US2752162A - Horselike movement simulating pedalless tricycle - Google Patents

Description

June 26, 1956 R. M. BOWMAN 2,752,162

HORSELIKE MOVEMENT SIMULATING PEDALLESS TRICYCLE Filed Oct. 21, 1952 g 2 6 3o 26 3 l 4 L 34 i 3/ 2 6 2 I 35 0 0 I4- 24 1 3e 36 36 REG/NALD/Z flan/MAM Jjnfieninr Qtfururg United States Patent HORSELIKE MOVEMENT SIMULATING PEDALLESS TRICYCLE Reginald M. Bowman, Baltimore, Md.

Application October 21, 1952, Serial No. 315,943

2 Claims. (Cl. 280-1192) This invention relates to toy vehicles and more particularly to tricycles of the pedalless type.

The conventional tricycle is fitted with two wheels at the rear and a single wheel at the front. The front wheel is provided with a pair of pedals to rotate the front Wheel and move and guide the tricycle along the terrain. In the operation of the conventional tricycle the operator is seated on a fixed seat and moves the pedals with his feet, While the body remains stationary.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved tricycle of the pedalless type which uses the weight of the operator and his lifting powers to push the vehicle along the terrain.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved vehicle operating means utilizing the weight of the operator to rotate the wheel a portion of its revolution while the balance of the rotation is secured by pulling up on the handle bars and steering post while the feet are resting on a platform.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a new and improved vehicle for simulating the motion of a horse back rider in rising and lowering motions as the vehicle runs along the terrain.

Other objects will become apparent as the invention is more fully set forth.

For a clearer understanding of the invention and its objects, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein a particular form of the invention is indicated. These drawings when used in conjunction with the following description serve to illustrate the invention, its principles and the operation thereof, while the claims indicate its scope.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a pedalless tricycle, embodying this invention, with parts broken away to show its inner construction;

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of Figure 1, without the animal outline;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of Figure 1 without the animal outline; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of Figure 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the particular construction shown in the drawings, a platform is aflixed to and supported by a pair of rear wheels 11. The rear end of the platform is preferably provided with a cut-out portion 12 to receive the end 13 of a rocker support 14 which is pivoted to the platform 10 by a pin 15 and held by brackets 36. The front end of the platform 10 is provided with a bifurcated bracket 16 having prongs 18 attached by a bolt 17 to platform 10 to support an axle 19 that is fixedly attached to the front wheel 20 and turns therewith. The ends 21 of the axle 19 are smaller and preferably of an irregular form and are attached to, and driven by, levers or cranks 22 attached by a pin 23 to a bifurcated connecting rod 24 that straddles the wheel 20 and rotates it in a manner to be described. The upper end 25 of the connecting rod 24 is pivotally attached to a turnable bearing 26 by a hinge 35 and is moved from side to side by handle bars 27. The lower end 28 of the handle bars 27 is attached to the bearing 26 and turns same. The lower end 28 of the handle bars 27 is preferably of circular form, and is rotated in a bearing 34 attached to the upper end of the rocker support 14. A seat 29 is attached by a screw member 30 to the rocker support 14 and is adjustably positioned therein to suit the length of the legs of the user and is preferably locked in adjusted position by a lock nut 31. The rocker support 14 is preferably encased in a facsimile of an animal body 32 with a movable head 33 which is attached to the turnable bearing 26 and moves with it when the handle bars 27 and front wheel 20 are turned to guide the vehicle. The connecting rod 24 is preferably formed to represent the front legs and feet of an animal.

In the operation of the device the user sits on the seat 29 with his feet positioned on the platform 10 and his hands on the handle bars 27. He stiifens his legs and pulls up on the handle bar 27 and raises the connecting rod 24 and levers 22 to rotate it and the wheel 20 about the wheel axle 19 a portion of a revolution, and the tensions on the legs are then released and the weight of the operators body depresses the rocker support 14 to force the connecting rod 14 and levers 22 to drive the front wheel 20 to complete the balance of the revolution and the operation is repeated to drive the toy along the terrain.

While but one general form of the invention is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, it is not desired to limit this application for patent to this particular form as it is appreciated that other forms of construction could be made that would use the same principles and come within the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A toy of the class described comprising in combination a horizontal platform, wheels fixedly attached to the rear end of said platform, rocker support means pivotally attached to the rear of said platform, a bracket parallel to the platform and pivotally connected at the front of said platform, an axle attached to said bracket, a driving wheel mounted on said axle, parallel levers each having one end attached to the opposite ends of said axle, connecting rods for joining the rocker support to the free ends of the said parallel levers to rotate the front wheel and move the toy along the terrain, and guiding means carried by the rocker support at the front end thereof and connected to the connecting rods to rotate the front wheel about the pivotal connection of the bracket with the platform.

2. A childs vehicle comprising a rear wheel assembly including transversely spaced wheels, an axle connecting said wheels, a platform having its rear end mounted on said axle, a traction wheel forward of the rear wheels, a vertical pivot pivotally securing a bracket to the forward end of the platform, an axle for the traction wheel mounted on said bracket, a support pivoted at its rear end to the axle of the rear wheels, a saddle on said support, a bearing mounted at the front end of the support, a steering post extending through said bearing and secured therein, handle bars integral with the upper end of the steering post, a crank connected to the axle of the traction wheel, a connecting rod secured at one end to the said crank and a hinge connection between the opposite end of the connecting rod and the lower end of the steering post, the aforesaid vertical pivot being substantially aligned with the steering post to allow steering of the 1,088,185 SWender Feb. 24, 1914 firont wheel' by means of the handle bars. 1,493,895 Reed May 13, 1924 2,344,062 Rjnehart Mar. 14, 1944 References Clte d 1n the fillegfpatent FOREIGN PATENTS V UNITED STATES T S 465,914 Germany Sept. 27, 1928 207,240 Bishop 5 Aug. 20, 1878

Images