Pedal operated vehicle

Claim 2

A foot pedal operated vehicle including a front wheel, a pair of rear wheels, a generally upright steering shaft connected to said front wheel, a frame having a bearing at its front end supported by said steering shaft and supported at its rear end by said rear wheels, each of said rear wheels having an axle and spaced portions of said frame being supported by said axles, a pedal operated drive mechanism mounted on said frame including a pair of foot pedals located between said rear wheels and movable beneath the horizontal plane containing said axles, said axles being separated by a distance sufficient to permit the operator of the vehicle to move his feet therebetween while standing on said foot pedals to operate said drive mechanism, and motion transmitting means connecting said foot pedals to at least one of said rear wheels.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said motion transmitting means includes a driven sprocket on one of said axles, a drive sprocket rotatably mounted on said frame forwardly of said last mentioned rear wheel, a drive chain connecting said drive sprocket and said driven sprocket and means interconnecting at least one of said pedals and said drive sprocket for rotating said drive sprocket as said pedals are manipulated by the feet of an operator standing on said pedals.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said motion transmitting means further includes a drive shaft connected at one end to said drive sprocket, an intermediate drive sprocket connected to the other end of said drive shaft, said foot pedals being mounted on a crank, a crank driven sprocket connected to said crank and a drive chain drivingly connecting said crank driven sprocket and said intermediate drive sprocket.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said axles of said rear wheels are coaxial and lie in a plane substantially coplanar with the axis of rotation of said front wheel, said crank and said drive shaft being supported by said frame for rotation about axes parallel to the axis of said rear axles.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the axis of rotation of said crank is spaced forwardly from and below the axis of said axles.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 2 further including a second driven sprocket connected to the other of said wheels, a second drive sprocket mounted for rotation upon said frame about an axis coaxial with the axis of rotation of said first mentioned drive sprocket, a second drive chain connecting said second drive sprocket to said second driven sprocket, both of said pedals being connected separately to said first mentioned and said second drive sprockets by drive means responsive to vertical downward movement of said pedals whereby one of said rear wheels is driven by said pedals only upon downward movement of the one of said pedals immediately adjacent thereto and the other of said rear wheels being driven only upon downward movement of the other of said pedals immediately adjacent thereto.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said pedals are separately mounted upon a pair of rearwardly extending drive levers pivoted upon said frame for rotation about an axis parallel to said axles and forwardly of said drive sprockets, said drive sprockets being mounted upon drive shafts mounted for rotation upon said frame, and said apparatus further including oNe-way clutches coupling said levers to said drive shafts only during downward movement of the rearward ends of said levers.

Claim 9

A foot pedal operated vehicle including a front wheel, a pair of rear wheels, a generally upright steering shaft connected to said front wheel, a frame having a bearing at its front end supported by said steering shaft and supported at its rear end by said rear wheels, each of said rear wheels having an axle and spaced portions of said frame being supported by said axles, a pedal operated drive mechanism mounted on said frame including a pair of foot pedals located between said rear wheels, and motion transmitting means connecting said foot pedals to said rear wheels, said motion transmitting means including first and second driven sprockets, one on each of said axles, mutually coaxial first and second drive shafts mounted for rotation on said frame forwardly of said rear wheels, first and second drive sprockets separately mounted on said drive shafts, first and second drive chains connecting said drive sprockets to said driven sprockets, drive means separately interconnecting said pedals and said drive sprockets for rotating said drive sprockets as said pedals are manipulated by the feet of an operator standing on said pedals, said drive means including a pair of rearwardly extending drive levers pivoted upon said frame for rotation about an axis parallel to said axles and forwardly of said drive sprockets, said pedals being separately mounted upon said drive levers, and one-way clutches coupling said levers to said drive shafts only during downward movement of the rearward ends of said levers, whereby one of said rear wheels is driven by said pedals only upon downward movement of one of said pedals and the other of said rear wheels being driven only upon downward movement of the other of said pedals, and a treadle arm mounted for rotation upon said frame about the center longitudinal axis of said vehicle, intermediate portions of said levers engaging the opposite ends of said treadle arm whereupon downward movement of one of said pedals drives the other of said pedals upwardly through said treadle arm.

Claim 10

A foot pedal operated vehicle including a front wheel, a pair of rear wheels, a generally upright steering shaft connected to said front wheel, a frame having a bearing at its front end supported by said steering shaft and supported at its rear end by said rear wheels, each of said rear wheels having an axle and spaced portions of said frame being supported by said axles, a pedal operated drive mechanism mounted on said frame including a pair of foot pedals located between said rear wheels, and motion transmitting means connecting said foot pedals to said rear wheels, said motion transmitting means including first and second driven sprockets, one on each of said axles, mutually coaxial first and second drive shafts mounted for rotation on said frame forwardly of said rear wheels, first and second drive sprockets separately mounted on said drive shafts, first and second drive chains connecting said drive sprockets to said driven sprockets, drive means separately interconnecting said pedals and said drive sprockets for rotating said drive sprockets as said pedals are manipulated by the feet of an operator standing on said pedals, said drive means including a pair of rearwardly extending drive levers pivoted upon said frame for rotation about an axis parallel to said axles and forwardly of said drive sprockets, said pedals being separately mounted upon said drive levers, and one-way clutches coupling said levers to said drive shafts only during downward movement of the rearward ends of said levers, whereby one of said rear wheels is driven by said pedals only upon downward movement of one of said pedals and the other of said rear wheels being driven only upon downward movement of the other of said pedals, and a treadle arm mounted for rotation upon said frame about the center longitudinal axis of said vehicle, intermediate portions of said levers engaging the opposite ends of said treadle arm whereupon downward movement of one of said pedals drives the other of said pedals upwardly through said treadle arm.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 further including a platform mounted beneath said pedals between said rear wheels.

