TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a scooter carrier that is securable to a vehicle to allow transportation of a scooter, in particular an electric scooter. It is of course envisaged that the carrier can also be used for transporting other two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles and bicycles.

BACKGROUND

Existing scooter carriers are commonly unwieldy, involve numerous components, and can be quite labour-intensive to set up. Such carriers may include a platform on which a scooter can be loaded, and a detachable ramp which must first be connected to the platform before a scooter can be wheeled or driven onto the platform. The ramp must then be detached from the platform so that it does not pose a road hazard, and stored separately from the carrier or stowed on the platform.

Even after a scooter is successfully loaded onto such a carrier, and the ramp is stowed away, the scooter then needs to be fastened to the carrier using one or more tie down straps. The use of tie down straps can be both time-consuming and unreliable. For example, incorrect strapping and/or faults in the straps can compromise how well a scooter is fastened to the carrier.

It is desired to provide a scooter carrier that addresses or ameliorates at least one disadvantage of the prior art, or to at least provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a scooter carrier securable to a vehicle to allow transportation of a scooter carried by the carrier, the carrier having an elongate platform for supporting the scooter and a ramp at a loading end of the elongate platform and that is movable relative to the platform between a loading configuration in which the scooter can be wheeled up the ramp and loaded onto the platform, and a securing configuration in which the ramp is raised from the ground to form a barrier wall at a loading end of the platform so as to inhibit movement of the loaded scooter Also described herein is a scooter carrier securable to a vehicle to allow transportation of a scooter carried by the carrier, the carrier having an elongate platform for supporting the scooter and a ramp that is movable relative to the platform between a ramp configuration, in which the scooter can be wheeled up the ramp and loaded onto the platform, and a securing configuration in which the ramp is raised from the ground to form a barrier wall at the loading end of the platform so as to obstruct rearward movement of the loaded scooter.

In some embodiments, the ramp is pivotably coupled to the platform and can, for example, be hinged to the loading end. The coupling of the ramp and the platform reduces the number of separate and/or detachable parts. The pivotal nature of the coupling also facilitates the raising and lowering of the ramp relative to the platform. The raised ramp can also be manually urged against the scooter in the manner of a lever so as to assist with loading the scooter onto the platform.

In some embodiments of the invention, when the ramp is in the securing configuration, the ramp is strapped to the loaded scooter so as to be urged against a wheel thereof. For example, the strapping can act to pull the ramp firmly against a rear wheel of the scooter so as to constrain against rearward movement of the scooter on the platform.

In some embodiments, the carrier further includes a stabiliser for engaging the scooter so as to maintain the scooter in an upright orientation on the platform. In some embodiments, the stabiliser is configured to engage a foot peg of the scooter.

In some embodiments, the stabiliser defines a slot opening towards the loading end of the platform, and into which a portion of the scooter is received when the scooter is being loaded onto the platform.

In some embodiments, the stabiliser includes a stabilising member that is configured to press the scooter downwards onto the platform as the scooter is being loaded onto the platform. For example, in some embodiments, the stabiliser includes an upper member and a lower member, the members defining therebetween a slot opening towards the loading end of the platform, and into which a foot peg of the scooter is received when the scooter is being loaded onto the platform. In this way, as the scooter is loaded onto the platform, the foot peg is gradually inserted into the slot and the members work to restrain the scooter from tipping sideways or moving further forward. The respective members can be in the form of upper and lower prongs, and at least the surface(s) defining the slot can be made from (or coated with) a relatively low-friction material (such as Teflon, for example) so as to reduce the manual effort required to engage the scooter with the stabiliser.

In some embodiments, one or both of the prongs converge toward the other in the direction of scooter loading such that as the scooter is being loaded onto the platform, the prongs progressively clamp the foot peg and/or urge the scooter downwardly against the platform. As such, the scooter is increasingly secured to the carrier as it is loaded onto the platform; the prongs not only work to grip onto the foot peg more tightly as the scooter is loaded, at least the upper prong works to pull the scooter downwardly against the platform.

