US3921532A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Transportation system and vehicle thereof
Assignee: Vought Aircraft Co
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Filing: 1974-05-16
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Granted: 1975-11-25
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Expires: 1994-05-16
Abstract
Abstract A transportation system having a roadway providing vehicle support surfaces and guide surfaces engageable by guide means of a vehicle movable over the support surfaces for controlling the movement of the vehicle over the roadway. A vehicle having a chassis frame supported by pairs of front and rear wheels turnable about vertical axes and a drive carriage connected to the chassis frame and having individual steering and guide means for each pair of vehicle wheels engageable with the roadway guide surfaces for turning the vehicle wheels to cause the vehicle to travel over the roadway in proper central position on the roadway.
Inventors
- 👤 Roy A Nelson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 09:01
CPC Classifications
B; B62; B62D; B62D1/00; B62D1/24; B62D1/26; B62D1/265
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
294 words
A transportation system including: a roadway providing a pair of laterally spaced vehicle wheel support surfaces over which support wheels of vehicles are movable and guide means disposed between said vehicle wheel support surfaces providing a pair of horizontal parallel spaced carriage wheel support surfaces spaced inwardly of said vehicle wheel support surfaces and a pair of spaced vertical parallel guide surfaces; and a vehicle movable over said roadway and including a chassis frame having a pair of front and a pair of rear vehicle support wheels turnable about vertical axes and movable over said vehicle support surfaces of said roadway; a drive carriage extending between said vehicle wheels and below said chassis frame and having front and rear end sections and a central section between and movably connected to said end sections, said end sections of said carriage having carriage support wheels rotatable about substantially horizontal axes and turnable about vertical axes for supporting said carriage end sections on said support surfaces of said guide means; individual guide means operatively associated with each of said support wheels of said end sections of said carriage and engageable with said vertical guide surfaces of said roadway guide means for causing said carriage to follow said roadway and for preventing lateral movement of said carriage relative to said roadway; steering mechanisms operatively associated with said pairs of vehicle support wheels and said carriage end sections for causing said pairs of vehicle support wheels to turn in accordance with the turning movement of said carriage end sections; and linkage means connecting said middle carriage section to said chassis frame, for causing said chassis frame to move with said carriage over said roadway, said carriage and said roadway having cooperable means for propelling said carriage over said roadway.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
294 words
A transportation system including: a roadway providing a pair of laterally spaced vehicle wheel support surfaces over which support wheels of vehicles are movable and guide means disposed between said vehicle wheel support surfaces providing a pair of horizontal parallel spaced carriage wheel support surfaces spaced inwardly of said vehicle wheel support surfaces and a pair of spaced vertical parallel guide surfaces; and a vehicle movable over said roadway and including a chassis frame having a pair of front and a pair of rear vehicle support wheels turnable about vertical axes and movable over said vehicle support surfaces of said roadway; a drive carriage extending between said vehicle wheels and below said chassis frame and having front and rear end sections and a central section between and movably connected to said end sections, said end sections of said carriage having carriage support wheels rotatable about substantially horizontal axes and turnable about vertical axes for supporting said carriage end sections on said support surfaces of said guide means; individual guide means operatively associated with each of said support wheels of said end sections of said carriage and engageable with said vertical guide surfaces of said roadway guide means for causing said carriage to follow said roadway and for preventing lateral movement of said carriage relative to said roadway; steering mechanisms operatively associated with said pairs of vehicle support wheels and said carriage end sections for causing said pairs of vehicle support wheels to turn in accordance with the turning movement of said carriage end sections; and linkage means connecting said middle carriage section to said chassis frame, for causing said chassis frame to move with said carriage over said roadway, said carriage and said roadway having cooperable means for propelling said carriage over said roadway.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
66 words
The transportation system of claim 1, wherein each of said steering mechanisms includes lost motion coupling means between said carriage and said vehicle support wheels for permitting limited lateral displacement of said vehicle from a central position relative to said roadway before said steering mechanism is rendered operative to turn said associated vehicle support wheels to cause the vehicle to move back toward its central position.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