Claim 12

A foot pedal operated vehicle including a front wheel, means for steering said front wheel, a pair of rear wheels, each of said wheels having an axle, a frame supported on said axles, said frame including two rear wheel frame assemblies, at least one drive shaft extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of said vehicle and mounted upon said frame between said front and said rear wheels, foot pedal operated drive means for rotating said drive shaft including foot pedals located rearwardly of said drive shaft, and a drive mechanism including a pair of sprockets adjacent one of said rear wheel frame assemblies, one of said sprockets being drivingly connected and coaxial to said drive shaft and the other of said sprockets being drivingly connected and coaxial to one of said rear wheel axles, and a drive chain connecting said pair of sprockets.

Claim 13

A foot pedal operated vehicle including a front wheel, means for steering said front wheel, a pair of rear wheels, each of said wheels having an axle, a frame supported on said axles, said frame including two rear wheel frame assemblies, at least one drive shaft extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of said vehicle and mounted upon said frame between said front and said rear wheels, foot pedal operated drive means for rotating said drive shaft including foot pedals located rearwardly of said drive shaft, and a drive mechanism including a pair of sprockets adjacent one of said rear wheel frame assemblies, one of said sprockets being drivingly connected and coaxial to said drive shaft and the other of said sprockets being drivingly connected and coaxial to one of said rear wheel axles, and a drive chain connecting said pair of sprockets.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 10 further including a second drive shaft and a second drive mechanism including sprockets driven by said foot pedal operated drive means and drivingly connected to the other of said rear wheels, said rear wheels being straddled by said first mentioned drive mechanism and said second drive mechanism.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said foot pedal operated drive means further includes a pair of rearwardly extending levers, said foot pedals being connected to the rearward ends of said levers, means pivotally mounting the forward ends of said levers to said frame for rotation about an axis which is parallel to said drive shafts, a pair of one-way clutches, one for each of said levers, and connecting said levers to said drive shafts, and means moving the rearward end of one of said levers upwardly as the rearward end of the other of said levers is lowered by manipulation of the feet.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said last mentioned means includes a treadle arm pivotally connected to said frame between said lever arms and having opposite end portions located beneath said levers.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said foot pedal operated drive means includes a pair of foot pedals mounted on a crank, means supporting said crank upon said frame for rotation about an axis parallel to said rear wheel axles and mounting said crank between said rear wheels, a drive sprocket driven by said crank and chain connected to an intermediate sprocket mounted on said drive shaft whereby rotation of said crank by manipulation of the feet directly drives said first mentioned one of said sprockets.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said driven sprocket is connected to said one of said rear wheel axles by an over-running clutch.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said means for steering said front wheel includes an upwardly and rearwardly extending steering shaft connected by a fork to said front wheel axle, a handlebar mounted on the top of said steering shaft, said steering shaft and said handlebar projecting a sufficient distance upwardly whereby one can conveniently grasp said handlebar while standing on said foot pedals.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 16 including a seat assembly comprising an upright support post, means mounting a bicycle seat on said support post with the center of said seat located remotely from the longitudinal axis of said support post, means mounting said support post on said frame for rotation about a generally vertical axis whereupon said support post may be rotated to position said seat between the normal position of a person standing on said pedals and said support post may also be rotated to a position whereat said seat is positioned between the rear wheels of said vehicle to provide a seat for a person whose feet are engaged with said pedals, and releaseable means for affixing said post in a desired position of rotation.

Claim 21

In a foot pedal operated vehicle of the type operated by one standing on foot pedals and holding on to the handlebar of the front wheel, the improvement of a seat assembly comprising an upright support post, means mounting a bicycle seat on said support post with the center of said seat located remotely from the longitudinal axis of said support post, means mounting said support post on the frame of said vehicle for rotation about a generally vertical axis whereupon said support post may be rotated to position said seat between the normal position of a person standing on said pedals and said support post may also be rotated to a position whereat said seat is positioned between the rear wheels of said vehicle to provide a seat for a person whose feet are engaged with said pedals, and releaseable means for affixing said post in a desired position of rotation.

Claim 22

In a foot pedal operated vehicle of the type operated by one standing on foot pedals and holding on to the handlebar of the front wheel, the improvement of a seat assembly comprising an upright support post, means mounting a bicycle seat on said support post with the center of said seat located remotely from the longitudinal axis of said support post, means mounting said support post on the frame of said vehicle for rotation about a generally vertical axis whereupon said support post may be rotated to position said seat between the normal position of a person standing on said pedals and said support post may also be rotated to a position whereat said seat is positioned between the rear wheels of said vehicle to provide a seat for a person whose feet are engaged with said pedals, and releaseable means for affixing said post in a desired position of rotation.