Importance

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Abstract

Improved propulsion, suspension, and steering means for a skateboard-like vehicle which can be propelled and steered entirely by the feet of a rider without those feet touching the ground. An actuating means is also provided which allows the operation of brakes and/or other appropriate mechanisms without the repositioning of the rider's feet on the vehicle's foot supporting surface. The vehicle incorporates front and rear, independently-actuable pedals (53, 53R) which are actually discontinuous sections of the foot supporting platform or deck. These, combined with their support means (54, 55-front; 54R, 55R-rear), compose opposing front and rear level members which are pivotally mounted along crosswise axes. The pivotal axis of the front pedal is positioned substantially to the rear of the pivotal axis of the rear pedal so that the pedals can achieve a greater range of motion with a minimum of angular deviation. Each pedal support means retains a roller (58, 58R) which moves up and down with the support means. Using the front drive train as an example, a drive belt (52) is fixed in its middle to the frame (50) of the vehicle and is guided by two other rollers before winding around and terminating at a drive sleeve (76) to which it is fixed at its front end. When the pedal (53) is depressed, the roller (58) descends into the drive belt (52) causing it to unwind from the drive sleeve (76), imparting in it, a rotational motion. The drive sleeve retains one way clutches (80 and 81) which engage a wheel axle (82) causing a wheel (92) to rotate and propel the vehicle. A return spring (78) biases the drive sleeve to rotate in the other direction when the rider lifts their foot off the pedal. At that time, the vehicle coasts, as the drive sleeve (76) disengages from the drive axle (82), winding up the drive belt (52) and pushing the pedal (53) back up to its original position. Other embodiments include a vehicle with a crank-clutch-gear drive and a vehicle with an alternate arrangement and style of pedal brackets.

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First Claim