The transportation system of claim 2, and individual restraint means operatively associated with each said steering mechanism and its associated carriage end section for limiting lateral movement of said chassis frame relative to the associated carriage end section when the lateral displacement of the chassis frame relative to the associated carriage end section exceeds a predetermined value.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
85 words
The transportation system of claim 3, wherein each of said carriage end sections includes a frame, said carriage support wheels of each of said carriage end sections comprising a pair of front and a pair of rear support wheels, wheel support means connecting said wheels to said carriage end section frame, said carriage support wheels being turnable about horizontal axes; and linkage means connecting each pair of laterally aligned carriage support wheels for causing simultaneous movement of each pair of laterally aligned carriage support wheels.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
169 words
The transportation system of claim 4, wherein each of said steering mechanisms includes a steering lever pivotally connected intermediate its ends to said vehicle and extending substantially longitudinally of said vehicle chassis frame, said steering lever having its front end connected to the front end of the carriage frame of its associated end carriage section by a first connecting means and its rear end connected to the rear end of the carriage frame by said restraint means, said first connection means causing pivotal movement of said steering lever upon lateral movement of the front end of the carriage frame relative to said roadway to cause turning of its associated pair of vehicle support wheels to steer the vehicle toward a central position on said roadway, said restraint means being operable to limit pivotal movement of said steering lever to prevent lateral movement of said vehicle chassis frame relative to said carriage and said roadway when the lateral displacement of the vehicle relative to the carriage exceeds said predetermined value.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
84 words
The transportation system of claim 1, wherein each of said carriage end sections includes a frame, said carriage support wheels of each of said carrage end sections comprising a pair of front and a pair of rear support wheels, wheel support means connecting said wheels to said carriage end section frame, said carriage support wheels being turnable about horizontal axes; linkage means connecting each pair of laterally aligned carriage support wheels for causing simultaneous movement of each pair of laterally aligned carriage support wheels.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
62 words
The transportation system of claim 6, wherein said guide means comprise guide wheels and wherein each of said wheel support means comprises a wheel support connected to a carriage end section frame for pivotal movement about a vertical axes, said guide means geing vertically movably mounted on said wheel support whereby said guide means may be moved to positions above said roadway.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The transportation system of claim 7, wherein said guide means comprise guide wheels rotatable about vertical axes.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The transportation system of claim 8, wherein said guide means and said roadway have cooperative means for selectively raising said guide means above said roadway.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
241 words
A vehicle adapted to travel over a roadway having a pair of vertical parallel guide surfaces and horizontal wheel support surfaces, said vehicle including: a chassis frame having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels rollable over said support surfaces of said roadway; a drive carriage disposed longitudinally of said chassis frame between said wheels and connected to said chassis frame, said carriage including a pair of end sections and a middle section extending between and connected to said end sections by connector means permitting pivotal movement about longitudinally spaced vertical axes of said end sections relative to the middle section, each of said carriage end sections including a frame, a pair of front support wheels and a pair of rear support wheels connected to said carriage frame and movable over said roadway support surfaces, and individual guide means operatively associated with each of said carriage support wheels and engageable with an associated vertical guide surface of the roadway for causing turning movement of its associated carriage support wheel in accordance with the movement of said guide wheel means and for preventing lateral displacement of said carriage relative to said roadway; and individual steering mechanisms for said front and rear pairs of vehicle support wheels operatively associated with and connected to the frame of adjacent carriage end sections for causing said vehicle support wheels to turn in accordance with the turning of the associated carriage end sections.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
241 words
