Abstract:
A snowboard scooter formed of a one-piece platform wide enough to accommodate the width of two feet, with side-by-side but offset foot grips in the form of straps, as on a snowboard, requiring the user to place his or her feet in predetermined positions, a fixable post and a handlebar, and a brake system actuated either at the handlebar or by direct contact with one of the user&#39;s feet. Preferably a hydraulic brake system is used to drive a rear flange into the snow to stop the snowboard.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 60/388,468, filed Jun. 12, 2002. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The field of the invention comprises snowboards and scooters.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Downhill skiing is a popular sport in which there have been a number of important developments bringing greater excitement, fun, and safety. Untethered, spring-loaded brakes, improved materials, and innovative ski designs, such as parabolic skis, have enabled all skill levels to enjoy the sport. Snowboarding has brought increased excitement to downhill skiing, but has generally been limited to those with greater athletic ability and flexibility. Safety can be easily compromised, not only for the snowboarders, but for skiers in the area endangered by out-of-control snowboarders. Over many decades, a wide variety of devices have been suggested to “improve” the skiing experience or to make it safer or easier for those without athletic ability or acquired skills. Many of these devices have taken the form of a scooter, for example, in Shores U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,847, where a mono-ski is fitted with a handlebar carried on a post connected to a single ski wherein the skier places his feet aligned one in back of the other. The post can be vertically tilted by a control on the handlebar. “Brakes” are spring loaded to maintain the post in a chosen rotational position and can be released to change the rotational position by means of a cable connected a lever pivotally attached to the handlebar. Little U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,548 discloses a device having a handlebar carried on a bendable mechanism connected to a single ski. Brumbt U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 257,336 provides a handlebar rigidly secured at an angle to a board which itself is supported on a pair of runners. Moerling U.S. Pat. No. 2,292,891 provides a snow scooter having a platform placed on top of the rear of a relatively narrow single runner. A brake is arranged at the forward end of the platform to extend into the snow against the force of a biasing spring. Monreal U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,584 secures upright post-handles to each of two otherwise standard and independent skis. Benson U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,313 discloses what appears to be a water ski board provided with vertically tiltable posts carrying a handlebar.  
           [0004]    Many previously proposed devices use handlebars on a post to enable the user to steer without the need for body movement. Wingard U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,031 attaches a rudder through the forward part of a snowboard, connected to an upright handle and grip, to steer and/or brake the board. Myers U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,126 provides a handlebar secured by means of a tiltable post to a snow runner; see also, Spiers U.S. Pat. No. D451,162. Steering blades extend into the snow on respective sides of the runner operated by respective boot pads. A brake located toward the rear of the runner can be pushed vertically straight into the snow against the force of a biasing spring. Brown U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,974 provides a forward steering and braking blade mounted between the front ends of two skis and controlled by a handlebar connected to the blade by a post. Additional braking is provided by U-shaped flanges connected to the rear of shoe pads and which can be tilted into engagement with the snow on respective outer sides of the skis.  
           [0005]    Other devices bifurcate the runner into a forward steering part and a rear platform on which the user stands. Upright posts with handlebars or gripping surfaces are provided to enable the user to steer the device. Examples can be found in Burger U.S. Pat. No. D460,137, Lanner U.S. Pat. No. D384,912, Blomstrand U.S. Pat. No. 1,723,966, Kupka U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,552, Evequoz U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,353, Rygiel U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,659, Ohlhaver U.S. Pat. No. 2,513,199, Petoud U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,975, Hylan U.S. Pat. No. 2,256,203, and Wetzel U.S. Pat. No. 1,945,170. Some combine runner bifurcation with brakes, such as Van Daam U.S. Pat. No. 1,524,850 which has a downwardly tiltable brake separating forward and rear runners, and Anderson et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,101,229, which has a downwardly tiltable brake on one side of a rearward portion of the rear runner. The most recent implementation can be found in McClure et al U.S. Pat. No. D467,199 and in McClure et al U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0067127.  
           [0006]    As can be seen from the above listed references, some ski scooters are formed with a single runner, others with two or more runners, some of the latter using a front runner to steer and a back runner to stand on, while others use parallel runners. The above patents divide themselves into still other categories. Some of them are meant to support only one foot, while the other foot is used to propel the device, much in the manner of a simple land scooter, such as described in the above U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,524,850, 1,723,966, 1,945,170, 2,101,229, and 4,160,552. Others provide boot grips to place the feet placed one after the other as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,529,847, and 4,773,659. Still others provide separate but parallel runners, each with a boot grip to place the feet side by side on the separate runners as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,593,974, 4,708,353, and 4,744,584, or provide parallel, side-by-side, non-offset, non-slip surfaces as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,126. The remaining references do not provide any means for locating the feet at particular positions.  
