All-terrain vehicle with driver and passenger seating

Abstract

An all-terrain vehicle (ATV) includes a frame and a pair of front and rear wheels suspended from the frame. A straddle-type seat has a main portion and a secondary portion to accommodate a driver and a passenger. The wheelbase of the ATV is increased in length (compared to conventional ATVs) so as to increase stability and comfort for the driver, and / or to accommodate a passenger behind the driver. The passenger and secondary seat portion are disposed in front of the rear wheel axis and moved closer to the center of the wheelbase. Moreover, the combined center or gravity of the ATV, rider, and passenger is moved closer to the center of the wheelbase to improve stability, comfort and / or safety. The driver and passenger each have sufficient space to actively position themselves without significantly interfering with each other.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 10 / 292,813 titled “ATV WITH IMPROVED DRIVER POSITIONING AND / OR MULTI PASSENGER CAPACITY”, filed Nov. 11, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference. application Ser. No. 10 / 292,813 claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 393,114 titled “ATV WITH IMPROVED DRIVER POSITIONING AND / OR MULTI PASSENGER CAPACITY”, filed on Jul. 3, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 384,822 titled “ATV WITH IMPROVED DRIVER POSITIONING AND / OR MULTI PASSENGER CAPACITY,” filed on Jun. 4, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 331,252 titled “ATV with improved driver positioning and / or multi passenger capacity,” filed on Nov. 13, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference. This application i...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] Accordingly, one aspect of embodiments of the invention provides an ATV that can safely accommodate two riders (a driver and a passenger). For example, the wheelbase of the ATV can be extended (e.g., by about 8″ to 12″ or more) compared to conventional ATVs such that the driver is more centered between the front and rear wheels, which creates additional space to accommodate an additional rider behind the driver. An advantage to this structure is that the driver's riding position is more active and comfortable, and the passenger can be accommodated in a safe manner.

[0009] Another aspect of embodiments of the invention provides an ATV on which a single rider, i.e., the driver, can be placed in a position that is more centered between the front and rear pairs of wheels, thereby improving driver comfort and / or reducing the chances for roll-over of the ATV.

[0010] Another aspect of embodiments of the present invention provides a two-person ATV that allows the driver and passenger to actively position themselves during operation of the ATV.

Problems solved by technology

The Consumer Product Safety Commission uses the one-rider limitation to define “ATV” due to the belief that straddle-seat, wheeled vehicles could not safely accommodate more than one rider.

Such limited mobility disadvantageously limits the abilities of both riders 1010, 1020 to actively position themselves (e.g., lean into curves or slopes to stabilize the ATV 1000).

Such positioning disadvantageously shifts the combined center of gravity of the ATV 1000 and riders 1010, 1020 rearwardly, thereby increasing the risk of tipping the ATV 1000.

Furthermore, the seat 1100 creates additional problems for the ATV 1000 and riders 1010, 1020.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 of Amacker, the passenger's center of gravity is disposed well behind the rear axis and therefore disadvantageously increases the risk of rearward rollover of the ATV.

Furthermore, both the passenger's legs and feet and the driver's legs and feet must be disposed at the same longitudinal position on the ATV, which causes the driver and the passenger to interfere with each other's mobility and thereby inhibit-their ability to actively position themselves.

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