Abstract:
An aspect of the invention involves a wheeled sports board holder for hanging a wheeled sports board on a vertical surface, the wheeled sports board including a support deck with an upper portion supported by one or more upper wheels, and having an upper edge, and a lower portion supported by one or more lower wheels. The wheeled sports board holder includes a base with a front and a rear, the rear of the base mountable to the vertical surface; a wheel holder projecting forwardly relative to the front of the base, and having a wheel guide; and a clasp projecting forwardly relative to the front of the base, above the wheel holder, the clasp configured to hold the upper edge of the wheeled sports board towards the vertical surface so that the one or more lower wheels do not contact the vertical surface.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/084,902 filed Jul. 30, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to storage devices for wheeled sports boards. 
     2. Related Art 
     Caster boards and skateboards, like scooters and bicycles, are a popular recreational toy, and like these other outside toys are typically stored in home garages, play rooms, patios, porches, yards, and other multi-purpose spaces in and around the home. Like these other toys, caster boards and skateboards are somewhat awkwardly shaped and are not well suited to more typical and readily available means of storage, and in most cases are left by users on the floor where they can be a safety hazard and another form of clutter. Specialty storage devices for these other toys and even skateboards are now readily available to users. However, there are currently no storage devices available in the market place suited to storing caster boards. 
     In addition, caster boards and skateboards are becoming more customized with all sorts of unique surface art and designs being offered. Consumers are using these designs to express their own personal tastes and style. Skateboard holders in the past store the skateboards, but do not ideally hold the skateboards so that the unique surface art and designs are shown off while the skateboards are being stored. 
     Further, caster board and skateboard accessories such as helmets and pads are also used and, therefore, also need to be stored. These accessories are also becoming more fashionable with customized art and designs appealing to consumer sense of taste and style. Skateboard holders in the past did not act as a single storage and display device for a user&#39;s board and accessories. 
     Known approaches to storing skateboards, bikes, and scooters generally allow other parts of these toys to make contact with the wall or vertical surface to which the storage device is attached. This can cause minor to moderate damage to these surfaces and, at the very least, can leave unsightly stains where toys once hung. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention involves a board holder that allows caster board users as well as skateboard users to hang their caster boards and skateboards neatly and safely on any wall or other vertical surface. The invention in one variation is best suited for caster boards, and in another variation is best suited for skateboards with the primary difference being the size and shape of a wheel guide and wheel holder of the invention. The invention also provides a way to not only store caster boards and skateboards, but also to display them so that unique surface art and designs on the boards can be shown off even when the boards are not in use. The invention acts as a single storage and display device for a user&#39;s board and accessories. Rather than just throwing these items on the garage floor, the invention provides user&#39;s with a way to display these items on the wall of a garage, play room, or even bedroom. Caster board and skateboard retailers can also use the device for their in-store product displays. Another unique feature of the invention is a clasp that keeps the lower wheel(s) of the caster board/skateboard away from the wall or other vertical surface to prevent the wheels from marking up or damaging the wall. Thus, the board holder includes a clasp, wheel guide, and wheel holder that work in conjunction to hold caster boards and skateboards vertically so that board surfaces are displayed as though they were works of art, and at the same time keeps the lower wheels off the wall and provides additional storage and display opportunities for accessories. 
     Another aspect of the invention involves a wheeled sports board holder for hanging a wheeled sports board on a vertical surface, the wheeled sports board including a support deck with an upper portion supported by one or more upper wheels, and having an upper edge, and a lower portion supported by one or more lower wheels. The wheeled sports board holder includes a base with a front and a rear, the rear of the base mountable to the vertical surface; a wheel holder projecting forwardly relative to the front of the base, and having a wheel guide; and a clasp projecting forwardly relative to the front of the base, above the wheel holder, the clasp configured to hold the upper edge of the wheeled sports board towards the vertical surface so that the one or more lower wheels do not contact the vertical surface. 
     One or more implementations of the wheeled sports board holder described immediately above include one or more of the following: the wheeled sports board is a caster board; the wheeled sports board is a skateboard; the wheeled sports board is a scooter; the wheeled sports board holder is a single storage and display device for the wheeled sports board; the wheeled sports board holder is an in-store product display; the wheeled sports board holder further includes an accessory carrier projecting forwardly relative to the front of the base and configured to carry one or more accessories associated with the wheeled sports board; at least one of the wheel holder and the clasp are adjustable to accommodate at least one of different types of wheeled sports boards and different sizes of wheeled sports boards; and the wheel guide includes a U-shape cross-section and concave inside surfaces that matingly receive the one or more upper wheels. 
