Railbikes with reversible direction of travel
OwnerStephen B. Maguireinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Railbikes configured to transport passengers on a railway are provided. The railbikes are propelled by the passengers, using foot pedals. The railbikes are equipped with passenger seats whose orientation can be reversed quickly and easily the passengers. Also, the railbikes includes reversible clutches that permit the passengers to pedal in opposite directions, depending on the desired direction of travel of the railbikes. Thus, the direction of travel of the railbikes can be reversed without a need to lift the railbikes off of the underlying rails to physically reorient the railbikes in the opposite direction; and without a need for a turntable or other specialized railway equipment to turn the railbike.
Claims16
A railbike configured for movement on a railway, the railbike comprising:
- a frame;
- a plurality of wheels coupled to the frame, the wheels being configured to rotate in relation to the frame, and to engage the railway;
- a driveshaft mounted on the frame and configured to rotate in relation to the frame, the driveshaft being connected to at least one of the wheels;
- a first and a second rail mounted on the frame;
- a seat mounted on the frame and configured to provide a seating area for a passenger, the seat configured to be mounted on the frame in a first orientation, and a second orientation angularly offset from the first orientation by about 180 degrees, the seat comprising:
- a first bracket configured to engage the first rail when the seat is in the first orientation and configured to engage the second rail when the seat is in the second orientation, and
- a second bracket configured to engage the second rail when the seat is in the first orientation and configured to engage the first rail when the seat is in the second orientation;
- a pedal assembly mounted on the frame, the pedal assembly being configured to rotate in relation to the frame, and to transmit a torque applied to the pedal assembly by the passenger;
- and
- a clutch coupled to the pedal assembly and configured to transmit to the driveshaft at least a portion of the torque applied to the pedal assembly, wherein the clutch is selectively configurable to transmit the portion of the applied torque to the driveshaft in a first angular direction, and in a second angular direction opposite the first angular direction.
A railbike configured for movement on a railway, the railbike comprising:
- a frame;
- a plurality of wheels coupled to the frame, the wheels being configured to rotate in relation to the frame, and to engage the railway;
- a driveshaft mounted on the frame and configured to rotate in relation to the frame, the driveshaft being connected to at least one of the wheels;
- a seat mounted on the frame and configured to provide a seating area for a passenger;
- a pedal assembly mounted on the frame, the pedal assembly being configured to rotate in relation to the frame, and to transmit a torque applied to the pedal assembly by the passenger;
- and
- a clutch configured to transmit to the driveshaft at least a portion of the torque applied to the pedal assembly, the clutch comprising a sprocket coupled to the pedal assembly, and at least one pin coupled to the pedal assembly;
- wherein the clutch is selectively configurable to transmit the portion of the applied torque to the driveshaft in a first angular direction, and in a second angular direction opposite the first angular direction, and
- wherein the pin is configured to engage an inner circumferential surface of the sprocket and an outer surface of the driveshaft so that the portion of the applied torque is transmitted from the sprocket and to the driveshaft via the pin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.