STAND-ON LAND VEHICLE FOR SIMULATING SKIING

Abstract

A stand-on land vehicle, for simulating snow skiing, features a side-by-side pair of platforms, coupled and supported (a) at the rear by an angled tilt-turn mount under each, integrated with a shared axle assembly fitted at its ends with a pair of rear wheels, located at opposite sides of the vehicle, and (b) at the front by a tilt-turn mount system including a strut/spacer framework attached to a pair of user handling bars, and to at least one front wheel, typically a roller, via an associated inclined swivel-caster type mount assembly. This novel combination accomplishes dual-platform tilt-turning in response to the user's body movements that simulates the superior snow-skiing technique of skewing the skis longitudinally for banked turns as in zig-zagging downhill. The invention actually enables sustained self-propulsion, zig-zagging on level concrete and paved surfaces, powered only by user body movements during turns and enhanced by low-friction roller-wheels for free-wheeling coasting on straight runs, and is thus capable of providing, on dry land, both recreational pleasure and highly effective training and practice for snow-skiing for snow skiers of all ages and skill levels.

Claims

1. A stand-on land vehicle made capable of simulating snow-skiing for purposes of dry-land practice, training and instruction relating to recreational, competitive and professional snow-skiing, comprising: a pair of elongate platforms, designated left hand and right hand, held parallel and spaced apart, side-by-side, each providing an upwardly-facing anti-skid surface for user footing; a dual-mount axle assembly, extending laterally under rear regions of said platforms; to opposite ends configured as wheel axle portions; a pair of rear wheels installed on the wheel axle portions; said dual-mount axle assembly including a pair of angled-pivot swivel tilt-steer rear mounts each having an upper end attached centrally underside a rear region of a corresponding one of said platforms and a lower end adjacent to a corresponding one of said wheels, thus supporting a rear portion of said vehicle at two rear support locations at corner angles between said axle and central axes of said platforms, said rear angled-pivot tilt-steer truck-mounts being oriented to be angled such that (a) whenever the user holds said platforms level and thus untilted laterally, a neutral steering condition is maintained for linear travel, the two corner angles being held rectangular and thus holding said platforms parallel and unskewed, and holding said axle assembly and thus said rear wheels aimed at a zero azimuth angle for linear travel; (b) the user initiates a right hand turn by radially tilting said platforms down at the right, forcing the mounts to re-aim said axle assembly and thus said rear wheels to a negative azimuth angle, thus skewing the right hand platform forward, and (c) conversely, the user initiates a left hand turn by radially tilting said platforms down at the left, forcing the mounts to re-aim said axle assembly and thus said rear wheels to a positive azimuth angle, thus skewing the left hand platform forward; a primary front spacer, extending horizontally between front center locations of said platforms, is (1) dimensioned in length to match the two rear support locations and thus co-operate therewith to hold said platforms always parallel under all steering conditions, (2) end-fastened to said platforms in a swivel-hinge manner that allows lateral platform tilting by the user, and (b) fastened to at least one front mount with a swivel mechanism angled in minor image of said rear mounts, made and arranged to aim said at least one front wheel to zero azimuth angle for the neutral steering condition, to a positive azimuth angle for a right hand turn and to a negative azimuth angle for a left hand turn; at least one front wheel supporting a front portion of said vehicle via at least one angled-pivot tilt-steer swivel front mount oriented to be angled in mirror image of said rear mounts, thus aiming said at least one front wheel to a positive azimuth angle for a right hand turn and to a negative azimuth angle for a left hand turn.

2. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 1 further comprising: a pair of handling bars each fitted with a hand grip and coupled with a corresponding one of said foot-platforms so as to enable the user's hands and feet to co-operate in control of tilt-steering, thus serving to facilitate steering and enhance user balance, training, accomplishment, pleasure and safety.

3. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 2 wherein said pair of handling bars, being nominally oriented vertical and perpendicular to said platforms under neutral steering conditions, are each hingedly coupled with the corresponding foot-platform in a manner that allows said handling bars to be tilted fore-and-aft freely and independently with no resultant effect, whereas lateral tilt thereof is held in unison and directly applied directly to each said platform.

4. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 1 further comprising: a pair of extension struts, each securely attached to a corresponding one of said platforms and extending forwardly, bent upwardly at a designated angle to form an inclined portion located in a plane that is perpendicular to the platform's central longitudinal axis; a secondary front spacer, similar to said primary front spacer, end-attached in the swivel-hinge manner to said pair of extension struts at an upper end region of the inclined portion of each, forming a secondary parallelogram, with said primary front spacer as a parallel opposite end, and said extension struts as parallel opposite sides, the at least one front wheel tilt-steer mechanism being configured to operate as a angled swivel caster type mount with a tubular swivel journal attached at each end to said front spacers in a swivel-hinge manner, oriented parallel to the inclined portions of said extension struts, thus inclined at the designated angle from said platforms; and the secondary parallelogram thus being made to be skewable due to corner swivel-hinging, and being held in a plane inclined at the designated angle of incline along with the angled-pivot of the tilt-steer caster type front mount, enabling front steering in conjunction with the primary parallelogram and rear steering. as described in claim 1.

5. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 4 wherein said pair of handling bars are coupled with corresponding platforms via attachment to said pair of extension struts, each at an upper end of the inclined portion thereof.

6. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 3 wherein each said at least one front wheel is configured as a roller with tread-width exceeding its diameter, each roller mounted in an associated swivel caster-type front wheel tilt-steer mount mechanism attached onto said front spacers. in accordance with claim 3.

7. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 6 wherein: said at least one front wheel comprises two front wheels, configured as rollers.

8. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 3 comprising one and only one front wheel, configured as a roller and located centrally in a front end region of said vehicle.

9. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 1, comprising two front wheels, each mounted on one of a co-linear pair of wheel axle portions extending from opposite sides of a single centrally-located front axle-truck supporting a front end portion of said vehicle.

10. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 3, comprising four front wheels, each of two pairs associated with a corresponding one of two front mount mechanisms supporting a front end portion of said vehicle, each wheel of each pair mounted on one of a co-linear pair of wheel axle portions extending from opposite sides of a corresponding one of the two front mount mechanisms.

11. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein: said at least one front wheel comprises two front wheels; and said at least one front mount mechanism comprises a pair of front mounts, each equipped with a corresponding one of said two front wheels, and each mount located and attached underside a front region of a corresponding platform.

12. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein: said at least one front wheel comprises four two front wheels; and said at least one at least one front mount comprises a pair of front axle-trucks, each fitted with a pair of front wheels one on each side, and each axle-truck located and attached centrally underside a front region of a corresponding platform.

13. The stand-on land vehicle as defined in claim 12 wherein: said pair of front axle-trucks and said rear truck-mounts are each implemented by a commercially available type of skateboard truck that includes a shock-cushioned angled-pivot swivel tilt-steer mount integrated with a pair of co-linear wheel axles extending from opposite sides, typically deployed as an identical pair in a skateboard, front and back, oriented in minor image relationship for tilt steering; said pair of front axle-trucks are implemented by unmodified skateboard trucks ; and said dual-mount axle-truck assembly extending laterally under rear regions of said platforms is structurally equivalent to two skateboard trucks modified and integrated into said axle-truck assembly by rigidly attaching the ends of an intermediate axle portion in place of one thusly unused wheel axle of each skateboard truck, rendering said axle-truck assembly as a novel dual-mount axle-truck counterpart of known single-mount skateboard axle-trucks.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The above and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a 3-wheeled stand-on land vehicle in a primary embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a top view of the vehicle of FIG. 1.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the vehicle of FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the vehicle of FIGS. 1-3.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a top view as in FIG. 2, showing a rectangular pattern with the steering system set to hold the wheels set on-axis for 5 linear travel.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a front view of the vehicle in FIG. 5 showing the foot platforms level and the wheels set for linear travel.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a top view as in FIG. 6 but showing a skewed parallelogram pattern with the steering system set to turn the vehicle in the direction indicated by the roller-wheels.

[0032] FIG. 8 is a front view of the vehicle as in FIG. 7. showing the foot platforms tilted and the wheels set for for turning.

[0033] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the vehicle of FIGS. 1-4 showing the wheels set to turn the vehicle in a curved travel path, indicated by the broken lines, resulting from redirected wheel settings as shown.

[0034] FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional view of a 4-wheeled stand-on land vehicle in a secondary embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 11 FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the vehicle of FIG. 10

[0036] FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the vehicle of FIGS. 11 and 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In FIG. 1, a three-wheeled land vehicle 10 is a primary embodiment of the present invention having a pair of platforms 12 and 12, typically non-metallic foot-boards, each with an attached non-slip foot-pad 12A, for purposes of easy escape for safety in lieu of attached ski-boots or harnesses, Vehicle 10 rides on a centrally located front roller 14 and a pair of rear wheels 16 (optionally rollers) at the ends of an axle assembly 18. At the front end, platforms 12 and 12 are (a) rigidly extended forwardly by metal extension struts 24 and 26, bent to incline upwardly, typically at 45 degrees, and (b) coupled at a designated side-by-side spacing by cross-spacers 20 and 22. A tubular pivot-bearing journal 28, attached centrally to cross-spacers 20 and 22 in their inclined plane (45 deg.) is a thusly inclined swivel bearing portion of an angled swivel caster structure that includes front roller 14 installed between a pair of side brackets (see FIGS. 2-4) and serves as the vehicle's front-end angled-pivot tilt-steer mount.

