The present invention concerns an improved skateboard.

As is known, a skateboard typically comprises a board supported by a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, each pair of wheels being mounted such that it swivels on either side of an undercarriage.

Such an undercarriage is also called a truck in the field, and these trucks are usually fastened to the board by means of bolts and nuts.

In their classic form, skateboards are designed to skate without hands, i.e. without any support for the hands or any means to hold the skateboard while skating.

Also another type of skateboarding is known wherein a vertical bar with handles is provided on the front of the board that serve as a grip to hold the skateboard while skating.

Such skateboards look a bit like the familiar scooters, but they differ from a scooter in that the bar with handles is not part of a steering system but is firmly connected to the board of the skateboard.

Changing direction with such skateboards provided with a bar with handles still needs to be done by changing the position of the board in relation to the wheels on the undercarriage with the body, as is also the case with the classic skateboards intended for hand-free skating.

In these known skateboards with a vertical bar and handles, the bar is usually screwed on the upper side of the board of the skateboard according to the present state of the art .

A first major disadvantage is that this type of connection is not very strong.

Consequently, it is not very durable and actually not suitable for such an application.

Indeed, the thickness of the skateboard board is usually very small, the length of the bar is relatively large since it corresponds to the relevant height measured as of the feet to the more or less horizontally outstretched arms, while the forces and moments that work on this bar are rather large, especially when such a skateboard is used for more sporty and acrobatic performances.

It is clear that the combination of all these factors requires an improved type of connection of such a bar to a skateboard, not in the least for safety reasons.

Another disadvantage of the well-known skateboards which are equipped with a bar with handles is that, in principle, the bar can be attached with the screws anywhere to the board by the user. However, improper positioning of the bar on the board may lead to an increased risk of a so-called "tip-over" or head over .

Another disadvantage of the known skateboards is that fitting a bar with handles on such a skateboard is rather time-consuming and not very practical.

As a result, such an assembly usually takes place only once .

Moreover, repeated mounting and dismounting of the bar by means of screws and/or bolts and nuts is virtually impossible in practice, as this would very quickly result in considerable wear of the board.

Also, The present invention aims to provide a solution to one or several of the aforementioned or possible other disadvantages .

In particular, the invention aims to provide an improved skateboard with a greatly improved connection between the bar with handles and the skateboard.

Another aim of the invention is to offer a skateboard that is truly suitable for double use, more specifically as a skateboard for hand-free skating without handles and as a skateboard equipped with handles.

It is therefore an aim of the invention to provide a very simple solution to mount and dismount such a bar with handles on the skateboard, with no or practically no tools such as screwdrivers or wrenches being required for the mounting and dismounting.

Furthermore, it is a particular aim of the invention to improve the safety of the use of skateboards.

Another aim of the invention is to improve the durability of skateboards.

To this end, the invention concerns an improved skateboard with the features of the preamble of claim 1, wherein the skateboard is further intended for dual use, more specifically with handles for gripping the skateboard with the hands, and without handles for traditional hand-free skating, whereby the skateboard is provided to this end with a bar with handles which can be fixed to the skateboard in a removable manner, and with a locking mechanism for fixing the bar to the skateboard and disconnecting it again, and whereby the locking mechanism can be manually operated by a user without any additional tools for fixing the bar to the skateboard and disconnecting it again.

A major advantage of such an improved skateboard according to the invention is that the skateboard is actually meant for dual use, which is not the case with the known skateboards .

The reason why such an improved skateboard according to the invention is indeed suitable for dual use, lies in the fact that the improved skateboard is provided with a locking mechanism that is very easy to operate manually, and in that the locking mechanism allows a user to attach the bar with handles in no time to the board and to remove the bar with handles just as easily.

In a preferred embodiment of an improved skateboard according to the invention, the locking mechanism is such that a user can fix the bar to the skateboard and disconnect it again from the latter by means of a manual turning movement, a manual sliding movement, a manual click movement, a manual pinch movement, a manual push or pull movement or a combination of such manual movements.

