Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CHILD TRANSPORT VEHICLE
Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward child transport vehicles and, in
particular, toward child transport vehicles which are convertible between
various
transportation modes.
Background of the Invention
Trailers for use with bicycles are known in the art. Such trailers are useful
for carrying small children as taught in U.S. patent 5,474,316.
To enhance the usefulness of these trailers, some have been adapted for
conversion into strollers by attaching a single front stroller wheel to the
end of the hitch
arm. There has been a demand for a vehicle that is adaptable to address more
child
transportation needs without requiring complicated or time consuming
conversion
operations. The previously known strollers are very bulky, having their front
wheels
extending out a relatively great distance in front of the body of the vehicle,
and are
awkward and complicated to initially assemble and/or convert.
Summary of the Invention
A child transport vehicle has been developed which is easy to
manufacture, thereby reducing costs, and offers simplified conversion between
various
transport modes such as, for example, a bicycle trailer, a hiking trailer, a
four wheel
stroller, a three wheel stroller and/or a large wheel stroller designed for
higher speed
transport (i.e. for use while jogging). A connector is provided on the trailer
formed for
accepting the various attachments necessary for use in the selected transport
modes
including, but not limited to, a bicycle trailer hitch arm, a hiking hitch
arm, a front wheel
support arm, a caster or a caster bar.
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According to a broad aspect of the invention there is provided a child
transport vehicle body comprising: a vehicle frame; displacement means
depending
from the frame; and a connection site formed to accept a caster and a
connection site
formed to accept at least one of a hitch arm and a front wheel support arm.
The connection sites can be formed integral with the frame or, alternately,
formed separately therefrom and attached thereto. The connection sites can be
separate from each other or formed as a unitary member. Where the connection
sites
are formed as a unitary member, the caster and at least one of the hitch arm
and the
front wheel can be accepted interchangeably. The connection sites can be
disposed
on both sides of the vehicle body.
Preferably, the connection site for accepting a hitch arm or front wheel
support arm is a first aperture opening toward a forward end of the vehicle
and the
connection site for accepting a caster is an aperture opening toward the
underside of
the vehicle. In one embodiment, there is one aperture on each side of the
vehicle
which opens toward the forward end of the vehicle and one aperture on each
side of
the vehicle which opens toward the underside of the vehicle
According to a further broad aspect of the present invention there is
provided a child transport vehicle body comprising: a vehicle frame having a
forward
end; displacement means depending from the frame; a connector on the frame for
accepting transport attachments, the connector having a first aperture for
accepting a
member which extends at least in part forwardly of the vehicle and a second
aperture
for accepting a member which extends at least in part beneath the vehicle.
According to a further broad aspect of the present invention there is provided
a
child transport vehicle body comprising: a vehicle frame having a forward end;
displacement means; a connector on the frame for accepting transport
attachments, the
connector having a forward end adjacent the forward end of the vehicle and an
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underside, the connector further having a first aperture opening adjacent its
forward end
and a second aperture opening to the underside of the connector.
In one embodiment, a connector is provided on each side of the frame
adjacent the forward end thereof.
In another embodiment, the first aperture is formed to accept a transport
attachment selected from the group comprising a bicycle trailer hitch arm, a
hiking
harness arm and a wheel support arm. Preferably, the second aperture is formed
to
accept a castor.
According to another broad aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a child transport vehicle convertible between a bicycle trailer and a
four wheel
stroller comprising; a vehicle frame having a forward end; displacement means;
a
bicycle hitch arm connection site on the vehicle for accepting a bicycle hitch
and at least
one caster connection site on the vehicle.
Another broad aspect of the present invention provides a child transport
vehicle convertible between a three wheel stroller and a four wheel stroller
comprising;
a vehicle frame having a forward end; displacement means; a front wheel
support arm
connection site on the vehicle and at least one caster connection site on the
vehicle.
The bicycle hitch arm connection site can include any suitable means
such as, for example, an aperture or a slot into which the hitch arm fits and
is secured.
The caster connection site can be any suitable means such as, for example, an
aperture or a mating extension. The front wheel support arm connection site
can be
any suitable means such as, for example, an aperture or a slot into which the
arm fits
and is secured. There can be a front wheel support arm connection site on each
side
of the vehicle.
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The hitch arm and/or caster connection sites can be formed to permit the
hitch arm/caster to be removed from the vehicle or can be formed to permit the
hitch
arm/caster to be simply folded or retracted out of the way when not in use.
According to yet another broad aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a child transport vehicle comprising: a vehicle frame having a
forward end, a
left side and a right side; a pair of wheels depending from the frame; and a
caster
depending from the vehicle adjacent its forward end and substantially
centrally between
the left side and the right side.
In one embodiment, the caster depends from a front wheel support bar
which extends across the forward end of the frame from an attachment position
adjacent the left side of the frame to an attachment position adjacent the
right side of
the frame.
According to a further broad aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a child transport vehicle comprising: a vehicle frame; a first pair
of wheels
depending from the frame; a second pair of wheels depending from the frame; a
handle
on the frame positioned to permit the vehicle to be pushed; and a connection
site for
securing a transport attachment selected from the group consisting of a hitch
arm or a
member having a wheel attached thereto.
