Abstract:
A recreational vehicle that is a powered riding vehicle that is maneuvered by shifting the weight of the rider-occupant. The vehicle has a floating and suspension configured drive means and an independent front mounted ski that allows for easy maneuverability.

Description:
The invention disclosed and claimed herein deals with a powered riding vehicle that is used for recreational sports. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,540, that issued on Mar. 2, 2004 to Decker, “The capabilities and/or complexity of the control features are problems on many recreational snow devices. For example, some devices are linked to a motorized propulsion unit such that there is little or no flexibility or pivoting ability of the propulsion unit relative to the user platform. Yet other designs offer multiple degrees of freedom between the user platform and the propulsion device, but provide this in a relatively large, complex mechanism. Yet other designs allow for pivotal movement of the user platform relative to the propulsion device, but do not provide any mechanism for restoring alignment of the two devices. What are needed are apparatus [sic] and methods which overcome these failings.” 
     The device of the present invention falls into the category of guidance of the device through the shifting of body weight, much the same as non-propelled snowboards and skateboards. Thus, the device of the instant invention does not have the problems associated with the prior art devices according to Decker. 
     In addition, there is a great number of patented devices that are motorized riding boards and these are supported by, and travel on wheels. It is considered by the inventor herein that none of those devices constitute prior art devices owing to the employment of wheels and in some cases, steering devices. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,846, that issued Apr. 26, 1994 to Martin, there is disclosed a motorized trackboard that has a rear mounted engine that transmits rotary motion centrally to a rear drive track at each side of a trackboard platform. It is an all-terrain vehicle that can be made small and light enough for a child to use or large enough for a seat for heavy use. The riding platform is supported directly on top of the drive means such that there is no suspension system that severely limits the capability of maneuvering the vehicle. 
     A similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,290, that issued on Aug. 20, 2002 to Justus, et al. The device has been characterized as a land vehicle and has a flexible central from member which extends from a large front roller to a smaller rear roller and is encircled by a flexible looped belt having projecting treads, in other words, an endless drive belt. An engine is mounted above the belt that drives the front roller and two bogie wheels engage the belt within valleys formed in the treads. The vehicle is controlled by twisting and tipping the vehicle in a manner similar to the control of a conventional unpowered snowboard. These devices also suffer from the fact that there is no suspension system, among other features, that prevents it from being easily maneuvered. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,540, that issued on Mar. 2, 2004 to Decker (disclosed Supra), deals with a two-piece motorized snowboard that is designed to enhance the maneuverability of the device by providing a jointed pivot point between the skis and the propulsion mechanism. 
     On additional disclosure is U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,186, that issued Sep. 2, 1997 to Welch in which there is shown a power-driven snowboard that includes forward and rear regions. A drive unit is removably attached at the rear region of the snowboard and it includes a drive unit mounting assembly, a plurality of rollers rotatably supported in the mounting assembly, a motor propelling the snowboard, and a drive belt supported the rollers and drivingly connected to the motor. The entire track or belt lays in contact with the ground (snow) and there is no suspension system in the device. These two features, among other, prevents this device from being as maneuverable as the device of the instant invention. 
     THE INVENTION 
     The invention disclosed and claimed herein deals with a powered riding vehicle that is used for recreational sports. 
     The invention is a powered riding vehicle, the vehicle comprising in combination a support frame having a front component with a top, a distal end portion, and an elevated rear component also having a distal portion. 
     There is a motor for powering the vehicle, the motor being mounted on the top of the front component and having an exterior drive means wherein the exterior drive means is drivably attached to an endless drive track for the vehicle, that is, the drive track is mounted beneath the elevated rear component and mechanically moveably attached to the exterior drive means of the motor wherein the drive track is guided by a glide support having a distal end, and guide wheels having a common axle. 
     There is a truck mounted beneath the front component and near the distal end portion of the front component thereof, the truck having a distal end and there is mounted on the distal end of the truck a moveable ski, said moveable ski having an underside surface. 
     There are shock absorbers located and mounted beneath the elevated rear component near the distal portion and there is a means of controlling the acceleration and deceleration of the motor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is full right side view of a device of this invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a full side view of the support frame of the device of this invention and also showing an attached suspension mechanism. 
