CA2533931A1 - Motion device for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A device has movable arms attached to a base of a vehicle at a pivot. The pivot forms a forwardly and downwardly extending axis. The movable arms terminate in ground-contacting supports, such as wheels or ice skate blades. The ground-contacting supports are biased towards a positive camber and toe-out position and extendable towards a zero camber and zero toe position when a downward force is applied to the pivot. A
rearward ground-contacting support, such as a wheel or ice skate blade, is connected to the base for stability and to enhance forward motion. The base may be the sole of a boot, such as for roller skates or ice skates, a skateboard, or a scooter.

Description

MOTION DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
01 A typical roller skate or in-line skate converts the sideways motion of the skater into forward motion, much like the motion used in a typical ice skate. While this type of motion is useful for propelling the skater forward, the skater typically also exerts downward pressure on the forward part of the skate. In a typical skate, this downward pressure is not used to optimal effect in creating forward motion. Also, in the case of in-line skates and ice skates, the balance required of the skater also demands additional energy from the skater to maintain stability.
02 Other types of wheeled vehicles, such as skate boards and scooters, tend to require an expenditure of energy without using the rider's weight and shifting motion to optimal effect in moving the vehicle forward.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
03 According to an aspect of the invention, a device comprises movable arms attached to a base of a vehicle at a pivot, the pivot forming a forwardly and downwardly extending axis, and the movable arms terminating in ground-contacting supports. According to a further aspect of the invention, the ground-contacting supports are biased towards a positive camber and toe out position and extendable towards a zero camber and zero toe when a downward force is applied to the device.
04 The ground-contacting supports may be wheels or ice skate blades. Each of the movable arms may be attached by a pivot. The pivot may be located on a projection extending from the base of the vehicle. The movable arms may be of unitary construction and formed from a flexible, resilient material.
OS The device may be applied to various modes of transportation, such as skates, skateboards and scooters.
06 These and other aspects of the invention are set out in the claims, which are incorporated here by reference.

2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
07 Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the figures, in which like reference characters denote like elements, by way of example, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a front view of a roller skate according to one embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 1 A is a front view of an alternate embodiment of the device in a biased position;
Fig. I B is a top view of the device of Fig. I A;
Fig. 1 C is a front view of the device with movable arms of unitary construction;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the roller skate in a biased position;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the roller skate in an extended position Fig. 3A is a side view of a brake for a roller skate in a first, non-activated position;
Fig. 3B is a side view of the brake of Fig. 3A in a second, activated position;
Fig. 4 is a top view of the roller skate in a biased position;
Fig. 5 is a front view of an ice skate according to another embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 6 is a side view of the ice skate in a biased position;
Fig. 7 is a side view of the ice skate in an extended position;
Fig. 8 is a side view of the device;
Fig. 9 a side view of a skateboard according to another embodiment of the invention Fig. 10 is a top view of the skateboard;
Fig. 1 I is a front view of the skateboard in a biased position;
Fig. 12 is a front view of the skateboard in an extended position;
Fig. 13 is a side view of a scooter according to another embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 14 is a top view of the scooter;
Fig IS is a front view of the scooter in a biased position;
Fig.l6 is a front view of the base of the scooter in an extended position;
Fig. 17 is a side view of a projection for a skate board;
Fig. I 8 is a front view of the projection for a skate board;
Fig. 19 is a side view of a projection for a skate;
Fig. 20 is a front view of the projection for a skate;

3 Fig. 21 is a side view of a further embodiment of a roller skate according to the invention;
Fig. 22 is a front view of the roller skate of Fig. 21 with the wheels unweighted;
Fig. 23 is a bottom view of the roller skate of Fig. 21 with the wheels weighted;
Fig. 24 is a side view of a further embodiment of a skate according to the invention;
Fig. 25 is a front view of the skate of Fig. 24;
Fig. 26 is a bottom view of the skate of Fig. 24 with the blades unweighted;
and Fig. 27 is a front view of the skate of Fig. 24 with the blades weighted.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
08 In the claims, the word "comprising" is used in its inclusive sense and does not exclude other elements being present. The indefinite article "a" before a claim feature does not exclude more than one of the feature being present. The term "ground-contacting support" includes a wheel, an ice skate blade, or other device that reduces inertia and permits forward motion. When the movable arms terminate in wheels, they may be referred to as "axles". The term "toe-in" refers to the condition when a pair of wheels or ground-contacting supports is set so that their leading edges are pointed slightly towards each other when seen from the top or below. The term "toe-out" refers to the condition when a pair of wheels or ground-contacting supports is set so that their leading edges are pointed slightly away from each other when seen from the top or below. "Zero toe" refers to the condition when the wheels or ground-contacting supports are parallel when seen from the top or below, neither pointing toward nor away from each other. Camber is the angle of the wheel or ground-contacting support relative to vertical, as viewed from the front or the rear of the vehicle.
"Negative camber" refers to the condition when a wheel or ground-contacting support leans inwardly towards the center of the vehicle from the bottom to the top of the wheel or ground-contacting support. "Positive camber" refers to the condition when a wheel or ground-contacting support leans outwardly and away from the center of the vehicle from the bottom to the top of the wheel or ground-contacting support. "Zero camber" refers to the condition

