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(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8,708,354 B2 Young (45) Date of Patent: Apr

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(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8,708,354 B2 Young (45) Date of Patent: Apr US0087.08354B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8,708,354 B2 Young (45) Date of Patent: Apr. 29, 2014 (54) CASTERSKATEBOARD (56) References Cited (76) Inventor: Dow Young, George, UT (US) U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS - r 8,047,556 B2 * 1 1/2011 Jang et al. ................ 280/87.042 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 2007,0257460 A1* 11/2007 TSuchie ................... 280/87.042 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 2010/0171280 A1* 7/2010 Hadley ..................... 28087.041 U.S.C. 154(b) by 65 days. * cited by examiner (21) Appl. No.: 13/373,446 Primary Examiner — Jeffrey J Restifo 1-1. Assistant Examiner — Erez, Gurari (22) Filed: Nov. 10, 2011 (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Stan Jones, Patents (65) Prior Publication Data (57) ABSTRACT US 2012/O1614O9 A1 Jun. 28, 2012 This skateboard invention has novel swiveling caster wheels mounted on a cross carriage (axle) holding spaced apart swivel caster wheels in place on the undersurface of the board Related U.S. Application Data by fixed in place fastening brackets. Dual front and dual rear caster wheels—two in front and two in the rear—as well as a (60) Provisional application No. 61/456,845, filed on Nov. three caster wheeled skateboard is disclosed. Inwardly 12, 2010. directed axle stubs (angled toward the center of the board, front and back) are employed with said stubs holding long (51) Int. Cl. front and long rear caster arms with wheel hubs supported by A63C 17/01 (2006.01) the long caster arms. A centering movement for the cross (52) U.S. Cl. axles—whether front and/or rear—and each caster wheel is USPC ..................................................... 280/87.042 disclosed such that the cross axle and/or wheel returns itself to (58) Field of Classification Search an initial Straight line position. USPC ........................................ 280/87.04.1. 87.043 See application file for complete search history. 15 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets U.S. Patent Apr. 29, 2014 Sheet 1 of 4 US 8,708,354 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 29, 2014 Sheet 2 of 4 US 8,708,354 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 29, 2014 Sheet 3 of 4 US 8,708,354 B2 Fig. 5B 130 80 Fig. 5D U.S. Patent Apr. 29, 2014 Sheet 4 of 4 US 8,708,354 B2 Fig. 7 -300 310 N9) 2 320 350 Ny/SW)NyWSWSWSWSWSWSWS US 8,708.354 B2 1. 2 CASTERSKATEBOARD Subsequently, skate parks were introduced. Skate parks were specially designed places that catered specifically to This is a regular patent application that is being timely filed skateboarders. Popular interest in skateboarding increased within the one year period allotted from a Provisional Appli due both to improvements in technical innovation and skate cation Entitled “Three Caster Skateboard' as filed on Nov. 12, 5 boarding videos which featured skateboarders performing 2010 having the same inventor as hereof and awarded Ser. No. extremely difficult and dangerous stunts using ramps, stairs, 61/456,845. handrails and the like. New interest in the sport resulted. High-profile exposure like ESPN and MTV's X-Games and FIELD OF INVENTION skateboard competition added increased interest in the sport. 10 Televised events of “extreme sports' showed the best of many This invention relates to the field of sports and the sport of kinds of skateboarding. Skateboarding was regarded as the skateboarding in particular. A new method and an improved first extreme sport. apparatus are disclosed. This invention improves a known Skateboard technology has also continued to evolve. sport while providing a new method and structure that has Skateboard manufacturers experimented with different thick many advantages over known prior art skateboards. The appa 15 nesses of veneers for the decks, but practically speaking, very ratus finds particular strength in regard to a self forwarding, little has changed in the actual manufacture components of narrow caster wheeled skateboard that “walks and does not skateboards until this invention. require the user to push offin order to get the board moving. Raw Materials Instead, the board invention “walks” itself forward in Most skateboard decks are made of glue and wood (usually response to user weight. Such weight is amplified by shifts— maple), but some are made of composites, aluminum, nylon, in a move similar to a twisting dance Step—from one side of Plexiglas, fiberglass, foam, and other artificial materials. the board to neutral and onto the opposite board side. Such Skateboard trucks are usually made of aluminum or other weight shifts amplify the natural forward force on the board. metal (Steel, brass, or another alloy), though a few are made of nylon. These trucks, in all prior art skateboards, are fixedly BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 25 mounted on a vertical post fastened or formed in the bottom of the board. A skateboard is a small piece of wood in the shape of a To assemble a skateboard, the maker also needs ball bear surfboard with predominantly four non-swivel wheels ings (usually full precision and made of metal) and a sizable attached to it. A single person rides the skateboard, guiding piece of grip tape. Grip tape comes in a Sufficiently large and initiating movement by his feet. While some skateboards 30 piece—bigger than the deck—and looks like a piece of sand are useful as transportation over short distances, most skate paper. It is secured to the top of the deck, friction surface boards are used to perform stunts. upward, to provide traction for the user's feet. Skateboards consist of three parts: the deck (the actual board), the truck (a component usually made of metal that FEATURES OF THE INVENTION holds the fixed wheels to the deck), and the wheels. The 35 average skateboard deck is about 32 in (81.3 cm) long, 8 in Particular attention is directed to the chassis underneath the (20.3 cm) wide, and is a little less than 0.5 in (1.3 cm) thick. upper board surface. The improved chassis of this invention The deck has a defined nose and tail end with a generally has an angled front and an angled rear axle stub to which are concave section in the middle. Skateboard wheels are usually attached narrow caster type wheels with a rounded traction made of polyurethane and range in width from about 1.3-1.5 40 surface. Such caster wheels are further characterized as hav in (3.3-3.8 cm). While nearly all skateboards have similar ing a pair of Support arms Swivel mounting said wheels to shapes and characteristics, their dimensions vary slightly mounting stubs Supported by the underneath Surface of the based on use. There are skateboards built for speed, slalom, board and behind which the caster wheels themselves follow and freestyle. and swivel. Historical Background 45 In the invention the mounting posts, or studs, are bracket Though there is unconfirmed evidence that a skateboard mounted at central positions at the front and at the rear of the like apparatus existed as early as 1904, the more commonly board proper. These studs are spaced apart and are mounted accepted predecessor to the skateboard was created in the centrally along the longitudinal axis which runs the length of 1930s. In Southern California, a skate-scooter was made out the board and are leaning inward so that they face each other. of fruit crates with wheels attached to the bottom. This 50 The angles which these studs make with the plane of board evolved into an early skateboard that was made out of 2x4 ft. surface are selected between 20 degrees and 40 degrees for (61 x 121.9 cm) piece of wood and four fixed metal wheels the rear casters and about 60 degrees for the front caster. taken from a scooter or from roller skates. This early version The mounting angles change for different performance of the skateboard featured rigid axles and fixed wheels. characteristics. The steeper the angle, the more the wheels Recognizable skateboards were first manufactured in the 55 and the board leans. Simply stated, angles control the perfor late 1950s. These were still made of wood and a few were mance characteristics for the board. Accordingly, this orien decorated with decals and artwork. Skateboards became tation, together with other novel features described and especially popular among Surfing enthusiasts, primarily in depicted herein, provides for improved stability. The novel California. Surfers practiced on skateboards when the ocean combinations as described herein are responsible for added was too rough, and they became known as "sidewalk Surfers.” 60 Versatility in movement and turning maneuvers that may There was a renewed interest in skateboards when wheels readily be accomplished by this caster wheeled skateboard made of polyurethane were introduced. These early polyure invention. thane wheels were composites of sand-like material that was Several new features, neither shown nor Suggested by prior formed into a flat and wide wheel with an adhesive binder art skateboards are presented by this invention. First, novel under extreme pressure. With the advent of such polyurethane 65 swiveling caster wheel embodiments—rather than fixed wheels, boards became easier to control and more stunts were wheels—are employed. Second, a carriage cross (axle) hold possible. ing two spaced apart Swivel caster wheels is held in place to US 8,708.354 B2 3 4 the undersurface of the board by fixed in place fastening weight absorbing assembly for angled downward forces as brackets. Dual front and dual rear caster wheels may be initiated by rider weight shifts; employed. The board, however, does not turn as sharply with FIG.5 includes FIGS.5A,5B,5C, and 5D and exemplifies a total of four caster wheels—two in front and two in the a “walking’ movement of my skateboard invention; rear—as compared to a three caster wheeled board.
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