It is clear that the mounting and dismounting of a bar with handles on the skateboard with such an improved skateboard according to the invention is very simple.

Of course, it is possible to conceive many different locking mechanisms to be operated manually with simple manual actions to make dual use of a skateboard possible in practice .

An important aspect of the invention therefore consists in recognizing a problem that escaped attention until now, namely that the known skateboards are not suitable for the aforementioned dual use.

By means of the figures, a very practical locking mechanism which is moreover easy to realise will be described later, but many other possible embodiments are not excluded from the invention either of course. In a preferred embodiment of an improved skateboard according to the invention, the locking mechanism contains at least a part that is integrated in the undercarriage of the front wheels or that is fitted between the undercarriage of the front wheels and the skateboard board.

According to the invention, the bar with handles is then preferably provided with a foot which can be locked in a metal part of the undercarriage of the front wheels of the skateboard by means of the locking mechanism.

A major advantage of such an embodiment of an improved skateboard according to the invention is that the bar with handles is anchored in the undercarriage of the front wheels, wherein the metal part of such an undercarriage is much better suited for a strong connection than the wooden skateboard board, which wooden board is used for this purpose in the well-known skateboards that are provided with a bar with handles, with all the consequences in terms of safety and durability of these known skateboards.

Another major advantage of this embodiment of an improved skateboard according to the invention is that the bar with handles is always correctly positioned above the front wheels of the skateboard, so that there is no longer an increased risk of "tip-over" due to incorrect positioning of the bar on the board, as is possible with the known skateboards .

In order to better explain the characteristics of the invention, a preferred embodiment of an improved skateboard in accordance with the invention is described below as an example only without being restrictive in any way, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: figures 1 and 2 show a possible embodiment of an improved skateboard according to the invention as seen in perspective, in a condition for use with handles, from a viewpoint above and below the skateboard respectively;

figures 3 and 4 show the parts indicated in figures 1 and 2 by F3 and F4 respectively to a larger scale;

figure 5 is a view in perspective to a larger scale of a disassembled version of the skateboard from figures 1 and 2;

figures 6 and 7 are views in perspective and to an even larger scale of the elements of the skateboard which are indicated by F6 and F7 respectively in figure 5;

figure 8 is a view to a larger scale of the foot of the bar according to arrow F8 from figure 5;

figures 9, 10 and 11 are views of the foot from figure 8 according to arrows F9, F10 and Fll respectively; figures 12 to 15 included are views in perspective to a larger scale of the parts indicated by F12 to F15 included respectively in figure 5;

figures 16 and 17 are cross-sections through the improved skateboard according to planes indicated by FI 6 and F17 respectively in figure 3;

figure 18 illustrates a partial assembly of the bar in the skateboard in side view and to a larger scale;

figures 19 to 21 included are top views of the successive positions during the release of blocking means of the locking mechanism of the skateboard; figures 22 to 24 included illustrate in perspective and from different angles how the foot from figure 8 can be provided in the released blocking means from figure 21;

figures 25 and 26 illustrate in perspective, from an upper and a lower viewpoint respectively, how the foot can be brought into a hooking position by twisting the foot in the blocking means;

figures 27 and 28 represent successive positions of the blocking means, seen in perspective, while blocking the foot against twisting; and,

figures 29 and 30 show the skateboard from figure 1 for hand-free use in perspective, with the cap being removed and in a condition in which the cap is fitted in the skateboard respectively.

The improved skateboard 1 according to the invention as illustrated in figures 1 to 4 is a skateboard 1 for dual use, wherein the above-mentioned figures show the condition of the improved skateboard 1 whereby a bar 2 with handles 3 is mounted on the skateboard 1, in accordance with a first possible use of the improved skateboard 1.

However, such an improved skateboard 1 according to the invention can also be used without the aforementioned bar 2 and handles 3, for hand-free skating, which condition of the skateboard 1 is shown in figures 29 and 30.

