Rear engine, front wheel drive three wheeled vehicle

Abstract

The general layout for a front wheel drive, three-wheeled vehicle designed for road use with two steerable driven wheels in the front of the vehicle, and the engine located behind the front of the passenger seating. The vehicle layout is designed for optimal stability and traction by the location of the passenger seating, engine or engines, steering and driven wheels.

Description

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to motor vehicles. More specifically, the present invention pertains to those having only three wheels.

Description of the Related Art

Typical road use, highway speed, three wheeled vehicles consist of the following layout types:

• • Type-1—Two wheels in the rear of the vehicle with the rear wheel driven.
  • Type 2—Two wheels in the front of the vehicle with the rear wheel driven. Variations of this are:
    • (A) Straddle type seating where the body or engine is straddled by the passenger, whether the engine is directly underneath, forward, or rearward of the driver.
    • (B) Traditional seating with engine in front of the passenger seat.
    • (C) Traditional seating with engine behind the passenger seat.
  • Type 3—Two wheels in the front of the vehicle with the front wheels driven. Variations of this are:
    • (A) Straddle type seating where the body or engine is straddled by the passenger, whether the engine is directly underneath, forward, or rearward of the driver.
    • (B) Traditional seating with the engine in front of the passenger seat.
    • (C) Traditional seating with engine behind the front of passenger seat.
      • (1) Rear wheel steering.
      • (2) Front wheel steering. This vehicle type is the present invention.

Three wheeled vehicles with two rear wheels, Type (1), suffer from detrimental stability problems when turning, and even more serious stability issues when braking while turning. This is a critical need, as maximum stability is required in emergency situations. It is very common for vehicles of this type to ‘tip over’ during more extreme maneuvers.

Three wheeled vehicles with a single rear wheel which is also the driven wheel, Type (2), have traction problems due to the power being driven through a single wheel. Loss of traction causes the driver to quickly lose control of the vehicle since there is no directional control. This can be especially dangerous when the vehicle is in a turn and the rear wheel loses traction. The loss of traction is compounded by the combination of lateral forces on the rear wheel from the turn, the forward forces from acceleration, and changes in contact pressure due to uneven road surfaces.

Three wheeled vehicles with two front driven wheels and the engine forward of the passenger seat, Type (3B), suffer from a broad variation in center of gravity as a result of varied passenger loading. The seated position requires legroom for the passenger, and pushes the engine farther away from the center of gravity of the driver. Not only does this impact vehicle dynamics while in motion, but it also brings about the larger concern of varying passenger loads based on the size of person(s), (especially if there are two seats), which changes the front to rear center of gravity for the vehicle as a whole. The inconsistent passenger load causes large variations of weight on the single rear wheel which dramatically changes the vehicle's dynamics, resulting in an inconsistent driving experience. This is of most concern during hard cornering, or situations involving wet or loose gravel roads where the traction of the rear wheel is reduced causing the vehicle to react differently due to the change in loading. Even the most experienced drivers may be challenged by the radical change in vehicle dynamics

Vehicles with straddle type seating, Type (2A) and (3B) provide certain advantages, however they do not provide the comfort and safety of traditional seating.

Each of the layout types defined above could incorporate front wheel or rear wheel steering as further layout sub-types, as depicted under Type (3C). Vehicles with primary steering provided through the rear wheels are generally less stable at higher speeds, causing additional stability concerns with a three wheeled vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In contrast to the layouts described above, the present invention defines a layout which is a unique variation of Type (3), with the engine(s) placed behind passenger seat(s) while still driving the front wheels. The wheels are arranged with two in the front of the vehicle and one in the rear. The front wheels are the driven wheels as well as the primary steering wheels. One or more passenger seats can be located forward of the engine or engines.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a three-wheeled vehicle having a layout where weighting and wheel loading provides a stable platform for road use at highway speeds. The present invention provides the following advantages over previous layouts:

• • Since the passenger and the engine are significant weight considerations, locating these close to each other provides the optimal weighting for a three wheeled vehicle.
  • Variation of weight due to passenger loading is less of an impact to weight distribution and vehicle dynamics
  • Variability of weight due to passenger loading being closer to front wheels.
  • Since two wheels are driven, vehicle can provide faster acceleration without loss of traction.
  • The rear wheel must support braking and lateral loads only, making it less likely to lose traction.
  • If the front wheels lose partial traction, vehicle will still retain a magnitude of control.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

