Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
B~CKGROUND ~F THE INVE~TION ~ :
While skateboards have been in e~istence ox many
years, only recently have they been developed to provide an
extremely precise and skillful axtO Now the wheels and the
boards which they support for wheeled movement have been de~
veloped to a state that extremely high speeds and intricate
maneuvers are attainable by skillful riders of ska~eboards,
Also~ the boards are extremely durable to resist damage thereto ~.
even at high speed and severe impact with other objectsO How ~: `
ever, instability and lack of means for coordinatPd control of : :
the operator's body and the skateboard in prlor skateboards
are primarily due to the fact that the operator has ha~ contact ::
or connectlon wi~h the skateboarcl only through his or her feet
and this has llmited the operator's coordinatio~ of body and
skateboard due to the lack o adequate anterior-poster-Lor sup-
15 port~ ~nterior-posterior support can be improved by providing ~`
a forward extension to the skateboard and a rope extending
therefrom to the hand of the operatorO The orward extension is
provided with adjustable means so that the lower end portion of
the support rope may be secured to a selected length of the for ` ~:
ward ex~ensionO Such adjustable effective length may be obtalned
by a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes, Thus, with peo-
ple of normal heighth variations, the angle o~ the support rope
to the skateboard may be malntained a~ 60, plus or minus 7,
regardless of the height of the operator of the skateboardO
Such angle is of e~treme importance as it permits body movement
of the operator to control the skateboard and the same time the
disposing of the center of gravity on one's body so the safest ;-
position of the body and ma~imum control of the skateboard can
be simultane3usly obtained.
,; .~ :~
The only pxior art paterlts known to applicant or his
counsel which are in any wise pertinent ar~:
PATENT N()o ISSUE D~E PATENT NO. ISSUE D~TE
4,040,639 Aug. 93 1977 3~235,282 Feb~ 15, 1966
3,9g0,713 Nov. 9, 1976 3~565,454 FebO 23, 1971 : :
2~198,667 Aprs30, 1940 3,622,172 Nov. 23, 1971 :~
1,179,496 AprO18, 1916 I),242,735 DecO 14, 1976 -
S U~Y OF THE INV~3NTION :
An object of this invention is to provide a skateboard
having a central section having a suitable wheel unit under each
end portion ~hereof to provide the desired wheeled mobilityO
Ne~t, a forward extension un~t connects with the forward end of
sald centra:l sectlonO Appllcant realizes an enhance~ent of rider
control o~ his skateboard by providing a forward e~tension of t,.he
board and a control rope and maintaining a certain angular rela-
tionship of rope to riderO M~re particularly, a support rope isconnected with a forward portion of this extension unit~ The
forward extension un~ extends forwardly and upwardly and to a
distance in the order of one-half the length of the central sec-
tion and is prefer~bly arcuate in longitudinal section. A sup- ~
20 port rope is connected wi.th this forward extension and at selected .:
lengths thereo~ the length depending wpon the individual height
of an operator. Thus, the angular relation of the support rope
extending directly from and alined with an arm of the operator to ~ :
the plane of the skateboard, is in the order of 60, plus or .
25 minus 7 O
" '~
BRIEF DESCRI~TI0N 0E THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a skateboard embody- :
ing my invention and with the support rope shown in a position
as it would be when held and so maintained by a rider;
FIG. 2 is a perspective viPw, on a smaller scale, of
the structure of FIG~ 1~ with two xiders illustrated as rlding
said ska~eboard, a tall one by dash lines and a short one by dot
-dash lines~ and i~ each .instance the angulclr relation of the
5 support rope; `~ ~ -
FIGo 3 ls an end view and on a larger scale;
FIG. 4 is a plan view; ;
FIG. 5 is a view in side elevation; and ; -
FIGo 6 is a boktom plan viewO
~ESCRIPTION OF A ~REiERRED EMBODIME~T
The skateboard has a central section 10 and a wheel
unit 12 i.s dispo8ed on the underslde and conventionally connected
wi~h each of the forward and rearward end port iOllS of the central
section 10 so that upon crosswise ~urning oE the central section
10, turnlng movement of the skateboard results, Wheeled units
come ln various sizes and configurations for skateboards and
this inventlon is not limited to any particular wheel unit. Also~
the materials used in the construction of the central section 10,
orward extension section 14 and rearward extension section 16
may ~ollow ~he prior art, Some skateboards are constructed from
laminated and glued toge~her wood veneers, others of solid wood,
others are made ~rom sultable plas~ics, and others of metals.
