Patent Application
20140265167
The present invention relates generally to carriages and towing devices. More specifically, it relates to a carriage that may accommodate a child and/or cargo, and may be selectively attached to a user for moving the carriage while the user is in motion, and by one of several modes described herein.
A variety of devices are known for towing humans in a cart or carriage. Among these devices are horse drawn sulkies, rickshaws, and towed carriages for attachment to bicycles. These devices are generally suited for constant linear motion with little consideration given to the forces encountered in various accelerations in both the horizontal, vertical and tangential directions. Typically, one or more rigid members are applied to connect the carriage to the host user. These members create a direct connection between the user and the carriage which is necessary to maintain a constant distance between the two. This rigidity of the structure provided in prior art devices, however, generates complications with steering and negotiating sharp hills and corners, particularly for use by a user while jogging or walking.
Additionally, prior art devices call for a rigid carriage system with little impact absorption outside of what may be achieved by tires, suspension systems or seat materials. The lack of dampening in these devices allows for the natural yet unpredictable motion of running or walking to be imparted upon the carriage, creating an uncomfortable and potentially unsafe ride for the passenger. Likewise, the various forces applied to the carriage through the ground or other surface on which the carriage rides are translated to the user. This results in an uncomfortable experience for the host user and an uncomfortable ride for the passenger(s).
Thus there is a need to provide a carriage and a harness for pulling or towing the carriage which addresses these and other problems associated with prior art devices, and that otherwise provides a user with the ability to tow loads of varying weights while exercising, such as during walking, running, hiking, skating, skiing, shopping or any other desired activity. There is further the need to provide a harness that is both comfortable to the user and allows a wide range of motion during travel and accommodates the towing of a carriage carrying one or more persons and/or other tow loads. There is even a further need to provide an improved carriage assembly, which reduces the impact of the motion of the user on the carriage and vice versa, and provides for the overall comfort and stability of the carriage.
One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a carriage which may be attached to a user while still allowing for complete freedom of movement and minimize the impacts of the carriage's natural movement on the user as well as reducing the impacts of the natural motion of the user upon the carriage. The following are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties: U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,651 entitled “Jogging Baby Carriage”; U.S. Pat. No. 2,343,019 entitled “Tractor-Trailer Combination”; and U.S. Pat. No. 660,598 entitled “Bicycle-Tender.”
Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a safe and comfortable ride for a passenger. The following are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties: U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,956 entitled “Harness Device, Kit and Method of Using Same”; U.S. Des. Pat. No. 367,142 entitled “Body Harness for Towing”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,875 entitled “Jogging Rope Harness.”
Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a system which allows the user to incorporate the carriage assembly in a variety of exercise or general travel/recreational activities, thus allowing the user to engage in activities that would otherwise be impractical, as well as conferring the benefits of outdoor exposure and stimulation upon the passenger.
Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide such a carriage of sturdy, lightweight construction that will occupy minimal space when stowed or otherwise placed in storage.
One embodiment of the invention is directed to an assembly for moving a tow load by a user, comprising:
a harness or belt for attachment to a user;
a tow assembly for towing the carriage, the tow assembly coupled to at least one connection member and thereby to the harness or belt, the at least one connection member comprised of at least one telescoping, semi-resilient member;
a seat or platform supported by the frame assembly for accommodating a tow load;
at least two wheels; and
a frame assembly supported by the at least two wheels, wherein the at least two wheels define an area substantially devoid of mechanical apparatus associated with the carriage so as to avoid interfering with the movement of a user's legs there-between.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the concepts presented herein are applicable for use with a variety of other conveyances other than the carriage types listed above and/or described in the detailed description below, such as sleds, rickshaws, pedicabs, bicycle taxis, wagons, buggies and trailers, to name a few. Furthermore, the carriage as disclosed may include a number of embodiments for pulling behind a person on skates or on skis, including cross-country skis. Therefore, although the drawing figures depict a carriage with wheels, it is to be expressly understood that a modified carriage with runners, like the type associated with a sleigh, would operate with and is contemplated with the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that the present invention includes a variety of different versions or embodiments, and this Summary is not meant to be limiting or all-inclusive. That is, this Summary provides general descriptions of certain embodiments, but may also include more specific descriptions of certain other embodiments. Furthermore, the use of the terms carriage and/or harness, together or in conjunction with one another, is not intended to be limiting in any respect, and it is to be expressly understood that use of an equivalent device, alone or in conjunction with another device, consistent with the scope of the appended claims, is considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
Accordingly, various embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the attached figures and described in the detailed description of the invention as provided herein and as embodied by the claims. For a detailed description of how these objects are accomplished by the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive language that follows, as well as the appended claims.
