Patent ID: 7967313

Claim:
A manually powered and steered vehicle, including: a vehicle frame comprising an elongate substantially rigid longitudinal frame member; a plurality of wheels mounted with respect to the frame member to support the vehicle frame for travel over a surface, the wheels comprising a drive wheel rotatable about a transverse drive wheel axis to propel the vehicle, and a steering wheel rotatable about a steering wheel axis; a steering wheel mounting assembly for mounting the steering wheel to pivot relative to the vehicle frame about a substantially upright steering column axis normal to the steering wheel axis; a vehicle drive system comprising elongate, substantially upright and transversely spaced apart first and second thrust levers mounted to pivot relative to the vehicle frame about a transverse thrust lever axis, the thrust levers comprising respective first and second upper end regions above the thrust lever axis and respective first and second lower end regions below the thrust lever axis, wherein the first and second upper end regions are disposed to be reciprocated along upper arcuate paths in respective first and second planes normal to the thrust lever axis and thereby reciprocate the first and second lower end regions along respective lower arcuate paths; wherein the drive system further comprises a drive mechanism for operably coupling the first and second lower end regions and the drive wheel to rotate the drive wheel about the drive wheel axis responsive to reciprocating the first and second lower end regions; first and second controllers disposed along the first and second upper end regions, respectively, wherein each controller is constrained against any substantial linear movement with respect to its associated thrust lever and is rotatable with respect to the associated thrust lever about a controller axis disposed within the associated one of said first and second planes, and wherein each controller comprises a handle region substantially centered on the control axis; and a vehicle steering mechanism operably coupling the first and second controllers and the steering wheel mounting assembly to pivot the steering wheel about the steering column axis in a selected steering direction responsive to rotating either one of the controllers about its controller axis in a selected rotational direction corresponding to the selected steering direction.