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US 7,258,192 B2Granted
Two person RUV with ergonomic seating and feet placement
AssigneeAmerican Off-Road Technologies, LLC
InventorsRichard A. Davis, Eric A. Davis, Russell R. Kloiser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A two or more person RUV (recreational utility vehicle) is provided with a multi-place multi-planar saddle seat assembly, multi-place multi-planar foot board assemblies, and grip handles.
Claims11
A recreational utility vehicle (RUV) suitable for on-road and off-road multi-terrain use, said RUV comprising:
- a longitudinally elongated frame;
- front and rear suspensions coupled to and spaced longitudinally along said frame;
- a longitudinally elongated multi-place saddle seat assembly on said frame, said multi-place saddle seat assembly accommodating at least two riders in tandem, namely an operator driver and a passenger, said multi-place saddle seat assembly having first and second sections, wherein said first section seats the driver, and said second section is aft of said first section and seats the passenger;
- said frame being sufficiently longitudinally elongated to accommodate said multi-place saddle seat assembly and the at least two riders in tandem;
- front and rear pairs of laterally spaced wheels coupled to said front and rear suspensions, respectively, said front and rear pairs of wheels being spaced apart by a wheelbase, said wheelbase being sufficiently longitudinally elongated to accommodate said frame and said multi-place saddle seat assembly and the at least two riders in tandem;
- said front and rear suspensions being sufficiently sized and sprung to accommodate said wheelbase and said frame and said multi-place saddle seat assembly and the at least two riders in tandem;
- and
- a pair of elongated multi-place multi-planar foot board assemblies on said frame on laterally opposite sides of said multi-place saddle seat assembly, said multi-place multi-planar foot board assemblies having first and second pairs of foot rests at different levels, wherein said first pair of foot rests positions the feet of the driver, and said second pair of foot rests is aft of and higher than said first pair of foot rests and positions the feet of the passenger,
- wherein each of said second pair of foot rests comprises a pocket, each of said pockets locating respective toes of a respective one of the passenger's feet.
6 more elements
A recreational utility vehicle (RUV) capable of accommodating multiple passengers, the RUV comprising:
- right and left front wheels and right and left rear wheels, wherein the front wheels are spaced apart from the rear wheels by a wheelbase, and wherein each of the wheels is associated with a respective low-pressure tire having a respective internal pressure of 10 psi or less;
- right and left front fenders respectively extending behind respective rear edges of the right and left front tires, respectively, and right and left rear fenders respectively extending in front of respective front edges of the right and left rear tires, respectively;
- a saddle seat having a first portion, a second portion and a transitional portion extending in a manner that is at least partially non-horizontal, the transitional portion being positioned between the first and second portions, the second portion being behind the first portion;
- a longitudinally elongated frame to which the wheels, fenders and seat are coupled at least indirectly, the longitudinally elongated frame being sufficiently elongated to accommodate the saddle seat;
- front and rear suspensions coupled to and spaced longitudinally along the frame, said front and rear suspensions being sufficiently sized and sprung to accommodate the wheelbase and the frame and the saddle seat;
- a handlebar and a rack supported at least indirectly by the longitudinally elongated frame, wherein at least a part of the rack is positioned behind the saddle seat;
- a pair of grip handles on laterally opposite sides of the saddle seat, wherein the grip handles are in addition to the handlebar and the rack, and wherein the grip handles are positioned forward of the part of the rack and aft of the first portion of the saddle seat;
- and
- right and left foot rest surfaces that are respectively positioned between the right front and rear fenders and the left front and rear fenders, respectively, and that do not extend rearward of the front edges of the right and left rear tires, respectively,
- wherein each of the right and left foot rest surfaces has a respective length that is substantially equal to or greater than a diameter of at least one of the tires;
- wherein each of the right and left foot rest surfaces includes respective first and second protrusions that each extend, widthwise, on the respective foot rest surface, the first and second protrusions of each respective foot rest surface being positioned in succession along a respective length of the respective foot rest surface, whereby the first and second protrusions of each respective foot rest surface are shaped to facilitate positioning first and second feet in succession along the respective length of the respective foot rest surface.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.