A vehicle adapted to travel over a roadway having a pair of vertical parallel guide surfaces and horizontal wheel support surfaces, said vehicle including: a chassis frame having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels rollable over said support surfaces of said roadway; a drive carriage disposed longitudinally of said chassis frame between said wheels and connected to said chassis frame, said carriage including a pair of end sections and a middle section extending between and connected to said end sections by connector means permitting pivotal movement about longitudinally spaced vertical axes of said end sections relative to the middle section, each of said carriage end sections including a frame, a pair of front support wheels and a pair of rear support wheels connected to said carriage frame and movable over said roadway support surfaces, and individual guide means operatively associated with each of said carriage support wheels and engageable with an associated vertical guide surface of the roadway for causing turning movement of its associated carriage support wheel in accordance with the movement of said guide wheel means and for preventing lateral displacement of said carriage relative to said roadway; and individual steering mechanisms for said front and rear pairs of vehicle support wheels operatively associated with and connected to the frame of adjacent carriage end sections for causing said vehicle support wheels to turn in accordance with the turning of the associated carriage end sections.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The vehicle of claim 11, wherein said vehicle chassis frame may move laterally relative said carriage end sections to a limited degree.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
133 words
The vehicle of claim 11, wherein each of said steering mechanisms includes a steering lever connected intermediate its ends to said vehicle and extending longitudinally thereof; and steering and restraint connector means connecting the front and rear ends of each of the carriage Frames, respectively, to its associated steering lever, said steering and restraint connector means each comprising a lost motion coupling, said lost motion coupling of said steering connector means permitting a smaller degree of lateral displacement of the front end of the steering lever relative to the front end of a carriage end section frame than the degree of lateral displacement of the rear end of the steering lever relative to the rear end of the carriage end section frame permitted by the lost motion connection of the restraint connector means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
65 words
The vehicle of claim 12, wherein each of said lost motion couplings includes a slide housing connected to an end of a carriage end section frame and a slide rod slidable in said slide housing and connected to an end of its associated steering lever, said housing and said slide rod having engageable means limiting relative sliding movement between said slide rod and said housing.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
37 words
The vehicle of claim 13, wherein each of said couplings includes shock absorber means between said slide rod and said slide housing for dampening transmission of shock and vibration forces for the carriage to said steering lever.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
The vehicle of claim 14, and detent means operationally associated between the steering lever of each of said steering mechanism and the chassis frame for releasably holding the vehicle support means in position for travel in a straight line.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
138 words
A vehicle adapted to travel over a roadway having a pair of vertical, parallel guide surfaces, said vehicle including: a chassis frame having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels rollable over said roadway; a drive carriage disposed longitudinally of said chassis frame between said wheels and connected to said chassis frame, said carriage having guide means, engageable with the vertical guide surfaces of the guideway, for preventing lateral displacement of said carriage relative to said roadway; a steering mechanism for at least one of the pairs of vehicle support wheels operatively associated with and connected to the drive carriage and comprising means for causing said vehicle support wheels to turn in accordance with turning of the associated carriage; wherein said chassis frame may move laterally relative to said carrige to a limited degree.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
138 words
A vehicle adapted to travel over a roadway having a pair of vertical, parallel guide surfaces, said vehicle including: a chassis frame having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels rollable over said roadway; a drive carriage disposed longitudinally of said chassis frame between said wheels and connected to said chassis frame, said carriage having guide means, engageable with the vertical guide surfaces of the guideway, for preventing lateral displacement of said carriage relative to said roadway; a steering mechanism for at least one of the pairs of vehicle support wheels operatively associated with and connected to the drive carriage and comprising means for causing said vehicle support wheels to turn in accordance with turning of the associated carriage; wherein said chassis frame may move laterally relative to said carrige to a limited degree.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
119 words
The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the steering mechanism includes a steering lever connected intermediate its ends to said vehicle and extending longitudinally thereof; and steering and restraint connector means connecting the front and rear ends of the carriage to the steering lever, said steering and restraint connector means comprising a lost motion coupling, said lost motion coupling of said steering connector means permitting a smaller degree of lateral displacement of the front end of the steering lever relative to the front end of the carriage than the degree of lateral displacement of the rear end of the steering lever relative to the rear end of the carriage permitted by the lost motion connection of the restraint connector means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-11-24 | 1979-05-26 | 1979-11-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-11-24 | 1983-05-26 | 1983-11-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-11-24 | 1987-05-26 | 1987-11-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |