Patent Grant
10888766
The present disclosure generally relates to a recreational or sport board configured for lighting. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a skateboard deck-mountable skateboard truck lamp.
Skateboarders may keep their skateboards years after the board is retired from use. After the skateboard's retirement, it is desirable to put the skateboard to a functional use while also maintaining the board's original aesthetic design. Alternatively, skateboard decks can be made into lamps without ever riding them.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, a skateboard deck lamp is disclosed. The skateboard deck lamp includes a deck with truck holes, a standing surface, an underside surface. The truck holes were originally intended to couple the deck to a wheel axle truck assembly. The skateboard deck lamp also includes a truck assembly coupled to the underside surface. The truck assembly also includes a base plate and a central portion. The base plate includes openings aligned with the truck holes. The central portion includes a socket for receiving a light source. The skateboard deck lamp further includes a power supply conduit coupled to the standing surface. The power supply conduit receives electricity from a power source. The skateboard deck lamp still further includes a lamp wire coupled with the power supply conduit and the socket via at one or more of the truck holes.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for creating a light assembly via a skateboard deck is disclosed. The method includes coupling a truck assembly to an underside surface of the skateboard deck via truck holes of the skateboard deck. The method also includes coupling a power conduit to a standing surface of the skateboard deck via the truck holes. The method further includes coupling a lamp wire between a socket of the truck assembly and the power conduit. The method still further includes coupling a light source to the socket.
This has outlined, rather broadly, the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described below. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that this present disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the teachings of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features, which are believed to be characteristic of the present disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts. As described herein, the use of the term “and/or” is intended to represent an “inclusive OR”, and the use of the term “or” is intended to represent an “exclusive OR”.
Skateboarders may keep their skateboards years after the board is retired from use. For example, the skateboard may be kept for nostalgia. After the skateboard's retirement, it may be desirable to re-purpose the skateboard while maintaining the board's original design. For example, a skateboard may be re-purposed as an accent piece. A skateboard lamp is an example of an accent piece. Accent pieces, such as skateboard lamps are not limited to previously used skateboards. New skateboards (e.g., unused skateboards) may also be used as accent pieces, such as skateboard lamps.
A wheel axle assembly of a skateboard may be referred to as a truck assembly or simply a truck. In the present disclosure, to distinguish the truck assembly used for the lamp from the original truck assembly, the original truck assembly may be referred to as a wheel axle truck assembly, wheel truck assembly, or wheel truck. The truck assembly for the lamp may be referred to as a lamp truck assembly or lamp truck. A skateboard may include a skateboard deck with a pair of wheel trucks secured to the underside of the skateboard deck at opposite ends (e.g., nose and tail ends). In most cases, each wheel truck includes a base plate and a hanger.
The base plate is a base layer, or foundation, of the wheel truck assembly. The base plate is statically secured to the skateboard deck. For example, the base plate is mounted to the skateboard with four bolts. The hanger is secured to the base plate via a kingpin and compressible bushings that permit the hanger to pivot relative to the base plate and skateboard deck. The hanger includes an axle to which wheels can be secured. Generally, a complete skateboard comprises the skateboard deck, two wheel trucks, and four wheels.
The base plate may be statically secured to an underside of the skateboard deck by inserting a bolt through mounting holes (e.g., truck holes) of the skateboard deck and matching holes on the base plate. The kingpin protrudes downward from the base plate. For example, the base plate may include a base and a bearing platform. In one aspect, the base is a substantially rectangular plate having a finite thickness through which the matching holes are defined. The matching holes are configured to mount the base plate to the underside of the skateboard deck. The bearing platform projects upward from the base to form a recess on its underside.
Skateboarders may keep their skateboards years after the board is retired from use. After the skateboard's retirement, it is desirable to re-purpose the skateboard for uses other than a transportation device, while also maintaining the skateboards original design. For example, the skateboard may be re-purposed as an accent piece. Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a skateboard lamp that uses a skateboard as a lamp fixture. The lamp fixture may use a new or used skateboard.