           [0007]    None of the foregoing devices and proposed designs are believed to provide the user with a full skiing experience. With both skis and snowboards, a great part of the enjoyment comes from the movement or tilting of one&#39;s body to control direction and speed, providing so called “body English”, yet the purpose of many of the above-described devices is, essentially, to remove or compromise the need for such body English. Other devices attempt to provide safety by braking mechanisms that are awkward to use or which require unnecessary coordination to operate satisfactorily. A need exists for a device that will allow a user to experience the exhilaration and enjoyment of snowboarding without loss of control, without the need for great athleticism, yet retaining the feel that comes from the use of body English to turn and to check speed, while enabling the user to quickly stop in a safe, easy manner.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention satisfies the foregoing needs by providing a scooter like snowboard that enables a user to experience snowboarding without requiring great athleticism and with a significant level of safety. This is accomplished by providing a one-piece platform wide enough to accommodate the width of two feet, with laterally dispose but offset foot grips in the form of straps, as on a snowboard, requiring the user to place his or her feet in predetermined positions, fitting the one-piece platform with a fixable upright post and a handlebar, and providing a brake system actuated either at the handlebar or by direct contact with one of the user&#39;s feet. More particularly, a rear brake is provided located on the longitudinal axis of the board so as to better enable the user to maintain control when slowing or stopping the scooter. The brake is located on the rear edge of the scooter for optimal control. While it can be operated by a rear foot pedal, it is preferably operated at the handlebar. In one embodiment, a cable is connected from the handlebar to the rear foot pedal. In a preferred embodiment, a hydraulic brake system is used to drive the rear foot pedal into the snow. A brake lever acts on a push rod connected to the piston in a master cylinder fitted with a brake fluid reservoir, transmitting force through a hydraulic brake fluid line to a pair of pistons, connected by a tee, which then push the foot pedal into the snow.  
           [0009]    The snowboard makes full contact with the snow substantially along its length and width (with a leading edge angled upwardly as on skis and snowboards), so that it is used in the same manner as a snowboard, but allows the user to hold onto the handlebar. The angle the post makes with the snowboard is adjustable, but then secured so that it doesn&#39;t change while in use. By combining a snowboard with an upright post having handlebars on which hydraulics are used for braking, one obtains a snowboard scooter providing an unprecedented safe skiing experience. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a front perspective front view of the snowboard scooter in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention in which cable operated brakes are provided;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a front view of the snowboard scooter;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a rear view of the snowboard scooter;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the left side of the snowboard scooter;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the right side the of the snowboard scooter;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the snowboard scooter;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the snowboard scooter;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a front perspective front view of the snowboard scooter in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention in which hydraulic brakes are provided; and  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 9 is schematic view of the operating parts of the hydraulic brake system of FIG. 8. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]    Referring first to FIGS.  1 - 7 , in one embodiment of the invention, the snowboard scooter  10  of this invention is built on a snowboard  12  to which is fixed a post  14  carrying a handlebar  16  at its top end. A pair of left and right boot grips in the form of foot straps  18  and  20  are secured to the snowboard  12 , and a brake assembly  22  is located at the rear of the snowboard  12 .  
         [0020]    The snowboard  12  is of commercial construction, i.e., it can be a regular commercially available snowboard formed with a leading edge angled upwardly, modified to be fitted with the post  14  and brake assembly  22 . In this embodiment, a platform  24  is preferably provided to secure the post  14  and foot straps  18  and  20  to the top of the snowboard  12 , and provides certain advantages as will be described, but in its broader concept, the post  14 , and foot straps  18  and  20  can be secured directly to the snowboard. The platform  24  is secured by strong adhesive, and/or by bolts (not shown) to the top surface of the snowboard  12  in such a way that no bolts extend below the bottom surface of the snowboard  12 .  
         [0021]    The post  14  is secured to the snowboard by means of a bracket assembly  26 . The bottom of the post  14  is secured to an upright component  28  of the bracket assembly  26  by a pin  30  through the arms of a shackle  32  so as to pivot on the bracket assembly upright component  28 . The post  14  can thereby be pivoted to a position that is comfortable for the user, then secured by means of a slotted bracket  34 , carried by the bracket assembly  26 , and retaining bolt  36 . The post  14  is of telescopic construction. It and the handle bar  16  as well as the bracket assembly  26 , including the shackle  32  and slotted bracket  34  and associated components, are all commercially available, and are in commercial use on commercially available roller scooters.  
