Abstract:
A motive vehicle comprises a frame, a front wheel, two rear wheels, a seat, a handle, a headset, and a pedal device. A front sprocket is coupled to the pedal device and a rear sprocket is connected to a differential. The motive vehicle is powered by human pedaling. The differential communicates with the rear wheels to allow the vehicle to turn on a zero turn radius. The wheels are attached to the frame with an attachment apparatus that allows for easy detachability. The seat is also detachable and adjustable. Brake cams are attached to the frame, and engage the rear wheels when the bike is pedaled backwards. An alternative embodiment comprises a multiple operator motive vehicle, wherein a rear vehicle with two wheels is coupled to a front vehicle having three wheels. Further, another two-wheeled follower unit may be coupled to the first rear vehicle for a greater number of riders. Additional attachments may also be made.

Description:
“This application is a continuation of related application U.S. Ser. No. 09/231,603 filed on Jan. 14, 1999 now abandoned.” 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to motive vehicles that are propelled by human force through a pedaling motion. More specifically, the present invention relates to a three wheel single person vehicle. This invention allows a user to turn the vehicle on a zero turn radius and to easily detach the wheels and seat. A number of secondary units can be attached to the three wheel vehicle to allow more than one person to be transported. 
     B. Problems in the Art 
     Motive vehicles that are powered by humans, through the use of pedals, are well known in the art. Both single person three-wheel vehicles and multiple user vehicles are old. However, these prior art motive vehicles suffered from a variety of defects. Some of these vehicles were hard to maneuver, making turns around tight corners very difficult. Other vehicles had wheels that were hard to remove. When these vehicles would blow a tire or need to be transported in a car, an operator would have to spend a long time taking the wheels off. Other prior art vehicles had uncomfortable seats that were difficult or impossible to remove. This also made storing the vehicle in a tight space a difficult task. Still other vehicles suffered from faulty or unreliable braking systems. 
     Therefore, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a motive vehicle that improves upon or solves problems and deficiencies in the art. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a motive vehicle with a zero turn radius. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a motive vehicle that has wheels that are easily detachable. 
     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a motive vehicle that has a braking system that is easy to use and reliable. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a motive vehicle that has a detachable seat. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a two-person motive vehicle that is easy to use. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a motive vehicle that is durable, efficient in operation, easy to use, and economical. 
     These and other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art through reference to the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A motive vehicle according to the present invention comprises a central frame, rear wheels attached to the central frame, and a seat attached to the central frame. Both the seat and rear wheels may be detachable. A pedal device and a fork are operatively attached to the central frame. A handle and a front wheel are connected to the fork. The front wheel, fork, and handle allow for steering of the motive vehicle. A differential is operatively coupled to the central frame. A front gear is coupled to the pedal device and a rear gear is connected to the differential. A chain is operatively coupled to both the front and rear sprockets. Force applied to the pedal device propels the vehicle in a forward motion. 
     The differential communicates with the rear wheels. The differential allows the wheel on the side to which the operator is turning to quit rotating. This gives the motive vehicle a zero turn radius. 
     Preferably, another gear and a one-way clutch are coupled to the central frame, along with brake cams. Backwards pedaling will cause the brake cams to frictionally engage the rear wheels, helping them to slow down. 
     In an alternative embodiment, a front motive vehicle having three wheels is connected to a rear vehicle which has two wheels. The front vehicle is of the type just described. The rear vehicle will also have a seat and a pedal device similar to that on the front vehicle. Two people can operate this tandem vehicle. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the motive vehicle of the present invention, shown with the wheels and seat removed. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the motive vehicle of FIG. 1, shown with the seat and wheels attached. 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the invention of FIG. 1, with the wheels removed and the handle in a second position. 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the second embodiment, wherein the rear vehicle has a trailer, instead of a seat. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wheel and attachment cylinder that are utilized with the present invention. 
     FIG. 6A is a sectional view taken along line  6 A of FIG.  6 . 
     FIG. 6B is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6A, wherein the connection cylinder is attached to the wheel 
     FIG. 7 is a rear elevation view of the differential that is utilized by the motive vehicle, shown with a five speed rear sprocket. 
