GB2326351A

GB2326351A - Flexible wheeled board

Info

Publication number: GB2326351A
Application number: GB9811564A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joseph Matthew Inglis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-06-20
Filing date: 1998-06-01
Publication date: 1998-12-23
Also published as: GB9712934D0; GB9811564D0

Abstract

A flexible board 1 has two pairs of wheels 3 mounted on axles 4 which are flexibly attached to either end of the board. When the board is flexed at a point between the axles under the weight of the rider, and tilted about its longitudinal axis when the rider shifts his weight, it forms an arc shape due to its flexible nature thus causing the axes of the wheel axles to converge and provide steering for the board. The axles 4 may be secured to the board 1 by elastomeric bushes 11, 12, 13, 14. The bolts, 7, 8 are received in oversized bores to allow the wheels to remain in contact with the ground when the board is tilted. The ends of the board to which the axles 4 are secured are inclined upwards from the rest of the board to increase the tendency of the wheel axles to converge when the board is flexed. The elastomeric bushes 11, 12, 13, 14 and the flexible nature of the board combine to provide suspension for the user, making the board suitable for off-road use over rough surfaces.

Description

Improvements in and relating to wheeled boards This invention relates to wheeled boards of type generally corresponding to surf boards but for use on land where wheels are provided at the forward and rearward ends of the board, one example being commonly referred to as a skateboard.

A skateboard generally comprises a rigid board supported for rolling movement above the ground by a pair of wheels on the front and a pair of wheels at the back, each pair being connected to the board by means of a respective axle and strut assembly. The strut assembly may include flexible components whereby upon tilting of the board along its longitudinal axis the front wheels may be caused to swivel about a vertical axis perpendicular to the axle so as to provide a facility for the skateboard to be steered by a rider thereon when so tilted.

A disadvantage of skateboards of this general configuration is that they utilise generally small wheels which are disposed entirely beneath and within the limit of the width of the skateboard so that, by definition, the skateboard can only be used on suitably hard and smooth surfaces such as road and pavement surfaces.

The present invention is derived from the realisation that there exists a need for wheeled board apparatus which is suitable for off-road use, and in particular on grass or similar surfaces where a conventional skateboard could not be used. Even making a conventional skateboard with larger wheels would not necessarily assist in achieving this objective because the configuration ofthe skateboard would require that the height of the board to be more than the diameter of the wheels and, for off-road use, there is always the problem of the ground being uneven, therefore requiring some form of suspension for the board in order to provide comfort for a rider thereof.

According to the present invention there is provided wheeled board apparatus for off-road use, the apparatus comprising a flexible board for riding on by a user thereof, the board being supported at each end by respective front and rear wheel pairs mounted for rotation on respective axles and each axle being, in turn, flexibly secured to a respective end ofthe board such that, in use, downward flexure ofthe board caused by the weight of a rider thereon and sideways tilt of the board relative to the common plane of the wheel axles combine to cause the major axes of the axles to converge, thereby to provide steering for the apparatus in accordance with the angle of sideways tilt and thereby to provide, at least in part, suspension for the board in accordance with the degree of flexibility thereof.

Preferably, the axles at each end of the board are secured thereto by elastomeric bushes through which are inserted bolts which extend through over-size holes in the board so that when the board is tilted from the horizontal to one side or the other the wheel pairs remain in contact with the ground. Conveniently, each end of the board onto which the respective wheel pairs and axles are secured are tilted upwards with respect to the remainder of the board so as to increase the tendency of the major axes of the axles to converge when the board is tilted to one side or the other, thereby to increase or otherwise improve the steerability of the board by the rider.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of wheeled board apparatus according to the invention, Figure 2 is a side elevation of one end of the board shown in Figure 1 and in which for clarity the wheels are not shown, Figure 3 is a schematic end elevation of the wheeled board apparatus of Figure 1 showing the board tilted, and Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of the wheeled board apparatus of Figure 1 with the board tilted by a rider (not shown) thereof.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 the wheeled off-road board apparatus according to this embodiment ofthe invention comprises a flexible board 1 for standing and riding on made of a suitably tough and flexible material such as a plastics material, the board 1 being supported off the ground by front and rear wheel pairs 2, 3 mounted for rotation on respective axles 4, 5 which are, in turn, secured to respective ends of the board 1 in the manner described with reference to Figure 2.

Turning to Figure 2, there is shown one end of the board 1 and, in section, the axle 4 at the forward end thereof. The axle 4 is itself secured to a metal plate 6 having a pair of threaded bores (not shown) therein for receiving threaded bolts 7, 8 which extend through over size bores 9, 10 in the board 1.

Mounted on each of the threaded bolts 7, 8 are respective upper and lower rubber bushes 11, 12 and 13, 14 on either side of the board 1. They are retained in place at the upper end by means of washers 15, 16 and at the lower end by means of the plate 6. Where the bushes 11, 12 and 13, 14 meet the board 1 they are constrained from splaying outwardly by means of circular metal ferrules 17, 18 and 19, 20. As can be seen from the drawing, the bolts 7, 8 allow for the bushes 11, 12 and 13, 14 to be compressed so they bulge outwardly and therefore provide a means by which the wheel pairs 2, 3 can be anchored via their respective axles 4, 5 to the board 1.

Because the bolts 7, 8 are received in oversize bores 9, 10 in the board 1 it will be apparent that sideways tilt of the latter can be accommodated. When this occurs, because the board is bent or curved by the weight of the rider, the major axes of the axles converge as illustrated in Figure 4. This is also partly illustrated with reference to Figure 3 which shows the board 1 tilted to one side such as would be the case when a rider is mounted thereon and leans over to one side. When this happens the flexure of the board 1 caused by the weight of the rider thereon and the wheel axles 4, 5 consequently rotating about a central axis perpendicular to the ground axles provides for steerability of the board and a rider thereon can therefore slalom or otherwise steer the board as required. The flexibility ofthe board also provides a measure of suspension and thus comfort for the rider.

The invention therefore provides wheeled board apparatus whereby the wheels can be of relatively large size to those used conventionally in skateboards. By virtue of the combination ofthe flexible board 1 and the bushes 8, 9 and 10, 11 the wheeled board apparatus ofthe present invention combines the ability to be steered as well as providing shock absorption through the suspension system used. The apparatus can therefore be suitably ridden over rough surfaces and in particular down grassy slopes which would otherwise be unsuitable for skateboards.

Claims

1. Wheeled board apparatus for off-road use, the apparatus comprising of flexible board for riding on by a user thereof, the board being supported at each end by respective front and rear wheel pairs mounted for rotation on respective axle and each axle being, in turn, flexibly secured to a respective end of the board such that, in use, downward flexure ofthe board caused by the weight of a rider thereon and sideways tilt of the board relative to the common plane of the wheel axles combine to cause the major axes of the axles to converge, thereby to provide steering for the apparatus in accordance with the angle of sideways tilt provided by the rider and thereby to provide, at least in part, suspension for the board in accordance with the degree of flexibility thereof.

2. Wheeled board apparatus according to Claim 1 in which the axles at each end thereof are secured thereto by elastomeric bushes through which are inserted bolts which extend through over-size holes in the board so that when the board is tilted from the horizontal to one side or the other the wheel pairs remain in contact with the ground.

3. Wheeled board apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein each end of the board onto which the respective wheel pairs and axles are secured are tilted upwards with respect to the remainder of the board so as to increase the tendency of the major axes of the axles to converge when the board is tilted to one side or the other, thereby to increase or otherwise improve the steerability of the board by the rider.

4. Wheeled board apparatus for off-road use substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the drawings.