Regardless of whether the skateboard is old (e.g., used) or new, it is desirable to maintain an original structure of the skateboard. To prevent additional drilling, which may ruin the board, aspects of the present disclosure use the skateboard's existing truck holes. These truck holes were originally intended to couple the skateboard to a truck assembly that included a wheel axle. The wheel axle is an apparatus that holds the wheels.
Bolts and nuts are generally used to attach a wheel truck assembly to a skateboard deck having a standing surface and an underside surface. Holes (e.g., truck holes that match a truck assembly hole) are drilled into the skateboard deck based on the bolt pattern of the wheel truck assembly.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more of the original truck holes may be used for traversing power supply wires/cables/cords for powering the bulbs of the skateboard lamp. The wires may be referred to as lamp wires. As such, the original skateboard deck with the original truck holes is maintained. In one configuration, the original wheel truck assembly is reconfigured into a lamp truck assembly. In another configuration, a lamp truck assembly replaces to original wheel truck assembly. The resulting lamp truck assembly includes lamp truck assembly holes that match the original truck holes of the skateboard deck. The lamp truck assembly includes the light source fixture. The light source fixture may include a socket for a light source, such as light bulb.
The skateboard lamp is designed using the lamp truck assembly coupled to the skateboard deck. In one configuration, the light source (e.g., light bulbs) appear as the wheels of the skateboard. Aspects of the present disclosure provide a power supply conduit (e.g., light box) that uses the original truck holes of the skateboard deck to pass power through to the lamp truck assembly, which houses the light source. The power supply conduit may also be used to mount the skateboard to a surface (e.g., wall). For example, the power supply conduit may include an attachment portion for attaching the skateboard lamp to the wall. The lamp truck assembly is coupled to the power supply conduit.
In one configuration, the skateboard lamp is powered by a power source, such as a wall socket or battery. The power source is coupled, via power source wires or other connections, to one or more of the power conduits. A lamp wire passes through one or more power supply conduits or boxes. For example, the lamp wire passes through two power supply conduits that are attached to the skateboard deck. A first conduit (e.g., tail box) may be coupled to a tail of the skateboard deck. A second conduit (e.g., nose box) may be coupled to a nose of the skateboard deck.
In one aspect, a first set of lamp wires traverse the tail box to provide power to light bulbs coupled to a tail truck assembly. A second set of lamp wires traverse the nose box to a nose truck assembly to supply power to light bulbs coupled to the nose truck assembly. For example, a lamp wire is split (e.g., into a first lamp wire and a second lamp wire) in the tail box to provide power to the tail truck assembly using the first lamp wire. The remainder of the split power wire (e.g., second lamp wire) runs up through the nose box to the bottom of the nose truck assembly to provide power to the nose truck assembly. In one configuration, the nose box and the tail box have separate lamp wires. Each of the lamp wires includes a hot wire and a neutral wire.
Each power supply conduit includes two small junction boxes, one for the power/hot wire and one for the ground/neutral wire. These junction boxes provide power to the lamp wires via the power source. The first lamp wire and the second lamp wire pass through one or more (e.g., two) of the truck holes (e.g., bolt holes) of the skateboard deck. For example, each of the hot wire and the ground wire may be passed from the truck lamp piece, through different truck holes, and plugged into the junction boxes in each power supply conduit. The top of the power supply conduit may be secured to the skateboard deck using bolts and nuts. On the other side (e.g., underside surface) of the skateboard deck, the lamp truck assemblies align with their corresponding power supply conduits. The lamp truck assembly and its corresponding power supply conduit are attached via bolts and nuts to the skateboard deck.