         FIG. 3  is a full side view of the motor of this invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a full is full side view of the drive belt and auxiliary equipment for the drive belt. 
         FIG. 5  is a full side view of a truck having a ski mounted thereon. 
         FIG. 6  is a full top view of the support frame of this invention shown the front portion with a metal grid covering. 
         FIG. 7  is view from the back of an additional embodiment of a ski that is used in this invention. 
         FIG. 8  is full side view of the drive mechanism for the device  1 . 
         FIG. 9  is an end view of the combination of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is a full end view of the axle  51  of this invention showing details of the arrangement of the sprocket and the keeper plate along with the drive wheel. 
         FIG. 11  is a full end view of the drive belt of this invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a full side view of another embodiment of a drive mechanism of this invention showing the use of wheels inside of the drive belt. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning to  FIG. 1 , there is shown one embodiment of a device  1  of this invention. There is also shown a support frame  2 , a motor  3 , attached securely to the frame  2 , a drive mechanism  4  that is driven by the motor  3 , and a single ski  5  attached to the under surface  6  of the frame  2  using a truck  7 . 
     For purposes of this invention, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,566, that issued Oct. 17, 2006 to McClain for an explanation of a “truck”. Trucks are common in the skateboard industry and are an assembly that is used to provide control of the skateboard. Skateboards are typically made of three main components, those being a deck, truck assemblies, and wheels. Decks, which are sometime known as boards, usually have a flat center portion that accommodates the feet of the rider. Decks are typically elongated such that they are longer in length from the front to the rear of the deck than in width from either side of the deck. The front and/or back of the deck may in some instances be upturned in relation to the center portion of the deck. 
     The wheels of the skateboard are attached to the deck via the truck assembly. The truck assembly is provided with an axle onto which a pair of wheels is rotatably mounted. The truck assembly and wheels are mounted onto the bottom of the skateboard towards the front portion. A similar truck assembly with wheels is likewise mounted to the bottom of the skateboard near the rear portion. The two truck assemblies may be either identical, or of different configurations according to commonly known designs. 
     During operation of the skateboard, the rider may position his or her feet at any location on the board in order to control the skateboard in response to a given situation. For example, the rider may have one foot located at the upturned rear portion of the board while the other foot is at the upturned front portion of the board. In order to turn left to right, the rider may shift his or her weight such that the deck is tilted about a longitudinal axis. This tilting is accommodated by the truck assemblies that allow for the wheels to be pivoted in order to accommodate a left or right turn. It is intended to cite the above-identified &#39;566 patent to give a definition of a truck, and is not intended to limit the instant invention to just that type of truck. 
     In this Figure, there is also shown a blade  8 , on the ski  5 , a shock absorber  9  of two shock absorbers used in this invention, a tension adjustment  10  on the guide wheel  11 , a bogey wheel  12  (there is a pair of bogey wheels) for the drive belt  13 , a slide rail assembly  14 , having a main part which is the slide rail  61 , a pivot connection of the slide rail assembly  32  to the frame  2 , a drive wheel  15  for the drive belt  13 , a drive connection  16  between the drive wheel  15  and a drive pulley  17  on the motor  3 . The bogey wheels  12  are rotatably mounted on an axle  33  that is mounted on braces  34  on either side of the slide rail assembly  14  (shown for more clarity in  FIG. 4 ). The braces  34  are attached to the top edge  35  of the slide rail assembly  14 . 
     The slide rail assembly  14  is the component that bears the weight of the device  1 , and the person riding it, inside the drive belt  13 . In the inventive device, there is only one such slide rail assembly  14  as opposed to two such assemblies on snowmobiles. The drive belt  13  slides under the slide rails and contacts the ground surface. The stresses on the slide rail assembly  14  are magnified when the device  1  is operated under adverse conditions, such as, on surfaces where there is no snow or water to cool and lubricate the interface between the slide rail and drive belt  13 , or on surfaces that cause debris such as dirt, sand, and gravel that contaminate the interface between the slide rail assembly and the drive belt  13 . 
