초록 ▼

An in-line off-road skateboard includes a front wheel and a rear wheel in tandem, one foot platform mounted between the front and rear wheels and one foot platform mounted aft of the rear wheel, an articulating front wheel which is steered by tilting the board in the desired direction of travel, a s

An in-line off-road skateboard includes a front wheel and a rear wheel in tandem, one foot platform mounted between the front and rear wheels and one foot platform mounted aft of the rear wheel, an articulating front wheel which is steered by tilting the board in the desired direction of travel, a steering assembly which is adjusted to control the radius of a turn and the level by which the steering assembly is able to respond when the board is leaned from side to side at various degrees, independent suspension for both wheels that can be adjusted for various lengths of wheel travel and for various types of terrains, and a rear disc brake that does not interfere with the ability of the rear suspension to respond to uneven surfaces.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An in-line, off-road skateboard comprising: a substantially planar frame having opposite forward and aft ends, said frame having a longitudinally extending centroidal axis,a front wheel supported on said forward end, and a rear wheel supported on said aft end, said front and rear wheels lying in

1. An in-line, off-road skateboard comprising: a substantially planar frame having opposite forward and aft ends, said frame having a longitudinally extending centroidal axis,a front wheel supported on said forward end, and a rear wheel supported on said aft end, said front and rear wheels lying in a common plane when said front wheel is in a straight-ahead alignment, said common plane intersecting said centroidal axis and orthogonal to said frame so as to be vertical when said frame is horizontal, said front wheel including a front rim mounted within a front tire wherein said front rim defines a front rim cavity therein, and wherein said front and rear wheels have corresponding laterally aligned front and rear axes of rotation respectively, said front and rear axes of rotation parallel when said front wheel is in said straight-ahead alignment, said front rim cavity having an opening corresponding to said front axis of rotation,said frame including a rigid platform between said front and rear wheels,a front arm mounted on said forward end of said frame, said front arm having opposite front and rear ends, said rear end of front arm said mounted to said forward end of said frame, and wherein said front end of said front arm is positioned adjacent said opening into said front rim cavity of said front wheel,a steering assembly mounted substantially within said front rim cavity, said steering assembly including a steering column aligned along a steering axis of rotation of said front wheel,a rocker link pivotally mounted at a first end thereof to said steering column for pivoting of said rocker link about a rocker link pivot axis parallel to said front axis of rotation and perpendicular to said steering axis of rotation, a front wheel axle and hub mounted to a second end of said rocker link opposite to said first end of said rocker link, said front wheel axle and hub aligned along said front axis of rotation, said front rim mounted to said front wheel axle and hub for rotation of said front wheel about said front axis of rotation,wherein said first end of said rocker link and said rocker link pivot axis are below said second end of said rocker link,a trail adjusting linkage assembly mounted at a first end thereof to said rocker link and mounted at a second end thereof to said steering column,wherein said steering axis of rotation and said steering column are inclined, and wherein a trail distance of said steering assembly, wherein a first intersection of a vertical axis through said front axis of rotation with a ground plane under and contacting said front and rear wheels is aft of a second intersection of said steering axis with said ground plane, is the distance in said ground plane between said first and second intersections,and wherein, as said front wheel rotates about said steering axis and out of said straight-ahead alignment with said centroidal axis of said frame, a trail adjusting linkage of said trail adjusting linkage assembly progressively pivots said second end of said rocker link towards said steering axis of rotation so as to progressively increase said trail distance and progressively elevate said frame away from said ground plane as said front wheel correspondingly progressively rotates further out of said straight-ahead alignment with said centroidal axis of said frame, and so as to progressively decrease said trail distance and progressively lower said frame closer to said ground plane as said front wheel correspondingly progressively returns to said straight-ahead alignment with said centroidal axis of said frame,wherein during forward translation of said skateboard as a rider standing on said skateboard leans into a turn and thereby tilts said frame about said centroidal axis so as to tilt said frame into the turn, said front wheel precesses into the turn about said steering axis of rotation thereby increasing said trail distance whereby the greater the tilt the greater the progressive turning of said front wheel about said steering axis of rotation within a range of motion of said front wheel, and conversely as the rider leans out of a turn and thereby tilts said frame about said centroidal axis so as to tilt said frame out of the turn, said front wheel precesses out of the turn about said steering axis of rotation thereby decreasing said trail distance and gravitational force assists said front wheel to return to straight-ahead wheel alignment as gravity urges said frame and the rider to settle into a position which corresponds to said straight ahead wheel alignment. 2. The skateboard of claim 1 wherein said front arm is a front suspension swing arm pivotally mounted on said forward end of said frame, and wherein, a front suspension dampener cooperates between said front suspension swing arm and said forward end of said frame to resiliently dampen upward pivoting, of said swing arm. 3. The skateboard of claim 1 wherein said rear wheel is mounted on a rear suspension swing arm assembly pivotally mounted to said aft end of said frame, said skateboard further comprising a rear platform on said aft end of said frame and aft of said rear wheel, and wherein said rear suspension swing arm assembly includes a resilient dampener cooperating with at least one rear suspension swing arm to resiliently dampen upward pivoting of said at least one rear suspensions swing arm. 4. The skateboard of claim 2 further comprising a parallelogram linkage cooperating between said steering column and said front end of said frame, wherein said front suspension dampener forms part of said parallelogram linkage. 5. The skateboard of claim 1 further comprising a rocker housing and wherein said rocker link is pivotally mounted for said pivoting about said rocker link pivot axis within said housing. 6. The skateboard of claim 5 wherein a steering dampener is mounted to said housing so as to act on said rocker link, wherein said pivoting of said rocker link is resiliently dampened, so that said steering dampener acts to dampen a return pivoting of said rocker link pivoting said second end of said rocker link away from said steering axis of rotation. 