US 12,715,512 B2Granted

Lightweight vehicle

AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.

InventorsDonny Lee Hammond, Jr., Sam Dean Smith, Trevor Douglas Roebuck, Landon Niles Ball

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A lightweight vehicle includes a pair of rear wheel assemblies, a pair of front wheel assemblies, a chassis, a front suspension system coupling the pair of front wheel assemblies to the chassis, a rear suspension system coupling the pair of rear wheel assemblies to the chassis, a frontmost seat supported by the chassis where the frontmost seat includes a first seat bottom and a first seat back, a rearmost seat supported by the chassis and facing forward where the rearmost seat includes a second seat bottom and a second seat back, a floorboard coupled the chassis, and an electric motor configured to drive the pair of rear wheel assemblies and at least partially positioned beneath the second seat bottom. At least a portion of the rearmost seat is located longitudinally rearward of an axis extending through a center of the pair of rear wheel assemblies.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A lightweight vehicle comprising:

a pair of rear wheel assemblies;
a pair of front wheel assemblies;
a chassis;
a front suspension system coupling the pair of front wheel assemblies to the chassis;
a rear suspension system coupling the pair of rear wheel assemblies to the chassis;
a frontmost seat configured to accommodate a plurality of first occupants, the frontmost seat including a first seat bottom, a first seat back, and a pedestal supported by the chassis and supporting the first seat bottom;
a rearmost seat configured to accommodate a plurality of second occupants, the rearmost seat supported by the chassis, the rearmost seat facing forward, the rearmost seat including a second seat bottom and a second seat back, at least a portion of the second seat bottom of the rearmost seat is located longitudinally rearward of an axis extending through a center of the pair of rear wheel assemblies;
a floorboard coupled the chassis, the floorboard providing a first footwell in front of the frontmost seat for feet of the plurality of first occupants and a second footwell in front of the rearmost seat for feet of the plurality of second occupants, the second footwell being planar and extending along a single plane entirely between a first outer lateral edge of the chassis to a second, opposing outer lateral edge of the chassis;
and
a drivetrain configured to drive the pair of rear wheel assemblies, at least a portion of the drivetrain positioned beneath the second seat bottom.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/826,628Filed 6 Sep 2024 · continuation
Priority: 12 Apr 2019
Published: US 2024/0425112 A126 Dec 2024
Granted: 25 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

B62D 21/02
Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted: comprising longitudinally or transversely arranged frame members
B60G 3/06
The arm being essentially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle: the arm being rigid
B60G 3/10
The arm being essentially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle: the arm itself being resilient, e.g. leaf spring
B60G 3/20
With two or more pivoted arms, e.g. parallelogram: all arms being rigid

Family

Application16/383,041Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Apr 2019
Application18/337,896Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Jun 2023
US 2024/0425112 A1Pre-grant publication · published 26 Dec 2024
US 12,122,452 B2Parent of this continuation
US 11,767,060 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2020/0324817 A1Published application
US 2023/0331304 A1Published application
US 12,715,512 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.