Abstract:
A personal transportation device, consisting of a wheeled transportation attachment, a foot platform situated above the transportation attachment, and a linkage mechanism connecting the foot platform with the transportation attachment with a driving mechanism. The linkage mechanism has an X shape configuration to allow the foot platform to move from higher to lower positions. The driving mechanism transforms the downward movement of the foot platform, caused by the weight of the user, to rotational movement, and then stores it in a spring that drives the front wheel. The foot platform can be tilted backward to brake the back wheel. The transport device is powered by the repeated vertical movement of the user&#39;s feet.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to personal transportation devices. It is a personal transportation device that utilizes the weight of the user as the main source of power to drive the device. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Transportation is an important function in modern life. Needles to say that most activities implies personal movement from one place to another for work or for pleasure. Most transportation devices have their own limitations and drawbacks with regard to health and the environment. Therefore, an efficient, cost effective, healthy, and environmentally friendly personal transportation system, is needed. 
         [0003]    Vehicles are fast and comfortable. However, they are costly, not friendly to the environment, and inefficient in congested roads. Moreover, vehicles are blamed for encouraging people not to walk enough, hence encouraging sedentary lifestyle. 
         [0004]    Walking is healthy and environmentally friendly, but it is limited to short distance trips. Walking long distances may not be suitable for many people as it takes much effort and time, especially for daily trips. 
         [0005]    In-line skates are compact and can be used as personal transportation devices. However, the oscillating movement of the body to push skates forward is inefficient and consumes much power for long distance. Skates are, therefore, more suitable for sport than for daily movements. 
         [0006]    Electric powered skates can be used as personal transportation devices. However, the need to recharge them limits their range, the use of batteries increases their cost, and their use does not encourage people to move. 
         [0007]    Bicycles are efficient as means of transportation for short to medium distances. They are relatively fast, healthy and environmentally friendly. However, they are quite bulky and cannot be easily integrated with public transportation. For instance, if the trip is relatively long, one may ride his/her bicycle to the nearest bus or metro station, but they must park it somewhere in order to be able to use public transportation. Moreover, if his/her destination is not near a station then he/she has to walk a long distance or use other means of transportation. 
         [0008]    Therefore, there is a need for a new type of personal transportation device, that can cover short to medium distances, and which can be easily integrated with other modes of transportation. It needs to be compact, low cost, healthy to use, and environmentally friendly. These attributes are met in the current invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The present invention may be better understood, and its objects, features and advantages made apparent by referencing to the accompanying drawings. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a user employing a pair of the personal transportation device in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the personal transportation device of the present invention in accordance with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . The device is shown in it&#39;s high position at the beginning of the pressing stage. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the personal transportation device of the present invention in accordance with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . The device is shown in it&#39;s low position by the end of the pressing stage and in normal cruising. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the personal transportation device of the present invention in accordance with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . The device is shown in it&#39;s tilting position during braking stage. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the driving mechanism of the present invention in accordance with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a side view of another configuration of the personal transportation device of the present invention, where the linkage mechanism has rotating arms, the foot platform is designed to support ordinary shoes, and one of the linkages supporting the foot platform can be extended to activate brake. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a side view of another configuration of the personal transportation device of the present invention, where the linkage mechanism has rotating arms and a sliding linkage is used for transferring force to the driving mechanism. 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a side view of another configuration of the personal transportation device of the present invention, where the linkage mechanism has an X shape configuration, and the driving mechanism is embedded inside the wheel. 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a side view of the personal transportation device of the present invention using a pneumatic driving system. The device is shown in its high position at the beginning of the pressing stage. 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a side view of the personal transportation device of the present invention using a pneumatic system. The device is shown in it&#39;s braking stage. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    While the invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skills in the art of and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility. 
