Abstract:
An improved skateboard having roller trucks attached to the underside of the skateboard deck. The trucks are insulated from the skateboard deck by riser pads of sufficient thickness to receive and house self-contained battery operated lamps. The lamps are positioned to direct light beams from beneath the deck in fore and aft directions. Switch means in the lamps are operable to turn the lamps on and off.

Description:
This is a continuation in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 07/335,991, filed Jul. 31, 1989, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to skateboards and more particularly to an improved skateboard lighting system to provide safety illumination for the skateboard user when riding the skateboard under adverse lighting conditions. 
     Skateboards having lighting systems mounted thereon are known in the prior art as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,974 issued to R. L. Bergeron. This patent discloses a skateboard having upwardly exposed forward and rearward light brackets releasably attached to the skateboard nose and tail. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a lighting system in which the lamps are located beneath the deck of the skateboard and are protected against dislodgement or damage during rough usage. 
     It is a further object of the invention to utilize commercially available flashlight-type lamps that have a shock resistant case, are water resistant, use long-life bulbs and require minimal space requirements. 
     It is yet a further object to house the lamps in the riser pads that insulate the wheel trucks from the underside of the skateboard deck and require only a minimal increase in the thickness of the riser pad to accommodate the lamp. 
     These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following disclosure of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A skateboard having adjacent one of its ends a roller truck attached to the underside of the skateboard deck, the truck being insulated from the skateboard deck by a riser pad. A self-contained battery operated lamp is housed in the riser pad with the lamp being positioned to direct its light beam from beneath the deck beyond the one end thereof. The riser pad has an access opening for turning the lamp on and off by rotating a body part of the lamp to actuate a rotary switch. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     This invention is best understood with reference to the drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a skateboard embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the skateboard; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial section view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2 showing the lamp as encased in a skateboard riser pad; and 
     FIG. 4 is a front view in part sectional of FIG. 3. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a skateboard, generally designated 10, having the conventional skateboard features of a deck 11, a nose 12, a tail 13 and wheel trucks 14. In the conventional skateboard the wheel trucks are insulated from the underside of the deck 11 by rectangular polypropylene riser pads about one-quarter of an inch thick. A distinguishing feature of the skateboard 10 embodying the present invention is that the riser 15 pads are about four times as thick. 
     As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the extra thickness of the riser pads 15 is required so that the riser pads may be utilized to provide housings for lamps, generally designated 16. Each lamp 16 is preferably a self-contained flashlight-type lamp that has a shock resistant case, is water resistant, uses long-life bulbs and requires minimal space requirements. Such a lamp is currently commercially available under the trade name Mini-Maglite. 
     The lamp 16 selected for each riser pad 15 of a thirty-inch long and ten inch wide skateboard has the following dimensions: The casing of each lamp 16 has an overall length of five inches and has a main cylindrical body section 17 that is three and five-eights inches long and is approximately one-half inch in diameter. The body section 17 houses the batteries (not shown). At its head end 18 the lamp casing is enlarged to a diameter of three-fourths of an inch and houses the reflector 19 and lamp bulb 20. 
     As best seen in FIG. 3, each riser pad 15 has a stepped bore 21 having a section 22 to accommodate the head end 18 of the lamp 16 and a section 23 to accommodate the cylindrical body section 17 of the lamp. Each lamp 16 is inserted into the riser bore 21 through the enlarged bore section 22. When the head end 18 of the lamp 16 is fully seated in the bore section 22, the cylindrical body section of he lamp 16 will extend beyond the end 24 of the riser pad 15. 
     The exterior surface 25 of the lamp 16 has a knurled midsection 26 that extends a substantial distance beyond the end 24 of the riser pad 15. Beyond the knurled midsection the end 27 of the cylindrical section 17 is supported in a bore 28 in a polypropylene block 29 spaced from the end 24 of the riser pad 15. The space between the riser block 15 and the block 29 provides access to the knurled midsection 26 of the lamp body whereby the latter may be rotated in &#34;on&#34; or &#34;off&#34; directions to turn the lamps on or off. The lamps 16 each contain a rotary switch (not shown) that is actuated by rotating the cylindrical body portion 17 relative to the head end 18 of the lamp. Rotation of the cylindrical body portion beyond the lamp on position permits adjustment of the lamp beam from a spot beam to a flood beam. Such rotation of the cylindrical body portion results in slight variation of the length of the lamp 16 the end of which is free to move in and out slightly with respect to the bore in the block 29. 
     With each lamp 16 protectively mounted in a riser pad 15, each lamp is positioned to direct a light beam from beneath the skateboard deck beyond the adjacent end thereof. 
     A protective readily removable bridge piece 31 is fitted into the space between the block 29 and the end 24 of the riser pad 15 to protect the otherwise exposed cylindrical body section 17 of the lamp 16. 
     At the nose end 12 of the skateboard a clear plastic plate 32 is bolted in place over the front end of the front riser to protect the lamp bulb 10 when it functions as the skateboard headlight. At the tail end 13 of the skateboard, a red acrylic plate 33 is similarly bolted to the rear end of the rear riser pad 15 to cover the bulb 10 of the rear lamp 16. The rear lamp 16 functions as the skateboard taillight. 
     While the invention has been illustrated with respect to a specific embodiment thereof, this embodiment should be considered as illustrative rather than limiting. Various modifications and additions may be made and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention should not be limited by the foregoing description, but rather should be defined only by the following claims.