Those of skill in the art will recognize that the following description is merely illustrative of the principles of the disclosure, which may be applied in various ways to provide many different alternative embodiments. This description is made for illustrating the general principles of the teachings of this disclosure invention and is not meant to limit the inventive concepts disclosed herein.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the general description of the disclosure given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosures.
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the disclosure or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
In the drawings:
a is a harness and attachment assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;
b is a harness and attachment assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;
c is a harness and attachment assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;
d is a harness and attachment assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;
e is a harness and attachment assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and
f is a harness and attachment assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
With reference to the specific drawing figures contained herein, the present disclosure is directed to components and apparatus generally related to a towed vehicle, herein referred to as a carriage, for towing a load or carrying a person(s) substantially as depicted and described herein, including various embodiments, subcombinations, and subsets thereof.
According to one specific embodiment, the disclosure comprises a carriage, a suspension system for the carriage, a harness for securing the carriage to a host, and a linkage between the carriage and the harness for towing the carriage behind the person wearing the harness during walking, jogging, cycling, skiing, skating, or other activity. According to various embodiments disclosed herein, the linkage between the harness and the carriage may be comprised of a combination of rigid, semi-rigid and non-rigid member(s), which may be fewer or greater on number than those depicted in the accompanying drawing figures, and which extend a specified length and in a specified orientation between the carriage to the harness as necessary for the desired activity and to prevent the movement of the carriage from disturbing the movement of the user, and vice versa.
Referring in detail to the drawing figures, several embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. In particular,
Referring in detail to
Still referring to
Also alternatively, the coupling members 14 may have a chamfer, deflection or bend, such as the coupling members depicted in
Referring still to
Wheels 10 may be comprised of a variety of materials, and may be of a variety of sizes depending on the carriage and the type of load to be towed. In general, there are at least two wheels 10 having substantially the same diameter and oriented to permit rotation in a generally parallel plane with respect to the other wheel(s) of the carriage assembly. The wheels 10 are preferably approximately 20-48 inches in diameter, and more preferably approximately 30-36 inches in diameter. The carriage 2 may alternatively be supported by a third wheel (not shown) that is positioned on the side of the carriage 2 opposite the user and generally in a position central to the other two wheels 10 shown in
Referring now to
According to one alternative embodiment shown in
Still referring to
As discussed above, harness 26 is preferably constructed as a waist belt that is adjustable to accommodate a variety of users. In many forms of exercise, it is desirable if not essential to have full range of motion. Thus, harness 26 is designed to contact the user only around the waist while providing sufficient comfort via the material and positioning of the harness 26 so as not to interfere with the user's arms, hips or other moving body parts when the apparatus is in use. According to one embodiment, the harness further comprises a fastening mechanism that permits a user to unfasten the harness without removing the harness 26 from the user's waist, and rotate the harness 26 so that the user is facing the carriage (as opposed to having the user's back to the carriage 2). In this embodiment, the user has the option of pushing the carriage as opposed to pulling or towing the carriage behind him or her. This may be particularly advantageous for a user towing a small child, to permit the user to face the child for a portion of its use.
The harness 26 preferably has a large enough width to accommodate attachment of the coupling joint 16, which may be secured to the harness 26 by threading a portion of the harness 26 through a slit in the surface of the coupling joint 16, by securing a pin through a sleeve in the harness 26 and a slot in the coupling joint 16, or by other means known to those of skill in the art.
A number of alternate embodiments of a harness, coupling joint and coupling member (i.e., attachment assembly) configurations are shown in
Referring now in detail to
Dampening members 41 may be similar in nature to dampening member 46 as described above, or may provide dampening in alternate planes and/or directions from the dampening provided by dampening member 46. For example, and by way of illustration but not limitation, dampening members 41 may dampen movement of the carriage translated to the connection member 14 in a substantially vertical plane, whereas dampening member 46 may dampen forces translated to connection member 14 in a substantially horizontal plane. In this manner, the combination of dampening member 46 and dampening member 41 may act in concert, and cooperate to reduce the number and amplitude of forces experienced by the user while the carriage assembly is in movement.
Referring now to
Referring now in detail to
According to this embodiment, the benefits of the harness and attachment assembly include those benefits described above in relation to
Referring now in detail to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Variations on these described embodiments, including but not limited to combination with any of the dampening members, connection members, linkages, harnesses, posts, spherical connection members, joints, etc. described herein is specifically contemplated as part of the present disclosure.
According to a preferred embodiment, a canopy or housing 4 is further provided to shelter the passenger from weather and debris as well as provide additional safety. The housing 4 is preferably constructed of a lightweight, flexible yet durable material, such as a plastic or synthetic material, and optionally with a cover or screen or window to allow, for example, a passenger to view the user and the user to view the passenger while the carriage 2 is in motion. Although some level of transparency is desirable in a cover or screen, it is not necessary. In certain circumstances, such as during outdoor use, it may be desirable to have a housing 4 made from material(s) that filters ultraviolet light. Housing 4 may be composed of multiple layers of different transparency, which can be applied or removed based on conditions.
Therefore, according to various embodiments described herein, the assembly includes coupling members 14 having properties of a generally rigid members in tension and compression, but still allowing for some degree of flexibility and maneuverability. The contributions of coupling member 22 to the comfort of the passenger and the host, maneuverability of the carriage 2, and overall safety provide significant improvements over the prior art. One of ordinary skill will readily recognize a variety of materials that may be used to form the coupling members 14. By way of example, these materials may include, but are not limited to plastics such as polyethylene, polyurethane, ABS or other synthetic materials, or a more sturdy material such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper, nickel, and alloys of any of the aforementioned materials. In addition, although not shown in the drawing figures, the coupling members may be covered or coated by an additional material to improve aesthetic qualities and/or to prevent contact with structural components of the assembly described above. The covering material may be made from a variety of materials, including by way of example but not limitation, nylon, elastic material, semi-elastic material, neoprene, mesh, woven reinforced polyethylene, vinyl-coated polyester, vinyl-coated nylon, or vinyl laminated polyester.
This system allows for more efficient and safer carriage travel while also reducing the vibrations and undesired movement on the host, including oscillations that combine over time to create what is commonly referred to as the “pogo” effect. The various components/members described above act in series with each other to create an even, smooth and comfortable ride for the passenger. By further separating the carriage 2 from ground forces, the carriage travel remains as linear as possible. Specifically, vertical motion imparted to the carriage 2 is prevented from acting on various members and disturbing those forces to the host. Likewise, natural running or other motions by the host are not transferred to the carriage 2. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that typical shock absorption devices may also be incorporated to enhance this benefit.
The apparatus disclosed herein may be made of a variety of different materials. These materials may include, by way of example but not limitation, steel, stainless steel, titanium, titanium alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, chrome, chromium alloy, and other metals or metal alloys. These materials may also include, for example, wood, wood-filled composite, fiberglass, fiber-reinforced composite material, carbon fiber, ABS plastic, polyurethane, polyethylene, or one or more resins, particularly fiber-encased resinous materials rubber, latex, synthetic rubber, synthetic materials, polymers, and natural materials.
Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the present invention after understanding the present disclosure, including the variety of materials that would achieve the desired results. The present invention, in various embodiments, includes providing devices in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various embodiments hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of implementation.
It should be noted that one of the ordinary skill in the art would recognize the intended host for this invention to include but not be limited to runners, walkers, rollerbladers, and other pedestrians who wish to incorporate a child into their activity. It should also be noted that the apparatus disclosed herein could be easily modified to couple to a user who is positioned on a bicycle, or alternatively coupled to the bicycle itself, without departing from the novel aspects disclosed herein. Furthermore, it is to be expressly understood that devices other than a carriage may be employed without departing from the novel aspects of the present disclosure for transporting objects other than a child, such as devices for carrying supplies, groceries, weights (for improving performance or training purposes), or other objects desired by the runner, cyclist, walker or other user.
The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the invention are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. It is to be understood that certain aspects of the disclosure have utility apart from the combination with other aspects, or as an entire assembly. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims.