Examples of common existing three wheeled vehicle Types:

Drawing (1):

FIG. 1—Type 2B—Plan View

FIG. 2—Type 3B—Plan View

FIG. 3—Type 2C—Plan View

Present Invention:

Drawing (2):

Embodiment: Dual Passenger, Side by Seating, Single Engine

FIG. 4A—Embodiment—Side View

FIG. 4B—Embodiment—Plan View

FIG. 4C—Embodiment—Perspective View

Drawing (3):

Other Example Embodiments

FIG. 5—Plan View—dual passenger, serial seating, dual engine

FIG. 6—Plan View—single passenger seating, single engine

Example Drivetrain Embodiments

Drawing (4):

FIG. 7—Plan View—central drive shaft, single engine

FIG. 8—Plan View—parallel driveshaft with right angle gears, single engine

Drawing (5):

FIG. 9—Plan View—parallel driveshaft with chain or belt drive, single engine

FIG. 10—Plan View—drive shaft or direct drive, dual engines

For Embodiments, Items as follows:

All Embodiments

• • (A) Front Wheels—Driven, Steering
  • (B) Passenger Seat(s)
  • (C) Engine
  • (D) Rear Wheel

Drive Embodiments

• • (E1) Drive shaft and differential
  • (E2) Drive shaft and Right Angle gears
  • (E3) Drive shaft and Chain or Belt drive
  • (E4) Drive shaft or Direct drive

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the detailed arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments not listed herein, and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1, 2, 3 respectively portray general layouts of existing vehicle Types 2B, 2C, and 3B. These are the most common versions of existing three wheeled vehicles having two wheels in the front. There are numerous existing embodiments of these vehicle types with various seating arrangements, engine types, body types, structural arrangements, and component arrangements. Each of these figures portrays front wheels (item A), a rear wheel (item D) which is located behind the front wheels (item A), one or more engines (item C) with the location depicted in relationship to the front of the passenger seats (item B). Example embodiments of the connections from the engine to the driven wheels are shown as Drive shaft and Chain or Belt drive (item E3), as well as Drive shaft or direct drive (item E4).

As with the numerous embodiments of existing three wheeled vehicles, the present invention also has numerous possible embodiments. FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 5, 6 depict example embodiments of the present invention.

The first example embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4A, showing dual passenger side by side seating and a single engine. The embodiment portrays front wheels (item A) which provide primary steering for the vehicle. A rear wheel (item D) is located behind the front wheels (item A). The front of the engine (item C) is located behind the front of the passenger seats (item B). The engine (item C) drives the front wheels (item A). The same embodiment is shown from a plan view in FIG. 4B, and from perspective view in FIG. 4C.

Another example embodiment is shown on FIG. 5 showing dual passenger serial seating and dual engines. The embodiment portrays front wheels (item A) which provide primary steering for the vehicle. A rear wheel (item D) is located behind the front wheels (item A). The front of the forward most engine (item C) is located behind the front of the forward most passenger seat (item B). The engine (item C) drives the front wheels (item A).

Another example embodiment is shown on FIG. 6 showing single passenger seating with a single engine. The embodiment portrays front wheels (item A) which provide primary steering for the vehicle. A rear wheel (item D) is located behind the front wheels (item A). The front of the forward most engine (item C) is located behind the front of the forward most passenger seat (item B). The engine (item C) drives the front wheels (item A).

The present invention may utilize a variety of engine to driven wheel connection types and is not limited by possible types. Example connection types may include chain, belt, hydraulic, shaft, or direct. Example engine to driven wheel embodiments (FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10) are provided to represent some of the many possibilities and show that the present invention is not limited by drive train mechanisms:

• • Central driveshaft (E1), single engine embodiment (FIG. 7).
  • Parallel driveshaft with right angle gears (E2), single engine embodiment (FIG. 8).
  • Parallel driveshaft with chain or belt drive (E3), single engine embodiment (FIG. 9).
  • Driveshaft or Direct drive (E4), dual engines (FIG. 10).

The present invention is not limited by engine type or number of engines. Gasoline, Hydrogen, Steam, Electric and other engine type embodiments are not limiting factors of the present invention.

