Skateboards are generally provided with a deck and two pairs of wheels, with front and rear trucks each coupling one pair of the wheels to the deck. The skateboard rolls as propelled by a rider and/or in a downhill direction, and the trucks steer the wheels in the direction that the rider tilts the deck. Typical skateboards are suited only to low speed operations because of the lack of stability from the small size of the wheels and the placement of the deck over the wheels. Some skateboards, such as longboards, are more suited to cruising operation, and may be more suitable for higher speeds and are used for transportation. However, even longboards usually lack a braking mechanism, which further detracts from high speed operation. Skateboards are also cumbersome to carry and to stow due to their size and shape.
The disclosed skateboard includes a deck with an upper surface that is close in elevation to the axes of rotation of the wheels. For example, the upper surface may be slightly above, generally level with, or below the axes of rotation of the wheels, or may be at another elevation as suited to a desired application of the skateboard. The deck may have a uniform elevation, or may include portions at different elevations. For example, the deck may include a central portion at a low elevation and raised front and/or rear portions to facilitate mounting of trucks beneath the deck while maintaining a low elevation for the central portion of the deck.
The skateboard of the present disclosure includes trucks that preferably are mounted to the deck and each truck connects an axle to the deck so that the wheels mounted on the axle are steered by a tilting of the deck. For example, each truck may be mounted by a kingpin coupled to the deck at an angle offset from vertical, with a pair of torsion springs, or other cushions or shock absorbers alongside the kingpin biasing the wheels to a neutral steering position. The angled mount of the kingpin causes the wheels to diverge from the neutral position when the deck is tilted. A stop may be provided adjacent the trucks to limit the divergence of the wheels from the neutral position.
The angled mount may be provided by locating a hole for each kingpin in an angled portion of the deck, for example, in front and rear downwardly-angled portions. The kingpin hole may be aligned with other holes or cavities in the deck to facilitate a molded construction for the deck.
The skateboard may also include a brake mounted to the board, preferably adjacent a rear portion of the deck. The brake may include a foot pedal coupled to a brake pad that contacts the ground in an operative condition. Such a brake may be mounted in an aperture through the deck and provided with a pivot axis and a mechanism to bias the brake to a non-operative condition.
The presently-disclosed deck may be provided with a two-segment construction with a central hinge coupling the two segments to allow for reconfiguring the skateboard between an unfolded position for riding and a folded position for carrying and stowing. A carrying handle may be provided on the skateboard, e.g., by being built into the hinge, to facilitate a user's transporting the skateboard when not in use. Preferably, the wheels are mounted alongside the deck, i.e., to the outside of right and left edges of the deck, and at different distances from the central hinge, so that the wheels do not interfere with folding the deck at the hinge.
The advantages of the present invention will be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description.
An exemplary skateboard according to the present disclosure is indicated generally at 10 in
A pair of front wheels 16, which define a front axis of rotation FA, may be coupled to deck 12 by a front truck 18. A pair of rear wheels 20, which define a rear axis of rotation RA, may be coupled to deck 12 by a rear truck 22. Typically, wheels 16 and 20 are larger than the standard wheels of 2-inches to 4-inches in diameter used in skateboards and longboards. Although other combinations and sizes may be used, wheels 16 and 20 are typically at least about 5-inches in diameter or as large as 7-inches in diameter, or larger as suited to the particular skateboard design. Use of larger wheels typically allows a higher speed for the skateboard for a given force applied to the skateboard. Wheels 16 and 20 typically are about 1-inch wide, although other widths may be used, and thus a typical ratio of wheel diameter to width is at least about five and preferably about seven, although other sizes may be used. Wheels 16 and 20 are typically all the same size, although different combinations may be used.
The front and rear trucks may be formed of molded plastic, e.g., the same molded plastic as the deck, or formed of any other material suited to the skateboard's requirements. The wheels may be formed of any suitable material, such as polyurethane tires mounted to a plastic rim, and typically are provided with a bearing mounted in a hub.
The user typically stands on a central portion 24 of support platform 14, on an upper surface 26 of the support platform. Central portion 24 is between a front portion 28 and a rear portion 30 of support platform 14. Front portion 28 includes an upper surface 32 and rear portion 30 includes an upper surface 34. Preferably, upper surface 32 of front portion 28 and upper surface 34 of rear portion 30 are raised above upper surface 26 of central portion 24 of support platform 14. The upper surfaces of the front and rear portions may be raised, for example at their associated axes of rotation, by about 2-inches to 4-inches. Alternatively, the front and rear portions may be raised, kept level, or lowered in different combinations and to any height as suited for the desired skateboarding purpose. Upper surfaces 32, 34 of front and rear portions 28, 30 may provide a surface for the rider's feet, although in typical operation the feet would not be placed there.