Like any skateboard, the improved skateboard 1 according to the invention comprises a board 4, whereby the aim is of course that a user of the skateboard 1 rests with one foot or both feet on this board 4 while skating. The board 4 is supported by means of a pair of front wheels 5 and a pair of rear wheels 6, each pair of wheels 5 and 6 being mounted such that they can swivel on either side 7 and 8 of a respective undercarriage, a front undercarriage 9 for the front wheels 5 and a rear undercarriage 10 for the rear wheels 6 respectively.

More specifically, each wheel 5 or 6 is mounted by means of two bearings 11 on one of the far ends 12 of an axle 13 of each undercarriage 8 or 9, which is represented in more detail in the cross-section of figure 17.

These axles 13 are resiliently suspended from an overlying housing 14 of each undercarriage 8 or 9, wherein this overlying housing 14 forms a metal part 15 of the relevant undercarriage 8 of 9.

The resilient suspension is achieved with the aid of one or several support blocks 16 made of a deformable, elastic material, such as for instance a synthetic rubber or the li e .

The undercarriage 9 of the front wheels 5 and the undercarriage 10 of the rear wheels 6 are both secured with the upper side 17 against the underside 18 of the board 4 of the skateboard 1.

Use was made to this end of bolts 19 provided via the upper side 20 of the board 4 through holes 21 made in the board 4, as well as through holes 22 made in the metal part 15 formed by the overlying housing 14 of the respective undercarriage 9 or 10, and wherein the undercarriages 9 and 10 were tightened against the board 4 by means of nuts 23.

In order to enable dual use of the skateboard 1, it is made sure, according to the invention, that the bar 2 with handles 3 can be fixed to the skateboard 1 in a removable manner .

To this end, the skateboard 1 is provided with a locking mechanism 24, which will be further discussed in detail, and which is such that it is very easy to be operated manually, and without any additional tools, by a user of the skateboard 1 in order to secure the bar 2 on the skateboard 1 and disconnect it again.

According to the invention, it is advantageous that the locking mechanism 24 comprises at least a part which is integrated in the undercarriage 9 of the front wheels 5 or which is provided between the undercarriage 9 of the front wheels 5 and the board 4 of the skateboard 1, since this allows to obtain a better connection between the bar 2 and the skateboard 1.

In the embodiment of a skateboard 1 according to the invention as represented in the figures, the bar 2 with handles 3 is not made in one piece, in fact, although this is not necessarily so according to the invention.

More specifically, the handles 3 are part of a T-shaped tube piece 25 that can be fixed to a tube piece 27 to be placed vertically by means of a manually operated clamp 26, such that the handles 3 can be adjusted in height. Furthermore, the bar 2 with handles 3, or in this case the tube piece 27, is provided with a separate foot 28 which can be connected to the tube piece 27, although it is not excluded according to the invention to use an embodiment with the foot 28 forming an integral part of the bar 2 or the tube piece 27.

In the embodiment as discussed here, depending on the position taken, this separate foot 28 can be regarded as a part of the locking mechanism 24 that serves to connect the tube piece 27 to the skateboard 1 or as a part of the whole that can form a bar 2 with handles 3 on the skateboard 1 and that needs to be secured to the skateboard 1 by means of the locking mechanism 24.

In another embodiment where the foot 28 is fixed to the tube piece 27, it is clear that the foot 28 is part of the whole which forms a bar 2 and handles 3 and which can be detachably secured to the skateboard 1.

According to the invention, the bar 2 or the tube piece 27 has a foot 28, which may or may not be fixed permanently to the bar 2 or the tube piece 27, but which can be preferably locked in a metal part 15 of the undercarriage 9 of the front wheels 5 of the skateboard 1 by means of the locking mechanism 24.

Preferably, the locking devices 24 and the foot 28 of the bar 2 can be provided with complementary parts that can work together to mutually lock and/or unlock the foot 28 in the skateboard 1. In the embodiment of a skateboard according to the invention as discussed here, the foot 28 is formed by a mainly cylindrical tube piece 29.

The free end 30 of the foot 28 or the end 30 that is not intended to be connected to the tube piece 27 or the bar 2 is also mainly cylindrical here.