4 when a wheel or ground-contacting support does not lean in either direction and forms a 90 degree angle with the ground.
09 A device applied according to one embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. I to 3. A device 10 attaches to a skate 12 having a boot 13 with a sole 14. Movable arms, or axles, 16 are attached to the sole 14 at a pivot 18. The pivot 18 forms a forwardly and downwardly extending axis 19, as shown in Fig. 2. The pivot 18 is preferably a removable pin angled forwardly and downwardly, forming the forwardly and downwardly extending axis 19.
The axis 19 formed by the pivot 18 forms an angle with the vertical that is preferably greater than 45 degrees between the pivot 18 and the vertical relative to the ground.
Seen in another way, the axis 19 formed by the pivot 18 preferably forms an angle with the base 34 that is between 15 and 40 degrees under normal operating conditions, as shown in Fig.
8.. In a preferred embodiment, the pivot 18 is located on a projection 20 extending from the sole, although the pivot 18 could be located on the sole 14 in some other fashion.
For ease of manufacture, the use of a projection 20 is preferred.
The movable arms 16 terminate in ground-contacting supports 22, such as wheels. Ice skate blades, as shown in Figs. 5 to 7, could also be used, although wheels are preferred. The movable arms 16 and the ground-contacting supports 22 extend between a biased position, as seen in Figs. I, 1A, 1C, 2, and 4 and an extended position, as seen in Fig. 3 and in outline in Figs. l, IA, IC, and 4. A biased position exists when a skater or rider is not exerting downward pressure on the pivot 18 by pushing down on the forward portion of the skate 12, as shown in Fig. 2. When the movable arms 16 and ground-contacting supports 22 are in a biased position, the ground-contacting supports 22 toe out significantly and have positive camber.
1 1 The motion of the device is best seen in Fig.l and Fig. 4. As a skater exerts downward pressure, represented by G in Fig. 1, on the forward portion of the skate 12, for example, and therefore on the pivot 18, the movable arms 16 extend upwardly and outwardly toward the front of the skate until the ground-contacting supports 22 are substantially parallel to each other, as shown in Fig. 3, having zero toe and zero camber. When the skater lessens or altogether removes downward pressure on the forward portion of the skate, as at the end of a stride, the movable arms 16 and ground-contacting supports 22 move back to a biased position where the ground-contacting supports 22 are again in a positive camber and toe-out position. It should be understood that the principle of operation is the same, whether the device 10 is attached to a skate, a skateboard, a scooter, or other vehicle.
12 Preferably, each of the movable arms 16 is attached by an independent pivot 18 to the projection 20, as seen in Fig. 1. When the ground-contacting supports 22 are wheels, the wheels may be attached to the movable arms 16 by spindles 24, for example, or otherwise attached to the movable arms 16 so as to be free-wheeling. The movable arms 16 may be formed from a single, curved, continuous piece of material that permits flexing, so that as downward pressure is applied to the front portion of the skate 12, the curved material flexes upwardly and outwardly until substantially straightened, as shown in Fig. 1C.
However, preferably, the movable arms 16 are formed from separate workpieces for ease of manufacture and for better durability. When the movable arms 16 are separate pieces, the movable arms 16 are preferably made out of aluminum or other lightweight but sturdy material that can be machined or formed to close tolerances. The movable arms 16 are preferably curved at the end above the pivots 18 where the movable arms 16 come together to permit smooth movement and to prevent locking up.
13 As shown in Fig. 1A and IB, the movable arms 16 may be attached by a single pivot 18, but for ease of manufacturing, independent pivots are preferred, since the movable arms 16 can be made to be interchangeable and are more easily removed if a repair needs to be made to one of the movable arms 16.