In one configuration, each lamp truck includes two lamp sockets. The two lamp sockets are wired together, such that resultant hot and neutral wires are wired to their corresponding junction boxes. For example, the hot wire is passed through a first truck hole, and the neutral wire is passed through a second truck hole. When the power supply conduits and the truck assemblies are connected, the circuit is completed, and the lamp can be powered. The resultant fixture can be used as a light source or decorative accent.
As noted, bolts and nuts are generally used to attach a skateboard truck assembly with wheels to a skateboard deck having a standing surface and an underside surface. Holes (e.g., truck holes that match a truck assembly hole) are drilled into the skateboard deck based on the bolt pattern of the truck assembly. An issue associated with using the original wheel truck assembly is that the base plate of the wheel truck assembly is not configured to receive lamp wires for powering the light bulbs of the skateboard lamp. Accordingly, the lamp wires end up being exposed or awkwardly positioned, thereby subjecting the lamp wires to damage. Therefore, the use of the wheel truck assembly is dangerous. Additionally, the exposed wires are not aesthetically pleasing.
Conventional skateboard lamps use additional holes to accommodate the wiring. The additional holes are drilled out of the original board for the specific purposes of accommodating the wiring and/or housing. As such, the additional holes ruin the original skateboard. Therefore, it is desirable to use a skateboard's existing holes for accommodating the wiring and/or housing.
Some truck assembly holes traverse the entire finite thickness of the base of the truck assembly. Thus, when the lamp wires are passed through unused truck holes of the skateboard and through unused truck assembly holes, the lamp wires end up being exposed to the exterior of the truck assembly or awkwardly positioned causing damage to the lamp wires.
To mitigate this issue, a flush wire gap is defined within the base plate of the truck assembly adjacent to the truck assembly hole. The truck assembly includes the base plate (e.g., at the periphery of the truck assembly) and a central portion or bearing platform (that is hollowed) that leads to the socket connections for the light bulbs of the skateboard lamp. In one aspect, the flush wire gap is between the underside surface of the skateboard deck and underside of the base plate. This flush wire gap creates a path for the lamp wire to be directed from the truck assembly hole to the socket connections of the light bulbs via the central portion of the truck assembly. Thus, the lamp wire traverses the truck assembly to provide power to the light bulbs without being squeezed, damaged, or unnecessarily exposed.
Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to skateboards. The aspects of the present disclosure are also contemplated for other types of equipment (e.g., boards), such as snowboards, skis, etc.
A first power supply conduit 116 (e.g., light box) is coupled to the standing surface 120 and the first lamp truck assembly 106 via truck holes (not shown) of the skateboard deck 110. For example, some of the truck holes are used for passing a lamp wire or cable/cord from a power supply (not shown) to the first set of light bulbs 102. A second power supply conduit 118 is coupled to the standing surface 120 and the second lamp truck assembly 108 via other truck holes (not shown) of the skateboard deck 110. For example, some of the other truck holes are used for passing a lamp wire from a power supply (not shown) to the second set of light bulbs 104.
For example, the base plate 315 of the first lamp truck assembly 106 is coupled to the skateboard deck 110 by inserting a bolt 313 through the truck hole 206 of the skateboard deck 110 and a matching hole (e.g., one of the truck assembly holes 405-411 shown in
In one aspect, the flush wire gap 513 is between the underside surface of the skateboard deck and underside of the base plate 315. A flush wire gap 513 creates a path for a lamp wire (not shown) to be directed from the power supply conduit to the socket connections of the light bulbs via the hollowed region 517 of the truck assembly. Conventionally, however, a base plate does not include the flush wire gap 513, and all of the truck assembly holes 405, 407, 409, and 411 are used to secure the truck assembly to the skateboard deck. In contrast, aspects of the present disclosure include the flush wire gap 513 to run the lamp wire through the truck assembly to provide power to the light bulbs without the lamp wire being squeezed, damaged, or unnecessarily exposed. In some aspects, only some of the truck assembly holes 405, 407, 409, and 411 are used to secure the truck assembly to the skateboard deck while the remaining truck assembly holes are unused to avoid squeezing the lamp wire.