         [0021]    The preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1  with user standing atop a pair of personal transportation devices  10 ,  10 ′. The first device  10  supports the left foot while the second device  10 ′ supports the right foot of the user. Both devices are almost identical, they work in the same way, and are independent of each other. The description afterward will focus on device  10 , bearing in mind that similar description applies to device  10 ′. More detailed illustration of the present invention are presented in  FIG. 2 , to  FIG. 10 . 
         [0022]    The transportation device  10  as shown in  FIG. 2  includes foot platform  15  attached securely to a specially designed hard shoe  14  to support and to protect user&#39;s foot. The foot platform  15  is connected to transportation attachment  11  of inline wheels by linkage mechanisms  16  and  17 . Foot platform  15  is located above transportation attachment  11  in relation to the support surface, and it supports user&#39;s foot so that the longitudinal axis of the user&#39;s foot can be positioned in the direction of the intended motive direction supplied by the transportation attachment. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  shows the transportation device  10  with foot platform  15  in high position at the beginning of pressing stage.  FIG. 3  shows the transportation device  10  with foot platform  15  in low position at the end of the pressing stage and in normal cruising.  FIG. 4  shows the transportation device at braking stage by tilting foot platform  15  backward. 
         [0024]    The transportation attachment  11  consists of inline ground-engaging wheels  12 ,  13  and  19 , which rotate about their axles to allow the transportation attachment  11  to move forward. The frame of the transportation attachment  11  supports most of the components of the transportation device  10 . 
         [0025]    The foot platform  15  holds the weight of the user and transfers it to linkage  17 . Linkage  16  is used to keep the platform  15  in parallel position with transportation attachment  11 . The two linkages are interconnected in the middle by a common axle forming an X shape configuration. The two linkages  16 ,  17  are free to rotate about their rear axles, and slide forward while rotating about their front axles  16 ′ and  17 ′, hence allowing foot platform  15  to move from high to low position. Linkage  17  is connected through axle  17 ′ to driving mechanism  18 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  shows the transportation device in the braking stage. Braking can be performed in different mechanisms, the preferred embodiment allows user to tilt his/her feet and body slightly backward. A bend by the end of sliding grove of axle  16 ′ allows foot platform  15  to tilt about the rear axle of linkage  17 . This tilting action makes the braking pad  20  in direct contact with rear wheel  13 . The more the rider tilts foot platform  15 , the stronger the braking effect. One of the wheels can also be activated to be engaged to the gear assembly for slowing down effect. 
         [0027]    Stability during braking is achieved through the following: braking rear wheel  13  provides stability to the transportation device since the back wheel will pull the device backward, opposite to the direction of movement. Tilting foot platform and body backward provides additional stability during braking since the body of the rider will push him/her forward by self-inertia. Moreover, the low position of the foot platform during braking provides further stability. 
         [0028]    Driving mechanism  18  converts the forward linear movement of axle  17 ′, forced by the self weight of the rider, to forward rotational movement of the front wheel  12 . The rider repeats moving his/her feet up and down to accelerate or to maintain speed. The more frequent he/she repeats the up-down cycles of his/her feet, the higher the speed he/she moves. The front wheel  12  is used to drive the transportation device to provide more stability to the rider during acceleration due to its pulling effect in the direction of movement. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  shows driving mechanism  18  in detail. Driving mechanism  18  stores, amplifies, and converts the linear movement of axle  17 ′ to multi revolutions of the front wheel  12 . As axle  17 ′ is forced by the weight of the rider to move forward, it pulls bar  21  which forces gear  22  to rotate. Gear  22  is connected to a spring and axle assembly  23 . Assembly  23  performs two tasks, first it stores the rotational force by twisting the spring. Second it transfers the stored rotational force to the main driving gear  24 . One-way clutch assembly  23 ′ is used to force the spring to twist in one direction. Chain  25  transforms the rotation of driving gear  24  to gear set  26 , which rotates the axle and gear assembly  27  of front wheel  12 . An auto-shift gear set can be added to driving mechanism  18  instead of gear set  26  for long-distance and high-speed versions of the transportation device. 