If seating has adjustable seating, references to ‘front of seat’ indicate the forward most position of the seat. If multiple seats are used, the ‘front of seat’ refers to the seat in the forward most position in the vehicle.

References to ‘front of engine’ refer to the forward most portion of the engine in a vertical plane.

The present invention may have numerous embodiments for actual steering of the front wheels. The present invention is limited to vehicles with primary steering through the use of the front wheels. Advanced embodiments may include some incremental steering through the use of the rear wheel such a flexing, incremental movement or rotating for use in parking or slow speed maneuvering. Vehicle with primary steering accomplished through the rear wheel at highway speeds are not within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is limited to standard sit-in or sit-on type seats (Item B), which is also referred to as ‘traditional’ seating. The present invention does not extend to vehicles with straddle seating, in which the passenger has one leg or foot on either side of the engine or primary body of the vehicle, regardless of whether the passenger is in a forward leaning, vertical, rearward leaning, reclined, or horizontal position. Straddle type seating may have the engine directly underneath, forward, or rearward of the driver.

In addition to items noted above, the present invention is not limited by:

• • frame or body structure type or material.
  • distances between items.
  • classification of vehicle such as motorcycle or car.
  • construction details
  • suspension types and variations.
  • body types.
  • other vehicle components.

While this invention has been described with several embodiments, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains

CITATIONS

Patent Citations

					Comments
					related to
Cited	Filing	Publi			present
Patent	date	date	Applicant	Title	invention
U.S. Pat. No. 1,989,995	26 Feb. 1930	5 Feb.	Martin James V	Autoette	Rear Wheel
		1935			Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 2,038,843		Apr. 28,	Jones Joseph R	Three wheeled automobile	Rear Wheel
		1936			Steering
U.S. Pat No. 2,434,759	31 Aug. 1945	20 Jan.	Karl Donovan	Tricycle vehicle	Rear Wheel
		1948			Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 2,740,486		Jul. 25,	Sto Paul Anna Charles	Three wheel vehicle with	Rear Wheel
		1939	Francois	one driving wheel and two	Drive
				steering wheels
U.S. Pat No. 2,851,302	18 Jan. 1957	9 Sep.	Gen Motors Corp	Vehicle frame and	Two Rear
		1958		underbody construction	Wheels
U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,358	23 Jul. 1969	5 Oct.	Walter H Korff	Cycle car	Rear Wheel
		1971			Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,326	9 Nov. 1971	30 Jul.	Blair D	Three wheeled automotive	Rear Wheel
		1974		vehicular construction	Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,914	23 Feb. 1976	3 May	Wolfgang Trautwein	Stabilized three-wheeled	Rear Wheel
		1977		vehicle	Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,567	24 Nov. 1980	12 Oct.	Weldy Ross A	Steering and suspension	Single Front
		1982		system for the front wheel	Wheel
				of a three-wheeled vehicle
U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,600	18 Jul. 1980	15 Feb.	Veda, Inc.	Three wheel drive vehicle	Rear Wheel
		1983			Steering
U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,215	20 Aug. 1981	22 Mar.	Hare Terence G	Suspension system for	Rear Wheel
		1983		automotive vehicles	Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,278	16 Feb. 1982	15 May	Badsey William John	Land vehicle	Rear Wheel
		1984			Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,763	13 Apr. 1982	12 Jun.	Trihawk, Inc.	Frame and body	Front Engine
		1984		construction for automotive
				passenger vehicle
U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,546	30 Apr. 1984	4 Mar.	Honda Giken Kogyo	Three-wheeled motor	Front Engine
		1986	Kabushiki Kaisha	vehicle
U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,825	31 Jan. 1986	2 Dec.	Ethier Pierre M	Front-drive three-wheels	Front Engine
		1986		vehicle with tandem drive
				and passenger
U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,468	24 Jan. 1986	5 May	Ethier Pierre M	Snowmobile-motorcycle	Front Engine
		1987		three-wheel vehicle
U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,663		Oct. 6,	Wolfgang Trautwein	Three-wheeled vehicle	Rear Wheel
		1987			Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,824	16 May 1984	3 Nov.	Honda Giken Kogyo	Three-wheeled vehicle	3 Wheel
		1987	Kabushiki Kaisha		Steering
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,470	30 Jun. 1986	29 Nov.	Yamaha Hatsudoki	Three wheel vehicle	Rear Wheel
		1988	Kabushiki Kaisha		Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,225	31 Mar. 1988	24 Apr.	Sturges Daniel D	Platform oriented	Front Engine
		1990		transportation vehicle
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,069	11 Mar. 1991	26 May	Miller Robert H	Three-wheel vehicle	Two Rear
		1992			Wheels
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,060		Aug. 17,	William D. Huber	Three-wheel vehicle and	Rear Wheel
		1993		conversion kit	Drive,
					Straddle
					Seating
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,011	23 Jan. 1992	28 Sep.	Richards Donald C	Three wheeled vehicle	Rear Wheel
		1993		having driven front wheels	Steering
				and steerable rear wheel
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,243	17 Aug. 1993	11 Jul.	Richards; Donald C.	Three wheeled vehicle with	Three Wheel
		1995		all wheel steering	Steering
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,285	27 Sep. 1993	18 Jul.	Richards; Donald C.	Three wheeled vehicle	Two Rear
		1995			Wheels
U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,905	21 Sep. 1994	5 Mar.	Fini, Jr.; Anthony W.	Modular motor vehicle	Four Wheels
		1996
U.S, Pat. No. 5,806,622	24 Apr. 1996	15 Sep.	Nev Corporation	Lightweight vehicle with	Rear Wheel
		1998		pivotal canopy	Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,424	13 Jun. 1995	27 Jul.	Brinks Westmaas B.V.	Self-stabilizing, directionally	Two Rear
		1999		controllable vehicle with at	Wheels, tilting
				least three wheels	Mechanism
U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,154	9 Sep. 1999	4 Nov.	Jeffrey Vey	Air bladder suspension for	Two Rear
		2003		three-wheeled vehicle	Wheels
U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,234	22 Sep. 2003	15 Aug.	Honda Giken Kogyo	Three-wheel vehicle with	Two Rear
		2006	Kabushiki Kaisha	swinging mechanism	Wheels
U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,900	22 Aug. 2003	6 Mar.	Cleveland T-Trike	Frame and steering	Two Rear
		2007	Manufacturing, Inc.	mechanism for three-wheel	Wheels
				vehicle
U.S. Pat. No. 7,445,070	4 May 2006	4 Nov.	Pickering Gregory L	Three wheel motorcycle	Two Rear
		2008			Wheels
U.S. Pat. No. 7,464,781	18 Oct. 2002	16 Dec.	Bombardier Recreational	Three-wheeled vehicle	Rear Wheel
		2008	Product Inc.	having a split radiator and	Drive
				an interior storage
				compartment
U.S. Pat. No. 7,543,672	1 May 2006	9 Jun.	Bombardier Recreational	Straddle-type wheeled	Rear Wheel
		2009	Products Inc.	vehicle and frame thereof	Drive
U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,494	27 Mar. 2006	23 Jun.	Zichek Daniel A	Transverse mounted	Two Rear
		2009		mid-engine three wheel	Wheels
				vehicle
U.S. Pat. No. 7,588,110	1 Sep. 2005	15 Sep.	Marc Gregory Martino	Three-wheeled vehicle with	Front Engine
		2009		centrally positioned motor
				and driver's seat
US 20130056287	(application)	7 Mar.	Young Jin Park, Youn-sik	Three-wheeled electric	Rear wheel
		2013	Park, Jae Seok YOU	vehicle	steering
U.S. Pat. No. 8,544,587		1 Oct.	James A.J.	Three wheeled vehicle	Rear Wheel
		2013	Holroyd, Gustavo A.		Drive
			Aramayo, Brian T.
			Utter, Jason J.
			Hohenstein, Vittorio
			Tomolillo,
U.S. Pat. No. 8,646,794		11 Feb.	Craig Mullin	Three-wheeled motorized	Front Engine,
		2014		vehicle	Straddle Seat
U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,228		Mar. 4,	Robert B. Hill, Fred Lux,	Free-to-lean three-wheeled	Rear Wheel
		2014	Timothy Michael Miller,	passenger vehicle, power	Drive
			Edmund Jerome Stilwell	plant controller and body
				therefor
U.S. Pat. No. 8,695,746		Apr. 15,	James A. J. Holroyd,	Three wheeled vehicle	Front Engine,
		2014	Gustavo A. Aramayo,		Rear Wheel
			Jason J. Hohenstein,		Drive
			Mathew Bradley Wiest,
			Jeffrey D. Bennett, Mark
			Alan Ziliak
U.S. Pat. No. 8,781,684		Jul. 15,	Ian A. Bruce	Steering and control systems	Two Rear
		2014		for a three-wheeled vehicle	Wheels
U.S. Pat. No. 8,840,131		Sep. 23,	David Calley	Three-wheeled vehicle	Rear wheel
		2014			steering
USD584188	19 Jun. 2006	6 Jan.	Volkswagen Ag	Vehicle	Rear Wheel
		2009			Drive