14 Braces 26 made out of a resilient material, such as a silicon plastic, may be attached to the projection 20, or otherwise attached to abut the sole 14 and the movable arms 16 to exert a downward force on the movable arms 16, pushing the movable arms 16 together to the biased position. Other methods of pulling the movable arms inwardly and toward each other may be employed, such as a spring or other resilient attachment capable of stretching between a biased position and an extended position, although braces 26 are preferred.
The biasing force is preferably less than the weight of the user, which permits the ground-contacting supports to arrive at a position where they have zero camber and zero toe when downward pressure is applied to the pivot. The biasing force may be greater than the weight of the user, such that the ground-contacting supports 22 never reach zero camber and zero toe. However, a biasing force greater than the weight of the user is not preferred, since it is preferable to have the ground-contacting supports 22 arrive at a position where the ground-contacting supports 22 have zero toe and zero camber, so as to achieve optimal propulsion from the application of downward pressure on the pivot 18.
16 A rear-contacting support 28, such as a wheel, may be attached to the sole 14 of the skate 12 toward the rear of the skate 12 by a spur 30 to provide stability and to enhance forward motion. A brake 32 may be attached to the spur 32 behind the rear-contacting support 28. The brake 32 may be slightly oblong, as shown in Fig. 2, or otherwise shaped, as in Figs. 3A and 3B such that when pressure is applied to the rear of the skate 12, the brake 32 may flip toward the wheel to exert an additional braking force on the wheel.
It should be understood that additional rear ground-contacting supports could be used, such as multiple wheels. However, in a preferred embodiment, one support is adequate for the purpose. Other methods of attaching a rear ground-contacting support could be employed.
17 It should be understood that even when a skater is at rest and standing on both skates 10, downward pressure is exerted on the forward portion of the skates 10, which would result in causing the movable arms 16 to move upwardly and outwardly in a forward direction, propelling the skater forward. However, the skater will move more quickly and efficiently by lifting a skate at a time in turns in a conventional skating stride. Also, movable arms 16 could be attached by a pivot 18 to the rear of the skate, with an additional ground-contacting support attached to the front of the skate, in which case, downward pressure on the rear portion of the skate would activate the movable arms. However, this is not preferred, since the natural tendency of a skater is to lean forward and apply pressure to the front portion of the skate rather than the rear portion.
18 A skate made according to the invention has the advantage of greater stability than that experienced with a traditional in-line skate or ice skate, and the skater is also slightly closer to the ground for more of the time because the wheels, for example, attached to the movable arms move upwardly toward the sole as downward pressure is exerted on the front portion of the skate.
19 It should also be understood that the device 10 may be attached to a base 34 of any type of vehicle suitable for the purpose, as shown in Fig. 1A, Fig. 1C, and Fig. 8. For example, as shown in Figs. 9 to 12, one or more devices 10 having movable arms, or axles, 16 attached by pivots 18 forming a forwardly and downwardly extending axis 19 and terminating in ground-contacting supports 22, such as wheels, may be attached to a skateboard 36. Also, in contrast to the device 10 as used on skates, for a skateboard 36, the device 10 preferably has a steel spring 38 made of spring steel or other resilient means attached to the movable arms 16 to pull the arms together into a biased position when downward pressure is not being applied to the device 10.
20 As shown in Figs. 13 to 16, a device 10 having movable arms, or axles, 16 may be attached at a pivot to a scooter 40 having a handlebar assembly 42 and a body 44. The handlebar assembly 42 may be attached to a handle pivot 46 so as to adjust the angle of the handle to enhance the effects of applying downward pressure on the device.