7. The skateboard of claim 6 wherein said rocker link supports said front wheel axle, and wherein an upper end of said housing is mounted to a lower end of said steering column. 8. An inline, off-road skateboard comprising of a substantially planar frame having opposite forward and aft ends, said frame having a longitudinally extending centroidal axis, a front wheel supported on said forward end, and a rear wheel supported on said aft end, said front and rear wheels lying in a common plane when said front wheel is in a straight-ahead alignment, said common plane intersecting said centroidal axis and orthogonal to said frame so as to be vertical when said frame is horizontal, said front wheel including a front rim mounted nested within a front tire wherein said front rim defines a front rim cavity therein, and wherein said front and rear wheels have corresponding, laterally aligned front and rear axes of rotation respectively, said front and rear axes of rotation parallel when said front wheel is in said straight-ahead alignment, said front rim cavity having an opening into said front rim cavity corresponding to said front axis of rotation,said frame including a rigid platform between said front and rear wheels,a front arm mounted on said forward end of said frame, said front arm having opposite front and rear ends, said rear end of said front arm said mounted to said forward end of said frame, and wherein said front end of said front arm is positioned adjacent said opening into said front rim cavity of said front wheel,a steering assembly mounted substantially within said front rim cavity, said steering assembly including a steering column aliened along a steering axis of rotation of said front wheel,a rocker link pivotally mounted at a first end thereof to said steering column for pivoting of said rocker link about a rocker link pivot axis parallel to said front axis of rotation and perpendicular to said steering axis of rotation, a front wheel axle and hub mounted to a second end of said rocker link opposite to said first end of said rocker link, said front wheel axle and hub aligned along said front axis of rotation, said front rim mounted to said front wheel axle and hub for rotation of said front wheel about said front axis of rotation,a trail adjusting linkage assembly mounted at a first end thereof to said rocker link and mounted at a second end thereof to said steering column,wherein said steering axis of rotation and said steering column are inclined, and wherein a trail distance of said steering assembly, wherein a first intersection of a vertical axis through said front axis of rotation with a ground plane under and contacting said front and rear wheels is aft of a second intersection of said steering axis with said ground plane is the distance in said around plane between said first and second intersections,and wherein, as said front wheel rotates about said steering axis and out of said straight-ahead alignment with said centroidal axis of said frame, a trail adjusting linkage of said trail adjusting linkage assembly progressively pivots said second end of said rocker link towards said steering axis of rotation so as to progressively increase said trail distance and progressively elevate said frame away from said ground plane as said front wheel correspondingly progressively rotates further out of said straight-ahead alignment with said centroidal axis of said frame, so as to progressively decrease said trail distance and progressively lower said frame closer to said ground plane as said front wheel correspondingly progressively returns to said straight-ahead alignment with said centroidal axis of said frame,wherein during forward translation of said skateboard as a rider standing on said skateboard leans into a turn and thereby tilts said frame about said centroidal axis so as to tilt said frame into the turn, said front wheel processes into the turn about said steering axis of rotation thereby increasing said trail distance whereby the greater the tilt the greater the progressive turning of said front wheel about said steering axis of rotation within a range of motion of said front wheel, and conversely as the rider leans out of a turn and thereby tilts said frame about said centroidal axis so as to tilt said frame out of the turn, said front wheel precesses out of the turn about said steering axis of rotation thereby decreasing said trail distance and gravitational force assists said front wheel to return to straight-ahead wheel alignment as gravity urges the said frame and the rider to settle into a position which corresponds to said straight ahead wheel alignment,wherein a rear platform is mounted behind said rear wheel and wherein said rear wheel is pivotally mounted to said rear end of said frame on a rear suspension swing arm so that said rear wheel has a vertical range of motion corresponding to a vertical range of pivoting motion of said rear suspension swing arm, and wherein said rear suspension swing arm pivots about a rear end thereof, and said rear end of said rear suspension swing arm is adjacent a forward end of said rear platform,wherein an upper limit of said rear wheel range of motion and said range of pivoting motion are constrained by a resilient dampener,and whereby said upper limit inhibits contact between said rear wheel and a leg of a user when a user's leg is standing on said rear platform. 9. The skateboard of claim 8 wherein said resilient dampener cooperates with said rear suspension swing arm and is mounted under said rear platform so that said resilient dampener is resiliently compressed by upward pivoting of said rear suspension swing arm. 10. The skateboard of claim 1 wherein said trail adjusting linkage assembly further includes a rigid member depending rigidly downwardly from said steering column, and wherein said trail adjusting linkage is pivotally mounted at a front end thereof to said rocker link and at a rear end thereof to a lower end of said rigid member, wherein said trail adjusting linkage is substantially linear, and wherein said trail adjusting linkage assembly further includes a trail adjusting bell-crank cantilevered rearwardly from said rocker link, a distal end of said trail adjusting bell-crank distal from said rocker link said pivotally mounted to said front end of said trail adjusting linkage. 11. The skateboard of claim 8 wherein said trail adjusting linkage assembly further includes a rigid member depending rigidly downwardly from said steering column, and wherein said trail adjusting linkage is pivotally mounted at a front end thereof to said rocker link and at a rear end thereof to a lower end of said rigid member, wherein said trail adjusting linkage is substantially linear, and wherein said trail adjusting linkage assembly further includes a trail adjusting bell-crank cantilevered rearwardly from said rocker link, a distal end of said trail adjusting bell-crank distal from said rocker link said pivotally mounted to said front end of said trail adjusting linkage. 12. The skateboard of claim 8 wherein said forward end of said frame includes at least one upright extending upwardly from said platform and wherein said rear end of said front arm is mounted to an upper end of said at least one upright.