Non-Patent Citations

• Non Patent Citation #1
• Unknown Author, Wikipedia: Three Wheeled Vehicles with Two Front Wheels
• Web site link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-wheeler#Examples
• Date: Jun. 21, 2015

Two front wheels
		Years	Comments Relative to
Name	Country	manufactured	Present Disclosure
Léon BolléeVoiturette	France	1895-?	Rear wheel drive
Advance 6 hp air-cooled Tri Car and	England	1902-12	Rear wheel drive
9 hp water-cooled Tri Car[7]
Egg	Switzerland	1896-1899	Rear wheel drive
HumberTricar[8][9]	England	1904	Rear wheel drive
Riley Olympia Tricar[10]	England	1904	Rear wheel drive
Lagonda Tricar[12]	England	1904-07	Rear wheel drive
Anglian	England	1905-07	Rear wheel drive
Armadale	England	1906-07	Rear wheel drive
Morgan V-Twin and F-Series	England	1911-39,	Front Engine
		1932-52
American Tri-Car	United States	1912	Rear Wheel Drive
Birmingham Small Arms Company	England	1929-36	Front Engine
Three Wheeler
Zaschka	Germany	1929	Rear Wheel drive
Dymaxion car	United States	1933	Rear wheel steering
Mathis VEL 333	France	1946	Front engine
Velorex Oskar and other models	Czechoslovakia	1951-71	Rear wheel drive
Isetta	UK	1957-62	Rear wheel drive
Scootacar	UK	1957-64	Rear wheel drive
Messerschmitt KR175	Germany	1953-64	Rear wheel drive
Messerschmitt KR200	Germany	1953-64	Rear wheel drive
Peel P50	Isle of Man	1963-64	Rear wheel drive
HM Vehicles Free-way	United States	1979-82	Rear wheel drive
Campagna T-Rex	Canada	1996-present	Rear wheel drive
Malone Car Company F1000|Skunk	United Kingdom	1999-present	Front Engine
SS|TAZR
Cree SAM	Switzerland	2001	Rear wheel drive
Scoot Coupe	United States	2004-present	Rear wheel drive
Myers Motors NmG (“No more Gas”)	United States	2006-present	Rear wheel drive
Can-Am Spyder Roadster	Canada	2007-present	Rear wheel drive
Brudeli 645L	Norway	2008-	Rear wheel drive
Moonbeam	United States	2008-present	Rear wheel drive
Triac	United States	2009-2011	Front Engine
XR-3 Hybrid	United States	Plans-2008,	Two engines:
		Kit-2009	Front Engine (gas),
			Front Wheel drive; and
			Rear engine (electric),
			rear wheel drive.
Aptera 2e	United States		Electric Front Engine
Triton Trikes	United States	2000-current	Front Engine
Elio Motors	Shreveport, LA,	Begins 1H	Front Engine
	United States	2016[16]
Go3Wheeler	United States	2014	Rear Wheel Drive

• Non Patent Reference #2
• Author: Elvis Payne, Three Wheelers.Com-query: Manufactures with 2 Wheels in Front
• Web site link; http://www.3wheelers.com/; Database Query: Wheel Configuration=‘2F1R’ or ‘Both’
• Date: Jun. 21, 2015

