Wheel attachment and towing system for a pontoon water bike

Abstract

A system of brackets and rails for attaching wheels, towing, and accessory devices to a pontoon water bike to increase the transportability and utility of the craft by making it towable by pedestrian and bicycle, converting it to amphibious operation, and allowing a variety of other attachments to create a more capable and efficient watercraft.

Claims

1. A system for attaching wheels to a pontoon water bike, comprising in combination: said pontoon water bike having a plurality of transverse frame tubes with exposed ends spanning a plurality of spaced apart pontoons, a plurality of cross tube receiver brackets coupled to the ends of a plurality of the transverse frame tubes, whereby a plurality of the cross tube receiver brackets are aligned longitudinally along each side of the pontoon water bike, a plurality of side rails coupled to the cross tube receiver brackets aligned along each side of said pontoon water bike, a plurality of sliding receiver brackets, with each sliding receiver bracket coupled to said side rail, a plurality of wheel assemblies, with each wheel assembly coupled to each sliding receiver bracket, whereby the water bike is able to be wheeled over land.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a frame yoke coupled to said transverse frame tube, a frame tow bar coupled to said frame yoke, a bicycle coupled to said frame tow bar, whereby the bicycle is able to tow the pontoon water bike over land.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a pair of pontoon receiver brackets coupled to said pontoons, a cross rail coupled to said pontoon receiver brackets, a pontoon tow bar coupled to said cross rail, a bicycle coupled to said pontoon tow bar, whereby the bicycle is able to tow the pontoon water bike over land.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: at least one wheel cradle coupled to said side rail, a bicycle coupled to said wheel cradle, whereby the pontoon water bike is able to carry the bicycle over water to achieve amphibious operation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 is a right side view of a pontoon water bike.

(2) FIG. 2 is a right rear perspective view of a water bike.

(3) FIG. 3 is perspective view of a cross tube receiver bracket and an end view of a wheel assembly.

(4) FIG. 4 is a right rear perspective view of a wheel assembly attached to a pontoon water bike.

(5) FIG. 5 is a right side view of a water bike with wheels attached and being towed by a pedestrian.

(6) FIG. 6 is a right rear perspective view of a water bike with wheels attached and oriented in an upright position for water operation.

(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a sliding receiver bracket.

(8) FIG. 8 is a right rear perspective view of a wheel assembly attached to a water bike with a side rail.

(9) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a frame yoke and a seatpost hitch.

(10) FIG. 10 is a right front perspective view of a frame yoke mounted to a transverse frame tube of a water bike.

(11) FIG. 11 is a right side view of a bicycle with seatpost hitch in towing configuration.

(12) FIG. 12 is a right side view of a bicycle towing a pontoon water bike using a frame yoke connection.

(13) FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a pontoon receiver bracket.

(14) FIG. 14 is a right front perspective view of a bicycle towing a pontoon water bike using a pontoon receiver bracket and cross rail configuration.

(15) FIG. 15 is a right side view of a bicycle towing a pontoon water bike using a pontoon receiver bracket configuration.

(16) FIG. 16 is a right rear perspective view of a pontoon water bike with wheels attached to a bracket and rail mounting system in water operation mode.

(17) FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a wheel cradle.

(18) FIG. 18 is a right side view of a pontoon water bike with bracket and rail system in water operation mode carrying a bicycle attached to a wheel cradle.

(19) TABLE-US-00001 REFERENCE NUMERALS 31 Pontoon Water Bike 32 Rudder Tube 33 Pontoon 34 Carrying Strap 35 Rudder 36 Drive Unit 37 Propeller 38 Transverse Frame Tube 39 Hand Knob 40 Deck 41 Cross Tube Receiver Bracket 42 Hole 43 Wheel Assembly 44 Wheel Post 45 Wheel 46 Bolt 47 Nut 48 Pin 49 Pedestrian 50 Sliding Receiver Bracket 51 Side Rail 52 Frame Yoke 53 Yoke Bar 54 U-Bracket 55 Tow Bar Receiver Tube 56 Seatpost Hitch 57 Tow Bar Washer 58 Tow Bar Stopper Collar 59 Frame Tow Bar 60 Bicycle 61 Seat Tube 62 Seatpost 63 Bicycle Seat 64 Pontoon Receiver Bracket 65 Screw 66 Cross Rail 67 Pontoon Tow Bar 68 Wheel Cradle 69 Wheel Strap 70 Bicycle Wheel

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(20) One embodiment of a wheel attachment and towing system for a pontoon water bike is illustrated as follows.

(21) FIG. 1 illustrates a right side view of a pontoon water bike 31, having a rudder tube 32, two spaced apart pontoons 33 with carrying straps 34, rudder 35, drive unit 36 with propeller 37.

(22) FIG. 2 illustrates a right rear perspective view showing transverse frame tube 38, hand knob 39 and deck 40.

(23) FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a cross tube receiver bracket 41 with holes 42, and an end view of a wheel assembly 43, with holes 42, wheel post 44, wheel 45, bolt 46, and nut 47.

(24) FIG. 4 illustrates a right rear perspective view of hand knob 39, deck 40, cross tube receiver bracket 41, pin 48 with wheel assembly 43 and pontoon 33.

(25) FIG. 5 illustrates a right side view of a water bike 31, wheel assemblies 43 attached, drive unit 36 in an upright position for towing over land by a pedestrian 49.

(26) FIG. 6 illustrates a right rear perspective view of a water bike 31, with wheel assemblies 43 attached to cross tube receiver brackets 41 and oriented in an upright position for water operation.

(27) FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a sliding receiver bracket 50.

(28) FIG. 8 illustrates a right rear perspective view of wheel post 44 of wheel assembly 43 removably attached to sliding receiver bracket 50 and adjustably positioned on side rail 51, which connects thru cross tube receiver bracket 41, coupled with pins 48, and secured to transverse frame tube 38, pontoon 33 and deck 40 with hand knob 39.

(29) FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a frame yoke 52, having yoke bar 53 with u-brackets 54 on each end and holes 42 for mounting, with a tow bar receiver tube 55 positioned off-center, and a separate seatpost hitch 56.

(30) FIG. 10 illustrates a right front perspective view of a frame yoke 52 mounted to a transverse frame tube 38 with hand knobs 39 securing to deck 40 and pontoon 33. Tow bar receiver tube 55 is offset from the center of frame yoke 52 sufficiently to clear rudder tube 32 for operation of rudder 35. Frame yoke 52 connects to frame tow bar 59 having tow bar stopper collar 58 with tow bar washers 57 and pin 48.

(31) FIG. 11 illustrates a right side view of bicycle 60 having seat tube 61, seatpost 62, and bicycle seat 63, with seatpost hitch 56, frame tow bar 59 and pin 48.

(32) FIG. 12 illustrates a right side view of a bicycle 60, frame tow bar 59, frame yoke 52, pontoon water bike 31 and wheel assemblies 43.

(33) FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of a pontoon receiver bracket 64 with holes 42.

(34) FIG. 14 illustrates a right front perspective view of cross rail 66 connected on both ends to pontoon receiver brackets 64 attached to pontoons 33 with screws 65 inside of carrying straps 34. Cross rail 66 has tow bar receiver bracket 55 for connection to pontoon tow bar 67 with tow bar washers 57, pin 48 and tow bar stopper collar 58. Pontoon tow bar 67 is coupled to bicycle 60 with seatpost hitch 56.

(35) FIG. 15 illustrates a right side view of a bicycle 60 with a pontoon tow bar 67 towing a pontoon water bike 31 with wheel assemblies 43.

(36) FIG. 16 illustrates a right rear perspective view of a pontoon water bike 31 with wheel assemblies 43 coupled to side rails 51 in water operation mode with cross rail 66 attached for bicycle towing.

(37) FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of a wheel cradle 68 with wheel strap 69.

(38) FIG. 18 illustrates a right side view of a pontoon water bike 31 in water operation mode with bicycle 60 having bicycle wheel 70 coupled to wheel cradle 68, held in place to side rail 51 with pin 48.

(39) OperationOne Embodiment of Attachment of Wheels to Transverse Frame TubeFIGS. 3, 4, 5 & 6

(40) To attach wheels to a pontoon water bike having at least one transverse frame tube spanning spaced apart pontoons: remove the existing hand knobs 39 from the outermost ends of a transverse frame tube 38, slide a cross tube receiver bracket 41 into each open end of transverse frame tube 38 with holes 42 in sufficient alignment with the existing holes in the transverse frame tube 38 with the receiver opening of cross tube receiver bracket 41 facing vertically, then replace hand knob 39 in its original position now securing cross tube receiver bracket 41 inside of transverse frame tube 38 ready to receive wheel post 44 in a vertically oriented position. Insert wheel posts 44 of wheel assemblies 43 inside each of the cross tube receiver brackets 41 and pin each in place with pins 48. A pontoon water bike 31 can now be pulled easily over land by a pedestrian 49.