[0038] A pair of handling bars 30 and 32, fitted with hand grips 30A and 32A, are secured to the forward ends of the inclined extension struts 24 and 26 to move in unison in a manner that allows free hinged movement in any fore-and-aft plane with no consequences, whereas lateral movement +/ from neutral center applies +/ tilt to the foot-platforms 12 and 12, working in conjunction with the user's foot pressures keep the wheels 14 and 16 aimed as desired for steering. Thus the handling bars 30 and 32, in place of ski-poles but somewhat different in function, serve to facilitate steering and user balance, as detailed below in connection with FIGS. 5-9, as well as enhancing safety and comfort.

[0039] At the rear, platforms 12 and 12 are held spaced apart, as shown, via a corresponding pair of special angled-swivel tilt-steer truck mounts, each with a lower portion integrated as part of axle assembly 18, enabling the user to steer by simultaneously tilting the platforms in either lateral direction, clockwise or counterclockwise from neutral level, held by linkage to tilt in unison, in the manner that simulates a good snow-skier's balanced foot control, typically exerted by both feet in unison, e.g. in tilting for turns. The polarity of platform tilt relative to turn direction is universally standard for making banked turns in vehicles of all kinds, including aircraft, watercraft, railroad trains, racecars, motorcycles, bicycles, etc., as well as in foot-controlled stand-on vehicles such as skateboards, ice skates, rollerskates and skis. etc.

[0040] FIGS. 2-4 show top, side and bottom views of the vehicle of FIG. 1 with the handling bars 30 and 32 cutaway, showing, in more detail, extension struts 24 and 26, front roller 14 and its caster-type angled-swivel tilt-steer mount, attached to spacers 20 and 22 by its pivot-bearing journal 28.

[0041] FIG. 3 shows side views of extension strut 26, of pivot journal 28 and roller 14 of the caster-type angled-swivel front tilt-steer mounting system, and of the upper portion of the right hand rear truck mount 18A, visible in this view above the right hand rear wheel 16A.

[0042] FIG. 4 shows platform-attachment plate details of extension struts 24 and 26, and shows the rear wheels 16 an 16 at the ends of axle assembly 18, and, adjacent to wheels 16 and 16, the rear tilt-steer truck mounts 18A and 18A whose upper and lower portions are coupled by an angled-swivel mechanism of a type used widely in skateboard trucks. The upper portions are attached to the underside of platforms 12 and 12 and the lower portions 18B are integrated as part of the axle assembly 18, separated by an intermediate axle portion that establishes a designated separation dimension between the platforms 12 and 12.

[0043] FIGS. 5-9 illustrate mechanical details of tilt-turn operation of a 3-wheeled vehicle as in FIGS. 1-4, including capability of simulating the advanced technique of ski-skewing for turning by skewing the platforms longitudinally (from uniformly side-by-side toe-to-toe for linear travel) such that the one nearer to the direction of the turn is advanced to lead the other by a designated amount that is proportional to the sharpness of the turn, in accordance with turning technique of expert snow skiers as described above.

[0044] In FIG. 5, a top view of the 3-wheeled primary vehicle embodiment, shown, as in FIG. 2, held in the neutral steering condition, showing movable items in the steering system indicated by reference points: A and B at the ends of spacer 20, approximating center front points of the platforms 12 and 12, points C and D, centered on each platform 12 and 12 above the axle assembly 18, forming a first parallelogram ABCD, A second parallelogram ABEF is formed by points E and F at the ends of spacer 22 and side AB at ends of spacer 20, shared with the thusly adjoined larger first parallelogram ABCD.

[0045] FIG. 6, a front view of the vehicle of FIG. 5 shows the second parallelogram ABEF as viewed from the front, showing the platforms 12 and 12 held level laterally by the user for the neutral steering condition, and thus the rear wheels 16 and 16and front roller 14 are held aimed at zero azimuth angle for linear travel.

