The present invention relates to mechanical engineering, in particular to folding kick scooters, including electrically powered scooters.

Folding kick scooters that have recently come into wide use are much easier to transport and store than conventional non-folding kick scooters.

Utility Model Patent RU193884 describes a folding kick scooter, comprising a steering column and a deck pivotally joined to each other, wherein the steering column is connected to a front wheel and a handlebar, while the deck rear portion is connected to a rear wheel. One disadvantage of this scooter is its poor ergonomic performance due to it being uneasy to transport in its folded position in which the scooter front and rear wheels are positioned at different sides of the deck, while the steering column extends parallel to the deck, making it impossible to move the scooter by rolling on the front and rear wheels along a road holding its handlebar by hand.

Utility Model Patent RU19018 describes a folding kick scooter, comprising a steering column and a deck pivotally joined to each other, wherein the steering column is connected to a front wheel and a handlebar, the deck rear portion is connected to a rear wheel, and the deck is comprised of two portions interconnected via a one-way joint. One disadvantage of this scooter is its low strength due the deck being comprised of two portions pivotally joined to each other, wherein heavy gravity loads are produced in the deck center by the pressure applied by a foot, causing the deck to break in a short time.

The prior art closest to the claimed invention is Patent CN111645790 (A) which describes a folding kick scooter, comprising a steering column and a deck connected to each other, wherein the steering column is connected to a front wheel and a handlebar, the deck central portion is pivotally joined to the front portion of a connecting member having its rear portion pivotally joined to the deck central portion, and the deck front portion has arranged on it a fastener configured to secure the deck to the steering column lower portion and the steering column upper portion, the deck being configured to be retained in its operational position in which the fastener is connected to the steering column lower portion and in its folded position in which the fastener is connected to the steering column upper portion. This folding kick scooter has been chosen as the prior art closest to the claimed invention. One disadvantage of the closest prior art scooter is its poor ergonomic performance due to it being uneasy to transport in its folded position in which the deck lower surface, being spattered with dirt from a pavement, faces the steering column, i.e. towards people passing by, thus soiling people who come near. With the steering column and the deck being separated in the scooter’s folded position (by an additional spatially extended member between them), it is complicated to install an electric wire from a battery arranged under the deck to the front drive wheel and to control a steering link arranged on the handlebar. Specific features of the scooter design make it difficult to retain the steering column and the deck with respect to each other in the operational position (during a ride). The connection between them is a weak part prone to failure.

The technical result of the present invention is creation of a folding kick scooter with a strength enhanced by providing a one-piece deck, with an ergonomic performance improved by enabling easier transportation and storage of the scooter in its folded position in which the deck lower surface, being spattered with dirt from a pavement, faces away from the steering column, thus not soiling people who come near; the front and the rear wheels are disposed at a short distance from each other, thus not soiling people who come near and making it easier to move the scooter.

The claimed technical result is achieved by providing a folding kick scooter, comprising a steering column 4 and a deck 1 connected to each other, wherein the steering column 4 is connected to a front wheel 2 and a handlebar 5, characterized in that the deck 1 front portion is pivotally joined to the steering column 4 lower portion, and the deck 1 central portion is pivotally joined to a front portion of a connecting member 8 having its rear portion connected to a rear wheel 3, wherein on the underside of the deck 1, at the rear and the front portions thereof, there are provided a rear and a front retainers 9 and 10, respectively, configured for securing the connecting member 8 to one or the other of them in the scooter operational and folded positions, respectively, and the steering column 4 upper portion has arranged on it an upper retainer 11, configured for securing the deck 1 rear portion in the scooter folded position.

In a preferred embodiment of the scooter, the deck 1 front portion is pivotally joined to the steering column 4 lower portion via the steering column connector 12.

In a preferred embodiment of the scooter, the deck 1 front portion is pivotally joined to the steering column 4 lower portion via the steering column connector 12 by means of a front joint 6 arranged between the connector 12 and the deck 1.

In a preferred embodiment of the scooter, the front joint 6 is provided with a retainer.

