Kicksled with Detachable Trailer and Riding Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional means for transporting children or small pets over snow, such as strollers or wagons with wheels, are inefficient and cumbersome, requiring users to ski and expend significant energy, while also making it difficult to access the trailer without detaching from the harness and walking around.
Innovation Solution
A kicksled apparatus with a detachable trailer that allows users to push the sled from behind, eliminating the need for skiing and enabling easier access to the trailer, as the user can stand on riding platforms and ride the apparatus once it reaches gliding speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional ski-based trailer systems are used, then the trailer can be transported over snow, but the user must ski and expend large amounts of energy
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the user pull the trailer from the front while skiing, the system inverts the configuration by having the trailer push the user from behind. The trailer is positioned in front with the user standing on a platform behind it, reversing the traditional pull-along configuration to eliminate the need for skiing while reducing energy expenditure.
Solution Approach 2:
The trailer becomes self-propelling by utilizing its own weight and the pushing motion of the user on the platform, rather than requiring the user to actively pull it. The system serves itself by converting the user's standing and pushing actions into forward motion without requiring skiing skills or excessive energy expenditure.
2Ease of operation
If the user pulls the trailer while skiing, then the trailer can be accessed, but the user must detach from the harness and walk around, which is cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The accessibility problem is solved by inverting the position relationship: instead of the user being in front pulling the trailer, the user stands on a platform behind the trailer. This allows the user to easily reach into the trailer from behind without detaching from any harness system, eliminating the complexity of connection mechanisms while maintaining easy access.
3Adaptability or versatility
If skis are used to pull the trailer, then transportation over snow is enabled, but skis are cumbersome and require skill
Solution Approach 1:
The skiing component is completely extracted from the system. Instead of requiring skis for both the user and the trailer, the invention uses a simple platform for the user to stand on while the trailer's runners provide the snow gliding capability. This extraction eliminates the need for skiing skills while maintaining snow terrain adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the functions: the trailer with runners handles the snow gliding function, while the simple platform handles the user support function. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the trailer providing snow capability without requiring the user to have or wear skis.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for a kicksled with a detachable trailer may include a pair of runners, including a first runner and a second runner that are oriented parallel to each other. The apparatus may include a first cross member, including a first end and a second end where the first end is disposed on the first runner, and the second end is disposed on the second runner. The apparatus may include a pair of trailer attachment arms to which a trailer may be detachably connectable. The trailer may be able to hold a child or small pet. The apparatus may include a pair of riding platform disposed on the pair of runners. The user may push the apparatus from behind and may ride on the riding platforms when the apparatus reaches a gliding speed.