Patent Publication Number: US-2003226708-A1

Title: Personal vehicle including several features

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
     [0001] The present application claims the full benefit and priority of pending U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/365,763, filed Mar. 18, 2002, entitled “PERSONAL VEHICLE INCLUDING SEVERAL FEATURES”. The entire contents of said application are also incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     
       TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002] The present invention relates generally to vehicles, and particularly relates to a “personal mobility vehicle”, which is typically used by a single rider on relatively flat terrain and is powered by rechargeable batteries.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003] Personal mobility vehicles are well known in the art. They have found a wide range of uses, such as in department stores and grocery stores for use by customers. They have also found uses as dedicated vehicles for users who may wish to transport them in their automobiles for use as desired. In the latter case, the portability of such units is a factor in their successful use. Improvements to same are always in demand, while at the same time understanding that costs provide practical limitations.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004] Generally described, the present invention relates to a personal mobility vehicle which can be separated proximate its center, to allow for storage and/or transport.  
       [0005] The invention also relates to the use of a pivoting “finger-operated bar” for controlling forward and reverse movement.  
       [0006] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved personal mobility vehicle.  
       [0007] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a personal mobility vehicle that is easier to operate.  
       [0008] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a personal mobility vehicle that is simpler to operate.  
       [0009] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a personal mobility vehicle that is readily transportable.  
       [0010] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a personal mobility vehicle that includes improved control features.  
       [0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a personal mobility vehicle that is economical to manufacture.  
       [0012] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawing and the appended claims.  
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0013]FIG. 1 is an overall pictorial view of the personal mobility vehicle apparatus  10  according to the present invention, viewed from the vehicle&#39;s left and front. This version does not include baskets, but another contemplated version.  
     [0014]FIG. 2 is a more isolated view of the rear main portion  40 , showing the frame  41 , tires  42 , and the seat post  43 . Front and rear harness wiring  61 ,  62  is also shown. One of two batteries  45  is shown in dotted line. A sleeve  52  and a pin member  56  are also shown at the front of the frame.  
     [0015]FIG. 3 is a view looking from behind and to the left of the front main portion  20 , illustrating its front frame  21 , the tube  51 , and the front wiring harness  61  extending therethrough. A slotted flange  55  is also shown.  
     [0016]FIG. 4 illustrates the rear cover  46  in place, with the post  43  extending upwardly therethrough. The seat is not in place. A basket  70  is shown. This figure also shows the connection between the front and rear main portions  20 ,  40 .  
     [0017]FIG. 5 ( 12 ) is a view of the steering handle assembly  30 , which includes a handle bar  31  having opposing handles, and the one piece pivoting bar  100 .  
     [0018]FIGS. 6A and 6B are illustrative views which show the pivoting bar  100  in an unpivoted and a pivoted position, respectively.  
     [0019]FIG. 7 is a view from underneath the handle bar  31 . The two switches are shown with their commonly oriented triggers which contact the pivoting bar  100  when it is pivoted. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0020] The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.  
     [0021] Elements List  
     [0022] Here follows an elements list:  
                                      10   Personal Mobility Vehicle       20   Front Main Portion       21   Front Frame Portion       22   Front Wheels       23   Foot Platform (a.k.a. foot board)       25   Steering Column       30   Steering Handle Assembly       31   Handle Bar       40   Rear Main Portion       41   Rear Frame Portion       42   Rear Wheels       43   Seat Post       44   Seat       45   Batteries       46   Battery Cover       50   Detachable Medial Connection (a.k.a. middle connection)       51   Rearwardly-Extending Tube       52   Forwardly-Oriented Sleeve       55   Slotted Flange       56   Connecting/Limiting Pin       61   Front Wiring Harness       62   Rear Wiring Harness       100   One Piece Pivoting Bar (part of 30)                  
 