[0046] For steering purposes, all corner fastenings of the structure in this two-parallelogram pattern are made slidably hinged in a manner to allow relative rotation of movable components, thus varying the angles simultaneously in parallelograms ABCD in a horizontal plane and ABEF in the (45 degree) angled plane of the inclined portion of the front extension struts 24 and 26 (FIG. 1). The steering system is designed to hold both parallelograms orthogonal, i.e. as rectangles, with platforms 12 and 12 held uniformly side-by-side (unskewed) as shown in FIG. 5 and all wheels aimed at zero azimuth, as shown, for linear travel, whenever the user maintains the neutral steering condition by holding the platforms 12 and 12 level laterally as shown in FIG. 6.

[0047] FIGS. 7 and 8 are top and front views of the 3-wheeled vehicle, as in FIGS. 5 and 6 but, shown here with the steering system reset to make a right hand turn (as shown in FIG. 9) in response to the user tilting the platforms 12 and 12 each down at their right hand side. The two former rectangles ABCD and ABEF, having become skewed from their neutral orthogonal shape, have now become angled parallelograms as shown, with axle assembly 18 rotated to re-aim the rear wheels 16 and 16 as shown and the front caster-type angled-swivel stilt-steer mount 28 (rotated about pivot journal 28, located as shown in the angled plane attached to spacers 20 and 22 along with extension struts 24 and 26), re-aiming the front roller 14 in an azimuth direction opposite that of rear wheels 16 and 16 and the rigid shared rear axle assembly 18 which acts to skew the right hand foot-platform 12 forward, as shown, simulating the advanced technique of ski-skewing for a right hand turn.

[0048] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the 3-wheeled vehicle embodiment as in FIGS. 1-8, with the steering system set, by user-tilt of the platforms 12 an 12, to make a sharp right hand turn by re-aiming the rear wheels 16 and 16and front roller 14 as shown in broken lines, and advancing the right hand foot-platform 12 forward as shown, for ski-skewing technique as described above.

[0049] Broken-line projection 28 of the axle assembly 18 and rear wheels 16 and 16 and broken-line projection 30 of the axle of the front roller 14, intersecting at point 32, which represents the center point of three circular curved travel paths 34, 36 and 38, shown in broken lines representing the travel paths of the left hand rear wheel 16, the front roller 14 and the right hand rear wheel 16 respectively. The right hand platform 12 is seen to be advanced to a leading position skewed ahead of the left hand platform 12 as shown, thus simulating the advanced technique of ski-skewing for turning, wherein the skies are skewed longitudinally (from uniformly side-by-side toe-to-toe for linear travel) such that the inside ski, i.e. the one nearer to the direction of the turn, is advanced to lead the outside ski by a designated amount proportional to the sharpness of the turn.

[0050] FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional view of a 4-wheeled vehicle in a secondary embodiment of the present invention, similar to the 3-wheeled primary embodiment in FIGS. 1-4 except that, at the front, instead of a single central roller 14, a pair of similar rollers 14 are deployed, each in a caster-type angled-swivel stilt-steer mount that functions independently but acts in unison. The two mounts are held spaced apart, typically separated symmetrically near the centers of the platforms, making a larger portion of the platforms stable for standing on than with a single central front roller, with regard to the unsupported outer front regions.

[0051] FIGS. 11 and 12 show side and bottom views of the 4-wheeled vehicle of FIG. 10 with the handling bars 30 and 32 cutaway, showing the spaced-apart locations, on cross-member spacers 20 and 21, of the tubular pivot journals 28 and 28 of the front tilt-steer mounts.

[0052] FIG. 12, the bottom view, shows locations of the front pair of rollers 14 and 14 and rear pair of wheels 16 and 16.

[0053] Popular skateboards typically utilize a pair of trucks that each include an angle-swivel tilt-steer mount mechanism with a hinge king pin resiliently mounted at one end for limited swivel and shock cushioning, integrated with a pair of oppositely-extending in-line wheel axles. A front truck and a rear truck are attached under the skateboard, oriented in mirror-image relationship for opposite front/rear wheel-pair aiming responsive to lateral tilting of the skateboard platform by the user.

[0054] In a third embodiment of the present invention, the novelty and advantages of ski-skewing capability are provided in a 6-wheeled vehicle with the rear axle assembly and inclined front spacers as disclosed above, utilizing, for front-end support mount, a front truck with dual wheels attached under a front central region of each platform, oriented in mirror-image relation to the rear mounts regarding swivel angle.

[0055] Amongst other viable options, a 2-wheeled version utilizes a rear axle assembly configured to support a rear vehicle portion on a single central roller instead of two end-located wheels, and an 8-wheeled version, made equivalent to two dual-truck skateboards connected by spacers that hold them parallel, forming a variable-angle parallelogram framework in the manner of the present invention.

[0056] The invention may be practiced with other implementations, variations and alternatives that fall within the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all variations, substitutions and changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.