GB2369807A

GB2369807A - A scooter

Info

Publication number: GB2369807A
Application number: GB0029637A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Raymond John Palmer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-12-05
Filing date: 2000-12-05
Publication date: 2002-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 2020-12-05
Also published as: GB2369807B; GB0029637D0

Abstract

The scooter comprises a foot platform (4), a rear wheel (6A), a front wheel steered by a handle bar arrangement the rear wheel (6) being such that it is pivotally mounted for rotation about a vertical axis whereby the rear wheel (6) is able to be caused to run in a straight line or at an angle in order to enable the person riding the scooter (28) to perform extra manoeuvres. Extent of angular rear wheel pivoting is limited by adjustable stops (44,46), with spring biassing (40,42) to the straight ahead position.

Description

A SCOOTER This invention relates to a scooter.

Scooters are well known for use as play things by persons. The scooters comprise a foot platform, a rear wheel, a front wheel, and a handle bar arrangement which steers the front wheel and which upstands from the foot platform in order to provide support for a person riding the scooter.

The scooters are traditionally used with a person having one foot on the foot platform, and using their other foot to propel the scooter along the ground. Persons using scooters often wish to perform tricks or stunts with their scooter. The known scooters are limited in the number of tricks or stunts that can be produced.

It is an aim of the present invention to reduce this problem by increasing the number of tricks or stunts that can be produced.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a scooter comprising a foot platform, a rear wheel, a front wheel, and a handle bar arrangement which steers the front wheel and which upstands from the foot platform in order to provide support for a person riding the scooter, and the rear wheel being such that it is pivotally mounted for rotation about a vertical axis whereby the rear wheel is able to be caused to run in a straight line or at an angle in order to enable the person riding the scooter to perform manoeuvres not attainable with a scooter having a rear wheel which is incapable of rotating about a vertical axis.

The scooter of the present invention thus has a greater range of available manoeuvres than a known scooter. Thus persons with the scooter of the present invention are able to do more tricks or stunts than would be possible with a similar scooter but one having a rear wheel which is incapable of rotating about a vertical axis. Thus the scooter of the present invention becomes a considerably more sellable item than a similar known scooter.

The scooter of the present invention may be one in which the rear wheel is pivotally mounted to a support part of the scooter which extends over the rear wheel.

The support part of the scooter which extends over the rear wheel is preferably an extension part of the foot platform. Other arrangements may however be employed.

Usually, the rear wheel will be pivotally mounted by a single vertically extending pivot. The single vertically extending pivot is preferably a castormounting pivot. This type of castor-mounting pivot is of a type that is used for mounting castors. Other types of arrangement may be employed.

Advantageously, the single vertically extending pivot is spring loaded. The spring loaded pivot may act to assist in returning the rear wheel to the straight line position.

The scooter may be one in which the rear wheel is thicker than a rear wheel which is on a known scooter and which is not pivotally mounted for rotation about the vertical axis. With such a thicker rear wheel, the manoeuvres afforded by the scooter of the present invention may be more easily accomplished than with a thinner rear wheel. The thicker rear wheel is preferably in the form of a castor. Other types of rear wheels may be employed and, if desired, the rear wheel may be of the same thickness as the front wheel.

The rear wheel will normally rotate about a horizontally mounted spindle. This is in order to enable the wheel to rotate for normal movement along the surface.

Advantageously, the scooter may have stops for reducing the turning angle of the rear wheel. The stops are preferably adjustable stops.

Apart from the provision of the rear wheel and formations required consequent upon the rear wheel, the remainder of the scooter may be constructed as a known scooter. Thus, for example, the scooter may be a rigid scooter or a folding scooter. The scooter may be made of the same materials as known scooters including all suitable and appropriate type of metals and plastics materials.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a known scooter. Figure 2 is a top plan view of the scooter shown in Figure 1 and illustrates how the scooter shown in Figure 1 is steered; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a scooter of the present invention; Figures 4 and 5 are top plan views of the scooter shown in Figure 3, and they illustrate how the scooter shown in Figure 3 is able to be steered; Figure 6 is a side view of the rear part of the scooter shown in Figure 2; and Figure 7 is a top view of the part of the scooter shown in Figure 6.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a scooter 2 comprising a foot platform 4, a rear wheel 6, a front wheel 8, and a handle bar arrangement 10. The handle bar arrangement 10 steers the front wheel 6. The handle bar arrangement 10 upstands from the foot platform 4 in order to provide support for a person riding on the scooter 2. More specifically, the handle bar arrangement 10 comprises handle bars 12, a post 14 and forks 16. The post 14 extends through a sleeve 18 which locates the post 14 in position and which acts as a bearing in order to enable the post 14 to rotate in the sleeve 18. The forks 16 mount a horizontally extending spindle 20 about which the front wheel 8 rotates.