     A further aspect of the invention involves a method of using the wheeled sports board holder described in the aspect of the invention described above. The method includes the steps of raising a vertically inclined wheeled sport board with its one or more upper wheels and one or more lower wheels facing the wheeled sports board holder; placing the one or more upper wheels into the wheel guide and rolling the one or more upper wheels up and over the wheel guide and down and into the wheel holder; and snapping the clasp over the upper edge of the wheeled sports board to secure the upper portion of the wheeled sports board into the wheeled sports board holder so that the one or more lower wheels do not contact the vertical surface. 
     One or more implementations of the method described immediately above include one or more of the following: the support deck of the wheeled sports board includes a substantially flat section, and the wheeled sports board holder secures the wheeled sports board in a position where the substantially flat section of the support deck is parallel with the vertical surface; and the support deck includes a top surface that includes artwork, and the wheeled sports board holder holding the wheeled sports board so that the artwork of the top surface of the support deck faces away from the vertical surface, so that the top surface is displayed as a work of art. 
     A further aspect of the invention involves a method of using the wheeled sports board holder described in the aspect of the invention described above. The method includes the steps of raising a vertically inclined wheeled sport board with its one or more upper wheels and one or more lower wheels facing the wheeled sports board holder; hooking the upper edge of the board behind the clasp; and pushing the lower portion of the wheeled sports board towards the vertical surface so as to force the one or more upper wheels into the wheel guide and then up and over into the wheel holder so as to secure the upper portion of the wheeled sports board into the wheeled sports board holder so that the one or more lower wheels do not contact the vertical surface. 
     One or more implementations of the method described immediately above include one or more of the following: the support deck of the wheeled sports board includes a substantially flat section, and the wheeled sports board holder secures the wheeled sports board in a position where the substantially flat section of the support deck is parallel with the vertical surface; and the support deck includes a top surface that includes artwork, and the wheeled sports board holder holding the wheeled sports board so that the artwork of the top surface of the support deck faces. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a board holder; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the board holder of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side-elevational view of the board holder of  FIG. 1  and shows an embodiment of a caster board just prior to mounting the caster board into the board holder; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross section of a helmet/accessory carrier of the board holder taken along lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 5-8  are side-elevational views of the board holder of  FIG. 1  and sequentially depict an exemplary method of mounting a caster board into the board holder; 
         FIG. 9  is a side-elevational view of the board holder of  FIG. 1  and shows the caster board being supportably held in the board holder. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-4  and  9 , an embodiment of a wheeled sports board holder (“board holder”)  10  for supportably holding a wheeled sports board (e.g., caster boards, skateboards, and similar-type devices) vertically so that board surfaces are displayed as though they were works of art, and at the same time keeps the lower wheels off the wall and provides additional storage and display opportunities for accessories, will be described. Although the board holder  10  will be shown and described in conjunction with a caster board  20 , in alternative embodiments, the holder  10  is used to hold skateboards, scooters (e.g., Razor® brand scooter), and/or similar wheeled devices with a support board/deck (i.e., wheeled sports boards). 
     The board holder  10  includes a base  30  that holds the other key components of the board holder  10  together, and allows for the board holder  10  to be mounted against a wall or other vertical surface by placing its rear facing surface against a wall or vertical surface and fastening it in place using screws or other fastening devices (e.g., drywall anchors, fasteners, mounts). 
     At the lower portion of the board holder  10  and protruding from the front of the base  30  is a wheel holder  40  with a wheel guide  42 . When placing a caster board or skateboard into the board holder  10  to be stored or displayed, the user raises a vertically inclined caster board or skateboard with its wheels facing the board holder  10 , and places top wheel(s)  46  into the wheel guide and rolls the wheel(s)  46  up and over the wheel guide  42  and down and into the wheel holder  40 . The purpose of the wheel guide  42  is to align and stabilize a caster  44  on the caster board  20 , and for both caster boards and skateboards to keep wheel(s)  46  in line to be rolled into the wheel holder  40 . 
     The wheel holder  40  and the wheel guide  42  include generally U-shape cross-section, concave inside surfaces that approximately mate with outside surface(s) of the typical wheel(s)  46  of a caster board or skateboard. The wheel guide  42  and the wheel holder  40  for skateboards will be much wider than that for caster boards as they will need to accommodate two wider wheels  46  instead of one thinner wheel. Alternatively, the wheel guide  42  and the wheel holder  40  for skateboards may include separate, spaced wheel guides  42 /wheel holders  40 , one for each wheel  46  at one end of the skateboard. 