     [0023] General Construction  
     [0024] Generally described, the personal mobility vehicle apparatus  10  includes front and rear (a.k.a. “back”) main portions  20 ,  40 , joined together by a pivotable, yet detachable, connection therebetween. This allows the apparatus to be “broken down” such that the front main portion  20  is separate from the rear main portion  40 .  
     [0025] The front main portion  20  includes a front frame member  21 , a pair of front wheels  22 , a foot board  23 , a steering column  25 , and a steering handle assembly  30 .  
     [0026] The rear main portion subapparatus  40  includes a rear frame portion  41 , a pair of rear wheels  42 , a seat post  43 , a seat  44 , batteries  45 , and a battery cover  46 .  
     [0027] General Operation  
     [0028] The apparatus  10  (see FIG. 1) is configured to transport a human operator (not shown) sitting on the seat  44  and operating the steering handle assembly  30  with the operator&#39;s hands. When the apparatus is desired to be transferred from one location to another, it can be “broken down” by use of a medial connection, which allows for the front main portion  20  to be temporarily separated from the rear main portion  40  by use of a medial connection  50  and thus transported (see generally FIGS. 2, 3 and  4 ). This can be further broken down by detachment of the seat  44 , the steering handle assembly  30 , and the batteries  45 .  
     [0029] Various Details on Apparatus  10   
     [0030] As noted above, the front main portion  20  includes a front frame member  21 , a pair of front wheels  22 , a foot board  23 , a steering column  25 , and a steering handle assembly  30 . The front frame member  21  is for supporting the various elements of the front main portion  20 . The pair of front wheels  22  are steerable by use of the steering handle assembly  30 . The foot board  23  is configured to support the weight of the user as needed. The steering column  25  supports the steering handle  30 , but can be broken down as to separate the handle assembly  30  from the front main portion for transport.  
     [0031] The rear subapparatus  40  includes a rear frame portion  41 , a pair of rear wheels  42 , a seat post  43 , a seat  44 , batteries  45 , and a battery cover  45 . The rear frame portion  41  is for support. The seat post  43  supports the seat  44  which is used to support the operator but allows the seat to be detached for the sake of transport. The removable batteries  45  are concealed by a removable battery cover  46 . The batteries  45  are configured to drive a drive motor (not shown) which is operably associated with the rear wheels  42  of the rear subapparatus  40 .  
     [0032] The Medial Connection  50   
     [0033] The front main portion  20  is pivotably and detachably connected relative to the rear main portion  40  by use of a medial connection subapparatus  50 , which is comprised of a tube  51  and a tube/accepting sleeve  52  (see FIGS. 1, 4). This allows for a detachable connection which also allows for a limited pivoting action which is along an axis which is parallel to the longitudinal (front to back) axis of the vehicle. This limited pivoting action is desirable when the vehicle is operating on uneven ground.  
     [0034] The tube  51  is substantially rigid, and is substantially rigidly attached relative to the rear frame portion  41  of the front subapparatus  20 . The tube  51  is hollow and defines an elongate interior cavity, having openings on either end of the tube. Wiring passes through this elongate cavity as discussed later.  
     [0035] The tube-accepting sleeve  52  is mounted within the frame portion  41  of the rear subapparatus  40  as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.  
     [0036] The limiting feature of the detachable medial connection  50  is provided by a pin  56  which extends forwardly from the rear subapparatus  40 , and which fits within a slot defined by a slotted flange member  55  which extends upwardly from the rear of the front subapparatus  20  (see FIG. 7). As may be understood, when the tube  51  is inserted into the sleeve  52 , the pin  56  is aligned such that it fits within the slot of the slotted flange member  55 . When the medial connection is engaged, the pin  56  is allowed to move within the sleeve, but it is limited to the ends of the slot.  
     [0037] As shown particularly in FIG. 4, the pin  56  also combines with the slotted sleeve member  55 , along with a spring pin and a plurality of flat washers in order to retain the tube/sleeve connection described above. This is done by placing the pin  56  in the slot of the flange  55 , placing a suitable number of flat washers on the pin  56  for spacing purposes, and subsequently placing the spring pin in place on the end of the pin  56 .  
     [0038] The tube  51  and the sleeve  52  are both hollow, which allows for wiring or other elongate members to extend therethrough. Wiring generally designated as front wiring harness  61  (in the front portion) and rear harness  62  (in the rear portion) is used within the present configuration, with suitable connections, which allows for a wiring harness in the rear apparatus  40  to be electrically connected to the wiring harness in the front subapparatus  20 . However, the detachable relationship between the two harnesses allows for the apparatus to be detached at its detachable (pivoting) medial connection, such that it can be more easily stored. See FIG. 5 for the designation of elements  61 ,  62 .  
     [0039] The Pivoting Control Bar (see FIGS.  12 - 19 )  
     [0040] The steering handle assembly  30  includes a single pivoting bar  100  that extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of a handlebar set. The pivoting bar  100  is pivotably mounted about an axis which allows its opposing ends to be selectively grasped, squeezed, and moved towards its associated handle grip. The action is much like grasping the clutch and brake handles on a typical motorcycle, except that in this situation the left and right ends of the bar  100  are coupled together and are not independent as is the case with a typical motorcycle. If the left hand grips and “squeezes” the left end of the pivoting bar  100  towards the left main handle, the right end of the pivoting bar  100  moves away from its associated main handle, and vice versa.  
     [0041] Two switches S 1 , S 2 , are associated with the pivoting bar  100 . Depending on which end of the pivoting bar  100  is squeezed towards its associated handle grip, one or the other (but not both) of the two switches is depressed and activated.  
     [0042]FIG. 5 shows an example vehicle, which is a small electric “personal mobility” vehicle that might be used in a grocery store. A user would sit on the seat and manipulate the handle bar  31  left and right to turn the vehicle left and right while moving forward.  
     [0043] It should be understood that the present invention includes the use of a substantially integral “handle bar”  31  which is elongate and includes two handle grip portions, each of which are configured to be gripped by a corresponding hand of a user for steering or other control. However, other handle configurations could be used in conjunction with the pivoting bar  100 .  
     [0044] Referring now also to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the one piece pivoting bar  100  is pivotably attached relative to the remainder of the handlebar assembly about a pivot point PP being along an axis which is perpendicular to the handles, and substantially vertical. FIGS. 6A and 6B are line drawings illustrating the operator&#39;s view of the configuration. FIG. 6A shows the pivoting bar not pivoted. FIG. 6B shows it pivoted clockwise by virtue of being squeezed towards it associated handle by virtue of the right hand of the user. This depresses one switch S 1  (the left one). It may be understood that the pivoting bar could be pivoted counter-clockwise by virtue of being squeezed towards its associated handle by virtue of the left hand of the user. This would depress the right switch S 2 .  
     [0045] The two switches S 1 , S 2  could be used to control forward and backward movement of the electrically powered vehicle. As an example, squeezing with the right hand could cause activation of switch S 1 , causing forward movement whereas squeezing with the left hand could cause activation of switch S 2 , causing rearward movement, or vice versa.  
     [0046] Miscellaneous  
     [0047] As shown in FIG. 4, a basket  70  can be attached to the front and/or back or the apparatus  10  to provide storage or other suitable use.  
     [0048] Conclusion  
     [0049] Therefore it may be seen that present invention provides a “personal mobility vehicle”, which is typically used by a single rider on relatively flat terrain and is powered by rechargeable batteries. The vehicle is configured to be “broken down” into smaller subapparatuses for purposes of transport. Also included is the use of a single elongate pivoting control bar, which can be grasped by an operator&#39;s fingertips while the operator keeps the operator&#39;s palms on main handle grips.