     FIG. 8 is a rear elevation view of the differential that is utilized by the motive vehicle, shown with a one speed rear sprocket. 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view, taken along circle  9 — 9  of FIG. 2, of a brake cam and clutch that are utilized in the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view, taken along circle  10 — 10  of FIG. 1, of a brake cam and brake adjustment and lock switch that are utilized in the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     To provide a better understanding of the invention, one preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail. It is to be understood that the preferred embodiment discussed below is but one form the invention can take and is not exclusive. The description will make frequent references to the accompanying drawings. Reference numerals and/or letters will be utilized to indicate certain parts or locations in the drawings. The same reference numbers and/or letters will be used to indicate the same parts or locations in all of the drawings unless otherwise indicated. 
     A preferred embodiment of a motive vehicle according to the present invention is generally referenced by the numeral  10 . The motive vehicle  10  has a seat  12  which is connected to a central frame  14 . The seat  12  is detachable and is shaped so that a plurality of seats can be stacked upon one another. The seat  12  is also molded from material such as fiberglass to be more comfortable than a customary bicycle seat. 
     The central frame  14  is comprised of a top frame  16  and a bottom frame  18 . The top frame  16  comprises a longitudinal bar  20 , support bars  22 A,  22 B and transverse bar  24 . The longitudinal bar  20  is connected to the transverse bar  24 , and the support bars  22 A,  22 B are connected to the transverse bar  24 . The seat  12  has connection members  70 A,  70 B (FIG. 3) which matingly slide over the longitudinal bar  20 . Pin  74  has a cam  73  (FIG. 9) that fits into the groove  72  of the connection member  70 B. The cam  73  frictionally engages the longitudinal bar  20  to prevent the seat  12  from sliding, when the pin  74  is in the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. When the cam  73  engages the bar  20 , pin  74  is held in a notch in groove  72 . The pin  74  can be rotated and removed to allow the seat  12  to be detached. The support bars  22 A,  22 B serve to add support and stability to the seat  12 . A chain tightener  52  is attached to the longitudinal bar  20  by the connection arm  54 . The chain tightener  54  serves to take slack out of the chain  58 , and engage sprocket  46 . 
     The top frame  16  is connected to the bottom frame  18  through connection members  26 A- 26 D. The bottom frame  18  comprises two longitudinal bars  30 A,  30 B, a transverse rod  32 , and connection cylinders  28 A,  28 B. The transverse rod  32  is operatively coupled to both longitudinal bars  30 A,  30 B. A one way clutch  47  is connected to the transverse rod  32 . A middle gear  46  is operatively coupled with the one way clutch  47 . Connection cylinder  28 A is connected to longitudinal bar  30 A, and connection cylinder  28 B is connected to longitudinal bar  30 B. Connection members  26 A and  26 B connect cylinder  28 A to transverse bar  24 . Connection members  26 C and  26 D connect cylinder  28 B to transverse bar  24 . A differential  60  is operatively coupled to the connection cylinders  28 A,  28 B. A rear sprocket  56  is connected to the differential  60 . The rear wheels  62 A,  62 B are connected to connection cylinders  28 A,  28 B, respectively. The rear wheels  62 A,  62 B are detachable. 
     A headset  34  is rotatably coupled to the longitudinal bar  20 . A standard bicycle headset can be used. A front wheel  36  is connected to the headset  34 . A handle  38  is connected to the headset  34  through pivotal attachment  40 . The combination of the headset  34 , handle  38 , and front wheel  36  allows an operator to steer the motive vehicle  10 . The pivotal connection  40  allows the handle  38  to be moved from an initial position (FIG. 2) to a second position (FIG.  3 ). The handle  38  position shown in FIG. 3 would be suitable when an operator decided to pull the motive vehicle  10 . Lock  66  serves to keep the handle from pivoting after a position for the handle  38  has been selected. The pivotal connection  40  also makes it easier for an operator to get in and out of the seat  12 . 
     A pedal device  42  is attached to the longitudinal bar  20 . A front sprocket  44  is operatively connected to the pedal device  42 . The front sprocket  44  and the pedal device  42  are conventional in the art. A chain  58  is operatively coupled to the front gear  44 , the rear gear  56 , the chain tightener  52 , and the middle gear  46 . The motive vehicle  10  is powered by the pedal device  42  which causes the chain  58  to rotate about the sprockets  44 ,  56 ,  46  and the chain tightener  52 . The gear shifter  64  is attached to the longitudinal bar  20 . The gear shifter  64  is also conventional. 