Nevertheless, at this far end 30 of the foot 28 there is a protrusion 31 which radially extends from the cylinder wall 32 of the foot 28 at this free end 30.

This radially extending protrusion 31 at the foot 28 is an element that can work together with the locking mechanism 24 or that is part of the locking mechanism 24 for securing the bar 2 to the skateboard 1.

More specifically, the board 4 of the skateboard 1 is provided with a passage 33 having a shape that allows the free end 30 of the foot 28 to be led through the board 4 into a hollow space 34 provided in the undercarriage 9 of the front wheels 5.

The upper side 35 of the aforementioned hollow space 34 is partially covered here, which can be realised by means of a wall which is an integral part of the undercarriage 9, but in the embodiment discussed here, this partial covering of the hollow space 34, on its upper side 35, is provided for by a separate lid 36. In the embodiment discussed here, for reasons which will be explained hereafter, said lid 36 is multiple, but this is not necessarily so according to the invention.

In the aforementioned wall or in the lid 36 is preferably provided an opening 37 with a shape complementary to the shape of the free end 30 of the foot 28 of the bar 2, including the protrusion 31.

Thus, after applying the free end 30 of the foot 28 in the hollow space 34 and rotating the foot 28 around its central axis AA' at a certain angle X, the foot 28 can be brought in a hooking position, wherein the protrusion 31 can hook behind the wall or the lid 36 on the undercarriage 9.

This situation is represented for example in the cross- section of figure 17.

Another aspect of the invention consists in that the foot 28, at a certain distance D above the free end 30 of the foot 28, is provided with external thread 38 which can work together with internal thread 39 provided in a screw cap 40 or nut 40 which can be manually tightened.

Thus, after it has been placed in a hooking position, the foot 28 can be screwed into the board 4 of the skateboard 1 using the nut or screw cap 40.

In an embodiment of a skateboard 1 according to the invention, as is discussed here by means of the figures and wherein the foot 28 of the bar 2 forms a separate element that can be connected to a far end 41 of the bar 2 or the tube piece 27, the foot 28 is preferably provided, above the part with external thread 38, with a cylindrical part 42 which can be fit tightly in the hollow cylindrical end 41 of bar 2 or the tube piece 27.

In that case, the whole consisting of the foot 28, the far end 41 of the bar 2 or the tube piece 27 and the aforementioned nut or screw cap 40 preferably forms a clamp coupling, with which the foot 28 can be connected to the far end 41 of the bar 2 or the tube piece 27 by manually tightening the nut or screw cap 40.

Thus, by screwing on the screw cap 40, multiple functions are simultaneously performed, whereby the foot 28 is anchored in the board 4 by hooking the protrusion 31 behind the lid 36 on the one hand, and the bar 2 with handles 2 is connected to the foot 28 on the other hand.

Another very interesting aspect of the invention that reguires some explanation and contributes to the safety and ease with which the bar 2 with handles 3 can be connected to the skateboard 1 is the following.

According to the invention, the locking mechanism 24 is preferably also provided with manually operated, detachable blocking means 43 that allow the foot 28 of the bar 2 to be put either in a blocking position or in a free position.

These blocking means 43 are designed to prevent a rotation of the foot 28 of the bar 2 around the central axis AA' when the foot 28 is in a blocking position or, on the contrary, to allow a rotation of the foot 28 of the bar 2 around the central axis AA' when the foot 28 is in a free position .

In the embodiment of a skateboard 1 as discussed here, these blocking means 43 contain a slider 44 that can be moved back and forth in a direction QQ' transverse to the central axis AA' of the bar 2 or the foot 28 of the bar 2, or in other words, that can be moved parallel to the board 4.

In order to obtain a blocking effect that can prevent a rotation, the foot 28 of the bar 2 is preferably provided with a non-cylindrical part 45 that can work together with a complementary part of the slider 44.

In the embodiment of an improved skateboard 1 according to the invention as discussed here, the non-cylindrical part

45 of the foot 28 is formed by a pair of straight notches

46 provided on either side 47 and 48 of the foot 28 at a certain distance E from the free end 30 of the latter.