Preferably, the device 10 is attached to the handlebar assembly 42 and not to the body 44 of the scooter 40.
As such, by pulling back on the handlebar assembly 42, the axis 19 extending forwardly and downwardly formed by the pivot 18 approaches an angle of 90 degrees with the vertical, or put another way, is substantially horizontal with the body 44 of the scooter 40., which may be preferable on certain kinds of terrain, such as a downward slope, or under certain operating conditions, whether to increase or decrease speed, since a horizontal axis will cause the wheels to have zero toe and zero camber.
21 Preferably, the handlebar assembly 42 is connected to the body 44 of the scooter 40 by the handle pivot 46 being connected to a coupling 48, with the coupling 48 being connected to the body of the scooter 44 by a pin 50 or similar method of attachment, permitting rotation of the handlebar assembly 42 from side to side so as to be steerable. Similarly to the skateboard, the device 10 has a steel spring 38 attached to the movable arms, or axles, 16 to draw the movable arms 16 together when downward pressure is not being applied to the device 10.
22 Figs. 17 to 20 show the projection of the device with some preferred measurements for constructing the device. Numerals showing all distances are measured in millimeters. Figs.
17 and 18 show preferred machining or casting measurements for the projection when used with a skateboard, Figs. 19 and 20 show preferred machining or casting measurements for the projection when used with skates. It should be understood that the movable arms 16 could be attached by a pivot 18 to a base in some other fashion than by using a projection 20, but for ease of manufacturing, and for adequate clearance of wheels or other ground-contacting supports, use of a projection 20 is preferable.
23 Figs. 21, 22 and 23 shows a further embodiment of a roller skate. Roller skate 62 has movable arms 64 attached to a base 66 of the skate 62 at a pivot 68 held in a pedestal 69. The pivot 68 forms a forwardly and downwardly extending axis 70. The movable arms connect through connecting arms 72 to terminate at opposed rearward and forward ends of the arms 72 in ground-contacting wheels 74. Angle ~3 is the angle of the axis 70 to the base 68 and is provided to give a desired degree of splaying of the wheels 74, and may for example be between 15 and 40 degrees. Angle a is the angle formed by the arms 64 with the horizontal in the unweighted position, and may also be between 15 and 40 degrees. Spring 76 is secured to both arms 64 to urge the arms away from the base 66. In the unweighted position shown in Fig. 22 in dark outline, gravity or spring 76 biases the wheels towards a positive camber and toe-out position. In the weighted position shown in Fig. 22 in outline, and in Fig. 23, the arms 64 move up towards the base 66 and thus extend towards a zero camber and zero toe position.
The weighted of a person provides the weight or downward force required to bias the arms to the position shown in Fig. 23. In this embodiment, only a single pair of arms 64 are required.
The distance M from the front of the skate to the center of the pivot 68 can be at a variable position and may be closer to the front of the skate than to the back. The distance K from the pivot 68 to the center of the forward wheel 74 and the distance L from the pivot 68 to the rear wheels 74 may be adjusted for best performance of the skate.
24 As a person weights a skate in operation, the front wheels tend to move inward and the rear wheels tend to move outward, thus assisting in pushing the skate 62 forward. The arms 64 should be stopped from moving beyond being parallel with each other in the weighted position, so that they extend opposite to each other. This can be achieved for example by having the inner faces of the arms 64 abut against each other at the pivot. As shown in Fig.
23, the arms 64 may dovetail with each other to share the same pivot. but the skate 62 may pivot in relation to the arms 64 in this flat position, by suitably designing the pedestal 69, for example, by permitting the arms 64 some play up and down in the weighted position or by making the pedestal 69 flexible, or itself pivoted on the base 66.