     The detachability of the rear wheels  62 A,  62 B and the functioning of the connection cylinders  28 A,  28 B are best understood by reference to FIGS. 6,  6 A, and  6 B. FIG. 6 shows the attachment apparatus  78  of the rear wheel  62 A. The attachment apparatus  78  is comprised of quick release  88 , coupling  86 , and rod  80 . The rod  80  has a threaded end  82 . The rod  80  slides through the hub  84  of the rear wheel  62 A. The coupling  86  is attached to the hub  84 . This may be accomplished by welding or the like. The rod  80  slides through coupling  86  and quick release  88  until it comes into contact with the threaded part  90  of quick release  88 . Turning the wheel tightener  68  will screw the threaded end  82  of rod  80  into the threaded part  90  of quick release  88 . Once the respective parts of the attachment apparatus  78  are in the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 6A, the attachment apparatus  78  is inserted into the connection cylinder  28 A. 
     The connection cylinder  28 A into which the attachment apparatus  78  is inserted is comprised of two cylinders  94 ,  96 . The inner cylinder  94  has a rod  92  that runs across the diameter and through the inner cylinder  94 . The attachment apparatus  78  is inserted into the cylinder  94  to engage rod  92 . The wheel tightener  68  is then turned to screw rod  80  further into quick release  88 . The tightening of the screw will cause quick release  88  to “slide” up coupling  86 , leading to the arrangement show in FIG.  6 B. The tightening of the screw causes the attachment apparatus  78  to clamp down on the rod  92 . 
     The two cylinder configuration of the connection cylinder  28 A allows the wheel  62 A to rotate even though the connection cylinder  28 A is connected to the transverse bar  24  (FIG.  1 ). Inner cylinder  94  will rotate as the wheel  62 A rotates, as a result of the attachment apparatus  78  being coupled to the rod  92 . The outer cylinder  96  will not rotate. 
     The functioning of the differential can best be understood by reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. The differential  60  comprises a housing  100  and four gears  102 A,  102 B,  104 A,  104 B. Two of the gears  102 A,  102 B are vertically disposed, and two  104 A,  104 B are horizontally disposed. Each gear has a neck  106  and a head with toothed gears  108 . The gears have a hole that runs through their neck  106  and head  108 . The vertically disposed gears  102 A,  102 B are connected to the connection cylinders  28 A,  28 B by pins that are inserted into holes  110  in the gears. The shafts  97 A,  97 B of the connection cylinders  28 A,  28 B have holes that communicate with the holes  110  of the vertical gears  102 A,  102 B and receive the pins that are inserted in holes  110 . Pin  112  runs through the holes in the horizontally disposed gears  104 A,  104 B. The shafts  97 A,  97 B of the connections cylinders  28 A,  28 B frictionally engage the inner cylinders  94 . A bearing  29  is position between the inner  94  and outer cylinders  96 , making it easier for the inner cylinder  94  to rotate. The shafts  97 A,  97 B also have forked ends  79 A that engage rods  92 A. The rods  92 A run through the inner cylinders  94 . The rear sprocket  56  or  57  is screwed onto the housing  100  of the differential  60 . 
     When the motive vehicle  10  is pedaled in a forward direction, the shafts  97 A,  97 B of the connection cylinders  28 A,  28 B rotate as a result of the rotation of the wheels  62 A,  62 B (FIG.  1 ). The housing  100  of the differential  60  will rotate due to the rotation of the rear sprocket  56  or  57  that is screwed to it. The vertical gears  102 A,  10 B rotate with the shafts  97 A,  97 B that they are coupled to. Even though the vertical gears  102 A,  102 B rotate, their position with respect to each other, the horizontal gears  104 A,  104 B and the housing  100  will remain constant. 
     As the motive vehicle  10  is turned, the rotation of the wheel on the side to which the operator is turning slows down relative to the other wheel. For example, if an operator made a right hand turn, the rotation of wheel  62 B would be slower than the rotation of wheel  62 A. The faster rotation of wheel  62 A causes shaft  97 A to rotate faster than shaft  97 B, causing the horizontal gears  104 A,  104 B to rotate. The difference in the rate of rotation of the rear wheels is compensated for by the spinning of the housing  100 . For a right turn with a zero turn radius, the right wheel  62 B would stop rotating. 
