Chassis to connect motorized surf boots, or other multi-body vehicles

Abstract

The current invention offers an instrumental improvement to the prior art of USPTO Rudofsky U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,029 Motorized Surf Boots by providing a connecting Chassis Assembly that provides a rider the ability to lean into or “carve” through a turn (like a downhill snow skier or in-line roller skater does) while keeping each of the boards of the Motorized Surf Boots parallel to each other, at a predetermined distance from each other, and in-line with each other (meaning one board will not shift ahead or lag behind the other). Also included in this chassis invention is a device that provides an automatic and adjustable dampened spring back action, which serves to re-center the Chassis, thus the Surf Boots back into an upright or vertical position, in order to assist the rider in controllably ending the “carving” action and instead continue to move in a straight direction.

Claims

1. A carving apparatus of a multi-body vehicle comprising: a front and a rear four-bar linkage which interconnects and keeps two boards or two hulls at a fixed distance, parallel, and in-line to each other; said carving apparatus providing the two boards or two hulls, of the multi-body vehicle, an ability to lean into turns keeping the two boards or two hulls at parallel angles while rotating and leans into turns made by a rider leaning into turns while riding the multi-body vehicle; wherein the two boards or two hulls provide parallel stabilization for both the front four bar linkage and the rear four bar linkage of the multi-body vehicle by having two parallel bars of the front four bar linkage and two parallel bars of the rear four bar linkage rigidly attached to the two boards or two hulls such that an angle of the two boards or two hulls defines an angle of the two parallel bars of the front four bar linkage and the two parallel bars of the rear four bar linkage allowing the rider of the multi-body vehicle to steer the multi-body vehicle by leaning into a turn and rotating the two boards or two hulls in a carving action.

2. The carving apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a spring or damper device connected between 2 or more pivot points of the front four bar linkage or the rear four bar linkage.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a pair of U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,029 Motorized Surf Boots, which shows the front and rear chassis assemblies installed. The chassis are shown supporting the surf boots or boards of U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,029 Motorized Surf Boots in the nominal orientation, as they would be when travelling in a straight direction.

(3) FIG. 2 is the same rear perspective view as FIG. 1, except showing the front and rear chassis assemblies by themselves, disassembled from the Motorized Surf Boots.

(4) FIG. 3 is a close-up rear perspective view of the rear chassis assembly showing a detailed cutaway area.

(5) FIG. 4 Is a closer-up detail view showing the cutaway area from FIG. 3.

(6) FIG. 5 is a rear view of Motorized Surf Boots with the Chassis Assemblies installed, and in a leaned over “carving” position, showing how one of the inner crisscrossed links results in being stretched within the four-bar linkage of the rear Chassis Assembly.

(7) FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of a pair of motorized surf boots with the Chassis Assemblies installed, and oriented in a leaned over “carving” position as when a rider would be “carving” into a turn.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) In the embodiment of the invention shows in FIG. 1-6, and their sub-parts, for use on Motorized Surf Boots, the chassis assemblies are illustrated by the reference numeral 10 for the front assembly, and by the reference numeral 11 for the rear assembly, both being attached to the pair of boards 16.

(9) The front Chassis Assembly 10 of the present invention is composed of vertical links 21 and 22, and horizontal links 23 and 24 making comprising what is commonly known as a “four-bar linkage”. The links 21, 22, 23, and 24 are connected at established pivot points 41, 42, 43, and 44 respectively, where quick release pins, bolts or any other suitable hardware can be implemented. The vertical links 21 and 22 are each attached to a bracket 32, which provide the rigid attachment to the boards or hulls, with the attachment being made by quick release pins 51, or screws, or bolts, or any other suitable attachment method, depending on whether one prefers a quick connect/release or not.

(10) Similarly, the rear Chassis Assembly 11, is composed of a right-side vertical link 61 and a left side vertical link 62, and an upper horizontal link 63 and a lower horizontal links 64 which make up a four-bar linkage. Links 61, 62, 63, and 64 include holes at predetermined pivot axis locations 91, 92, 93, and 94 as shown, where quick release pins or any other suitable attachment hardware 51 are used, to allow the links to move freely.

(11) The featured action of the present Chassis invention to be able to spring back into the center position after leaning or “carving” into a turn, may be accomplished in any number of ways, with one such option shown, in FIG. 1-6, by incorporation of two additional links 70 and 80, which will be seen to crisscross each other by attaching each link 70 and 80 to a top pivot axis on one side of the rear Chassis Assembly and extending to the lower pivot axis of the opposite side of the rear Chassis Assembly. The two additional links 70 and 80 are not a fixed length, rather they each have a spring and/or damper combination 71 and 81 installed, or any other suitable linear motion device, perhaps even electronic, that will allow the links 70 and 80 to change length due to a predetermined force applied. Included in the embodiment shown in the FIGS. 1-6, included as part of each crisscrossed link 70 and 80, is a commonly known “turnbuckle” device 72 used to adjust the tension of each of the links 70 and 80, and extension cables with an eyelet 73 to connect to pivot points 91, 92, 93, and 94 respectively. FIG. 4 shows a close-up cutaway view of the eyelet 73 attached at pivot axis 92. Additionally, intermediate cables 74 are used to complete the required length for each link 70 and 80.

(12) Therefore, as can be seen, when the chassis is forced to one side by the leaning or “carving” action of the rider, to the right side as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, this will cause the spring and/or damper link 81, to increase in length, while the other spring and/or damper link 71 will remain neutral. The stretched link 81 will want to spring back to the center position. The springs and/or dampers 71 or 81 can include a typical tension spring, or alternatively a safety draw-bar type spring as shown, in which the increased length of links 80 will cause the spring 81 to compress. Alternatively, the two spring fitted links 70 and 80 which provide the spring back action of the rear Chassis Assembly 11, can also be incorporated in the front Chassis Assembly 10 without considerable modification to the teaching herein.

(13) Each of the rear Chassis Assembly vertical links 61 and 62 are further attached to a bracket 33, while on the front Chassis each of the links 21 and 22 is attached to a bracket 32 which in both cases provides the mounting features to the boards or hulls 16, using quick release pins 51 or any other appropriate hardware. As shown, Bracket 32 and 33 may need to be constructed in any number of suitable fashions for attaching links 61 and 62, or links 21 and 22 onto said board 16, without deviating from the teaching herein. Alternatively, Bracket 32 and 33 can be eliminated altogether, if the vertical links of the four-bar linkage are designed to include attachment features that will attach said links directly to the boards.

(14) While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.