         [0030]    One-way clutches are used in  22 ,  27  assemblies to force rotation to be in one direction while pressing, and to allow free backward rotation in another direction. Introducing spring assembly  23  into driving mechanism  18  allows foot platform  15  to move from higher to lower position instantly for better stability, while storing the downward force in the spring to drive the device continuously and smoothly. 
         [0031]    One-way clutches can also be used in wheels  12 ,  13  and  19  to allow the transportation device to move forward only. This should help the rider to climb steep ramps by pushing one of the transportation devices forward while supported by the other one and so on. 
         [0032]    Foot platform  15  can be of different shapes and configurations. The preferred embodiment allow using especially designed hard and hinged shoe  14  to support and to protect the feet of the rider from accidental lateral bending. Shoe  14  can be detached from the transportation device  10 , so that rider can use it almost as an ordinary shoe before and after riding the transportation device. This configuration is more suitable for long distance trips and while using public transportations. 
         [0033]      FIG. 6  shows another shoe configuration  14 ′ which allows user to use his or her ordinary shoes, by providing secure support frame for the shoe from all directions using rods, groves, straps and the like. A support arm  40  is used to protect the foot from accidental lateral bending, while allows the leg to tilt forward and backward in natural manner by rotating about axle  40 ′. The gears of driving mechanism  18  can be engaged to the front wheel  12  to slow it down. 
         [0034]      FIG. 7  shows another configuration for the linkage and driving mechanisms. Linkage mechanisms  16  and  17  have rotating arms, and a sliding linkage  21  for transferring force to the driving mechanism  18  which is in direct contact with the front wheel  12 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 8  shows another configuration of the personal transportation device, where linkages  16  and  17  has an X shape configuration, and the driving mechanism  18  is embedded inside the wheel  12 . A spring and a sliding link  23  is used to store and transfer the force, which is caused by the weight of the user, to the driving mechanism  18 . 
         [0036]    Another driving mechanism is shown in  FIG. 9 , where air is used as a hydraulic fluid to transform the weight of the user into power, for driving the personal transportation device  30 . A supporting frame  11  is used to support front and back wheels  12  and  13 . It also supports mechanism  32  which provides stability to shoe and foot platform  14 . An air-cushion  31  is placed between the foot platform  14  and the supporting frame  11  and may enclose the stability mechanism  32 . 
         [0037]    As user force foot platform  14  to go down by his own weight, air is compressed inside air-cushion  31 . Tube  34  passes the compressed air to hydraulic motor  33  which drives the front wheel  12 , hence moving the transportation device  30  forward until the compressed air is consumed. User pull his feet up again, which expands air cushion  21 . A one way valve  37  allows ambient air to fill the expanding air-cushion again, hence, preparing the device for another cycle. The more frequent the user repeats this cycle, the faster it goes. 
         [0038]    Braking can be achieved in different ways. The preferred embodiment ( FIG. 9 ) consists of an actuator  38  embedded inside shoe  14  so that the user can use his/her toes to activate brake  35  placed in the rear wheel  13  through braking wire or tube  38 ′. Another mechanism allows foot platform to be tilted backward ( FIG. 10 ) forcing a linkage  32 ′ to bend, which activates brake  35  through braking wire  38 ′. 
         [0039]    Different materials such as Aluminum, composite materials, carbon fibers, hard plastics, polymers, fabrics, steel and metal alloys can be used to make the different components of the transportation device. Light reflective materials should be used in all sides of the device for safety reasons. LED lamps can also be used at night for safety and cosmetic reasons. distance meters can be attached. 
         [0040]    To keep moving forward, the rider can keep rising his/her right and left feet alternately as if stepping a stair. Or he/she can simply keep tilting his/her body to both sides alternately, which force foot platforms to go up and down, hence to power the transportation device. User can also do more movements as a combination of these two basic movements and other movements commonly used in normal inline skates for exercising and sport. More experienced users can do some acrobatic movements as well.