     Thus, the slide rail  61  is equipped with a wear blade  22  that is fitted on the bottom edge of the slide rail  61 . Such replaceable wear blades are known in the art, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,275 that issued to Cyr on Nov. 5, 1996 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,330 that issued to Bombardier. One commercial Hyfax-type slider is manufactured by several different companies. One such company is Garland Industries, P.O. Box 538, Saco, Me. 04072. 
     Also shown is a motor mount  18  for stabilizing the motor  3  to the frame  2  and this is aided by a second motor mount  19  for stabilizing the top portion of the motor  3  to the frame  2 . Finally, there is shown a clutch apparatus  20  on the motor  3  that is drivably attached to the drive pulley  17  by a drive chain  21 , and a glide bar  22  that is attached to the slide rail assembly  14  at the bottom. The motor is a conventional motor and is sized according to the power desired in propelling the device. Normally, this size is equivalent to a motor that is used on a standard chain saw and has a horse power in the range of 2.5 to 6. 
     It should be noted that the shock absorbers  9 , at their near ends  23 , are attached to the support frame  2  by any standard means, such as bolt and nut  24 . It is important that this attachment allow the shock absorbers  9  to move about the attachment means  24  so that the shock absorbers  9  can accommodate the limited rotational movement of the slide rail assembly  14  as it encounters bumps and holes in the snow, ice or the ground. Also, it should be noted that the distal end of the shock absorber  9  is attached to posts (not shown) that are mounted on the side of the slide rail assembly  14 , by a similar fastening means  25  such that the slide rail assembly  14  and the shock absorbers  9  can move rotationally with regard to each other. The posts in the slide rail assembly  14  extend from the side of the slide rail assembly  14  the necessary distance to keep the shock absorbers  9  from touching the drive belt  13  or the bogey wheels  12 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the guide wheels  11  are intended to support the back end of the drive belt  13  and the guide wheels  11  are rotatably mounted on an axle  26  that passes through the slide rail assembly  14  and rotatably attaches to a like guide wheel  11  on the other side of the slide rail assembly  14 . 
     The tension adjustment  10  touches the axle  26  and it is at this point that the tension in the drive belt  13  is adjusted for optimum performance. The tension adjustment  10  is securely attached to the side of the slide rail assembly  14  and the screw  27  turns in and out relative to a nut  28  that is secured to the slide rail assembly  14 . By turning this screw out, the tension adjustment  10  touches the axle  26  and causes the guide wheel  11  to press against the inside surface  30  of the drive belt  13  and tighten the drive belt  13  against the various wheels and guides that it rotates around. Conversely, by turning the screw  27  in, the guide wheel  11  moves away from the drive belt  13  and decreases the tension in the drive belt  13  relative to the various wheels and guides that the drive belt  13  rotates on. The various wheels and rotational points on the inventive device can be equipped with bushings or ball bearing assemblies as the need requires. This is common in the art. 
     Aside from the connection of the slide rail assembly  14  to the shock absorber  9 , there is only one other point of attachment of the slide rail to the support frame  2 . This is the pivot attachment  32  that allows for a partial rotation of the slide rail assembly  14  relative to the frame  2 . The combination discussed just Supra, allows for the drive mechanism  4  to move independently of the support frame  2  to not only provide shock absorbing capabilities, but this combination provides for the drive mechanism  4  to contact the ground for maximum driving power, and it also aids in maneuvering the device  1  as it is being operated. 
     It should be noted that the slide rail assembly  14  is fitted with a wear blade  29  on the bottom edge of the slide rail assembly  14 . This wear blade  29  engages the inside surface  30  of the drive belt  13  and not only guides the drive belt  13  along its intended path, but it also provides for positioning and holding the drive belt  13  to the snow, ice or ground on which it is being operated. In  FIG. 4 , it should be noted that the slide rail has a thinner top section perforated with holes to lessen the weight of the slide rail, and line  60  is in fact a ridge line for the thicker bottom portion of the slide rail. 
