Light-weight, durable, land-traversing vehicle

• US 3,884,521 A
• Filed: 09/24/1973
• Issued: 05/20/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alvin Edward Moore
• Original Assignee: Alvin Edward Moore
• Inventors: Moore, Alvin Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Application Number:
  US05/399,951
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 296/28R,31R,31P 180/30 9/2R 115/1R 244/119 293/1
• US Class Current: 296/203.01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/42 extending primarily along the sides of, or completely encircling, a vehicle ornamental or guard strips B60R13/04
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/18 characterised by the vehicle type and not provided for in groups B62D21/02 - B62D21/17
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 39/00 Vehicle bodies not otherwise provided for , e.g. safety vehicles safety equipment B60R21/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 61/00 Motor vehicles or trailers, characterised by the arrangement or number of wheels, not otherwise provided for, e.g. four wheels in diamond pattern
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 52/09 Structure including reclaimed component, e.g. trash

Abstract

An automobile, wheeled aircraft or space craft, trailer, hovercraft, snowmobile, sled or other vehicle adapted for travel over land, having strong, light-weight frames that include elongated, vehicle-bracing beams (longitudinal stringers or optionally transverse ribs), having holes in their faces, and sealed bottles or the like, each having a pair of necks (or a neck and bottom) that are strongly glued in opposite holes of a pair of the vehicle-bracing pieces. The holes preferably are sockets, recesses, or depressions that do not extend thru the stringers or ribs. The beams may be of metal, but preferably are of waterproofed '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'Masonite'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' or other pressed wood, or of strong, molded or extruded plastic containing sufficient pores or reinforcing fibers for frictional holding of nails, or of cedar, cypress or other wood. Optionally and preferably, the beams are curved in the direction of their length. On their outer and inner edges metal or strong-plastic mesh (preferably expanded-metal lath, hardware cloth and/or poultry-type fencing) is nailed or screwed and/or glued. And on this mesh outer and inner layers of stucco (Portland cement, epoxy or other cement mixed with fine aggregate or fibers) are applied in pasty condition (by troweling or spraying) and allowed to set. Between these stuccoed skins, foamed plastic, from poured-in-situ liquids, imbeds the hollow elements. The vehicle is preferably curved in fore-and-aft direction; optionally it may also be curved vertically (i.e., barrel-curved), in which event, the bottle-holding holes preferably extend entirely thru the beams. The bottle-holding holes may be on each side of each beam and may be staggered, preventing interference of the holes and bottles on the opposite beam sides. Preferably, the vehicle includes: a pair of lateral wheel or runner supports, each having a flat, fore-and-aft inner surface and a curved outer surface; between these surfaces of each support a freely rotating, resiliently mounted wheel or runner; a narrow, streamlined, central, wheel support; and a front steering wheel and a rear driving wheel on the central support. The side wheels or runners ordinarily are clear of the ground, but contact it on sidewise tilting of the vehicle. Lateral and front buffers include foamed plastic and balloons imbedded in the plastic. These and optional other balloons inside the cabin, floating against the top, aid gyroscopic force in preventing tilting of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle adapted to traverse land, including:

floor structure, having load-containing space above it;

sidewall framework, connected to said floor structure, comprising;

a plurality of sidewall beams of vehicle-strengthproviding material, including pairs of spaced-apart, oppositely-positioned beams, each pair having spaced-apart, opposite surfaces of the two beams and opposite holes that extend into said material from said surfaces, each of said holes at one of the surfaces of the two beams opening toward and aligned with a similar, opposite hole in the other of said two beams;

hollow members of vehicle-strength-providing material, connecting and bracing said opposite beams, each of said hollow members having ends extending into and braced in an aligned pair of said opposite holes; and

securing means, holding said ends in said holes and said hollow membes in vehicle-strengthproviding assembled relation;

lower land-traversing structure, fixed to said floor structure, comprising;

a plurality of lower-structure beams of vehiclestrength-providing material, including pairs of opposite, spaced-apart, lower-structure beams having a plurality of opposite holes that extend into said material from oppositebeam surfaces of each pair of said lower-structure beams, each of said last-named opposite holes at one of said opposite-beam surfaces opening toward and aligned with a hole in the other of said opposite-beam surfaces;

lower-structure hollow members of vehicle-strength-providing material, connecting and bracing said opposite lower-structure beams, each of said lowerstructure hollow members having ends extending into an aligned pair of said last-named opposite holes;

securing means holding said ends of the lower-structure hollow members in said lastnamed holes and in vehicle-strength-providing assembled relation; and

means for facilitating overland travel, supported by some of said beams;

waterproof, vehicle-strength-providing, exterior skin means, connected to outer portions of said sidewall framework and said lower structure; and

vehicle-strength-providing, interior skin means, connected to inner portions of said sidewall framework.

2. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which said lower structure includes:

a pair of separated housings of vehicle-strength-providing material; and

said means for facilitating travel includes means in each of said housings for facilitating travel over a hard medium, having lower surfaces adapted to engage the said medium.

3. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which:

said travel-facilitating means, on each side of said vehicle, includes a wheel; and

the lower surfaces of the wheel are clear of said hard medium in normal straight travel, but engage said medium on sidewise tilting of the top of the vehicle toward said wheel.

4. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which:

each of said hollow members comprises a bottle, having a neck of smaller cross-sectional area than that of its middle portion; and

at least one of each aligned pair of said opposite holes has a cross-sectional area of a size that is in the neighborhood of that of said smaller cross-sectional area.

5. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which said securing means comprises bonding material, set from previous shapeless condition.

6. A vehicle as set forth in claim 5, in which said bonding comprises epoxy.

7. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which said hollow members comprise glass bottles.

8. A vehicle as set forth in claim 7, in which each of said bottles is a used bottle of the beverage-containing type.

9. A vehicle as set forth in claim 7, in which:

one of each opposite pair of said aligned holes is a socket, extending partially thru the thickness of a beam;

each of said bottles has a neck and a bottom portion of larger cross-sectional area than that of said neck and is seated in said socket; and

said securing means comprises adhesive, set from previous shapeless condition, on the bottom wall of said bottom portion and on sides and the closed end of said socket.

10. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which:

each of said hollow members is a bottle member, having a pair of necks each of which is of smaller cross-sectional area than that of the bottle member'"'"''"'"'s middle portion; and

each hole of each pair of said opposite holes has a cross-sectional area of a size that is in the neighborhood of the size of said smaller cross-sectional area.

11. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10, in which said bottle member is composite and comprises two bottles having their bottoms fastened togehter.

12. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10, in which said bottle member includes:

two bottles of glass, having adjoining bottoms; and

bonding material, set from previous shapeless condition, between and strongly uniting said bottoms.

13. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10, in which said bottle member is unitary and of integral material, set from previous plastic condition.

14. A vehicle as set forth in claim 13, in which said integral material is glass.

15. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which:

said sidewall beams include stringers, at least some of which extend in fore-and-aft direction; and

the said hollow members between said stringers are upright and contain gaseous material.

16. A vehicle as set forth in claim 15, in which said stringers are parallel.

17. A vehicle as set forth in claim 15, in which the said material of the hollow members comprises glass.

18. A vehicle as set forth in claim 15, in which each of said upright hollow members comprises a neck portion at each of its ends which is smaller in cross section that its middle part.

19. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which:

the said sidewall beams are arranged in units of end-to-end-joined beams; and

said framework includes fastening means, bracingly joining ends of the beams of each unit.

20. A vehicle as set forth in Claim 1, in which:

the said material of the sidewall and lower-structure beams is of a type which frictionally holds nails; and

the said exterior skin means includes;

mesh on outer surfaces of said beams;

rod-like elements, penetrating said beam material and fastening said mesh to the beams; and

stucco comprising cement on said mesh, set from previously plastic stuccoing condition.

21. A vehicle as set forth in claim 20, in which the said interior skin means includes:

mesh on inner surfaces of said beams;

rod-like elements, penetrating said beam material and fastening said last-named mesh to the beams; and

stucco comprising cement on said last-named mesh, set from previously plastic condition.

22. A vehicle as set forth in claim 20, in which:

said cement comprises Portland cement; and

said stucco further comprises inert fragments mixed with said cement.

23. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which said sidewall beams include ribs, extending in planes that are transverse to the vehicle'"'"''"'"'s fore-and-aft axis.

24. A vehicle as set forth in claim 23, in which each of said ribs has a pair of planar surfaces that are wider than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of a said hollow member along a plane normal to its axis and has a median plane between said planar surfaces;

and the said median planes of each of a plurality of groups of said ribs divergingly radiate from a common line of intersection of the planes.

25. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which:

each of said beams has other holes, extending entirely thru the beam, in vehicle construction adapted for passage of foaming, applied-in-situ foamed-plastic materials;

said exterior and interior skin means comprises material capable of resisting yielding outward under the pressure of foaming foamed-plastic materials; and

the said vehicle includes foamed plastic set from previously fluent condition, between each adjacent pair of said beams, in said other holes, and between said hollow members and said exterior and interior skin means.

26. A vehicle as set forth in claim 3, further comprising lighter-than-air balloons located on sides of the vertical plane containing the fore-and-aft axis of the vehicle, aiding gyroscopic force in holding said wheels normally clear of the said medium in straight travel.