     The operation of the motive vehicle&#39;s braking system is best shown in FIG.  9 . The middle sprocket  46 , the one way clutch  47  that is coupled to the transverse rod  32 , and the brake cams  48 A,  48 B enable the operator of the motive vehicle  10  to come to a smooth stop. When the motive vehicle  10  is pedaled in a forward direction, the movement of the chain  58  will cause the middle sprocket  46  to rotate about the transverse rod  32  in a clockwise direction. The transverse rod  32  and the one way clutch  47  do not rotate when the motive apparatus  10  is pedaled in a forward direction. The brake cams  48 A,  48 B do not contact the wheels  62 A,  62 B when the motive vehicle  10  is pedaled forward. 
     As the motive vehicle  10  is pedaled backwards, chain  58  will cause the middle sprocket  46  to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. The counter-clockwise rotation of the middle sprocket  46  causes the one way clutch  47  to engage the middle sprocket  46 . The engagement of the clutch  47  causes the clutch  47  and transverse rod  32  to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. The rotation of the transverse rod  32  will bring the brake cams  48 A,  48 B into contact with the rear wheels  62 A,  62 B. This position of brake cam  48 A is shown by the broken circle in FIG.  9 . Friction between the brake cam  48 A and the wheel  62 A will cause the rotation of the wheel to slow down. 
     In order to slow the motive vehicle  10 , it is ideal for the brake cam  48 A to remain in contact with the wheel  62 A. However, if an operator continues to pedal backwards, the transverse rod  32  and the brake cam  48 A will continue to rotate, eventually causing the brake cam  48 A to lose contact with the wheel  62 A for a period of time. Normally, this would not be a problem, as the brake cam  48 A would eventually re-engage the wheel  62 A if the operator continued pedaling backwards. However, there are situations where an operator would need to stop quickly. Ideally, the brake cam  48 A would remain in contact with the wheel  62 A in these situations. 
     To ensure that the brake cams  48 A,  48 B contact the wheels  62 A,  62 B when an operator needs to stop, a safety slide  50 , best seen in FIG. 10, is slidably attached to the transverse rod  32 . When the slide  50  is in the position shown by the broken lines, it does not have an effect on the operation of the motive vehicle  10 . If the safety slide  50  is moved into the position shown in FIG. 10, the operator of the motive vehicle  10  will not be able to pedal backwards once the arm  51  contacts longitudinal bar  30 A. The rotation of the transverse rod  32  that results from backwards pedaling causes the arm  51  to rotate until it contacts the longitudinal bar  30 A. The safety slide  50  serves to keep the brake cam  48 A in contact with the wheel  62 A to ensure fast stopping. Screw  53  functions to keep the safety slide  50  from sliding. Safety slide  50  can be rotatably adjusted to maintain the brake cams  48 A,  48 B in contact with wheels  62 A,  62 B, or adjusted to increase or decrease the pressure on the wheels  62 A,  62 B by the cams  48 A,  48 B. The safety slide So is a useful feature for operators who need to stop quickly, but panic and try to continue pedaling backwards, thinking that doing so will bring the vehicle  10  to a quicker stop. 
     An alternative embodiment of the motive vehicle is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The tandem vehicle  120 A comprises a motive vehicle  10 , with an attachment bar  124  that is coupled to the transverse bar  24  (FIG.  1 ), connected to a rear vehicle  10 A. The rear vehicle  10 A has an attachment bar  126  connected to its pedal device. An attachment member  128  couples the attachment bars  124 ,  126 . The coupling  130  between the attachment bars  124 ,  126  is a pivotal connection. The rear vehicle  10 A is similar to the front vehicle  10 , with a few notable differences. The rear vehicle does not have a headset  34 , a handle  40 , a front wheel  36  or a differential  60 . One of the rear vehicle&#39;s wheels is coupled to its rear gear and driven by the rear gear. The other rear wheel is not driven. In all other respects, the front and rear vehicles are similar. The tandem vehicle  120 B differs from tandem vehicle  120 A in that the rear vehicle  10 B is a trailer  12 B. 
     In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and proportion of parts as well as in the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims.