Patent ID: 8562004

Claim:
A recreational knee board for riding in a kneeling position on a ground surface, the knee board comprising: a generally planar body sized and shaped to receive a user in a kneeling position, the generally planar body having a longitudinal axis and including a top surface and an bottom surface, and a forward region and a rear region extending along the longitudinal axis, wherein the rear region includes a left knee support region on the top surface of the generally planar body and a right knee support region on the top surface of the generally planar body and laterally spaced from the left knee support region, the left and right knee support regions configured to support the knees of the user on the top surface of the generally planar body, and wherein the generally planar body at least partially defines an open kick region between the left knee support region and the right knee support region, the open kick region positioned to permit a user to extend a foot of one of the user's legs between the left and right knee support regions and through the open kick region to contact the ground surface while maintaining the knee of the other of the user's legs on the respective knee support region; a front wheel assembly pivotally coupled to the forward region of the generally planar body and including at least one wheel configured to rotate about a rotating axis; a left rear wheel assembly coupled to the rear region of the generally planar body and including at least one wheel; a right rear wheel assembly coupled to the rear region of the generally planar body and including at least one wheel; and a steering assembly operatively coupled to the front wheel assembly and including a gripping member, wherein the gripping member includes gripping regions positioned adjacent the top surface of the generally planar body and configured for a user to grasp the gripping regions with the user's hands when at least one of the user's knees is supported by the knee support region, wherein the steering assembly is configured to pivot the front wheel assembly about a pivot axis responsive to user-imparted forces on the gripping member, wherein the steering assembly includes a straight configuration, in which the rotating axis of the front wheel assembly is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the generally planar body, and a range of turning configurations, in which the rotating axis of the front wheel assembly is not perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the generally planar body.