Hand propelled and foot steered cart

A non-motorized cart for carrying a rider who supplies propelling energy for the cart, including: a frame having an H-shaped form, a front end and a rear end; two front wheels and two rear wheels; a crank mechanism connected to the rear wheels for rotating the rear wheels in response to energy supplied by the rider; front wheel support members connecting the front wheels to the front end of the frame for pivotal movement in order to steer the cart; and a steering mechanism for steering the front wheels, including a steering lever pivotally mounted to the frame and having control members located to be engaged by the feet of the rider, and steering rods connected between the steering lever and the front wheel support members for pivoting the front wheels in response to pivoting movement of the steering lever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to non-motorized vehicles, particularly for 
use by children. 
Vehicles for use by children customarily have two or three wheels. It is 
very difficult for small children to learn to operate a two wheeled 
vehicle, and three wheeled vehicles have been found, in practice, to be 
somewhat unsafe; if the rider should travel over an uneven surface or 
attempt to turn too sharply, there is a tendency for such a vehicle to tip 
over. 
Typically, the front wheel of a child's tricycle is associated with foot 
pedals which are located to either side of the wheel and when the front 
wheel is turned for steering purposes, the rider's feet must assume 
awkward positions in order to remain in contact with the pedals while 
avoiding contact with the front wheel itself. If the vehicle should tip 
over, the rider's feet will impact the ground, and injury is likely. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,987 describes a hand-powered tricycle having a front 
wheel which is steered by means of the rider's feet and two levers 
arranged to be gripped by the rider's hands, to be moved in a 
reciprocating fashion, and linked to the rear wheels of the vehicle to 
rotate the rear wheels and thus propel the vehicle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved vehicle of this 
type having improved stability. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved vehicle which can 
be propelled efficiently. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a vehicle having simple and 
durable propelling and steering mechanisms. 
The above and other objects are achieved, according to the invention, by a 
non-motorized cart for carrying a rider who supplies propelling energy for 
the cart, comprising: 
a frame having an H-shaped form, a front end and a rear end; 
two front wheels and two rear wheels; 
propelling means including a crank mechanism connected to the rear wheels 
for rotating the rear wheels in response to energy supplied by the rider; 
front wheel support means connecting the front wheels to the front end of 
the frame for pivotal movement in order to steer the cart; 
and steering means for steering the front wheels, the steering means 
comprising a steering lever pivotally mounted to the frame and having 
control members located to be engaged by the feet of the rider, and 
steering rods connected between the steering lever and the front wheel 
support means for pivoting the front wheels in response to pivoting 
movement of the steering lever. 
Furthermore, in embodiments of the invention, the frame is constructed to 
support a seat which is close to the ground so that a rider and cart will 
have a low profile and a low center of gravity. For this purpose, the 
frame is relatively long so that the foot pedals can be engaged with the 
rider's legs extending close to the horizontal. 
In further accordance with the invention, the steering pedals are spaced 
inwardly of the front wheels so that the rider's feet remain inboard of 
the vehicle and spaced from the front wheels.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The cart shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is composed of an H-frame 1 consisting of 
two tubular essentially longitudinal pieces and a tubular front crossbar 
1'. Frame 1 carries a seat 4. The cart is provided with two rear wheels 3 
and 3' and two front wheels 7 and 7'. 
Rear wheels 3 and 3' are fixed to an axle 2 which is rotatably mounted in 
bearings or bores carried by frame 1. 
Crossbar 1' is rigidly fixed to the two tubular pieces of frame 1 and is 
provided at each end with a respective bracket 12, only one of which is 
visible in the Figures. Each bracket 12 is supported by crossbar 1' to be 
pivotable about a vertical axis and each of wheels 7 and 7' is rotatably 
mounted to a respective one of brackets 12. 
Each bracket 12 extends forwardly of its pivot connection to crossbar 1' 
and is connected by a respective steering rod 8 or 8' to a steering lever 
11, each rod 8, 8' being articulated to its associated bracket 12 and to 
lever 11. 
Lever 11 is pivotally mounted on a pin 9 fixed to crossbar 1' and carries 
two foot pedals 10 and 10'. A user sitting on seat 4 can thus steer the 
cart by pressing with their feet on one or the other of pedals 10 and 10' 
to suitably pivot lever 11 and move rods 8 and 8' transversely to the 
length of the cart. 
For propelling the cart, there are provided two-armed levers 14 and 14' 
pivoted to the tubular pieces of frame 1 via a pivot pin 16. Each lever 
14, 14' has a long arm extending upwardly from pivot pin 16 and ending in 
a handlebar 5 or 5' and a short arm extending downwardly from pivot pin 16 
and articulated to one end of a respective drive rod 6 or 6'. 
Axle 2 is formed to have two crank portions which extend in respective 
diametrically opposite directions from the axis of rotation of axle 2. 
Each of rods 6 and 6' is rotatably connected to a respective crank 
portion. 
To propel the cart, the user grasps handlebars 5 and 5' and moves them 
alternately forward and back, the direction of movement of one handlebar 
always being opposite to that of the other handlebar. This moves rods 6 
and 6' in respectively opposite directions, imparting a rotary movement to 
the crank portions of axle 2 and hence to rear wheels 3 and 3'. 
The cart can be propelled in either direction, depending on the direction 
in which each handlebar 5, 5' is initially moved. 
Seat 4 can be secured to the tubular pieces of frame 1 by screws, nuts and 
bolts, or other removable fastening means. The tubular pieces can be 
provided with a series of fastening holes, permitting the position of seat 
4 to be adjusted to the size of the user and to be changed as the user 
grows. 
The upwardly extending arms of levers 14, 14' are longer than the 
downwardly extending arms, so that the force transmitted to rods 6, 6' 
will be greater than that applied to handlebars 5, 5'. 
Even during turning of the vehicle, the rider's feet can retain their 
normal orientation, i.e. the ankles need not be bent into awkward and 
uncomfortable positions. 
The four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention is stable in 
operation, i.e. relatively secure against tipping over. Even if it should 
tip over during a sharp turn, the rider's feed would be protected from the 
ground by the front wheels, which are outboard of the foot pedals. 
The steering mechanism is such that the angle through which the front 
wheels can be turned is limited. Therefore, sharp turns, with the 
attendant possibility of tipping over, are prevented. 
The lower arm of each lever 14, 14' could, if desired, be provided with a 
series of holes spaced apart along the length of the lever arm for 
receiving the cooperating end of the associated rod 6, 6'. In this way, 
the force which must be applied to handlebars 5, 5' to propel the vehicle 
can be adjusted to the individual rider. 
Preferably, the cart is given a length such that the rider's legs will 
assume an essentially horizontal orientation. As a result, frame 1 and 
seat 4 can be built to be close to the ground, so that the cart and the 
rider will have a low, and hence stable, center of gravity. 
It will be understood that the above description of the present invention 
is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the 
same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of 
equivalents of the appended claims. 
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in Korean 
application No. 17183/85 of Dec. 20th, 1985, the entire specification of 
which is incorporated herein by reference.