Query Results:
					Comments related to
Info	Manufacturer	From	To	Country	present disclosure
	Copeland	1884	1891	United States	Rear Wheel Steering
	Butler	1890	1890	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Lambert	1891	1917	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Bernardi	1894	1901	Italy	Rear Wheel Drive
	Leyland	1895	1895	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Leon Bollee	1895	1899	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Wolseley	1896	1899	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Humber	1896	1910	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Riker	1896	1900	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Eagle	1899	1908	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Jackson	1899	1914	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Beeston	1899	1905	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Jackson &	1900	1908	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Kinnings
	Singer	1900	1907	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Lion	1900	1905	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Ribble Motors	1900	1908	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Riley	1900	1907	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Lagonda	1901	1905	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Sautel Et	1902	1904	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Sechaud
	Quadrant	1903	1906	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Wolf	1903	1906	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Raleigh	1903	1935	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Garrard	1904	1904	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Repton	1904	1904	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	NSU	1905	1910	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Lurquin-Coudert	1905	1914	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Kerry	1905	1907	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Rexette	1905	1905	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Sanchis	1906	1912	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Contral	1906	1908	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Advance	1906	1908	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Certain	1907	1907	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	PMC (1)	1910	1910	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Kelsey	1910	1912	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Morgan	1910	1951	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Motorette (2)	1910	1912	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Kelsey
	Crouch	1912	1912	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Girling	1912	1912	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Autotrix	1913	1913	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Torpelle	1914	1914	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Thurlow	1914	1921	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Leyat	1914	1914	France	No Driven Wheels
	LSD	1919	1924	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Trident	1919	1920	France	Single Front Wheel
	MB	1919	1921	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	(Merrall-Brown)
	Castle Three	1919	1922	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Wooler	1920	1926	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Eibach	1921	1925	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Diable	1921	1924	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Atomette	1921	1922	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Monet-Goyon	1921	1926	France	Front Engine
	Xtra	1922	1924	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Thompson Bros	1922	1922	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Diablo	1922	1927	Germany	Front Engine
	Sandford	1922	1936	France	Front Engine
	D'Yrsan	1923	1928	France	Front Engine
	Omega (1)	1925	1927	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Mops	1925	1925	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Coventry-Victor	1926	1938	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	BSA	1929	1936	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Zaschka	1929	1929	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Framo-Werke	1932	1937	Germany	Front Engine
	Hercules	1932	1933	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	JMB	1933	1935	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Dymaxion	1933	1934	United States	Rear Wheel Steering
	Rollfix	1933	1936	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Kaiser	1935	1935	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Airomobile	1937	1938	United States	Front Engine
	Gillet	1937	1937	Belgium	Rear Wheel Drive
	Tatra	1938	1938	Czech Republic	Rear Wheel Drive
	Arzens	1942	1942	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Bubblepuppy	1944	1947	United States	Front Engine
	Bouffort	1945	1960	France	Front Engine
	Mathis	1945	1948	Germany	Front Engine
	Dot	1947	1956	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Fend	1948	1953	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Altona	1948	1948	Belgium	Front Engine
	Kurier	1948	1948	Czech Republic	Front Engine
	Vallée	1949	1954	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Krejbich	1949	1949	Czech Republic	Rear Wheel Drive
	Nitta Sangyo	1950	1950	Japan	Rear Wheel Drive
	Tripolino	1950	1950	Czech Republic	Rear Wheel Drive
	Fuldamobil	1950	1961	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Vincent	1950	1955	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Brutsch	1951	1957	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Bonnallack	1951	1952	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Meyra	1952	1956	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	EEC	1952	1954	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Felber	1952	1953	Austria	Rear Wheel Drive
	Libelle	1952	1954	Austria	Rear Wheel Drive
	DS Malterre	1952	1958	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Nobel	1952	1961	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Gaitán	1953	1953	Spain	(various models)
					Two Rear Wheels or
					Rear Wheel Drive
	Issi	1953	1953	Italy	Rear Wheel Drive
	Cimera	1953	1957	Spain	Rear Wheel Drive
	Edith	1953	1957	Australia	Rear Wheel Drive
	Messerschmitt	1953	1962	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Boli	1953	1957	Spain	Rear Wheel Drive
	Inter	1953	1956	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Isetta	1954	1964	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Heinkel	1954	1958	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Vimp	1954	1954	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	BMW	1954	1964	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Shelter	1954	1954	Netherlands	Rear Wheel Drive
