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US 4,077,351 AGranted
Amphibious recreational vehicle
OwnerManuel Garcia Gironainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The amphibious vehicle has a main frame on the forward end of which is mounted a buoyant front wheel for angular steering movement. A transversely mounted rear axle assembly is rotatably supported on the rearward end of the frame. A pair of buoyant wheels and a pair of paddle wheels are mounted on the opposite ends of the rear axle assembly for rotation thereby. A pedal drive on the frame is drivingly connected with the rear axle assembly. A rudder member is mounted on a rearward extension of the frame for angular movement relative thereto. Flexible members transmit the steering movement from the front wheel to the rudder member. The rear axle assembly can be easily disassembled and the frame can be folded for ease of transportation.
Claims4
An amphibious tricycle, comprising:
- a frame having an elongate front-to-rear main frame member,
- a pedal drive, a handle bar, a saddle and a front fork, operatively mounted on said main frame member;
- a hinge member disposed intermediate the ends of said main frame member to permit folding of said main frame member about a vertical axis;
- a buoyant front wheel rotatably mounted on said fork for angular steering movement;
- a U-shaped yoke member having two spaced apart posts outwardly extending from said yoke member, a pair of guide tubes on either side of said main frame member;
- said posts being slidably mounted in said guide tubes and being securable to said guide tubes;
- a pair of bearing sleeves coaxially aligned along an axis transverse to the plane of said main frame member;
- a rear axle assembly rotatably supported by said bearing sleeves;
- said rear axle assembly including:
- a cylindrical member having a length approximately equal to the distance between the inner ends of said bearing sleeves, a sprocket wheel mounted on said cylindrical member, a center axle having a length substantially equal to the distance between the outer ends of said bearing sleeves, said center axle having a longitudinal bore extending from each end thereof, each bore having a threaded socket at the end thereof;
- a pair of stub axles, each stub axle having a reduced-diameter portion, the free end thereof being threaded, the reduced diameter portions being slidably mounted in said bores of said center axle with the threaded ends of said reduced-diameter portions being threadably secured to said sockets;
- a pair of hollow stub shafts, a paddle wheel radially extending from the inner end of each shaft;
- a pair of buoyant rear wheels mounted on the outer ends of said stub shaft;
- a rudder mounted on the rear end of said main frame for pivotal movement about a vertical axis;
- a pair of flexible steering cables extending in cross-relation between said front fork and said rudder to allow said rudder to rotate in a direction opposite from the direction of rotation of said front wheel;
- and
- a chain mounted on said sprocket wheel.
14 more elements
An amphibious tricycle, comprising:
- a frame having an elongate front-to-rear main frame member,
- a pedal drive, a handle bar, a saddle and a front fork, operatively mounted on said main frame member;
- a buoyant front wheel rotatably mounted on said fork for angular steering movement;
- a U-shaped yoke member detachably secured to said main frame member;
- a pair of bearing sleeves coaxially aligned along an axis transverse to the plane of said main frame member;
- a rear axle assembly rotatably supported by said bearing sleeves,
- said rear axle assembly including:
- a hollow cylinder having a length approximately equal to the distance between the inner ends of said bearing sleeves, a sprocket wheel mounted on said cylinder, a center axle extending through said bearing sleeves and said cylinder, said center axle having a longitudinal bore extending from each end thereof, each bore having a threaded socket at the end thereof;
- a pair of stub axles, each stub axle having a reduced-diameter portion having a threaded free end and being slidably received in a bore of said center axle with the threaded free end being threadably secured to a center axle's socket;
- a pair of hollow stub shafts mounted on said stub axles, a paddle wheel radially extending from one end of each stub shaft;
- a pair of buoyant rear wheels mounted on the other ends of said stub shafts;
- a rudder coupled to the rear end of said main frame for pivotal movement about a vertical axis;
- a pair of flexible steering cables extending in cross-relation between said front fork and said rudder to allow said rudder to rotate in a direction opposite from the direction of rotation of said front wheel thereby steering said tricycle;
- and
- a chain mounted on said sprocket wheel for driving said tricycle.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.