Description of the Invention
The vehicle of the present invention is formed to be useful for transporting
children and is easily convertible between any or all of a bicycle trailer, a
hiking trailer
a large wheel stroller, for example one which is useful for operation at the
speeds
associated with jogging or in-line skating and/or for operation in rough
terrain, and a
four wheel stroller. The conversion is simplified by the use of a transport
attachment
connector for accepting any of the transport attachments including but not
limited to any
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of a bicycle trailer hitch arm, a front wheel support arm, a caster and a
hiking harness
arm. Such a connector provides that a single vehicle body can be fitted with
any
selected transport attachments. The transport attachments can be included with
the
vehicle body or purchased as kits which can fit onto the vehicle body.
In one embodiment, the connector can be formed with a single transport
attachment connector site and all of the attachments are shaped to connect to
the one
connection site. In another embodiment, the connector has.specific connection
sites
for the transport attachments which are to be used. The connection sites can
be any
suitable means for accepting and securing the transport attachments such as
apertures,
slots, mating extensions or hinge arrangements. In one embodiment, the
connection
sites are apertures and there is a first aperture opening adjacent a forward
end of the
vehicle and a second aperture opening towards the underside of the vehicle.
The
forwardly extending members, such as the hitch arms, and wheel support arm can
be
fit into the first aperture and the caster stem can be fit into the second
aperture. Where
two separate apertures are used, the connector can be formed as a unitary
member or
as two separate connectors, each having one aperture therein. The connector
can be
formed as a part of or mounted on the frame.
In one embodiment, lock means are provided to maintain the transport
attachments in the connector. In another embodiment, the connector is a pair
of
connector devices disposed one on each side of the trailer.
The connector can be formed of any suitable material such as metals or
plastics by any suitable process such as molding or machining. In a preferred
embodiment, the connector structure is molded from glass-reinforced nylon.
The vehicle frame can be formed of any suitable material and is sized to
accommodate at least one child. In one embodiment, the vehicle is formed
having a
frame of elongate aluminum members and is covered with a flexible sheet
material, for
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example fabric. In another embodiment, the frame of the vehicle is formed of a
molded
chassis structure.
The displacement means are selected depending on the desired use of
the trailer. The displacement means can be for example, a pair of wheels or a
pair of
skis.
Brief Description of the Drawings
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be
made by way of example to the following diagrammatic drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vehicle body according
to the present invention;
FIGURE 2A is a perspective view of a connector useful in the present
invention;
FIGURE 2B is a bottom plan view of the connector of FIGURE 2A;
FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the connector of FIGURE 2A having members
secured therein;
FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a child transport vehicle
of the present invention in the four-wheeled stroller mode;
FIGURE 5A is a side perspective view of an embodiment of a child transport
vehicle of the present invention in the three-wheel stroller mode;
FIGURE 5B is a front perspective view of the vehicle of FIGURE 5A;
FIGURE 6A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a child transport vehicle
of the present invention in the hiking trailer mode;
FIGURE 6B is a perspective view of the vehicle of FIGURE 6A in which the
hiking hitch arm has been replaced with a bicycle trailer hitch arm; and
FIGURE 6C is a perspective view of the vehicle of FIGURE 6A in which the
hiking hitch arm has been replaced with a caster bar.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
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Referring to Figure 1, a child transport vehicle body 10 according to the
present invention is shown. Vehicle body 10 has a frame 12. A pair of wheels
16 are
pivotally mounted on frame 12. Other displacement means, such as skis (not
shown),
can be used in place of, or in addition to, wheels 16. A pair of connectors 18
for
transport attachments are provided on the frame. The connector can take forms
other
than those shown, for example, the structure can be formed as a unitary member
extending across the forward end or beneath frame 12. The connector acts to
permit
transport attachments to be secured to the vehicle. Transport attachments can
be, for
example, casters, a front wheel arm or arms or various hitch arms such as a
bicycle
trailer hitch arm or a hiker arm (Figures 4 to 6C). The transport attachments
can be
permanently secured or detachable.
The frame of the vehicle body is sized and constructed to accommodate
a child can be formed of any suitable material such as, for example, aluminum
tubing,
as shown, molded plastic material or metals.
Referring to Figures 2A and 2B, an embodiment of a connector device 18
useful in the present invention is shown. The connector has a pair of
extending arms
18' which form therebetween an opening corresponding in shape to the cross
sectional
shape of the frame. Connector is secured to frame 12 by fitting arms 18' over
the
frame. To prevent the connector from rotating about the frame section to which
it is
attached, preferably, the frame is formed at the point of attachment to have a
polygonal
cross-sectional shape and the opening of the connector corresponds to that
shape. A
fastener 17, such as a bolt or rivet, is secured through the connector and
frame. More
than one fastener can be used to secure the connector to the frame, as
desired.
Preferably, connector devices such as that depicted here are attached at the
front
corners of the frame.