     The motor is equipped with an ignition box  36  from which has connected to it an accelerator cable housing  37  which encases an accelerator cable  38  that terminates in a trigger mechanism  39  for increasing or decreasing the acceleration of the device  1 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 2 and 6 , there is shown a support frame  2  having upper side rails  41 , lower side rails  42 . Upper side rails  41  connect by their near ends  44  to the lower side rails  42  at about the mid-section  43  of the support frame  2  and the distal end  45  of the upper side rails  41  connects to the lower side rails  42  at or near the back end  46  of the support frame  2 . It is noted that this provides a bend  47  in the lower side rails  42  and a bend  48  in the upper side rails  41 . This configuration accommodates the mounting of the motor  3 , shown in  FIG. 3 . Also shown in  FIG. 2  are the mounting bolts  49  for the truck  7 . 
     With further reference to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a first brace  50  which also serves as the axle housing for the axle  51  that has mounted on it the drive wheel  15  ( FIGS. 1 and 4 ). There is also shown a second brace  52  that is a cross brace for the support frame  2 , but also is a point at which the pivot attachment  32  for the slide rail assembly  14 . 
     Area designated “A” in  FIG. 6  is normally covered with a metal mesh  53 , such as that fund on the front segment  54  of the support frame  2 . However, in order to illustrate the cross bracing, the metal mesh  53  was not put into  FIG. 6 . Area “B” is not covered with metal mesh  53 , but is an open space  55  that accommodates the bottom half of the motor  3 . Points  56  and  57  are the points of attachment of the motor  3  to the support frame  2 . Also shown are the shock absorbers  9 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , in  FIG. 5  there is shown a combination of a truck  7  and a ski  5 , wherein the ski  5  has a cutting blade  8  attached to the bottom thereof. As discussed Supra, the truck  7  greatly contributes to the capability of the device  1  to be maneuvered. as it allows the device  1  to be tilted using body weight of the user to steer the device  1 . In addition to the truck  7 , the steering is aided, especially on ice, by the use of a cutting blade  8 . It is contemplated within the scope of this invention to utilize more than one cutting blade  8  on the bottom surface of the ski  5 . 
     The ski  5  closely resembles the front half of a conventional snowboard. The ski  5  is essentially flat, having to parallel edges and an upturned front tip  58 . In another embodiment of this invention as shown in  FIG. 7 , the ski  5  is not flat, but has a slight parabolic arch  60  between the two parallel edges  59 . This configuration of the ski  5  is preferred for use on ice surfaces. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 8 , there is shown a full side view of the components of the drive mechanism for the device  1 . Shown in  FIG. 8  is the clutch drive  20  that is mounted on the motor shaft  62 . Drive chain  21  provides the drive to first drive pulley  63  that is mounted on a common axle  64  with the second drive pulley  17 . A drive chain  16  is mounted on the second drive pulley  17  and moves to the sprocket  65  mounted on axle  51 . The sprocket  65  is mounted on a common axle  51  with the drive wheel  15  for the drive belt  13 . Showing on the back side of the drive wheel  15  is a keeper plate  72  that helps keep the drive belt  13  on the drive wheel  15  and centered thereon. 
     In addition, there is a chain guide  66  for the chain  16  that prevent the chain from dropping and a chain keeper  67  that prevents the chain from moving laterally and dropping off of the second drive pulley  17 . 
     When the engine is running, power is transferred to the clutch wheel assembly  20  and thence by the drive chain  21  to the first drive pulley  63 . Because of the common axle  64 , the power is transferred to the second drive pulley  17  and thence to the drive chain  16  and thence to the sprocket  65  having teeth  73 , which in turns powers the drive wheel  15 . The drive wheel  15  has on its center surface, projections  68  that insert in openings  69  ( FIG. 11 ) formed by the placement of drive cleats  70  affixed to the drive belt  13 .  FIG. 11  is a full end view of a drive belt  13  of this invention in which there is shown the belt  71 , cleats  70 , and openings  69 . 
     In another embodiment of this invention, and turning to  FIG. 12 , there is shown a drive assembly for a vehicle of this invention that rides on wheels within the interior of the drive belt  13  so that the vehicle can be used on dry terrain for prolonged periods of time. Thus, there is shown essentially the drive mechanism of  FIG. 4  with the addition of wheels  74  that are mounted on axles  75  passing through the bottom of the slider rail  61  then attached to like wheels  74  on the opposite side of the slider rail  61 .