WO2006031128A1

WO2006031128A1 - Scooter

Info

Publication number: WO2006031128A1
Application number: PCT/NO2005/000339
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Opsvik
Original assignee: Peter Opsvik AS
Current assignee: Peter Opsvik AS
Priority date: 2004-09-15
Filing date: 2005-09-15
Publication date: 2006-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 2007-03-15
Also published as: NO321434B1; NO20043876D0

Abstract

A folding scooter is provided with a support frame (1) which connects a steerable wheel (4) and a steering body, together with a rear carriage (3) with at least one wheel (5). The rear carriage (3) forms the platform for a user of the scooter. The rear carriage should be able to be arranged along the support frame for folding up the scooter. On the support frame (1) is mounted a frame element (2) facing the rear carriage (3). It is rigidly connected with the support frame (1) and extends downwardly to the area behind the support frame's wheel (4). The frame element (2) is equipped at its lower end with releasable attachment means (7, 9, 10, 11) for securing the rear carriage's front portion (6, 8) in a working position for the scooter. After releasing the connection to the frame element (2), the rear carriage can be moved to a position along the support frame (1) with the wheel(s) (5) located in against the front wheel (4).

Description

Scooter

The invention relates to a folding scooter of the type indicated in the introduction to claim 1.

Scooters are employed as a means of transport for covering short distances faster than by foot, or they are used in play. The most common type is a two-wheel scooter, which is preferably folding. These are small, with small wheels and are influenced by rough patches in the road surface and rather unstable during use.

There are also three-wheel scooters which provided a "safer" ride and may have larger wheels, but this type is not normally collapsible and occupies a relatively large amount of space. Such scooters also exist in collapsible form. The most common design is where the platform or the rear carriage is swivelled about a pivot, so that the rear wheels are folded up against the handlebars, while there are also variants where the rear carriage is equipped with hinge mechanisms or folding parts, but this weakens the structure and is not always so easy to use. The object of the present invention is to provide a scooter which is stable and safe to use and which is collapsible so that in a folded state it can be pulled while rolling on at least some of its wheels in the same way as a wheeled suitcase or bag. Furthermore, the scooter should be capable of being folded up easily, preferably using only one hand. The scooter should be steady and stable, so that a user can stand firmly on the rear carriage platform when kicking it forward.

Furthermore the scooter should be designed so that it is possible to carry, i.e. place objects preferably in a cavity in the frame element, in which there may also be mounted an electromotor for driving the scooter.

These objects are achieved by a scooter design which is characterised by what is indicated in the patent claims.

When designing a scooter according to the invention, it is a simple matter to convert the scooter into a kind of wheeled bag, which can be pulled by the support frame while running on the wheels of the rear carriage which is retracted along the support frame. The folding operation may be carried out in several ways. The principal element is the design of a releasable attachment element connecting the frame structure consisting of support frame and frame element in such a manner that the connection is strong enough to withstand the weight load of the user moving on the rear carriage and to resist torsional forces that may arise when running on winding roads or during weight transfers. The attachment means may be designed in various ways, the important factor being only that they provide the necessary rigidity and strength to the scooter. The folding operation may also be carried out in different ways, either by employing rotating devices that can swivel the front part of the rear carriage upwards towards the support frame or by releasing the rear carriage and then pulling it up along the support frame and attaching it thereto. In WO 2004/045943 Al (Peter Opsvik AS) a scooter is described of the same type as the scooter according to the invention, where the rear carriage is arranged along the support frame when folding up the scooter. The frame element, however, is connected to the actual support frame of the scooter in a different way. The design according to the invention is simple and reliable and easier to handle during the folding operation.

The invention will now be illustrated in greater detail by means of embodiments depicted in the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a scooter according to the invention in working position ("kicking position"). Figure 2 is a perspective view corresponding to figure 1 of the scooter in an intermediate stage of the folding process.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the scooter in figure 1 in folded transport position.

Figures 4-6 are perspective views corresponding to figures 1-3 of a second embodiment of a scooter according to the invention. Figure 7 is a view of the rear carriage in the embodiment according to figures 4-6.

Figures 1-7 illustrate embodiments of the invention in purely schematic form in order to illustrate possible variants. It should be pointed out that the individual parts in the practical embodiments may be designed in completely different ways. Thus the figures only illustrate the technical principles on which the invention is based. The scooter according to the invention has a support frame 1, which substantially consists of a tubular element with a fork at one end for mounting a front wheel 4 and at the other end is provided with handlebars. The support frame 1 is preferably telescopic. On the support frame 1 is mounted an element 2 that projects from the support frame 1 downwards towards the front wheel and backwards towards a rear carriage 3 which has to be attached to this element 2. The element, which therefore forms an element in the supporting frame structure (and is therefore called a support element) is rigidly connected to the support frame 1 , thereby forming a fixed inclined connection against the rear carriage 3.

In the illustrated embodiment the rear carriage 3 is provided with two legs which in the trailing edge are carried on wheels 5 which are preferably smaller than the front wheel 4. At the leading edge the rear carriage has a nose portion with a level surface 6, which in the embodiments forms an angle with the main surface of the rear carriage 3. On this surface 6 there is provided a flange 8 which projects upwardly from the surface. This is intended to form a torsionally rigid and fixed connection with corresponding surfaces on the end of the support element 2. The support element's end surface 7 is designed with the same angle as the surface 6 for interaction with it. The surfaces 6 and 7 are preferably of the same size. In the surface 7 is provided a groove 9 corresponding to the flange 8 on the surface 6, with the result that flange 8 and groove 9 form a kind of "tongue and groove" connection. In the area of the groove and the flange a hole 11 is provided in the support element 2 and through the flange 8 for passing through a pin 10 or the like to constitute a lock between the support element 2 and the rear carriage 3. It should be noted that there are many possibilities for variation here for a person skilled in the art, i.e. other locking elements may also be envisaged.