One or more shims can be provided on the platform to raise the scooter whereby to adjust the downward urging of the scooter against the platform; as such, scooters of different heights and can be accommodated by the carrier.

Preferably, the position of the stabiliser is adjustable relative to the platform. In some embodiments, the position of the stabiliser is adjustable along the length of the platform such that the carrier can accommodate scooters of various lengths. To this end, the stabiliser can be releasably secured to the platform via common securing arrangements such as nuts and bolts, and the bolts may be fed through a subset of bolt holes and/or slots arranged to allow adjustment of the stabiliser position.

In some embodiments of the invention, the carrier includes two such stabilisers, one at each side of the platform, each stabiliser being arranged to engage respective left and right foot pegs of the scooter. Of course, the stabilisers can also or alternatively be configured to engage one or more other features of the scooter, such as the kick stand, for example. If features of the scooter do not engage with the stabiliser, one or more features can simply be mounted to the scooter to which the stabiliser can engage. For example, a protruding member, in a form similar to a foot peg for example, can simply be welded to an appropriate location of the scooter such that it is able to engage the stabiliser.

The platform and/or ramp may be in the form of a channel. The width of the channel may be such that the spacing between the sidewalls of the channel is slightly wider than the width of the scooter tyres. As such, the channel acts to guide the scooter as it is wheeled up the ramp and onto the platform. Moreover, the sidewalls act to constrain the scooter tyres from excessive sideward movement; for example, the front wheel is substantially constrained by the sidewalls from rotating about the handlebar's axis of rotation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the invention are further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a scooter carrier in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and in a loading/unloading configuration;

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the carrier of Figure 1 loaded with a scooter;

Figure 3 is a front perspective view of a stabiliser of the carrier of Figure 1 engaging with a foot peg of the scooter; and

Figure 4 is a front perspective view of the carrier and loaded scooter of Figure 2, but in a securing configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows a scooter carrier 2 according to an embodiment of the invention. The carrier 2 has an elongate platform 10 on which a scooter 8 can be loaded, and a ramp 12 up which the scooter 8 can be wheeled or driven so as to be loaded onto the platform 10.

In the depicted embodiment, the carrier 2 is securable to a towbar structure of a vehicle 6 to allow transportation of the scooter 8. To this end, a towbar insert 4 protrudes from a towbar sleeve of the vehicle 6, and a corresponding sleeve provided on an underside of the platform 10 releasably receives the protruding length of the insert 4. Of course, it is envisaged that the carrier can also be secured to other features of a vehicle, such as a drawbar of a trailer or caravan, or the fore and aft of a trailer - such as a conventional motorcycle trailer, for example.

Figure 2 shows the carrier 2 with a scooter 8 on the platform 10. Referring also to Figure 3, the carrier 2 includes two stabilisers 18 for engaging respective foot pegs 20 extending laterally from respective sides of the scooter 8 so as to maintain the scooter 8 in an upright orientation on the platform 10. In the described embodiment, each stabiliser 18 is in the form of a pronged structure provided on each side of the platform 10. In the described embodiment, each stabiliser 18 includes an upper member or prong 22 and a lower member or prong 24 which define between them a slot 26 that is open towards the loading end of the carrier 2. As the scooter 8 is loaded onto the platform 10, each foot peg 20 of the scooter is guided into and received by a respective slot 26 such that the prongs 22, 24 engage the foot peg 20 and restrain the scooter 8 against tipping sideways.

Referring to Figure 3, the upper prong 22 is longer than the lower prong 24, and is angled downwardly in the direction of scooter loading so as to converge slightly towards the lower prong 24. For example, in some embodiments the upper prong 22 is angled downwardly by an angle of around 5° or 10° relative to the platform. As the scooter 8 is loaded onto the platform 10, the upper prongs 22 first engage the foot pegs 20 to press downwardly on the foot peg 20 so as to urge the scooter 8 downwardly against the platform 10 and slightly compress the suspension of the scooter 8 as the scooter 8 is loaded thereon.

