Bumper car

A bumper car for driving on a floor of a game arena including a chassis, first and second casters mounted to the chassis, first and second drive wheels mounted to the chassis, wherein the first caster is spring-loaded and the second caster is fixed, and a footwell for receiving feet of a driver of the bumper car, wherein a first distance is defined between a bottom surface of the footwell and the floor, wherein a second distance is defined between a mounting plate of the first caster, and wherein the first distance is less than the second distance.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to vehicles for games involving bumper cars, specifically for an improved bumper car with a lower center of gravity and enhanced performance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1shows one example of a prior art bumper car. U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,301 (Eyerly) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,382 (Lamanna) teach two more examples of prior art bumper cars. In each of these prior art cars, the footwells, or surfaces on which a player's feet rest are above the mounting surface of the casters of the vehicle and also above the bumper of the vehicle. Specifically inFIG. 1, it can be seen that prior art bumper car1includes seat2mounted atop base3, which includes surface4and driving means6to operate the car. Bumper8is secured about the base of the car, and is located below surface4. The feet of the driver of the car rest on surface4, which is quite clearly located above bumper8of the prior art bumper car. Shield9is included to protect the feet of the driver of the car.

It has been found that a new design is required to utilize bumper cars in uses beyond traditional carnival rides. Specifically, new games have been developed which involve teams of players, each riding a bumper car in a game arena. In one such game, one team attempts to score more points than the opposing team by utilizing hand-held scoops to pick up and throw a ball into a goal for the respective team, all while players are bumping each others' cars. The prior art bumper cars are arranged so that the surface on which a player's feet rest is above the bumper and the mounting surface for the casters of the bumper car. This promotes the use of smaller diameter casters, which results in noisier, less responsive vehicles which are not suited for such a game.

Players in prior art bumper cars are positioned too high with respect to the floor so that they can not easily scoop up balls which are on the floor. This is especially difficult if the ball is in front of the vehicle, as the player must lean forward over the front of the vehicle. In addition, the bumper car must be made larger to account for the higher center of gravity which makes the cars less maneuverable, which significantly slows down the pace of such a game.

Furthermore, prior art bumper cars and similar vehicles have casters and/or wheels at fixed heights because the cars are powered by current running through conductive strips of metal on the floor of the arena, and electrical contacts on the vehicles must always be in contact with the conductive floor in order to power the vehicle. For example, see the patents to Eyerly and Lamanna, cited above. This also results in the need for the floor to be perfectly flat, or else the electrical contacts on the car might stop touching the floor, causing the vehicle to lose power, become less responsive, or stop functioning altogether. Even if a bumper car were to use an onboard power supply, the use of casters at fixed heights would result in a very uncomfortable ride by a driver of the bumper car over uneven flooring.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention broadly comprises a vehicle for driving on a floor of a game arena including a chassis, first and second casters mounted to the chassis, first and second drive wheels mounted to the chassis, and wherein the first caster is spring-loaded. In another embodiment, the second caster is fixed. In another embodiment, the second caster is spring-loaded.

In one embodiment, the first caster is arranged at a front end of the vehicle, the second caster is located at a back end of the vehicle, and the first and second drive wheels are located at a middle portion of the vehicle between the first and the second casters at a right side and a left side of the vehicle, respectively. In another embodiment, a first distance is defined between the floor and a first mounting plate for mounting the first caster to the chassis, a second distance is defined between the floor and a second mounting plate for mounting the second caster to the chassis, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance. In yet another embodiment, the vehicle further comprises a footwell for receiving feet of a driver of the vehicle, wherein a first distance is defined between a bottom surface of the footwell and the floor, wherein a second distance is defined between a mounting plate of the first caster, and wherein the first distance is less than the second distance.

The present invention also broadly comprises a vehicle for driving on a floor of a game arena including first and second casters, first and second drive wheels, a footwell for receiving feet of a driver of the vehicle, wherein a first distance is defined between a bottom surface of the footwell and the floor, wherein a second distance is defined between a mounting surface the first caster, and wherein the first distance is less than the second distance. In a another embodiment the first distance is less than approximately two inches. In yet another embodiment, a third distance is defined between a center of the first caster and the floor, and the first distance is less than the third distance.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciable from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention and from the accompanying drawings and claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings,FIG. 2is a perspective view of bumper car10. Bumper car10comprises body12which includes seat14mounted atop the body and bumper16peripherally arranged about the bottom of the body. Bumper car10also includes a steering means, specifically joy stick18, enabling a driver to operate the bumper car. Footwell20can be seen as a recessed portion in body12that is partially hidden behind bumper16. There are two footwells, generally arranged on the left and right sides of the car, with one footwell for each of the driver's feet. Footwell20includes bottom surface26on which the driver's feet rest.

There is one footwell on either side of seat14, so that when driver D is sitting in seat14, feet F of the driver are resting in their respective footwells, as shown inFIG. 3. It should be clear that a front portion of bumper car10is removed inFIG. 3to more clearly show the structure of car10, namely, footwells20and front caster28. Front caster28is located directly between the two footwells at the front of the bumper car mounted to chassis22in recess30.

It can be seen in the shown preferred embodiment, that body12comprises essentially two different layers. The first layer is shell21, is not used as a load bearing structure, but instead generally defines the shape of bumper car10, protects the inner components and mechanisms, and provides aesthetics and color. In a preferred embodiment, shell21is a resilient, durable, and ductile material, such as any of several varieties of hard plastic. For convenience, a larger portion of the first layer is shown as removed in this Figure, so that the second layer can be seen protruding out from under the first, but it should be understood that this is for illustrative purposes only. The second layer generally comprises chassis22, which is made from a rigid structural material such as steel, aluminum, or some other suitable metal. The chassis defines the frame of the car, and supports the seat, driving mechanisms, on board power supply, casters, and wheels. In a preferred embodiment, the total thickness of both layers equals about ¼-½ inch or so.

Front caster28can be seen located at the front of the bumper car mounted via mounting plate30to chassis22. The front caster is mounted in recess32, defined by chassis22. It can be seen that recess32partially defines footwells20on either side of the recess. The footwells are also partially defined by outer walls24, to which the bumper is affixed. Feet F of driver D rest on bottom surfaces26of the footwells. Advantageously a protective means, such as shield9in prior art car1is not needed, since feet F are located down in footwells20safely behind the bumper. Battery means33is an on-board rechargeable power supply to electrically power bumper car10located in the middle of the car under the seat.

Without the recess, the driver's feet would have to rest on a platform elevated above the mounting plate, at height h1, where height h1is measured between the floor and the portion of recess30to which the mounting plate is secured. Such a design is shown inFIG. 1and the patents to Eyerly and Lamanna, discussed above. In the current invention, however, the driver's feet rest on surface26of the footwells at a height h2, where height h2is measured between the floor and the bottom of the footwells. Therefore, the height of the vehicle can be reduced by an amount equal to the difference between heights h1and h2, which results in increased stability and a smaller car size due to a lower center of gravity for both the driver and the bumper car, as seat14can be mounted to body12at a lower height.

The bottom of car10is shown inFIG. 4. It can be seen that chassis22defines generally the entire bottom of bumper car10. Drive wheels36A and36B are located in the middle of the car on the left and right sides of the car, respectively. The drive wheels are coupled to motors38A and38B, respectively, for driving the car. Joystick18, or some other driving or steering means known in the art, communicates with the motors to control the output speed of the drive wheels for moving the car. Like front caster28, rear caster40is mounted to chassis22in recess42via mounting plate44.

FIG. 5shows a cross-sectional side view of bumper car10. It can be seen that seat14is mounted on chassis22above onboard power supply31. In the shown preferred embodiment, height h2is also less than height h3, which is the distance measured between the floor and axis of rotation28aof caster28. Heights h4, h5, and h6for rear caster40and recess42correspond to heights h1, h2, and h3for the front caster. That is, height h4is measured between mounting plate44and the floor, height h5is measured between the chassis and the floor, and height h6is measured between axis of rotation40aand the floor. In a preferred embodiment, the radii of the casters, and therefore heights h3and h6, are each approximately two inches, and height h2is preferably one and a half inches. Reducing height h2too much is not recommended because then the car may “bottom out” over uneven flooring, if too much material wears off of the casters over time, or if the chassis experiences some deflection or distortion, among other reasons. InFIG. 5both the casters have a fixed height, and therefore heights h1, h2, and h3respectively approximately equal heights h4, h5, and h6.

A cross-section similar to that inFIG. 5is shown inFIG. 6. In this embodiment, caster28has been replaced by spring-loaded caster46. The spring-loaded caster advantageously absorbs some of the forces that would otherwise be transferred into the chassis of the car. The front caster, as opposed to the back caster, has been replaced with a spring-loaded caster because while playing the game for which bumper car10is designed, the driver is constantly shifting his weight with respect to the front of the car, such as while leaning to side to side or forward in front of the car to retrieve a ball, or stretching upwards to block another player's shot or retrieve a pass from another player. The back caster could also be replaced with a spring-loaded caster, but it may not provide enough of a performance benefit to be cost effective.

In a preferred embodiment, heights h3and h6remain substantially equal, as the radii of the casters remains the same, but height h1is now greater than height h4, and height h2is now greater than height h5in comparison to the car shown inFIG. 5. It is preferable to have height h1noticeably greater than height h4as shown, when no driver is seated in the car, as shown. Specifically, having height h1greater than height h4accounts for the compression of the springs in caster46when a driver is seated in the car. That is, the springs should have an appropriate spring-constant so that when a driver sits in the car, height h1approximately equals height h4. The spring-loaded caster further increases the car's maneuverability and performance thus enabling a smoother ride for the driver. In addition, the spring-loaded caster increases the durability and lifespan of each bumper car10by absorbing the ever changing loads on the chassis. This is particularly important because the bumper car is experiencing not only changes due to the driver shifting his weight about the front of the car, but also because the car is constantly getting bumped by other bumper cars. Without the spring-loaded caster, some spots in the chassis may become weakened due to fatigue, and ultimately fail, which would require more frequent replacement of bumper cars in comparison to bumper cars which include the spring-loaded casters.

Furthermore, in prior art bumper cars, the height of the bumper is limited by the distance between the mounting plate and the floor. However, in the current invention the height of the bumper can be independently varied with respect to any other heights because of the presence of the footwells. Specifically, outer walls24of the footwells can be set to any desired height, and the bumper attaches directly to the outer walls. Therefore, if one wanted to create larger bumpers, they could just increase the height of outer walls24without changing the position of bottom surface26of the footwells.

It should be understood that although the current invention was designed to be used in game involving throwing balls via a scoop, such as scoop S shown inFIG. 3, through a goal while bumping other players also driving bumper cars, bumper car10could be used in a conventional bumper car ride found at an amusement park or carnival. Furthermore, the bumper car or advantages taught by the bumper car could be used in other unrelated vehicles which would benefit in a lower center of gravity, smaller size, or more maneuverability.