screws may be readily loosened with the thumb and forefinger gripping the knurled heads, for quickly removing the handle when desired, so that the skateboard can be used with full freedom in a wide range of maneuvers in which the handle would be unnecessary and obstructive to the more proficient and experienced riders.
The scooter skateboard illustrated in the drawing has a pair of tracking truck wheels 32 mounted under each end of the platform on a bearing bracket 42 pivoted at its upper end in a socket bearing in the base plate 40 which is fixed to the bottom of one end of the platform, and at its lower end has a resiliently floated ring portion 36 extending between two hard rubber bushings 38 mounted loosely about a spool shaft extending downwardly from said base plate at a point spaced axially inwardly of said platform from said socket bearing, so as to steer the wheel truck at each end of the skateboard to track on a curved course in the direction that the plateform is tilted. This obviously provides a means for balancing the skateboard by automatic steering in the direction of tilt of the platform, as controlled by the angular flexing of the rider's ankles.
Although only one specific form of the scooter skateboard is herein illustrated and described, many obvious modifications in the details and arrangement of parts may be made in its construction without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.