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US 5,511,809 AGranted
Pedal-powered four-wheel vehicle
OwnerDavid P. Sagiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is a pedal-powered two-rider four-wheel vehicle which has a general configuration of two bicycles attached in a side-by-side relationship. The four-wheel vehicle includes four mechanisms which are utilized to construct the present invention: (a) a "king-pin" front-wheel steering system; (b) a differential axle; (c) an intermediate driving shaft; and (d) a unified brake system.
Claims39
A pedal-powered four-wheel vehicle, comprising:
- a. a left side two-wheel bicycle and a right side two-wheel bicycle attached in a side-by-side relationship, each bicycle having a frame member including a chain wheel, a head tube, an incline crossbar, an incline down tube, a steering post, a front fork for attaching to a front wheel and a stay seat for attaching to a rear wheel;
- b. a handlebar securely attached to said steering post of said left side bicycle for steering said four-wheel vehicle;
- c. a dummy handlebar clamped on said incline crossbar of said right side bicycle;
- d. an elongated upper front horizontal bar and an elongated lower front horizontal bar located adjacent and parallel to each other and respectively clamped between said incline crossbars and said incline down tubes of said left and right side bicycles for rigidly securing and stabilizing said left and right side bicycles together;
- e. a steering system having an elongated horizontal tie rod with two opposite ends, each coupled to a mounting plate which is clamped to a respective one of said steering posts of said left and right side bicycles for jointly operating both said steering posts;
- f. a differential axle mounted between said left and right side bicycles and having a central sprocket and two opposite ends which are coupled to rear wheel shafts of said left and right side bicycles through respective half-axles so that said rear wheels can rotate at different speeds;
- g. an intermediate driving shaft mounted between said rear wheels of said left and right bicycles and located parallel and adjacent to said differential axle, the intermediate driving shaft having a central sprocket and two opposite ends, each end having a freewheel affixed to a speed control hub, where each speed control hub is supported by two support shafts extending from a respective one of said stay seats of said left and right side bicycles;
- h. two gear control chains each linking said chain wheel and said freewheel of a respective one of said left and right bicycles, where an individual pedalling power of said left side bicycle and an individual pedalling power of said right side bicycle are transmitted by its respective gear control chains to said intermediate driving shaft through said freewheels respectively;
- i. a drive chain linking said sprocket of said differential axle and said sprocket of said intermediate driving shaft, where a rotational power transmitted through said freewheels drives said intermediate driving shaft, which in turn drives a propelling gear of said differential axle;
- j. a unified braking system for simultaneously applying brakes on at least two parallel ones of said wheels of said left and right side bicycles so that said left and right side bicycles can be evenly braked to stop said four-wheel vehicle;
- and
- k. an elongated cover member mounted between said left and right side bicycles for covering said differential axle and said intermediate driving shaft and further securing and stabilizing said left and right side bicycles together;
- l. whereby said individual pedal powers are combined to transmit combined power to said intermediate driving shaft, which then transmits the combined power to said differential axle, which in turn evenly distributes the combined power to said rear wheels of said left and right side bicycles.
10 more elements
A pedal-powered four-wheel vehicle, comprising;
- a. a first side bicycle and a second side bicycle attached in a side-by-side relationship, each bicycle having a frame member including a chain wheel, a crossbar, a steering post, a front fork for attaching a front wheel and a stay seat for attaching a rear wheel;
- b. a handlebar securely attached to said steering post of said first side bicycle for steering said four-wheel vehicle;
- c. a dummy handlebar clamped to said crossbar of said second side bicycle;
- d. at least one front horizontal bar clamped to said crossbars of said first and second side bicycles for rigidly securing and stabilizing said first and second side bicycles together;
- e. a steering system including a horizontal tie rod with two opposite ends, each coupled to a mounting plate which is clamped to a respective one of said steering posts of said first and second side bicycles for jointly operating both said steering posts;
- f. a differential axle mounted between said first and second side bicycles and having a sprocket and two opposite ends which are coupled to rear wheel shafts of said first and second side bicycles through respective half-axles so that said rear wheels can rotate at different speeds;
- g. an intermediate driving shaft mounted between said rear wheels of said first and second bicycles and located parallel and adjacent to said differential axle, the intermediate driving shaft having a sprocket and two opposite ends, each end having a freewheeling hub, where each freewheeling hub is supported by two support shafts extending from a respective one of said stay seats of said first and second side bicycles;
- h. two gear control chains each linking said chain wheel and said freewheeling hub of a respective one of said first and second side bicycles, where an individual pedalling power of said first side bicycle and an individual pedalling power of said second side bicycle are transmitted by its respective gear control chains to said intermediate driving shaft through said freewheeling hubs respectively;
- i. a drive chain linking said sprocket of said differential axle and said sprocket of said intermediate driving shaft, where a rotational power transmitted though said freewheeling hubs drives said intermediate driving shaft, which in turn drives a propelling gear of said differential axle;
- j. a unified braking system for simultaneously applying brakes on at least two parallel ones of said wheels of said first and second side bicycles so that said first and second side bicycles can be evenly braked to stop said four-wheel vehicle;
- and
- k. means for securing and stabilizing the rears of said first and second side bicycles together;
- l. whereby said individual pedal powers are combined to transmit combined power said intermediate driving shaft, which then transmits combined power to said differential axle, which in turn evenly distributes the combined power to said rear wheels of said first and second side bicycles.
