Patent Application
20070252356
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Description of Attached Appendix
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This invention relates generally to the field of two wheeled human powered vehicles and more specifically to a combination bicycle and scooter. Bicycles are well known to be two wheeled vehicles where the user sits on a seat, places his or her feet on crank pedals and by a circular pedaling motion causes the vehicle to be propelled forward. A human powered scooter is also a well known device which generally includes a rather small front and rear wheel assembly and a longitudinal frame member that includes a flat surface for the user to place one or both feet. The user propels forward by pushing on the ground with one foot while the other foot is resting on the flat foot plate.
In the prior art, a number of inventors have tried to combine the benefits of a bicycle and a scooter. For example, William Ehrlich in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,913 shows a bicycle scooter combination where a frame accommodates standard large diameter bicycle wheels and crank pedal assembly but also includes a lower platform in the frame which allows the user to stand on the platform so that the entire assembly can be used as a scooter when so desired. Eric Zaccagnini in his U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,774 discloses a vehicle that can convert between a bicycle and a scooter which small scooter type wheels, a standard pedal crank arm assembly and bicycle seat assembly as well as a platform located at the lower portion of the frame so that the user can stand on to operate in the scooter mode. The Ehrlich patent, does combine features of a bicycle and a scooter, however, the large diameter bicycle type wheels of this design limit the ability of the user to easily store the invention in a small space such as the trunk of an automobile or to carry it onto public transportation such as a bus, train or plane. The Zuccagnini patent also combine features of a bicycle and a scooter. The invention uses smaller scooter type wheels and has folding capability so that it can be stored in a small space. However, The location of the crank arm with respect to the seat means that this device can only be used comfortably by small children. Additionally, because of the small diameter of the rear wheel and the standard configuration of a single large sprocket at the crank arm attached by a chain to a standard small sprocket mounted to the rear wheel, the user would have to pedal furiously fast to approach the normal speed of a standard bicycle which has twenty-four or twenty-six inch diameter tires.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a human powered scooter, having an approximately twelve inch rear wheel and an approximately eight inch front wheel, that can be pedaled like a standard bicycle and can travel at speeds similar to that of a standard bicycle that has twenty-six inch wheels.
Another object of the invention is to provide a combination bicycle and scooter whose frame length and handle bar height can be adjusted to accommodate riders of different heights.
Another object of the invention is to provide a combination bicycle and scooter whose length can be shortened to allow for compact transport and storage.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed combination bicycle and scooter comprising: a longitudinal frame member, a front scooter wheel assembly, a standard front fork assembly, a standard rear fork assembly, a steering stem, a hand gripping bar, a rear scooter wheel assembly, a first large drive sprocket, a first small drive sprocket, a second large drive sprocket, a second small drive sprocket, a first drive shaft, a second drive shaft, a first drive chain, a second drive chain, a standard crank arm assembly and crank pedals, one end of said frame member terminating in said front fork assembly, one end of said frame member terminating in said rear fork assembly, said front wheel shaft affixed to apertures in the legs of said front fork assembly, said rear wheel shaft affixed to slots in said rear wheel assembly, said steering stem hingedly attached to the rotatable stem in said front fork assembly, said hand gripping bar centrally attached in a T fashion to the top of said steering stem, said first large drive sprocket attached by said first drive shaft though a first aperture in said frame member, said first small drive sprocket and said second large drive sprocket concentrically mounted via said second drive shaft to a second aperture in said frame member, said second small drive sprocket concentrically mounted on said rear wheel assembly, said first drive chain attaching said first large drive sprocket to said first small drive sprocket, said second drive chain attaching said second large drive sprocket to said second small drive sprocket, said crank arm assembly and attached pedals centrally attached to said first large drive sprocket and the exterior of the cross tube of said crank arm assembly fixedly attached to said longitudinal frame member.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to
The above described and illustrated invention provides a novel way to combine the best aspects of a scooter and bicycle, that is, to maintain the compact size of a standard scooter while having the ability to pedal at adult bicycle type speeds.
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