(41) OperationOne Embodiment of Reorienting Wheel Posts Inside Cross Tube Receiver BracketsFIGS. 3, 4, 5 & 6

(42) Wheel post 44 may be easily reoriented as desired inside cross tube receiver bracket 41 simply by removing pin 48 and either orienting wheel 45 down for towing over land, or up for water operation, and fix in place with pin 48. The height of wheels 45, relative to the water or the ground, may also be adjusted by selectively sliding wheel post 44 inside cross tube receiver bracket 41 and fixing in place with pin 48.

(43) OperationOne Embodiment of Attachment of Bracket & Rail SystemFIGS. 7 & 8

(44) To attach a bracket and rail system to a pontoon water bike having multiple transverse frame tubes: remove the existing hand knobs 39 from the outermost ends of two transverse frame tubes 38, slide a cross tube receiver bracket 41 into each open end of transverse frame tubes 38 with holes 42 in sufficient alignment with the existing holes in the transverse frame tubes 38 with the receiver opening of cross tube receiver brackets 41 facing horizontally, then replace hand knobs 39 in their original position now securing cross tube receiver brackets 41 inside of transverse frame tubes 38 with both of the openings of the cross tube receiver brackets oriented horizontally and in sufficient alignment with each other. Next, slide one end of side rail 51 through either cross tube receiver bracket 41, then slide a sliding receiver bracket 50 onto side rail 51, and continue to insert the side rail 51 into the second cross tube receiver bracket and pin in place at both ends with pins 48.

(45) The bracket and rail system allows wheels to be mounted and selectively positioned fore and aft to distribute weight over the wheels as desired for towing, launching and recovery, and to allow the attachment of other mounting devices and accessories.

(46) OperationOne Embodiment of Selective Positioning of Sliding Receiver Brackets on Side RailsFIGS. 7 & 8

(47) To selectively position sliding receiver brackets 50 fore and aft on side rails 51 for desired weight distribution over wheels 45, simply remove pins 48 from each sliding receiver bracket 50 coupled to side rail 51 on each side of the watercraft and slide fore or aft along side rail 51 to a desired position and fix in place with pins 48.

(48) OperationReorienting Wheel Posts Inside Sliding Receiver BracketsFIGS. 7 & 8

(49) Wheel post 44 may be easily reoriented as desired inside the sliding receiver bracket 50 simply by removing pin 48 and orienting wheel 45, either down for towing over land or up for water operation, and fix in place with pin 48. The height of wheels 45, relative to the water or the ground, may be adjusted by selectively sliding wheel post 44 inside of sliding receiver bracket 50 and fixing in place with pin 48.

(50) OperationOne Embodiment of Mounting Frame Yoke to Transverse Frame TubeFIGS. 9 & 10

(51) To mount frame yoke 52 to transverse frame tube 38, remove the two front inbound hand knobs 39, slide u-brackets 54 over transverse frame tubes 38 until holes 42 are in sufficient alignment and fix in place on both ends by reinstalling hand knobs 39 in their original positions, now securing frame yoke 52, decks 40, transverse frame tube 38, and pontoons 33 together. Note that tow bar receiver tube 55 is offset from center of yoke bar 53 so as to not interfere with rudder tube 32.

(52) OperationOne Embodiment of Bicycle or Other Vehicle Towing by Frame YokeFIGS. 10, 11 & 12

(53) To attach a bicycle to frame yoke 52 for bicycle towing, slide one tow bar washer 57 onto frame tow bar 59 until it stops against tow bar stopper collar 58, insert frame tow bar 59 thru tow bar receiver tube 55 until it stops by contact when tow bar receiver tube 55, tow bar washer 57, and tow bar stopper collar 58 meet. Slide a second tow bar washer 57 onto the end of frame tow bar 59 and install pin 48 in the end of frame tow bar 59 to rotationally couple frame tow bar 59 and frame yoke 52 together, allowing frame tow bar 59 to rotate within tow bar receiver tube 55. Remove seatpost 62 from seat tube 61 of bicycle 60 and slide seatpost hitch 56 over seatpost 62 and reinstall seatpost 62 into seat tube 61. Attach the available end of frame tow bar 59, opposite the end already attached to frame yoke 52 previously, and couple frame tow bar 59 to seatpost hitch 56 with pin 48 under bicycle seat 63.

(54) A standard bicycle, or other vehicle, can now be attached to the transverse frame tube of a pontoon water bike for towing over land.