The forward extension section 14 extends ~orwardly and
upwardly from the central section 10 and is preferably of arcu~
ate shape in longitudinal section. The lower end o~ the support
rope 18 connects with a forward end portion of the forward exten-
sion section 14. A plurality of holes, rope connectors or other
sultable means, as holes ~ are spaced longitudinally o~ forward
egter3sion 14 50 the lower end portion of support rope 18 can be
7~ :
selectively..connected to a longer or shorter effective length of
forward e~tension 140 ~;
To ohtain the maximum advantages of my invention, an
operator ~xtends the arm used in manipulating the skateboard,
directly toward the selected position of lo~er end of support
rope 18 and with such arm and the support rope 18 alinedO Th~
hole 19 selected will depend upon the heighth of th~ riderO
Thus, with the taller rider, illustrated by dash lines in FIGo -
27 an opening 19 at the forward end of forward extension 14 is
selected, while with a shorter rider, as illustrated by dot-
dash lines in FIGo 2, a rearwardly positioned opening lg is `.
se~tedO Wlth persons of normal height variations, an opening
19 may be selected so that the angular rela~lon o the support
~ope 18 to the plane oE the cent~al section 10 o~ the skate-
board will be in the order of 60 and should not vary therefrom
by more than plus or minus 7O
In riding a skateboard, the weight of the rider must
be sufficiently disposed on the central section 10 to keep all
wheels of units 12 firmly on the groundu Also, the weight must
be sufficlently rearward so that a rlder will not tumble for-
wardly upon the wheels 12 strikin~ objectsO Thus, a rider must
lean backwards to some degree. Also, a rider must be able to .
shift his or her weight to one side or the other in steering
the skateboardu When the support rope is ~rasped by a rider
and the rider's arm and the support rope 18 are angularly dis~
posed to the plane of the skateboard at an angle of substan~i-
ally 60, then there is a high degree of stability of rider and
skateboard and maximum stability by the rider4 This rider sta~
bility is directly related to the support rope 18 and i~s angu-
lar relation to the skateboardO
The arcuate shape of the fowward extension 14 permitsthe desired angle of the rope 18 to the central sectlon 10 with
a shorter Eorward extension 14 than would be possible i the
forward e~tension 14 were a continuation of th~ central section
and in a common horizontal plane therewith. By having ~he ~or~
ward extension 14 of substantial length and in the order of
about one-half the length of the central section 10 and wîth
holes 19, the desired angular relation of about 60 obtains for
substantially all riders.
The support rope 18 preferably co~tinues lnto a yoke
or bifurcated portion 22 to support a handle 24 to be grasped
with one or both hands o the operator,
In riding the skateboard~ a taller operator~ simulated
by the dash lines igure 20, or a shorter opera~or, slmulated by
dot-dash line figure 21, stands on the boardO A position of
riding may be with the right leg extended ~orwardly, the right
foot on the forward portion o-f the central section 10, the toes
up to the wheel unit 12, the right foot parallel to the sides
of the central section 10, ~nd with the right knee straight, as
shown~ The left leg extends rearwardly, the left foot is on
the central section 10, just behind ttle right foot, the left
foot is parallel to the sides of the central section 10, and
the heel of the left fout is Up to the rear wheel unit 12. The
support rope assembly 18, 22, 24 is under tension, the arm 26
of the operator ~whether figure 20 or 21) is alined with suppork
rope 18 and they both point t~ward the selected hole 19 to which
the lower end of support rope 1~ is attached. With either fig-
ure 20 or 21 ~representing a tall or a short person), the angu-
lar relation of the support rope 18 to the central section 10 is
60 Cplus or minus 7 ). The operator applies tenslon to support
~`
rope 18 and by positioning of his or her weight and the center ;
of gravity thereo, there is concomitant support of body and
skateboardO For examplea the operator can lean backwards and
tension the support rope 18, 22, 24 in a posterior direction ~ ~;
to obtain gr~r speeds and stability. Also, when it is de~
sired to travel on a sinuous course, the opPrator may lean
backwards and be supported by suppor~ rope 189 22, 24 and may
shift his or her weight from side to side to cause such travel.