	Kroboth	1954	1955	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Goricke	1954	1959	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Tri-Car	1955	1955	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	MT	1955	1962	Spain	Two Rear Wheels
	Pinguin	1956	1956	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Belcar	1956	1956	Switzerland	Rear Wheel Drive
	Bly	1956	1957	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Powerdrive	1956	1958	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Unicar	1956	1968	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Coronet	1957	1960	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Henri Baldet	1957	1957	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Scootacar	1957	1964	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Fuji Motors Corp	1957	1958	Japan	Rear Wheel Drive
	Velorex	1958	1971	Czech Republic	Rear Wheel Drive
	Jones	1958	1958	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Berkeley	1959	1960	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Frisky	1959	1964	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Hamblin	1960	1960	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Trojan	1962	1965	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Trivan	1962	1964	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Zaika	1962	1965	Russian Federat	Rear Wheel Drive
	Ranger	1964	1976	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Howecette	1968	1968	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	AF Cars	1969	1980	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Teihol	1970	1983	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Citeadine	1970	1983	France	Rear Wheel Drive
	Mumford	1971	1986	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Fiberfab	1971	1975	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	PMC (2) Powers	1974	1974	United States	Rear Wheel Drive or
	Motor Corp				Front Engine
					depending on config
	Volkswagen-	1974	1980	United States	Front Engine
	Scooter
	Mosquito	1974	1979	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Duo Delta	1974	1974	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Dale	1975	1975	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Stimson	1976	1976	United Kingdom	Straddle Seating
	Automirage	1976	1985	Italy	Rear Wheel Drive
	Turbo Phantom	1978	1982	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	HM Vehicles	1979	1983	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Trihawk	1982	1985	United States	Front Engine
	Litestar	1982	1988	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Feora	1982	1982	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Triad	1982	1985	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Gamma	1982	1984	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Unisport	1982	1988	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Zoe Motors	1982	1983	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Doran	1983	Present	United States	Front Engine
	D&A Vehicles	1983	1986	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Dolphin	1983	1986	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Ford	1983	1983	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Fire Aero	1984	1988	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Shrike	1984	1984	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Gamma	1984	1988	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	DRK	1984	1998	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Replicar	1985	1987	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Hudson	1985	1998	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Buckland	1985	1998	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Pembleton	1986	Present	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Kudos	1986	1986	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Trilux	1986	1986	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Le Patron	1986	Present	Netherlands	Front Engine
	Horlacher	1986	1990	Switzerland	Rear Wheel Drive
	Saccomando	1986	1992	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Robert Q Riley	1986	Present	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Falcon	1986	1986	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Trigger Technics	1987	Present	Netherlands	Rear Wheel Drive
	B.V
	JZR	1987	Present	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Badsey	1987	1990	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	SportCycle	1988	Present	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Lomax	1988	Present	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Tri-Tech	1990	Present	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Autocraft
	Trifid	1990	1991	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	BRA	1992	2006	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	JBF Boxer	1992	1992	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Grinnall	1992	Present	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Specialist Cars
	Suntera	1994	1997	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Blackjack	1995	Present	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Texas Rocket	1995	1995	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Corbin Motors	1996	2003	United States	Sparrow-
					Rear Wheel Drive
					Merlin-Front Engine
	Malone Car	1997	Present	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Company
	Mercedes Benz	1997	1997	Germany	Rear Wheel Drive
	Carver	1997	2009	Netherlands	2 Rear Wheels
	IndyCycle	1999	1999	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Landshark	2000	2000	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Cree	2001	2001	Switzerland	Rear Wheel Drive
	Sealion	2002	2002	Norway	Front Engine
	TR Hog	2002	2002	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	SLOW	2003	2003	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Steering
	QPod	2004	Present	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	Myers Motors	2004	Present	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Peugeot	2005	2005	France	Front Engine
	Sceadu	2006	Present	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Fuel Vapor	2006	Present	Canada	Front Engine
	Technologies
	Xzilarakor	2006	Present	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Liberty Motors	2007	Present	United States	Front Engine
	Bonnington	2007	2007	Australia	Rear Wheel Drive
	Cirbin Motors	2007	Present	United States	Rear Wheel Drive
	Corp.
	Planet	2007	Present	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Engineering Ltd
	Elio Motors	2008	Present	United Kingdom	Front Engine
	Razor	2012	Present	United Kingdom	Rear Wheel Drive
	KTM	2013	2013	Austria	Rear Wheel Drive