(55) OperationOne Embodiment of Mounting Cross Rail and Pontoon Receiver Brackets to PontoonsFIGS. 13 & 14

(56) An alternative attachment point for bicycle towing, rather than attaching a frame yoke to a transverse frame tube of a pontoon water bike, is to make a connection to the pontoons by: removing carrying straps 34 from one end of both pontoons 33 and installing pontoon receiver brackets 64, one on each pontoon 33, and reinstalling the carrying straps 34 over the pontoon receiver brackets, or leaving them off if desired, by reinstalling screws 65 thru holes 42 in pontoon receiver brackets 64, and carrying straps 34 if reinstalling, to provide a connection point for cross rail 66. Next insert the ends of cross rail 66 through the receivers in pontoon receiver brackets 64 and fix in place with pins 48, holding securely to pontoons 33. Cross rail 66 has a tow bar receiver bracket 55 providing a secure connection point for towing by bicycle or other vehicle.

(57) OperationOne Embodiment of Bicycle or Vehicle Towing by Pontoon Towing ConnectionFIGS. 11, 14, 15 & 16

(58) To attach a bicycle to a pontoon water bike by connection to the pontoons, slide one tow bar washer 57 onto pontoon tow bar 67 until it stops against tow bar stopper collar 58, insert pontoon tow bar 67 thru tow bar receiver tube 55 of cross rail 66 until it stops by contact when tow bar receiver tube 55, tow bar washer 57, and tow bar stopper collar 58 meet. Slide a second tow bar washer 57 onto the end of pontoon tow bar 67 and install pin 48 in the end of pontoon tow bar 67 to rotationally couple pontoon tow bar 67 and cross rail 66 together, allowing pontoon tow bar 67 to rotate within tow bar receiver tube 55. Remove seatpost 62 from seat tube 61 of bicycle 60 and slide seatpost hitch 56 over seatpost 62 and reinstall seatpost 62 into seat tube 61. Attach the available end of pontoon tow bar 67, opposite the end already attached to cross rail 66, previously, and couple pontoon tow bar 67 to seatpost hitch 56 with pin 48 under bicycle seat 63.

(59) A standard bicycle, or other vehicle, can now be attached to the pontoons of a pontoon water bike for towing over land.

(60) OperationOne Embodiment of Attaching a Bike Carrier to Make AmphibiousFIGS. 16, 17 & 18

(61) To make a pontoon water bike amphibious: attach a wheel cradle 18 to side rail 51 with pin 48 in a suitable location to fix a bicycle wheel 70 of bicycle 60 to a pontoon water bike 31 with wheel strap 69, leaving cross rail 66 installed for towing (as an example of one embodiment) and orient wheel assemblies 43 in water mode position. A bicycle wheel cradle 68 can be used on both bicycle wheels, or just one. In the case of using just one bicycle wheel cradle 68, the remaining bicycle wheel can be secured with straps to the other pontoon frame of the pontoon water bike.

(62) OperationAttaching Other AccessoriesFIGS. 3-18

(63) In addition to the brackets, rails and towing devices already described, other accessories can be attached in various combinations, locations and embodiments to one or a multiple of: a cross tube receiver bracket 41, side rail 51, sliding receiver bracket 50, frame yoke 52, pontoon receiver bracket 64, and/or cross rail 66, for purposes of steering, storage, mooring, holding equipment, or to make other connection points, just to name a few.

(64) Alternative embodiments may be easily achieved by adapting the previously listed brackets and rails to be welded directly to pontoon water bike frame members, and/or used in combination with welding, bolting, pinning, tensioning connectors, or slip-on connections, as well as using various shapes and sizes of tubes, brackets and associated receiver openings.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE

(65) Thus the reader will see that at least one embodiment of the system of brackets and rails for attaching wheels, towing, and accessory devices will increase the transportability and utility of a pontoon water bike by making it towable by pedestrian and bicycle, converting it to amphibious operation, and allowing a variety of other attachments and attachment means to create a more capable and efficient craft.

(66) While the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope, but rather as an exemplification of one or more embodiments thereof. Many other variations of size, material, shape, and configurations are possible. For example, a variety of suitable structural materials could be employed, such as steel, aluminum, plastic, wood, composites, carbon fiber, or some combination thereof; parts could be produced as one component, such as a cast or injection molded part, or could be formed by multiple methods and materials combined together by welding, gluing, bolting, or some other form of bonding. Brackets can be made to slip-on or be welded on, and can be produced to fit virtually any size and shape of tube. Brackets and attachments can be removably fixed in place in a variety of methods, including: pins, spring clips, bolts, compression fittings, or other clamping devices; the locations and orientations of brackets and accessories are also variable. Wheel posts could be straight, L-Shaped, curved, or formed into any design of any shape of material. Rails can be added in a multitude of locations and configurations including cross rails fore and/or aft of the watercraft and connected to side rails in various combinations. And connection points on the bicycle for towing may be adapted to many locations, including at the bicycle seatpost, seat, rear bicycle rack, rear axle, or other common locations where commercially available standard bicycle hitches and connections are made.

(67) Thus the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.