Vehicular transportation system
First Claim
1. A vehicular transportation apparatus for processing a passenger vehicle comprising:
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a transporter vehicle having tired wheels and a storage compartment for storing a plurality of said individual vehciles including their occupants in a controlled grouping for combined transportation from one place to another along a roadway;
said transporter vehicle having a deck for supporting said individual vehicles in longitudinal line one behind the other in two parallel rows;
ramp means associated with the opposite ends of each storage row and operably carried by said deck to permit selective loading and unloading of said individual vehicles under their own propulsion onto and from said deck;
locking mechanism carried by said individual vehicles and said deck for retaining said individual vehicles on said deck in said rows; and
means cooperatively disposed between said individual vehicles and said transporter vehicle for providing conditioned air to the interior of each of said individual vehicles.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicular transportation system and apparatus therefor is disclosed herein wherein small electrically driven passenger vehicles are carried as a group in a transporter or carrier vehicle. Extendable ramps are carried on the transporter vehicle which may be deployed from either end of the vehicle body for loading and unloading the passenger vehicles along a pair of parallel storage decks. Locking mechanism selectively secures each passenger vehicle in a storage space on the transporter vehicle while a separate conduit system for conducting conditioned air to the stored passenger vehicle is provided between the roof of the passenger vehicle and the transporter vehicle body. The transporter vehicle and electrically driven passenger vehicles are adapted to operate as a combined unit, substantially reducing fuel consumption, air pollution, and congestion, or independently as separate elements, on traffic arteries such as highways or expressways or surface streets.
41 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A vehicular transportation apparatus for processing a passenger vehicle comprising:
- vehicles
a plurality of individual self-propelled vehicles; a transporter vehicle having tired wheels and a storage compartment for storing a plurality of said individual vehciles including their occupants in a controlled grouping for combined transportation from one place to another along a roadway; said transporter vehicle having a deck for supporting said individual vehicles in longitudinal line one behind the other in two parallel rows; ramp means associated with the opposite ends of each storage row and operably carried by said deck to permit selective loading and unloading of said individual vehicles under their own propulsion onto and from said deck; locking mechanism carried by said individual vehicles and said deck for retaining said individual vehicles on said deck in said rows; and means cooperatively disposed between said individual vehicles and said transporter vehicle for providing conditioned air to the interior of each of said individual vehicles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
- vehicles
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6. In a carrier apparatus for transportation of a plurality of passenger vehicles or the like comprising the combination of:
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a roadable vehicle including an elongated enclosed body having a cab disposed on the forward end thereof and a storage compartment disposed immediately behind said cab and extending to the aft end thereof; a deck disposed in said storage compartment for supporting stored passenger vehicles including the occupants thereof; loading and unloading means movably carried on said roadable vehicle body immediately beneath said deck and operable to selectively extend and retract from the opposite ends of said body; each of said passenger vehicles being self-propelled for independent operation separate from said roadable vehicle and adapted to be stored within said body via said loading and unloading means; conditioned air transmission means including conducting means intercoupling each of said passenger vehicles with said roadable vehicle body for delivering conditioned air to the interior of said passenger vehicle; and said conditioned air transmission means further including a conduct portion movably carried on the roof of said vehicle body and a stationary conduit fixed on the roof of said passenger vehicle in registry to sealingly receive said movable conduit portion in fluid conduit in fixed conducting relationship. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. In a carrier apparatus for transportation of a plurality of passenger vehicles or the like comprising the combination of:
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a roadable vehicle including an elongated enclosed body having a cab disposed on the forward end thereof and a storage compartment disposed immediately behind said cab and extending to the aft end thereof; a deck disposed in said storage compartment for supporting stored passenger vehicles including the occupants thereof; loading and unloading means movably carried on said roadable vehicle body immediately beneath said deck and operable to selectively extend and retract from the opposite ends of said body; each of said passenger vehicles being self-propelled for independent operation separate from said roadable vehicle and adapted to be stored within said body via said loading and unloading means; locking means operably coupling each of said passenger vehicles to said roadable vehicle body for selectively securing said passenger vehicle in said storage compartment; said locking means includes a movable pin carried on said deck and a corresponding receptacle carried on said passenger vehicle;
said pin and said receptacle being in registry and insertably connectable;said locking means further includes outwardly extending means carried on said pin releasably engageable with matable slots coextensive with said receptacle for releasably locking and retaining said passenger vehicle to said vehicle body deck; and said outwardly extending means carried on said pin of said deck of said roadable vehicle body are positive and negative electrical contacts mating with like contacts in said coextensive slots of said receptacle of said passenger vehicle enabling the conduct of battery recharging electrical current from aforesaid roadable vehicle to aforesaid passenger vehicle.
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10. In a carried apparatus for transportation of a plurality of passenger vehicles or the like comprising the combination of:
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a roadable vehicle including an elongated enclosed enclosed body having a cab disposed on the forward end thereof and a storage compartment disposed immediately behind said cab and extending to the aft end thereof; a deck disposed in said storage compartment for supporting stored passenger vehicles including the occupants thereof; loading and unloading means movably carried on said roadable vehicle body immediately beneath said deck and operable to selectively extend and retract from the opposite ends of said body; each of said passenger vehicles being self-propelled for independent operation separate from said roadable vehicle and adapted to be stored within said body via said loading and unloading means; locking means operably coupling each of said passenger vehicles to said roadable vehicle body for selectively securing said passenger vehicle in said storage compartment; and conducting means intercoupling each of said passenger vehicles with said rodable vehicle body for delivering conditioned air to the interior of said passenger vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. In a carrier apparatus for transportation of a plurality of passenger vehicles or the like comprising the combination of:
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a roadable vehicle including an elongated enclosed body having a cab disposed on the forward end thereof and a storage compartment disposed immediately behind said cab and extending to the aft end thereof; a deck disposed in said storage compartment for supporting stored passenger vehicles including the occupants thereof; loading and unloading means movably carried on said roadable vehicle body immediately beneath said deck and operable to selectively extend and retract from the opposite ends of said body; each of said passenger vehicles being self-propelled for independent operation separate from said roadable vehicle and adapted to be stored within said body via said loading and unloading means; locking means operably coupling each of said passenger vehicles to said roadable vehicle body for selectively securing said passenger vehicle in said storage compartment; and said loading and unloading means includes pairs of elongated rails constituting ramps retractable and extendable from opposite ends of said roadable vehicle;
power means operably engaged with said rails for selectively moving either of said ramps. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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Specification