25 Referring to Figs. 24, 25, 26 and 27, there is shown a further embodiment, this time an ice skate 82, according to the invention. The ice skate 82 has movable arms 84 attached to a base 86 of the skate 92 at a pivot 88, with the pivot 88 held in a pedestal 89. The pivot 88 forms a forwardly and downwardly extending axis. The moveable arms 64 terminate in ground-contacting blades. In the unweighted position shown in outline in Fig.
25 and in Fig.
26, the blades 90 are biased by gravity or spring 92 to tilt outward towards the front and downward (positive camber and toe out). In the weighted position, the blades 90 form a flat parallel running position, namely zero camber and zero toe position.
26 Immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments of the invention described here without departing from the invention.

Claims (34)

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
movable arms attached to a base of a vehicle at a pivot;
the pivot forming a forwardly and downwardly extending axis;
the movable arms terminating in ground-contacting supports; and the ground-contacting supports biased towards a positive camber and toe-out position and extendable towards a zero camber and zero toe position when a downward force is applied to the device.

2. The device of claim 1, in which the base is a sole of a roller skate, and the ground-contacting supports are wheels.

3. The device of claim 1, in which the base is a sole of an ice skate, and the ground-contacting supports are ice skate blades.

4. The device of claim 1, in which the base is a skateboard.

5. The device of claim 1, in which the base is a scooter.

6. The device of claim 5, in which the axis formed by the pivot is adjustable between a forwardly and downwardly extending position and a horizontal position.

7. The device of claim 1, in which the pivot is located in a projection extending from the base of the vehicle.

8. The device of claim 1, in which each of the movable arms is attached to the sole by an independent pivot.

9. The device of claim 1, in which the movable arms are of unitary construction and formed from a flexible, resilient material.

10. A skate having a boot and a sole, comprising:
movable arms attached to the sole of the skate at a pivot;
the pivot forming a forwardly and downwardly extending axis;
the movable arms terminating in ground-contacting supports;
the ground-contacting supports biased towards a positive camber and toe-out position and extendable towards a zero camber and zero toe position when a downward force is applied to the pivot point; and a rearward ground-contacting support attached to the sole.

11. The skate of claim 10, in which the ground-contacting supports are wheels.

12. The skate of claim 10, in which the ground-contacting supports are ice skate blades.

13. The skate of claim 10, in which each of the movable arms is attached to the sole by an independent pivot.

14. The skate of claim 10 in which the pivot is located in a projection extending from the sole of the skate.

15. The skate of claim 10 further comprising a brake.

16. The skate of claim 10, in which the movable arms are of unitary construction and formed from a flexible, resilient material.

17. The skate of claim 10 in which braces located between the movable arms and the sole bias the ground-contacting supports towards a positive camber and toe-out position.

18. A skateboard, comprising:
a pair of axles attached to the skateboard at a pivot;
the pivot forming a forwardly and downwardly extending axis;
the pair of axles terminating in wheels rotating on the axles; and the wheels biased towards a positive camber and toe-out position and extendable towards a zero camber and zero toe position when a downward force is applied to the pivot.

19. The skateboard of claim 18, in which pairs of axles are attached to a front portion and a back portion of the skateboard.

20. The skateboard of claim 18, in which a spring attached between the pair of axles biases the wheels towards a positive camber and toe-out position.

21 The skateboard of claim 18, in which the axles are of unitary construction and formed from a flexible, resilient material.

22. The skateboard of claim 18, in which the pivot is located on a projection extending from the skateboard.

23. A scooter having a body and a handlebar assembly, comprising:
a pair of axles attached to the scooter at a pivot;
the pivot forming a forwardly and downwardly extending axis;
the pair of axles terminating in wheels;
the wheels biased towards a positive camber and toe-out position and extendable towards a zero camber and zero toe position when a downward force is applied to the pivot;
and a rear wheel attached to the body of the scooter.

24. The scooter of claim 23, in which a spring attached between the pair of axles biases the wheels towards a positive camber and toe-out position.

25. The scooter of claim 23, in which the pivot point is located on the handlebar assembly, and the handlebar assembly is movably attached to the body of the scooter by a handle pivot to move the handlebar assembly forward or backward, thereby adjusting the pivot point between a forwardly and downwardly extending axis and a horizontal axis.

26. The scooter of claim 23, in which the handlebar assembly is connected to a coupling which attaches to the body of the scooter by a pin to permit steering of the handlebar assembly.

27. The scooter of claim 25, in which the handlebar assembly is connected to a coupling which attaches to the body of the scooter by a pin to permit steering of the handlebar assembly.

28. The scooter of claim 23, in which the axles are of unitary construction and formed from a flexible, resilient material.

29. A device, comprising:
movable arms attached to a base of a vehicle at a pivot;
the pivot forming a forwardly and downwardly extending axis; and the movable arms terminating in ground-contacting supports.

30. The device of claim 29 in which the ground-contacting supports are biased towards a positive camber and toe-out position and are extendable towards a zero camber and zero toe position when a downward force is applied to the device.

31. The device of claim 29 or 30 in which each movable arm connects to respective portions of connecting arms between forward and rearward ends of the connecting arms, and the ground contacting supports being disposed at each of the forward and rearward ends of each connecting arm.

32. The device of claim 29, 30 or 31 in which the ground contacting supports are wheels.

33. The device of claim 29 or 30 in which the ground contacting supports are blades.

34. The device of claim 29 or 30 in which the ground contacting supports extend rearward and forward of the pivot.