US 9,592,838 B1 · Tandem rail rider and method of use thereof

Abstract

A tandem rider device and method of use for maintaining three planes of stability, elimination of interference and steering is presented. In particular, the present invention relates to devices and mechanisms, which when connected to the three planes of stability, vertical, horizontal and axial, between two duplicate personal transportation devices or between the transportation device and another device including structural stability elements provide for the following three enhancements. Provide tracking wheels, levers, springs and pedals for interference elimination devices allowing removal of tracking wheel interferences when two devices are connected together. Providing steering mechanism used for steering two duplicate personal transportation devices or steering the transportation device and another device when the tandem rider device is placed on a suitable surface other than parallel tracks. Providing a plurality of assemblies, that when such assemblies are removed, allow engagement of the steering mechanism when the transportation devices are removed from parallel tracks.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A tandem rail rider for traveling on and off of railroad tracks comprising:

a pair of duplicate transportation devices connected together, each having two wheels and configured for travel both on and off of railroad tracks while connected together;
a plurality of removable planar structural elements, wherein the planar structural elements connect the duplicate transportation devices together and act to prevent the pair of duplicate transportation devices from becoming misaligned by providing vertical, horizontal and axial stability;
a pair of interference elimination devices, each including a tracking wheel, a lever and a pedal and connected to each other and the pair of duplicate transportation devices by one of the plurality of structural elements so as to locate the interference elimination elements between the pair of duplicate transportation devices, wherein the pair of interference elimination devices are configured to freely rotate independently of each other about the one of the plurality of structural elements, and wherein each pedal is configured to be manipulated by a rider of a respective one of the pair of duplicate transportation devices so as to selectively raise the tracking wheel off of a respective railroad track to avoid interferences located on or next to the track.

A tandem rail rider for traveling on and off of railroad tracks comprising:

a pair of duplicate transportation devices connected together, each having two wheels and configured for travel both on and off of railroad tracks while connected together;
a plurality of removable planar structural elements, wherein the planar structural elements connect the duplicate transportation devices together and act to prevent the pair of duplicate transportation devices from becoming misaligned by providing vertical, horizontal and axial stability;
a steering mechanism for use during off track travel comprising a first and a second end connection element, each of said end connection elements having an aperture for connecting to a respective one of the pair of duplicate transportation devices at a rotating point which allows steering both transportation devices;
said first end connection device having a solid end that accepts and affixes a first end of a first hollow tie rod, which first hollow tie rod has a second end that accepts and affixes a first end of a solid rod having a compression spring around said solid rod;
said solid rod is further accepted at a second end by a second hollow tie rod, said second hollow tie rod including a slide slot configured to allow movement of said second end of said solid rod internally to said second hollow tie rod;
and wherein said second hollow tie rod is accepted on a solid end of the second end connection element.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Tandem rail rider and method of use thereof

Life of this patent

Tandem rail rider and method of use thereof

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12