It is also possible to employ multi -point connections instead of plain surfaces. For example, with three interacting points, it will also be possible to obtain a rigid connection. With this kind of rigid connection, one possibility is to use a "fork- shaped" end design for one of the parts, while the end of the other part is of a shape that fits into the fork and can be locked by means of a through-going bolt. A person skilled in the art will be capable of developing such variants, which are within the scope of the invention.

■ For folding up the scooter, the locking mechanism is opened and the user takes hold of the front portion of the rear carriage 3 and lifts it up. The carriage 3 will thereby rotate about an articulated arm 12, which is mounted on each side of the element 2 between a pivot point on the element 2 and a pivot point in the leading edge of the rear carriage, as can be seen in figure 2. After a complete rotation about the articulated arms, the rear carriage will assume the position illustrated in figure 3, and can be pulled by the user in the same way as a wheeled bag, rolling on the rear wheels 5. The leading edge 6 of the rear carriage is preferably locked or attached to the support frame 1 in a suitable manner, for example by a clip. The crucial feature of this design is that a supporting and rigid connection is achieved between the rear carriage 3 and the support element 2 by means of the attachment means 6-11. An embodiment is illustrated where the interacting surfaces 6 and 7 are angled. This angle can be varied and it is also possible to have the surfaces located horizontally or vertically, for example by the leading edge of the vehicle being inserted in a matching groove in the element 2. All such variants are intended to fall within the scope of the invention.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in figures 4-7. The main difference from the first embodiment is that no pivot arms are employed for swivelling the rear carriage up towards the support frame 1. Instead the rear carriage 3 is separated from the support structure 1, 2 by releasing the locking mechanism 10, 11 and then lifting the rear carriage up and hooking it on to the hooked part 13 which is hooked into the hole 15 in the flange 8. In order to ensure that the rear carriage 3 is securely attached to the support element 2, the tongue and groove connection 8, 9 is provided as a dovetail joint for securing the connection, thus preventing the parts from being lifted out of engagement.

A tongue and groove connection is extremely resistant to torsional stresses that can arise when the scooter undergoes turning manoeuvres or weight transfers. Together with the fact that the facing surfaces are relatively large, this provides rigidity to the scooter and causes the rear carriage to be supported by the support element 2 even when weight-loaded without other attachment means. As mentioned above, other designs are also possible.

Due to the fact that, in order to ensure a rigid connection to the support frame 1 the support element 1 must also have a certain surface area for interaction with the front surface 6 of the rear carriage 3, an internal compartment may be provided in the element that can be utilised for storing objects or also for locating an electromotor or batteries if the scooter is to be electrically driven.

When designing the scooter so that it can be rolled or wheeled in a compact, folded state, it will easily be able to be conveyed on another means of transport and then unfolded into its working position on arrival at the destination.

In the scooter's folded position where it has to be rolled behind the user on the rear carriage's wheels, it will be advantageous for the rear carriage to be provided with a guard device of the type illustrated in the applicant's previous application WO 2004/045943 (PCT/NO2003/000389). When standing vertically, the scooter can then be placed on a part of the guard that forms a foot and roll on the wheel when it has to be moved.

As will be evident from the above, many modifications will be possible with regard to detail design. Instead of groove and flange in the connection between the rear carriage and the support element, for example, a hole/pin connection or other form of attachment may be employed, the important factor being that the connection is rigid and capable of absorbing forces. The locking elements may also be provided in different ways and more bodies may also be mounted for securing the rear carriage to the support frame in a folded state. Many modifications are therefore possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A folding scooter with a support frame (1) which connects a steerable wheel (4) and a steering body, together with a rear carriage (3) with at least one wheel (5), the rear carriage (3) forming the platform for a user of the scooter, where the rear carriage can be arranged along the support frame for folding up the scooter, characterised in that on the support frame (1) is mounted a frame element (2) facing the rear carriage (3) which is rigidly connected with the support frame (1) and extends downwardly to the area behind the support frame's wheel (4), which frame element (2) is equipped at its lower end with releasable attachment means (7,9,10,11) for securing the rear carriage's front portion (6,8) in a working position for the scooter and that after releasing the connection to the frame element (2), the rear carriage can be moved to a position along the support frame (1) with the wheel(s) (5) located near the front wheel (4).

2. A scooter according to claim 1, characterised in that the attachment means for the rear carriage (3) to the support frame's frame element (2) is interacting bodies (8,9) such as a tongue and groove connection, pin/hole connection or the like provided in opposite surface portions (6,7) on the ends of the two parts, which bodies provide a stable connection, also protected against torsional forces, and that these bodies can be interlocked.

3. A scooter according to claim 2, characterised in that the rear carriage's connection to the frame element (2) is provided by a body composed of a surface on the rear carriage that is angled to conform with a corresponding surface on the frame element.

4. A scooter according to claim 2, characterised in that the tongue and groove connection is a dovetail joint.

5. A scooter according to claim 2, characterised in that the connection between the frame element and the rear carriage is composed of a multi-point connection between interacting points on the parts.

6. A scooter according to claims 1 and 2, characterised in that between the rear carriage and the frame element a permanent connection is provided in the form of one or more articulated arms (12) that are rotatably attached to the frame element at one end and to the rear carriage at the other end.

7. A scooter according to claim 1, characterised in that the support frame and/or the front end of the rear carriage are provided with attachment means for securing the rear carriage to the support frame.

8. A scooter according to claim 1, characterised in that the support frame, and preferably its support element, is provided with a body such as a cavity for placing objects and/or an electromotor for driving the scooter.