Furthermore, in this example, the slider 44 is part of the lid 36 on the upper side 17 of the hollow space 34.

The slider 44 is formed here of a mainly flat slat 49 in which an opening 50 is made with a circular part 51 having an inner radius R corresponding to the outer radius R' of the foot 28 and with a narrowed, rectangular part 52 having a width B corresponding to the width B' of the foot 28 at the aforementioned notches 46. The slider 44 is furthermore sprung against the lid 36 by means of spring devices 53, which in this case are formed by a spiral spring 53, and which automatically put the slider 44 in a position in which the rectangular part 52 of the aforementioned opening 50 in the slider 44 is placed in the opening 37 of the lid 36 so as to narrow this opening.

This position is shown by way of example in the view of figure 19.

In this example, the slider 44 can move between two flat parts 54 and 55 of the blocking means 43 forming the lid 36, but other embodiments where this is not the case are not excluded from the invention either.

The operation of a skateboard 1 according to the invention as represented in the figures is now clear and as follows.

The locking mechanism 24 of the skateboard 1 according to the invention is indeed such that the foot 28 of the bar 2 can be locked in the skateboard 1 by successively performing a number of very simple manual operations.

In a first step, the aim is to release the blocking means 43 by overcoming the spring force of the spring devices 53 of the slider 44 and by moving the slider 44 into a position where the circular part 51 of the opening 50 in the slider 44 coincides with the opening 37 in the lid 36 or the wall to the hollow space 34 in the undercarriage 9 of the front wheels 5. In fact, the slider 44 is provided with a folded part 56 at one far end here in order to facilitate its manual handling .

This transition from a blocked position of the blocking means 43 into a non-blocked position of the blocking means is illustrated in figures 19 to 21.

It is clear to see here that by moving the slider 44 against the spring force 53, inwardly in the lid 36 formed by the flat parts 54 and 55, the circular part 51 of the opening 50 in the slider 44 and the openings 37 of the parts 54 and 55 will align with each other.

Next, the foot 28, provided it stays correctly oriented as illustrated in figure 22, can be led through a passage 33 in the board 4 and through the circular part 51 of the opening 50 in the slider 44 and the openings 37 in the flat parts 54 and 55 of the lid 36 into the hollow space 34 in the undercarriage 9 of the front wheels 5.

The obtained position is represented in figures 23 and 24.

After that, the aim is for the foot 28 to be rotated at an angle X of 90° so as to bring the foot 28 in a hooking position.

This hooking position of the foot 28 is illustrated in figures 25 and 26.

By then letting the spring devices 53 do their work, the blocking means 43 are put in a blocking position whereby the rectangular part 52 of the opening 50 of the slider 44 can then mesh in the notches 46 provided in the foot 28 of the bar 2.

Of course, the foot 28 of the bar 2 can be disconnected from the skateboard 1 again by first releasing the blocking means 43 again with a movement of the slider 44, as shown in figures 19 to 21 included, and then performing the aforementioned manipulations of the foot 28 in reverse order .

From what precedes it is clear that an improved skateboard 1 according to the invention is particularly suitable for dual use, since the bar 2 with handles 3 can be mounted on the skateboard in a very simple manner and can just as easily be removed again from the latter, more specifically by a combination of an inward or outward movement and a rotation of the bar 2 or foot 28 and a sliding movement of the slider 44.

That the improved skateboard 1 as discussed here is effectively very suitable for dual use is further illustrated in figures 29 and 30, where the skateboard 1 is this time put in a condition for hand-free use.

A cap 57 with notches 46 of the same nature as the notches 46 in the foot 28 can be inserted in the passage 33 in a completely analogous way as discussed above with regard to the foot 28 and then removed again from the latter by manipulating the slider 44, all this with the intention of closing the passage 33 during the hand-free use of the skateboard 1, as far as this is desired of course. The present invention is by no means restricted to the embodiment of a skateboard 1 according to the invention described by way of example; on the contrary, such a skateboard 1 can be made in many shapes and sizes while still remaining within the scope of the invention.