US 4,570,739 AGranted

Personal mobility vehicle

AssigneeThe Burke Company

InventorDuWayne E. Kramer

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Abstract

A personal mobility vehicle includes a floor pan with a rear drive unit at one end and a steerable front wheel at the other end. The drive unit is separable from the floor pan and includes spaced apart, differentially connected rear wheels, an electric motor, and belts and pulleys drivingly connecting the motor to a differential unit. The front wheel is steered by a tiller. A seat with a folding back is removably connected to the floor pan toward the pan rear end to concentrate the weight of the driver over the rear wheels to aid in traction. A brake is provided on the front wheel and is lockable for parking purposes. Each of the drive unit, seat unit, a battery, and a floor pan unit weighs less than thirty pounds such that the separated components can be easily lifted and manipulated for transportation of the vehicle between sites of use.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A personal mobility vehicle comprising:

(a) a main frame unit including:
(1) a floor pan having a back end;
(2) a front wheel spindle pivotally connected to said pan.
(3) a front ground engaging wheel rotatably mounted on said spindle;
and
(4) a steering tiller connected to said spindle;
(b) a rear drive unit including:
(1) a drive unit frame;
(2) a rear axle means rotatably mounted on said drive unit frame;
(3) a pair of spaced apart ground engaging rear wheels mounted on said rear axle means in spaced apart relation;
(4) a motor mounted on said frame;
(5) transmission means drivingly connecting said motor to said rear axle means;
and
(6) frame connection means removably connecting said drive unit frame to said floor pan of said main frame unit with said floor pan back end adjacent said rear wheels;
(c) a seat unit including a seat member, said seat unit being connected to said floor pan of said main frame unit in proximity to said floor pan back end with said seat member in spaced relation to said pan;
(d) a battery unit including a battery member, said battery unit being removably positioned on said floor pan of said main frame unit in proximity to said back end thereof;
and
(e) control means removably interconnecting said battery member with said motor to selectively operate said motor to propel said vehicle.

15 more elements

A personal mobility vehicle comprising:

(a) a main frame unit including:
(1) a floor pan having a back end;
(2) a front wheel spindle pivotally connected to said pan;
(3) a front ground engaging wheel rotatably mounted on said spindle;
and
(4) a steering tiller connected to said spindle;
(b) a rear drive unit including:
(1) a drive unit frame;
(2) a rear axle means rotatably mounted on said drive unit frame;
(3) a pair of spaced apart ground engaging rear wheels mounted on said rear axle means in spaced apart relation;
(4) a motor mounted on said frame;
(5) transmission means drivingly connecting said motor to said rear axle means;
and
(6) three substantially collinear frame connection means, at least two of which are fixed, removably connecting said drive unit frame to said floor pan of said main frame unit;
(c) a seat unit including a seat member, said seat unit being connected to said floor pan of said main frame unit in proximity to said floor pan back end with said seat member in spaced relation to said pan;
(d) a battery unit including a battery member, said battery unit being removably positioned on said floor pan of said main frame unit in proximity to said back end thereof;
(e) a brake associated with at least one of said wheels for selectively retarding and preventing rotation of said one of said wheels;
and
(f) control means removably interconnecting said battery member with said motor to selectively operate said motor to propel said vehicle.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.