10 more elements
A pedal-powered four-wheel vehicle, comprising;
- a. a first side bicycle and a second side bicycle attached in a side-by-side relationship, each bicycle having a frame member including a chain wheel, a crossbar, a steering post, a front fork for attaching a front wheel and a stay seat for attaching a rear wheel;
- b. a handlebar securely attached to said steering post of said first side bicycle for steering said four-wheel vehicle;
- c. a dummy handlebar clamped to said crossbar of said second side bicycle;
- d. at least one front horizontal bar clamped to said crossbars of said first and second side bicycles for rigidly securing and stabilizing said first and second side bicycles together;
- e. a differential axle mounted between said first and second side bicycles and having a sprocket and two opposite ends which are coupled to rear wheel shafts of said first and second side bicycles through respective half-axles so that said rear wheels can rotate at different speeds;
- f. an intermediate driving shaft mounted between said rear wheels of said first and second bicycles and located parallel and adjacent to said differential axle, the intermediate driving shaft having a sprocket and two opposite ends, each end having a freewheeling hub, where each freewheeling hub is supported by two support shafts extending from a respective one of said stay seats of said first and second side bicycles;
- g. two gear control chains each linking said chain wheel and said freewheeling hub of a respective one of said first and second side bicycles, where an individual pedalling power of said first side bicycle and an individual pedalling power of said second side bicycle are transmitted by its respective gear control chains to said intermediate driving shaft through said freewheeling hubs respectively;
- h. a drive chain linking said sprocket of said differential axle and said sprocket of said intermediate driving shaft, where a rotational power transmitted though said freewheeling hubs drives said intermediate driving shaft, which in turn drives a propelling gear of said differential axle;
- i. a unified braking system for evenly stopping said four-wheel vehicle;
- and
- j. means for securing and stabilizing the rears of said first and second side bicycles together;
- k. whereby said individual pedal powers are combined to transmit combined power said intermediate driving shaft, which then transmits the combined power to said differential axle, which in turn evenly distributes the combined power to said rear wheels of said first and second side bicycles.
9 more elements
A pedal-powered four-wheel vehicle, comprising;
- a. a first side bicycle and a second side bicycle attached in a side-by-side relationship, each bicycle having a frame member including a chain wheel, a crossbar, a steering post, a front fork for attaching a front wheel and a stay seat for attaching a rear wheel;
- b. a handlebar securely attached to said steering post of said first side bicycle for steering said four-wheel vehicle;
- c. a dummy handlebar clamped to said crossbar of said second side bicycle;
- d. at least one front horizontal bar clamped to said crossbars of said first and second side bicycles for rigidly securing and stabilizing said first and second side bicycles together;
- e. a steering system including a horizontal tie rod with two opposite ends, each coupled to a mounting plate which is clamped to a respective one of said steering posts of said first and second side bicycles for jointly operating both said steering posts;
- f. a differential axle mounted between said first and second side bicycles and having a sprocket and two opposite ends which are coupled to rear wheel shafts of said first and second side bicycles through respective half-axles so that said rear wheels can rotate at different speeds;
- g. an intermediate driving shaft mounted between said rear wheels of said first and second bicycles and located parallel and adjacent to said differential axle, the intermediate driving shaft having a sprocket and two opposite ends, each end having a freewheeling hub, where each freewheeling hub is supported by two support shafts extending from a respective one of said stay seats of said first and second side bicycles;
- h. two gear control chains each linking said chain wheel and said freewheeling hub of a respective one of said first and second side bicycles, where an individual pedalling power of said first side bicycle and an individual pedalling power of said second side bicycle are transmitted by its respective gear control chains to said intermediate driving shaft through said freewheeling hubs respectively;
- i. a drive chain linking said sprocket of said differential axle and said sprocket of said intermediate driving shaft, where a rotational power transmitted though said freewheeling hubs drives said intermediate driving shaft, which in turn drives a propelling gear of said differential axle;
- and
- j. means for securing and stabilizing the rears of said first and second side bicycles together;
- k. whereby said individual pedal powers are combined to transmit combined power to said intermediate driving shaft, which then transmits the combined power to said differential axle, which in turn evenly distributes the combined power to said rear wheels of said first and second side bicycles.
9 more elements
A pedal-powered four-wheel vehicle, comprising:
- a. two bicycles attached in a side-by-side relationship and each bicycle having a frame member including a front wheel and a rear wheel;
- b. a differential axle mounted between said two bicycles and coupled to rear wheel shafts of said two bicycles through respective half-axles so that said rear wheels can rotate at different speeds;
- c. a speed control shaft mounted between said rear wheels of said two bicycles;
- d. means for transmitting an individual pedalling power of at least one of said two bicycles to said speed control shaft to rotate said speed control shaft;
- and
- e. means for transmitting the rotation of said speed control shaft to said differential axle;
- f. whereby said individual pedalling power is transmitted to said speed control shaft and further is transmitted to said differential axle, which in turn evenly distributes said individual pedalling power to said rear wheels of said two bicycles.
4 more elements
A pedal-powered four-wheel vehicle having two bicycles attached in a side-by-side relationship, each bicycle having a driving wheel, and the bicycles including a single intermediate driving shaft extending therebetween and a differential axle coupled between the driving wheels to accommodate the speed difference thereof, where an individual pedalling power of each of the two bicycles is combined to transmit combined power to the intermediate driving shaft, which then transmits the combined power to the differential axle, which in turn evenly distributes the combined power to the driving wheels of the two bicycles respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.