With continued travel of the scooter 8 onto the platform 10, the foot pegs 20 are guided by the upper prong 22 into the slot between the upper and lower prongs 22, 24, and due to the angled trajectory of the upper prong 22, the prongs 22, 24 progressively clamp the foot pegs 20 so as to increasingly secure the scooter 8 to the carrier 2, with the restoring force of the compressed scooter suspension acting to further secure the scooter 8 and restrict movement of the scooter 8 during transport.

Referring to Figures 1 and 4, it can be seen that the ramp 12 is movable relative to the platform 10 between a loading/unloading or ramp configuration (Figure 1), in which the scooter 8 can be wheeled or driven up the ramp 12 and loaded onto the platform 10 (and vice versa), and a securing configuration (Figure 4) in which the ramp 12 is raised from the ground to form a barrier wall at the loading end of the platform 10 so as to obstruct rearward movement of the loaded scooter 8. To this end, the ramp 12 is hingedly coupled to the loading end of the platform 10 and, once the scooter 8 is on the platform 10, the ramp 12 can be pivoted upwardly from the ground. The raised ramp 12 can itself be used as a lever to assist in pushing the scooter 8 forward on the platform 10 to further engage the foot pegs 20 in the slots 26 of each stabiliser 18. The raised ramp 12 can then be strapped to the loaded scooter 8 so as to be urged against the rear wheel 16 thereof. The strap 28 can be fixed to the ramp 12 or provided as a separate item. In the depicted embodiment, the strap 28 acts to pull the ramp 12 firmly against the rear wheel 16 of the scooter 20 so as to constrain against rearward movement of the scooter 8 on the platform 10.

Still referring to Figure 4, the raised ramp 12 which is strapped to the scooter 8 acts to restrict rearward travel thereof. Meanwhile, the stabilisers 18 act to restrain against sideward tipping of the scooter 8 by their engagement with respective foot pegs 20 thereof. As a result, the scooter 8 can be loaded onto the carrier 2 and secured thereto relatively quickly and easily.

As can be seen in the Figures, in the depicted embodiment both the platform 10 and ramp 12 are in the form of a channel having a C-shaped cross-section. In the depicted embodiment, the spacing between the sidewalls of the channel is slightly wider than the width of the wheels of the scooter 8. As such, the sidewalls act to guide the scooter 8 as it is wheeled or driven up the ramp 12 and onto the platform 10, and also as the scooter 8 is wheeled off the carrier 2.

In some embodiments, the carrier includes a motor cut-off component to automatically switch off the scooter motor when the scooter reaches a corresponding position on the carrier. In this way, the scooter motor can be used to assist with loading of the scooter onto the carrier to a final (or near-final) loading position, at which point the motor cut-off component causes the scooter motor to automatically switch off. This not only ensures that the scooter is loaded to a correct and consistent position on the carrier, but also reduces the possibility of driving the scooter too far (and thus potentially causing injury to the operator and/or damage to the scooter or carrier). It will be apparent that the form of the motor cut-off component depends upon the form and capabilities of the motor controls of the scooter. For example, where the scooter includes only a mechanically operated switch, the carrier can include a motor cut-off member that is positioned on the carrier to mechanically engage with the motor switch of the scooter so that the switch is mechanically actuated by way of the movement of the scooter relative to the carrier as it is loaded to the corresponding position.

In another example, a scooter includes a magnetically operated motor cut-off switch, and the carrier includes a magnetic component (which may be a permanent magnet or an electromagnet, for example) is positioned on the carrier so that as the scooter reaches the desired loading position on the carrier, the separation between the magnetic component of the carrier and the magnetically operated motor cut-off switch reduces to the point where the latter is operated to cut-off the scooter motor. Other forms of motor cut-off component will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.