The foot platform 14 supports forks 22 for the rear wheel 6. More specifically, the forks 22 support a horizontally extending spindle 24 about which the rear wheel 6 rotates.

As can be seen from arrows 26 in Figure 2, the scooter 2 only steers by the front wheel 8 and thus the turning circle of the scooter 2 is relatively large.

Referring now to Figures 3,4 and 5, there is shown a scooter 28 of the present invention. Similar parts as in the scooter 2 have been given the same reference numerals for ease of comparison and understanding.

The scooter 28 is such that its rear wheel 6A is pivotally mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, whereby the rear wheel 6A is able to be caused to run in a straight line (as can be appreciated from Figure 3) or at an angle (as can be appreciated from Figures 4 and 5) in order to enable a person riding the scooter 28 to perform manoeuvres not attainable with the scooter 2 which has its rear wheel 6 such that it is incapable of rotating about a vertical axis.

The rear wheel 6A in the scooter 28 is pivotally mounted to a support part 30 of the scooter 28 which extends over the rear wheel 6A. The support part 28 is formed as an extension part of the foot platform 4.

The rear wheel 6A is pivotally mounted by a single vertically extending pivot 32. The pivot 32 is a castor-mounting pivot 32 of the type that is used for mounting castors.

The rear wheel 6A may be the same as the rear wheel 6 in the known scooter 2. Thus the rear wheel 6A may be of the same size as the front wheel 8.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rear wheel 6A in the scooter 28 is thicker than the rear wheel 6 in the known scooter 2. The rear wheel 6A in the scooter 28 is preferably a castor. The thicker castor rear wheel 6A enables the scooter 28 very easily to perform manoeuvres of the type illustrated by arrows 26 in Figure 4 and by arrows 36 in Figure 5.

The support part 30 has a pair of depending forks 38 which support the horizontally extending spindle 24 permitting rotation of the rear wheel 6A for enabling the scooter 28 to move along the surface.

Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, it can be seen how the pivot 32 is preferably spring loaded by two springs 40,42. The springs 40,42 assist in returning the rear wheel 6A to the straight line position.

Figures 6 and 7 also illustrate how the scooter 28 is preferably provided with two adjustable stops 44,46 for reducing the turning angle of the rear wheel 6A. As can be seen from Figure 7, a pivot bar 48 engages the adjustable stops 44,46 when the rear wheel 6A has turned the required distance.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention described above with reference to Figures 3-7 has been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the scooter 28 may be a rigid scooter or a foldable scooter.

The stops 44,46 may be non-adjustable stops if desired.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A scooter comprising a foot platform, a rear wheel, a front wheel, and a handle bar arrangement which steers the front wheel and which upstands from the foot platform in order to provide support for a person riding the scooter, and the rear wheel being such that it is pivotally mounted for rotation about a vertical axis whereby the rear wheel is able to be caused to run in a straight line or at an angle in order to enable the person riding the scooter to perform manoeuvres not attainable with a scooter having a rear wheel which is incapable of rotating about a vertical axis.
2. A scooter according to claim 1 in which the rear wheel is pivotally mounted to a support part of the scooter which extends over the rear wheel.
3. A scooter according to claim 2 in which the support part of the scooter which extends over the rear wheel is an extension part of the foot platform.
4. A scooter according to any one of the preceding claims in which the rear wheel is pivotally mounted by a single vertically extending pivot.
5. A scooter according to claim 4 in which the single vertically extending pivot is a castor-mounting pivot.
6. A scooter according to claim 4 or claim 5 in which the single vertically extending pivot is spring loaded.
7. A scooter according to any one of the preceding claims in which the rear wheel is thicker than a rear wheel which is on a known scooter and which is not pivotally mounted for rotation about the vertical axis.
8. A scooter according to claim 7 in which the rear

wheel is a castor.

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9. A scooter according to any one of the preceding claims in which the rear wheel rotates about a horizontally mounted spindle.
10. A scooter according to any one of the preceding claims in which the scooter has stops for reducing the turning angle of the rear wheel.
11. A scooter according to claim 10 in which the stops are adjustable stops.
12. A scooter substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 3-7 of the accompanying drawings.