Preferably, front portion 28 extends over front axis of rotation FA and rear portion 30 extends over rear axis of rotation RA. As can best be seen in
As may also be seen in
Front truck 18 may be coupled to deck 12 adjacent front portion 28, for example, at second front curvature 38. Rear truck 22 may be coupled to deck 12 adjacent rear portion 30, for example, at second rear curvature 42. Coupling the trucks at these complementarily-angled locations provides for complementary steering of the wheels in response to the rider's tilting the deck.
For example, as best seen in
Similarly, a rear kingpin 48 may be attached at second curvature 42 of rear portion 30 through a hole 50, typically with geometry complementary to that for the front truck. For example, both the second front curvature 38 and second rear curvature 42 may angle downwardly at about 30-degrees, providing the kingpins with an offset from vertical of about 30-degrees. Alternatively, the trucks and kingpins may be configured with different geometries as suited to a desired steering setup.
As best seen in
Front truck 18 may be provided with an axle, such as two-piece axle 52 and a stop 54 located adjacent the axle, for example on the front of the truck at an offset from the center of the truck, as shown in
Front truck 18 may be provided with a pair of torsion cylinders, such as springs 68 coupled to the support platform. For example, truck 18 may include a pair of cavities or pockets 70, each on one side of kingpin 44, into which one end of each torsion spring 68 is inserted. An opposing pair of pockets 72 may be provided in deck 12 adjacent front portion 28 to receive the other end of each torsion spring.
Rear truck 22 may be provided with a similar pair of torsion springs 74 and pockets 76 on the rear truck coordinated with pockets 78 in deck 12 adjacent rear portion 30. Preferably, each pair of springs 68 and 74 are arrayed substantially parallel to, and on opposite sides of the respective kingpin. Generally speaking, the torsion springs flexibly couple each axle to the deck. Alternatively, other tilt and steering control mechanisms may be provided in either or both of the front and rear portions of the deck.
Skateboard 10 may include a brake 80 mounted to support platform 14, preferably adjacent rear portion 30. Brake 80 may be foot-operated, as illustrated in
As best seen in
Hinged portion 96 may include a front hinge half 98 and a rear hinge half 100, each coupled to a respective segment, e.g., by bolts 102, washers 104, and nuts 106. Hinge halves 98 and 100 may be coupled by a pin 108 fastened by a nut 110 or other hardware in a manner allowing deck 12 to fold at hinged portion 96 as shown in
Preferably, hinged portion 96 is offset from the center of central portion 24 so that, when the deck is folded at the hinged portion, wheels 16 and 20 do not interfere with the folding, but instead are separated, or just touching, as shown in
A handle 120 for carrying the skateboard, may be provided at any convenient location on the skateboard. For example, handle 120 may be located in hinged portion 96 and may be coupled at a pair of hubs 122 on a pair of handle arms 124 to hinge pin 108. Preferably, the handle becomes accessible for carrying when deck 12 is folded at hinged portion 96, and, in a riding configuration, such as the unfolded position, handle 120 is substantially below upper surface 26 of support platform 14.
As best seen in
It is believed that the disclosure set forth above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in its preferred form, the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. Similarly, where any claim recites “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such claim should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Further, ordinal indicators, such as first, second or third, for identified elements are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate a required or limited number of such elements, and do not indicate a particular position or order of such elements unless otherwise specifically indicated.
Inventions embodied in various combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed through presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such new claims, whether they are directed to a different invention or directed to the same invention, whether different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are also regarded as included within the subject matter of the inventions of the present disclosure. The described examples are illustrative and directed to specific examples of apparatus and/or methods rather than a specific invention, and no single feature or element, or combination thereof, is essential to all possible combinations. Thus, any one of various inventions that may be claimed based on the disclosed example or examples does not necessarily encompass all or any particular features, characteristics or combinations, unless subsequently specifically claimed.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/078,423 filed on Jul. 6, 2008 and is entitled “SKATEBOARD.” The complete disclosure of the above-identified patent application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61078423 | Nov 2008 | US |