In a preferred embodiment of the scooter, the deck 1 front portion is pivotally joined to the steering column 4 lower portion via the steering column connector 12 by means of the steering column joint 13 arranged between the connector 12 and the steering column 4.

In a preferred embodiment of the scooter, the steering column connector 12 is provided with legs 14 configured for extending and keeping the scooter from falling when in the folded position. In a preferred embodiment of the scooter, the deck 1 central portion is pivotally joined to the front portion of the connecting member 8 by means of a central joint 7.

In a preferred embodiment, the scooter has two rear wheels 3 connected to the connecting member 8 rear portion.

In a preferred embodiment, the scooter comprises a splash guard 15 arranged at the deck 1 rear portion and configured to provide protection against splashes coming from the rear wheel 3.

In a preferred embodiment of the scooter, the connector 12 has an arcuate shape following the shapes of the front and rear wheels 2 and 3.

In a preferred embodiment of the scooter, the deck 1 central portion is pivotally joined to a front portion of the connecting member 8, the joint having a cross bar, and the connecting member 8 is configured to move along the cross bar across the deck 1, thus enabling movement of the rear wheel 3 across the deck between the operational position in which the rear wheel is disposed in the deck center and a transportation position in which the rear wheel 3 is disposed sideways with respect to the deck 1 and in the same plane with the front wheel 2 if viewed from above.

The claimed invention will be better understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

Disclosed are three embodiments of the claimed folding kick scooter, in which a common principle of the invention is implemented. The embodiments differ from each other in structural concepts. The first (Figs. 1-3) and the second (Figs. 4-6) embodiments represent two different methods for rotating the steering column and the deck with respect to each other. The third embodiment (Figs. 7-11) provides a structure of a two-wheel scooter. The third embodiment is characterized in that it further provides for the connecting member and the rear wheel movement across the deck, thereby enabling co-location of the front and the rear wheels.

Fig. 1. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a front joint and three wheels, in the operational position.

Fig. 2. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a front joint and three wheels, in a folded tilted position.

Fig. 3. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a front joint and three wheels, in a folded upright position.

Fig. 4. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a steering column joint and three wheels, in the operational position.

Fig. 5. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a steering column joint and three wheels, in a folded tilted position. Fig. 6. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a steering column joint and three wheels, in a folded upright position.

Fig. 7. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a steering column joint and two wheels, in the operational position.

Fig. 8. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a steering column joint and two wheels, in a folded tilted position.

Fig. 9. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a steering column joint and two wheels, in a folded upright position.

Fig. 10. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a steering column joint and two wheels, in the operational position as viewed from below.

Fig. 11. A folding kick scooter of the present invention having a steering column joint and two wheels, in a folded position as viewed from below.

Components:

1 - Deck;

2 - Front wheel;

3 - Rear wheel;

4 - Steering column;

5 - Handlebar;

6 - Front joint;

7 - Central joint;

8 - Connecting member;

9 - Rear retainer;

10 - Front retainer;

11 - Upper retainer;

12 - Steering column connector;

13 - Steering column joint;

14 - Legs;

15 - Splash guard.

According to the claimed invention (Figs. 1 - 11), a folding kick scooter comprises a steering column 4 and a deck 1 connected to each other via the steering column connector 12. The steering column 4 lower portion is connected to a front wheel 2. The steering column 4 upper portion is connected to a handlebar 5. The deck 1 central portion is connected to a connecting member 8 front portion by means of a central joint 7. The connecting member 8 rear portion is connected to the rear wheel 3. The deck 1 front portion has arranged on its underside a front retainer 10 for the connecting member 8 in the scooter’s folded position, which secures the connecting member 8 rear portion to the deck 1 front portion. The deck 1 rear portion has arranged on it a rear retainer 9 for the connecting member in the scooter operational position, which secures the connecting member 8 rear portion to the deck 1 front portion. The steering column 4 upper portion has arranged in it an upper retainer 11 for the deck in the scooter’s folded position, which connects the steering column 4 upper portion to the deck 1 rear portion 1.

When the scooter is in its operational position (in the ‘ride’ position), the steering column 4 is disposed transversely to the deck 1, while in a folded position (in the ‘transportation’ and the ‘storage’ positions) it is disposed along the deck 1. The connecting member 8 position with respect to the deck 1 changes accordingly. When the scooter is in its operational position, the connecting member 8, together with the rear wheels 3, is rotated and secured at the deck 4 rear portion. When the scooter is in its folded position, the connecting member 8, together with the rear wheels 3, is rotated and secured at the deck 4 front portion. When the scooter is in its folded position, the front 2 and the rear 3 wheels are disposed next to each other and, therefore, may be moved by rolling along a road, the scooter being held by hand at its handlebar 5 (ref. to Figs. 2, 5, 8), thus making the scooter easier to use. Furthermore, when the scooter is in its folded position, the deck 1 lower surface, being spattered with dirt from a pavement, faces away from the steering column 4, thus not soiling people who come near during the scooter transportation and making the scooter even more easy to use (further improving its ergonomic performance).

In what follows, the three embodiments of the claimed scooter will be described individually (Figs. 1 - 11).

Figs. 1-3 show a three-wheel scooter according to a first embodiment, wherein the deck 1 is rotated with respect to the steering column 4 with the use of a front joint 6 having a retainer. Fig. 1 shows the scooter in its operational position. The scooter may be brought into its folded position (Figs. 2, 3) by rotating the deck 1 rear portion 90 degrees with respect to the steering column 4 and securing it by means of the upper retainer 11 to the steering column 4 upper portion. The connecting member 8 is disconnected from the rear retainer 9, is rotated 180 degrees with respect to the deck 1, and is secured by means of the front retainer 10. In this way, the rear wheels are co-located with the front wheel 2 in the same plane if viewed from above. To transport the scooter, it is moved by rolling on two rear wheels 3 on the ground (Fig. 2). The scooter equilibrium in its folded position is provided by touching the ground at three points with two rear wheels 3 and one front wheel 2 (Fig. 3).

Figs. 4-6 show a three-wheel folding kick scooter according to a second embodiment, wherein the steering column joint 13 is used to fold the scooter. Fig. 4 shows the scooter in its operational position. The scooter may be brought to its ‘transportation’ (Fig. 5) and ‘storage’ (Fig. 6) folded positions by folding it as follows. According to this embodiment, the steering column 4 is rotated 90 degrees with respect to the deck 1 with the use of the steering column joint 13. Similar to the first embodiment, the upper retainer 11 is used to secure the steering column 4 to the deck 1. Similarly, the connecting member 8 is rotated 180 degrees with respect to the deck 1. In this way, the rear and the front wheels 3 and 2 are entirely co-located in the same plane if viewed from above (Fig. 5). By co-locating the rear and the front wheels 3 and 2 in the same plane if viewed from above, the scooter overall dimensions in its folded position may be reduced. Legs 14 (Fig. 6) are used to provide equilibrium in storage.

Figs. 8 - 11 schematically show a two-wheel scooter in a ‘ride’ operational position (Fig. 7,

10) and in ‘transportation’ (Figs. 8, 11) and ‘storage’ (Fig. 9) folded positions. Similar to the second embodiment, the steering column joint 13 is used to co-locate the steering column 4 and the deck 1. The difference consists in a modified method for rotating the connecting member 8 with respect to the deck 1, as illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11 showing the deck 1 from below in the operational position (Fig. 10) and the ‘transportation’ and the ‘storage’ folded positions (Fig.

11). To co-locate the front and the rear wheels, further to rotating the connecting member 8 180 degrees with respect to the deck 1 by means of the central joint 7, the connecting member 8 is moved across the deck 1 from the central position to a lateral position and then retained therein (Figs. 10, 11). The rear retainer 9 is used to secure the connecting member 8 in the operational position, while the front retainer 10 is used to secure it in the ‘transportation’ and ‘storage’ folded positions.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the claimed invention has been described above, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.