Other Non Patent Citations

				Comments related
#	Author, Desc, Date	Web Link	Vehicle	to present disclosure
3	Unknown Author, web page image	http://thegegeblog.canalblog.com/	Bolle-La Bolle	Rear wheel drive
	of LaBolle vehicle, Jun. 27, 2015,	archives/2010/04/01/17439628.html	1896
	one page
4	Unknown Author, web page	https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%	Griffon-1906	Rear wheel drive
	Wikipedia Griffon vehicle,	C3%89tablissements_Griffon
	Jun. 27, 2015, one page
5	Unknown Author, web page AC	http://www.uniquecarsandparts.	AC-Auto Carrier	Rear wheel drive
	History, Jun. 27, 2015, two pages	com.autheritage_ac.php	1903-UK
			AC-Sociable	Rear wheel drive
			1907-UK
6	Unknown Author, web page	https://touringroads.wordpress.com/	Advance Motor Co-	Rear wheel drive
	Searching for lost Indians,	2013/10/05/searching-for-lost-	ForeCar/Tricar
	Jun. 27, 2015, two pages	indians-an-archival-journey/	1907-UK
7	Elvis Payne, web page Asia,	http://www.3wheelers.com/aisa.html	Actividades	Rear wheel drive
	Jun. 27, 2015, One page		Industriales-Aisa
			1952-Spain
8	Elvis Payne, web page A.F.Cars,	http://www.3wheelers.com/afcars.html	AF Cars-AB1	Front Engine
	Jun. 27, 2015, One page		Spider/Grand Prix
			1969
9	Unknown Author, web page,	http://www.canosoarus.com/	Aero Visions Inc-	Rear wheel drive
	Welcome to the home of Doug		California
	Malewicki's		Communter
	inventions, engineering projects		1980-United States
	and fun stuff. Jun. 27, 2015, two
	pages
10	Unknown Author, web page	http://www.bra-cars.com/	BRA Motor Works-	Front Engine
	Welcome to BRA Motorworks,		CX3, CV3,
	Jun. 27, 2015, one page		Leighton, MR3
			2003-present-UK
11	Hanlon, Mike, the three-wheeled	http://www.gizmag.com/go/3628/	Mercedes-Benz F	Rear wheel drive
	driving machine, Gizmag,		300 Life-Jet
	Jan. 21, 2005, 4 pages		Concept Car
12	Unknown Author, web page	http://www.diseno-art.com/	Aprilia Magnet	Straddle Seating
	Home=>Concept Cars,	encyclopedia/concept_cars/aprilia_	Concept Only
	JUn. 27, 2015, one page	magnet.html
13	Hanlon, Mike, VW's 3-wheel	http://www.gizmag.com/go/4990/	Volkswagen 3	Rear wheel drive
	sportcar, Gizmag, Jan. 5, 2006,		wheeler GX3
	4 pages		Concept Car
14	Hanlon, Mike, Peugeot's exciting	http://www.gizmag.com/go/4494/	Peugeot 20CUP	Front Engine
	new 3-wheeler-the 20CUP,		Concept Car
	Gizmag, Aug. 28, 2005, 4 pages
15	Unknown Author, web page	http://www.polaris.com/en-us/slingshot	Polaris Slingshot	Front Engine
	Polaris Slingshot company web
	page, Jun. 27, 2015, one page
16	Ian Stent, CKC June 2012 Issue	http://www.grinnallcars.com/grin-factor.pdf	Grinnall Scorpion III	Rear Wheel Drive
	63, pages 17-19
17	Unknown Author, web page, The	http://www.thepetrolstop.com/2012/03/	Scorcher	Saddle seating
	Petrol Stop, Jun. 27, 2015, 1 page	stimson-scorcher.html

Claims

1. A three wheel vehicle comprising: two driven front wheels which allow primary directional control of the vehicle;a single non-driven rear wheel;a passenger compartment, the compartment comprising one or more passenger seats;wherein the front wheels are located next to the side of the passenger seats in a transverse direction of the vehicle;an engine or engines to propel the vehicle either directly or indirectly through the front wheels, the front of the forward most engine located behind the front of the forward most passenger seat; anda drive train connecting the engine(s) to the driven wheels, the drive train located outside of or under the passenger compartment.