This feature is particularly significant during slower speed
activities requiring high degrees o~ board and body control.
A typical example is that o-f slow speed navigation of a
slalom course with intricate manuevers. The various intricate
maneuvers mentioned are performed to the best advantage and
the greatest sa~ety with the ska~eboard of my inventlon as
lS compared to prior art skateboards.
It is sometimes desired to support the skateboard
solely on the rear wheel unlt 120 This may be accomplished by
carrying the weight of the operator on one foot, as the right
foot, and by the tension applied on the support rope assembly
18, 22~ 240 Then, the other, or let, foot is turned cross~
wise of the skateboard and rested when crosswise on the rear
extension unit 16. The weight of the operator's body is gradu-
ally shifted from all on one foot, as the right foot, to the
amount necessary on the other~ or left foot, and on the rear-
2~ ward extension unit 16 until the central section 10 and the
forward extension 14 form an acute angle to the groundO While
this is being accomplished, tension is provided by the operator
on the rope support assembly 18, 22, 24 and thus the skateboard
is tilted the desired amoun~ by shiting the desired amount of
weight of the operatorO After the skateboard has been 90
tilted, the appropriate turning movemen~ of the opera~or and
his or her body will cause the skateboard to turn while sup~
ported solely by the rear wheel unit 120 Due to the angular
rearward and upward angle of the rear ex~ension unit 16~ a ~-~
rather steep angle of ~he central section 10 and the skating
surface may obtain without dragging of the rearw~d extension
un~16 on the skating surface~ any dragging would tend to
upset the skateboard operator and caus~ injur:iesO
Also, it is sometimes desired to support the skate-
board solely on the front wheel unit 12. This may be accom~
plished by one foot on the central portion 10 and the gradual
shiting of some of the weight of the operator to the other
foot disposed on the orward e~tension 14 in a simllar manner.
Due to the angular orward ancl upward direction of ~he forward
e~tension unit 14, rather steep angles may be obtained between
the central section 10 and the ground surface without dragging
of the forward extension 14 on the skating surface. ~:
For strength and aesthetlc purposes, it is desirable
that the central section 10, forward extensi.on section 14, and
rearward e~tension section 16 be all formed contiguo~usly as a
~mit regardless of the ~ype o material ~rom which the skate-
board is constructed.
RESUME
By way of summary and briefly considered, I have pro-
vided a skateboard comprising a central platform section 10 and ~ -
a skate wheel unit 12 carried by a~ disposed ~mder each end
-8-
portion of the central platforrn section lO. A forw~rd exten-
sion s~c~ion 14 is carried by and e~tends forwardly of the
central section 10. This extension 14 is oE a length in the
order of one-half the length of the central section 10. As ~ ~
the operator places a portion oE his or her weight in tension ~`
against the support unit 183 22, 24, this t~ension causes orces
ln varlous directions while the operator shifts his or her
weight All these forces are reflected in the travel of the
.
skateboard. A support rope comprising bifurcated rope 18, bi- ~
~urcated portion 22, and handle 24 form a support assembly which ~-
is connected with a forward portion of the forward e~tension
section 14 and is helcl at an angle of subst~ntially ~0, plus
or minus 7, to the plane of the central section lOo By the use
of the adjustment hoLes 19, the lower end of ~he support rope ;~
18, may be attached to the Eorward extension 16 and the 60 ~;
angular relationship maintained regardless of the height of the
rider
Preferably, the forward extension section 14 Ls arcu-
ate and extends forwardly and upwardly from the central section
10. Also, the rearward e~tension section 16 extends pre~erably
rearwardly and upwardly rom and is integral with the cen~ral
section lOo This section 16 is also preferably arcuate in
longitudinal section. Preferably, the units 10, 14, and 16 are
Eormed integrally, both -or strength and aesthetic reasons.
Obviously, changes may be made in the forms, dimen~
sionsg and arrangements of the parts of my invention without
departing from the principle thereof, the above setting forth
only a pre~erred form of embodiment of my invention
_9