         [0022]    The brake assembly  22  is located on the rear edge of the snowboard  12 . A section  38  of the rear edge of the snowboard  12  is cut out to accommodate pivotal movement of a flange  40  into the slow to snow or stop the scooter  10 . As detailed in FIGS.  4 - 7 , the flange  40 , formed of rigid aluminum, is secured to a foot pedal  42  having an upright  44  retained in its raised position by a pair of springs  46  connected to a retention block  48 , and pivotable about the block  48  by a pivot member  50  and pivot pin  52  securing the foot pedal  44  to the block  48 . When a user desires to slow or stop the scooter  10 , he or she can do so by stepping on the foot pedal  44  with one or the other of his or her feet, to extend the flange into the snow. By this arrangement, the snow scooter  10  can be slowed smoothly and easily, or stopped.  
         [0023]    Referring again to FIG. 1, and to FIGS. 4 and 5, alternatively, or in addition to the foot pedal  44 , the brake assembly can be operated by means of a pair of cables  54  that extend from the handlebar  16 , through a channel  56  extending along the bottom surface of the platform  24 , to the brake assembly pivot member  50 . The handlebar  16  carries opposing grips  58  and  60  which are arranged to rotate freely on the handlebar. The cable  54  is connected to the grips  58  and  60  guided by appropriate eyelets, such as at  62 , whereby when the grips are rotated against the force of the brake assembly springs  46 , they rotate the brake assembly flange  40  into the snow. By providing both capabilities, the user has available great flexibility in stopping the snowboard. By using the handlebars, and with body “English,” the user can use the brakes in part to steer, or to slow down the snowboard without stopping, as the depth of penetration of the brake assembly flange  40  can be better controlled.  
         [0024]    The boot grips  18  and  20  can be of leather and fixed as loops to the platform  24 , but preferably they are foot straps  18  and  20  formed of hook and loop material such as Velcro to be adjustable. The foot straps  18  and  20  are laterally disposed but offset, i.e., but for the offset, they would be side-by-side. The offset is such that the toe of one foot, preferably the right foot, is secured to be aligned approximately with the instep of the other foot. They are secured by planks  64  and  66  on the platform  24 .  
         [0025]    By having the brake assembly  22  operated by either the cables  54  or the foot pedal  44 , or both, the snowboard scooter user can exert increasing pressure on the brake assembly to progressively slow the scooter  10  or stop it.  
         [0026]    Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown wherein hydraulic brakes are used. The snowboard scooter shown in FIG. 8 is identical to the snowboard scooter of FIG. 1 except for substituting a hydraulic brake system for the cable system of FIG. 1. Therefore, other than with respect to the hydraulic system, the description and lead lines of FIG. 8 is the same as with respect to FIG. 1, mutatis mutandis.  
         [0027]    The hydraulic system, shown generally in FIG. 8 and schematically in FIG. 9, uses a master cylinder  68  connected to a brake fluid reservoir  70 , to which is connected a brake lever  72  (FIG. 8) that exerts pressure on a push rod  74  (FIG. 9). The master cylinder  68  is formed internally with a piston (not shown) that, in response to movement of the push rod  74  exerts pressure on brake fluid contained in a hydraulic brake fluid line  76 . The brake fluid line  76  is formed with a tee  78  at its distal end wherein two brake fluid line branches  80  and  82  communicate with respective pistons  84  and  86  (shown in shadow in FIG. 9) contained in respective piston housings  88  and  90 . The pistons  84  and  86  abut the upright  44  so that when the brake lever  72  is squeezed, hydraulic pressure is transmitted via the brake fluid line  76  to the pistons  84  and  86  thereby pushing the upright  44  against the force of the springs  46 , moving the brake flange  40  into the snow to brake the snowboard.  
         [0028]    Using a hydraulic brake system provides a great degree of safety. The brake system is similar to that found on motorcycles, except that instead of having distal pistons apply pressure to a rotating brake pad, the pistons are applied, preferably split by a tee, to move a braking flange into the snow. The master cylinder and brake lever combination is readily available as it can be the same as commonly used on motorcycles. See for example the brake systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,626,038 to Hayashi et al, 6,338,533 to Wakabayashi et al, 6,484,855 to Yaple, and 6,502,675 to Andrus, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. To applicant&#39;s knowledge, use of a hydraulic brake on a snowboard is unprecedented.  
         [0029]    The combination of the foregoing features enable a skier to retain the ability to control the snowboard scooter  10  using body English to have the exhilarating excitement of snowboarding with a greater degree of control and safety heretofore not feasible.