     With reference additionally to  FIGS. 5-8 , at the upper portion of the board holder  10  and protruding from the front of the base  30  is a clasp  50 , which is used primarily to hold the top most or upper edge of the caster board  20  or skateboard (typically the front tip of the board) towards the wall or vertical plane, creating an inward (towards wall) and downward force on the upper wheel(s)  46  of the caster board or skateboard towards the wall or other vertical surface (i.e. forcing the weight of the lower part of the board  20  to push and hold the upper wheel(s)  46  firmly into the wheel holder  40  and against the base  30 ) while at the same time restricting the movement of the lower portion of the caster board or skateboard such that the lower wheel(s) will not come in contact with the wall or other vertical surface. 
     The clasp  50  is fashioned so that it is flexible enough to allow either the top edge of the board  20  to “snap” or slip into place under and behind the clasp  50  after the upper wheel(s)  46  is settled into the wheel holder  40 , or if the top edge of the board  20  is placed behind the clasp  50  first (i.e., first hooking the top edge of the board  20  behind the clasp (on the side of the clasp  50  closest to the vertical surface) and then pushing the lower part of the board  20  towards the vertical surface so as to force the upper wheel(s)  46  into the wheel guide  42  and then up and over into the wheel holder  40  as shown in  FIGS. 5-8 ) then it will be flexible enough to allow the upper wheel(s)  46  to roll up and over the wheel guide  42  and into the wheel holder  40 , but is rigid enough to hold the top edge of the caster board or skateboard at a certain distance from the wall or vertical surface while the hanging weight of the caster board or skateboard creates torque around the top wheel(s)  46  placing both outward pressure on the clasp  50  from the top edge of the caster board or skateboard, and inward pressure on the base  30  and wheel holder  40  from the top wheel(s) of the caster board or skateboard. These opposing forces work together such that the lower portion and wheel(s) of the caster board or skateboard are held away from the wall or other vertical surface. 
     Torque is created around the upper wheel(s)  46  (with the wheel holder  40  being the point of axis) as the clasp  50  holds the top edge from rotating further away from the vertical surface, and the hanging weight of the board  20  takes advantage of gravitational forces to continuously pressure the upper wheel(s)  46  into the wheel guide  42 . 
     The holder  10  can also include and/or the clasp  50  can also be fashioned so that beyond the portion of the clasp  50  that is intended to hold a caster board or skateboard in place, the clasp  50  can continue to protrude from the base  30  to form a hook/carrier  60  that will allow the user to hang a riding helmet or other related accessories from the end of the clasp  50 . The weight of the accessories on the carrier  60  will only add to the holding force of the clasp  50 . 
     The board holder  10  includes a separate helmet/accessory carrier  65 . This helmet/accessory carrier  65  protrudes separately from the front of the base  30  from the upper most portion of the device, above the clasp  50 , so that a user can conveniently hang their helmet and/or other related accessories above their caster board  20  and store and/or display them without impairing the view of their caster board or skateboard. 
     In another embodiment of the board holder  10 , the wheel holder  40  and wheel guide  42  are adjustable and can be adjusted vertically higher or lower on the base  30  (and/or the width of the wheel holder  40 /wheel guide  42  are adjustable and/or replaceable for different-sized wheels). Also, the clasp  50  of the board holder  10  can be adjusted and/or replaced so that the clasp  50  can be closer or farther away from the base  30  and vertically higher or lower on the base  30 . These adjustments will allow for one board holder  10  to be used on a variety of board types and sizes as each brand of caster board and skateboard may have different dimensions and angles relative to the special relationship between the front wheel  46  and the top edge of the front of the board. 
     The above figures may depict exemplary configurations for the invention, which is done to aid in understanding the features and functionality that can be included in the invention. The invention is not restricted to the illustrated architectures or configurations, but can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Additionally, although the invention is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments with which they are described, but instead can be applied, alone or in some combination, to one or more of the other embodiments of the invention, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus the breadth and scope of the present invention, especially in any claims that may follow, should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. 
     Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as mean “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, a group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although item, elements or components of the disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. 
     Still further, the terms “upper” and “lower” are only appropriate to the extent that the board  20  is held vertically (as though it were about to be mounted into the holder  10 ). Accordingly, the front part of the board  20  (when the board  20  is horizontal) may be the “upper” part of the board if the front part of the board  20  is vertically above the rear part of the board  20  (when board  20  is held vertically). Similarly, the rear part of the board (when the board is horizontal) may be the “upper” part of the board if the rear part of the board  20  is vertically above the front part of the board  20  (when board  20  is held vertically).