The lamp wire is threaded through the skateboard deck (e.g., the skateboard deck 110) via one of the truck holes (e.g., truck holes 202, 204, 206, or 208) where the second lamp wire section 702b is shown to seamlessly traverse the flush wire gap 513 between the base plate 315 and the underside of the skateboard deck 110. For illustrative purposes, the section of the base plate 315 that should be covering the second lamp wire section 702b is removed. The constraint introduced by the base plate 315 manifests in the bend associated with the lamp wire. For example, the second lamp wire section 702b bends, where the lamp wire seamlessly traverses the bottom area of the base plate 315. The flush wire gap 513 area created between the base plate 315 and the underside of the skateboard deck 110 creates the space to accommodate the lamp wire after it is threaded through a truck hole (e.g., truck hole 202) of the skateboard deck 110. The remaining section of the lamp wire (e.g., the third lamp wire section 702c) is used to connect the first light bulb socket 303a of the light bulb 102 to the power supply. For example, the third lamp wire section 702c traverses the central portion 317, which is hollowed.
The truck holes are originally intended to couple a wheel axle truck assembly to the underside surface of the skateboard deck (e.g., board deck). In the present configuration, the wheel axle truck assembly is no longer attached to the skateboard deck. When used as a transportation device, the wheels coupled to a wheel axle of the wheel axle truck assembly provided locomotion to the skateboard deck. The board deck may originally include two or more wheel axles. In most cases, the skateboard deck includes four truck holes towards the front of the skateboard deck and four truck holes towards the rear of the skateboard deck.
The truck assembly for the lamp may be different from the wheel axle truck assembly. The truck assembly for the lamp may be referred to as a light truck assembly. In one configuration, the truck assembly includes a base plate and a central portion. The base plate may include multiple openings that are aligned with the truck holes. The central portion may be hollow. Additionally, the central portion includes one or more sockets for receiving a light source, such as a light bulb. The base plate is at a periphery of the skateboard truck assembly.
At block 904, a power conduit is coupled to a standing surface of the skateboard deck via the truck holes. The standing surface faces a direction that is opposite a direction of the underside surface. The power conduit may be coupled via two or more truck holes. Attaching devices, such as screws, nuts, bolts, etc., may be used to couple the power conduit to the skateboard deck. The power conduit may also be coupled to the truck assembly. The power conduit may be coupled to an external power source, such as a wall socket, to receive power. Additionally, or alternatively, the power conduit is coupled to an internal power source, such as a battery.
At block 906, a lamp wire is coupled with a socket of the truck assembly and the power conduit. The lamp wire extends through one or more truck holes. Additionally, the lamp wire is used to provide power to the light source. That is, the lamp wire provides power received at the power conduit to the light source that is coupled to the socket. In one configuration, the lamp wire includes a hot wire and a neutral wire. The hot wire may extend through a first truck hole and the neutral wire may extend through a second truck hole. Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to using the first and second truck holes.
A flush wire gap may be defined between the skateboard deck and an underside of the base plate to create a path for the lamp wire to traverse to the socket. The lamp wire may traverse through an unexposed region of the base plate to a hollow portion of the truck assembly.
At block 908, the light source is coupled to the socket. The truck assembly may include multiple sockets. Additionally, the skateboard deck may include multiple truck assemblies.
Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the technology of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, relational terms, such as “above” and “below” are used with respect to a substrate or electronic device. Of course, if the substrate or electronic device is inverted, above becomes below, and vice versa. Additionally, if oriented sideways, above and below may refer to sides of a substrate or electronic device. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular configurations of the process, machine, manufacture, and composition of matter, means, methods, and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding configurations described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/692,170, titled “SKATEBOARD DECK-MOUNTABLE SKATEBOARD TRUCK LAMP,” filed on Jun. 29, 2018, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20200316452 A1 | Oct 2020 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62692170 | Jun 2018 | US |
