Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to kick scooters and, more particularly, to a folding collapsible kick scooter, which comprises a handlebar folding structure and a head tube folding structure. 
     Kick scooter was developed in German. However, due to its heavy design, young people did not popularly accept kick scooter. In early 1999, Japan manufacturers developed various compact kick scooters that satisfy young people&#39;s requirements. Nowadays most kick scooters are made folding collapsible. FIGS. 1A and 1B show a folding collapsible kick scooter according to the prior art. This structure of folding collapsible kick scooter comprises a footplate B holding a rear wheel, a holder frame D fixedly provided at the front side of the footplate B, a head tube and handlebar assembly G, a head tube mounting frame A fixedly fastened to the head tube and handlebar assembly G and pivoted to the holder frame D by a slip joint F. The holder frame D comprises a bottom locating notch E. The head tube mounting frame A comprises a retainer rod C adapted for engaging the bottom locating notch E to hold the head tube and handlebar assembly G in the extended position. Further, a quick-release lock (not shown) is provided for locking the head tube and handlebar assembly G between the extended position shown in FIG.  1 A and the collapsed position shown in FIG.  1 B. This structure of folding collapsible kick scooter is still not satisfactory in function. When collapsing the kick scooter, the user&#39;s hand tends to be injured by the protruding parts of the folding collapsible structure between the footplate B and the head tube and handlebar assembly G. Further, because the handlebar of the head tube and handlebar assembly G is not collapsible, the kick scooter still occupies much storage space when collapsed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been accomplished to provide a folding collapsible kick scooter, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. It is one object of the present invention to provide a folding collapsible kick scooter, which is safe in use. It is another object of the present invention to provide a folding collapsible kick scooter, which occupies less storage space when collapsed. The folding collapsible kick scooter of the present invention comprises a head tube folding structure, which uses a quick-release lock to lock the head tube between an extended position and a collapsed position, and a handlebar folding structure, which uses a quick-release lock to lock the left handlebar and the right handlebar between an extended position and a collapsed position. The engagement parts of the head tube folding structure are concealed from sight and well protected by the head tube mounting frame. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A shows a folding collapsible kick scooter set in the extended position according to the prior art. 
     FIG. 1B shows the prior art folding collapsible kick scooter set in the collapsed position. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a handlebar folding structure for a folding collapsible kick scooter according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an assembly view of the handlebar folding structure shown in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4A is a sectional view of the handlebar folding structure of the present invention, showing the locking lever disposed in the locking position. 
     FIG. 4B is similar to FIG. 4A but showing the locking lever turned to the unlocking position. 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a head tube folding structure for a folding collapsible kick scooter according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 6A is a sectional view showing the head tube folding structure locked in the extended position according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 6B is similar to FIG. 6A but showing the locking lever turned to the unlocking position. 
     FIG. 6C illustrates the head tube folding structure turned to the collapsed position according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 7A illustrates a folding collapsible kick scooter constructed according to the present invention and set in the extended position. 
     FIG. 7B shows the folding collapsible kick scooter of FIG. 7A set in the collapsed position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A folding collapsible kick scooter in accordance with the present invention comprises a handlebar folding structure and a head tube folding structure. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the handlebar folding structure is comprised of two handlebars, namely, the right handlebar  10  and the left handlebar  20 , a handlebar stem  30 , a locking lever and screw rod assembly (formed of a screw rod and a locking lever pivoted to one end of the screw rod)  40 , a compression spring  50 , and a headed female screw  60 . The right handlebar  10  comprises a coupling groove  12  transversely disposed at one end, namely, the inner end thereof, and a through hole  11  disposed at one end of the coupling groove  12 . The left handlebar  20  comprises a receptacle  21  disposed at the front side of one end, namely, the inner end thereof, a through hole  22  extended through the center of the receptacle  21  corresponding to the through hole  11  of the right handlebar  10 , a coupling rib  23  transversely disposed at the notched back sidewall of the inner end and adapted for engaging the coupling groove  12  of the right handlebar  10 . The handlebar stem  30  comprises a top receiving open chamber  32  and a horizontal through hole  31 . The screw rod of the locking lever and screw rod assembly  40  is inserted in proper order through the through hole  31  of the handlebar stem  30 , the through hole  11  of the right handlebar  10  and the through hole  22  of the left handlebar  20 . The headed female screw  60  is fastened up with the screw rod of the locking lever and screw rod assembly  40  and received in the receptacle  21  of the left handlebar  20 . The compression spring  50  is received in the receptacle  21  of the left handlebar  20  and stopped between the left handlebar  20  and the head of the headed female screw  60 . When assembled, the coupling rib  23  of the left handlebar  20  and the coupling groove  12  of the right handlebar  10  are engaged together, and the locking lever of the locking lever and screw rod assembly  40  is received in the top receiving open chamber  32  of the handlebar stem  30 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, when turning the locking lever of the locking lever and screw rod assembly  40  from the locking (vertical) position shown in FIG. 4A to-the unlocking (horizontal) position shown in FIG. 4B, the compression spring  50  immediately pushes the headed female screw  60  outwards, and the handlebars  10  and  20  are released from the constraint, and allowed to be turned relative to each other to a collapsed condition. When in use, the handlebars  10  and  20  are turned outwards to a horizontal position where the coupling rid  23  and the coupling groove  12  are engaged together, and then the locking lever of the locking lever and screw rod assembly  40  is turned to the locking position to lock the handlebar folding structure in the operative position. 
     Referring to FIGS. from  5  through  7 , the head tube folding structure comprises a head tube mounting frame  70  fastened to the head tube  33 , a footplate mounting frame  80  fixedly fastened to the front side of the footplate  34  and pivoted to the head tube mounting frame  70  by a pivot  93 , a locking lever  90  pivoted to the head tube mounting frame  70  by a pivot  92 , and a torsional spring  91  mounted on the pivot  92  to hold the locking lever  90  in the locking position. The footplate mounting frame  80  comprises a hook  35 . The head tube mounting frame  70  comprises a locating rod  71  transversely disposed on the inside. After the locking lever  90  has been turned from the locking position shown in FIG. 6A to the unlocking position shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, the head tube mounting frame  70  can be turned with the head tube  33  between the extended position shown in FIG. 7A to the collapsed position shown in FIG.  7 B. When extended or collapsed, the locking lever  90  is turned from the unlocking position shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C to the locking position shown in FIG. 6A to hold down the locating rod  71  against the hook  35 . After the head tube folding structure has been collapsed, the handlebars  10  and  20  of the handlebar folding structure are turned to the collapsed position as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. 
     It is to be understood that the drawings are designed for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended for use as a definition of the limits and scope of the invention disclosed.

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