A first aperture 19 is formed in connector 18 to open at the front end 20
thereof and a second aperture 21 is formed through connector 18 to open at
least to the
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underside thereof. Preferably, aperture 21 passes fully through connector 18,
as
shown, to also open to the upper side of the connector.
Referring also to Figure 3, first aperture 19 is formed to accept and secure
a member 22 extending at least in part forwardly of the block such as the
bicycle hitch
arm, the hiker hitch arm and/or the front wheel support arm for a three-wheel
stroller.
Preferably, aligned holes 23 extend into aperture 19 to accept a lock pin 24
for locking
member 22 into aperture 19. Other lock means can be used, as desired.
Aperture 21 is formed to accept members which extend at least part
beneath the block, for example, a stem 25 of a caster 26. A spring biased lock
pin 27
secures caster 26 to the block. Other lock means can be used, as desired.
Preferably, aperture 21 is defined by cylindrical walls to permit stem 25
to rotate within aperture thereby to allow caster 26 to swivel. Alternatively,
the casters
can be selected to swivel by provision of ball bearing assemblies and the
like.
Connector 18 is preferably curved in plan view, along its front end to help
to direct bushes, and other items by which the vehicle may pass during use,
away from
the side of the vehicle.
As shown in Figure 4, a child transport vehicle is shown according to the
present invention. The vehicle has a frame 12 under covering 14. A pair of
wheels 16
depend from frame 12. (Only one wheel 16 can be seen, as the other is on the
opposite side of the vehicle). A transport attachment connector is provided on
the
vehicle in the form of a pair of connectors 18 secured to frame 12. Again,
only one
connector block 18 can be seen in the Figure as the other is on the rear side
of the
vehicle. In the embodiment depicted, the vehicle is in a four-wheel stroller
mode and
a caster 26 is secured in each connector block 18. A stroller handle 28 is
secured on
the vehicle. A wrist safety strap 28a is also provided.
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Referring to Figures 5A and 5B, the vehicle of the present invention is
shown in a three-wheel stroller mode useable at speeds associated with
jogging. The
vehicle has connectors 18a', 18a" positioned at the front corners of frame 12.
Front
stroller wheel assembly 29 includes arms 30', 30" which support wheel 31. One
arm
30' is secured in connector block 18a' and the other arm 30" is secured in
block 18a".
In this embodiment an outer frame member 32 extends on the outside of
wheels 16'. Blocks 18a', 18a" are secured to both frame 12 and outer frame
member
32.
Referring to Figures 6A, 6B and 6C, a vehicle according to the present
invention is shown having attached thereto three different transport
attachments. In
Figure 6A, the vehicle is shown in a hiking trailer mode having a hiking hitch
frame 36
attached thereto. In Figure 6B, the vehicle is shown in a bicycle trailer mode
having
attached a bicycle trailer hitch arm 38. In Figure 6C, the vehicle is shown in
a three-
wheel stroller mode having attached a front wheel support arm in the form of a
caster
support bar 50.
The vehicle of Figures 6A, 6B and 6C has a frame 12 with a cover 14'
extending thereover. On frame 12 is mounted a pair of wheels 16 and connectors
18b'
and 18b". Frame extensions 39 extend out to act as deflectors to direct brush,
and
other materials through which the vehicle may pass, away from the sides of the
vehicle.
Hiking hitch frame 36 has a harness 40 for securing about the waist of the
hiker and a
pair of grasping means 42 for grasping by the hiker. Extending rearwardly from
harness
40 is a pair of arms 44', 44". Arm 44' is secured to block 18b' while arm 44"
is secured
to block 18b".
In Figure 6B, hitch arm 38 is similar to those used in bicycle trailers having
a hitch 46 and an elongate portion 48. Elongate portion 48 has an end 48'
which can
be secured to block 18b".
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A three wheel stroller is shown in Figure 6C. Caster bar 50 is secured
between blocks 18b' and 18b". A caster 52 is pivotally attached to bar 50. A
stroller
handle can be fit in brackets 54.
The body of the vehicle, including the frame and fabric covering, is
commonly the most expensive part of a child transport vehicle. The present
invention
permits the vehicle body to be used for all forms of child transport by simply
exchanging
the attachments. The casters can be maintained in their apertures at the same
time as
a hitch arm or front wheel or can be removed or stored upside down by
inserting the
stem of the caster through from top to bottom in the connectors.
The attachments can be interchanged easily to convert the vehicle
between a three-wheel or four-wheel stroller, or a hiking or bicycle trailer.
For example,
the vehicle of Figure 6B can be converted to a four-wheel stroller similar to
that shown
in Figure 4, by removing hitch arm 38 and inserting caster stems through
apertures 21
in connectors 18b', 18b". As another example, the three-wheel stroller of
Figure 5B can
be converted to a four-wheel stroller as shown in Figure 4 by removing wheel
assembly
29 and inserting casters into apertures 21 in connectors 18a', 18a". The
vehicle of
Figure 4 can be converted by insertion of various transport attachments into
connection
sites 19'.
It will be apparent that many other changes may be made to the
illustrative embodiments, while falling within the scope of the invention and
it is intended
that all such changes be covered by the claims appended hereto.
