1. Field of the Present Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to skateboard truck assemblies, and more particularly to such an assembly which has precision ground shafts placed perpendicular to bearing race surfaces and press-fit into a hanger, and wherein rebound and elongation during operation is controlled by changing bushing hardness.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Lopez, U.S. D421082, discloses an ornamental design for a hanger for a skateboard truck. Yamada et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,262, discloses a truck for skateboards. The preferred skateboard truck comprises a yoke mounted by a king bolt to a mounting base. The mounting base comprises a socket hub and a bracket. The yoke comprises a hanger and a pivot arm. The pivot arm rotates freely in a bearing unit supporting the pivot arm in the socket hub. The king bolt clamps the hanger with a first grommet and a second grommet. The first grommet is flexible, preferably made of urethane rubber, and comprises an edge circumference and a center circumference. The center circumference is narrower than the edge circumference. Preferably, the first and second grommets are fluorescent. Andersen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,666, discloses a shock absorbing skate truck assembly that includes a resilient shock absorber at the king pin located between the assembly base of the assembly and the axle support member for absorbing shocks encountered during use. Another shock absorber is located in a recess of the assembly base and is engaged by an axle support member arm. The shock absorber in the recess includes a flexible, resilient component and a non-flexible, non-resilient component. Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,782, discloses a device for use with a skateboard and a skateboard truck assembly to facilitate the removal and replacement of various component parts of a skateboard truck assembly including the bushings and the tension bolt, which is used to join the base plate and the axle assembly. The bolt, which is inserted through the aligned apertures in the axle assembly and the base plate, penetrates into the area beneath the base plate where it emerges and mates with the threaded nut. The device is supported by the bottom surface of the board and held stationary inside a pocket formed within the underside of the base plate and consists of integrally formed components including a generally flat base, a sloped guide platform situated upon the base, and an upstanding heel section formed at the base of the sloped guide platform. The guide platform is constructed according to a specific angle of inclination to fix the nut's orientation and to enable the nut and the threaded end of the bolt to properly align and engage. The upstanding heel section is provided to arrest the nut from deviating from its desired angle and position of alignment. Formed along the center portion of the heel section is a slight recess that aids in the proper positioning of the nut and to keep the nut immobile. Inside the pocket, which receives and generally conforms to the size and shape of the pedestal, is a hollow area, which holds the nut and keeps it confined to prevent rotation. Mullen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,471, discloses a skateboard having one or more truck assemblies configured to eliminate undesired ride characteristics such as hanger-jiggle and wheel bite, without sacrificing the skateboard's steering responsiveness. Each truck assembly includes an axle assembly with a ring-shaped hanger that is confined on a kingpin using a pair of bushings, at least one of which includes an annular flange that projects into an annular gap defined between the hanger and the kingpin. This prevents the hanger from moving laterally relative to the kingpin and thereby eliminates undesired ride characteristics such as hanger-jiggle and wheel bite. In a separate feature of the invention, the skateboard truck assembly further incorporates a low-friction slider plate that enhances the rider's performance of certain maneuvers and at the same time protects other components of the truck assembly from undue wear. Reyes et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,023, discloses a truck assembly including a housing adapted to be mounted to a skateboard or the like. An axle bracket is positioned partially in the housing and is mounted for rotation transverse to the longitudinal axis. The axle bracket includes a projecting upper end portion and a bottom end portion adapted to receive a transversely extending axle and wheel assembly. A resilient member, located at least partially in the housing, is provided and is adapted to resist transverse rotation of the axle bracket, and provide a restoring force. In addition, a wedge member is provided, having an aperture configured for receiving the projecting upper end portion of the axle bracket to establish a direct coupling therebetween. For example, the wedge member aperture and the projecting upper end portion of the axle bracket may have complementary, engaging polygonal configurations. The truck assembly may further include a rotational lock subassembly structured to prevent wheel bind during a rider effected turn of the skateboard. Kirkland et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,304, discloses a truck assembly for a skateboard that includes an axle housing, a base, and a kingpin connecting the axle housing and base. The kingpin holds the axle housing and a base surface of the base a predetermined distance apart. The truck further includes a turning mechanism between the axle housing and base, around the kingpin. The turning mechanism includes opposed cam surfaces that are angled along the axis of the kingpin and an elastomeric bushing so that rotating the axle housing about the kingpin pushes the cam surfaces apart, against the compression pressure of the elastomeric bushing. The truck assembly additionally includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the pressure against the bushing. The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment surface on the base of the truck assembly with two or more adjustment points, each a different distance from the base surface along the direction of the kingpin. An adjustment ring surrounds the kingpin, between the base surface and the turning mechanism. The adjustment ring includes adjustment lobes that engage the adjustment surface on the base. Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,302, discloses a skateboard truck assembly that includes a skateboard, a mounting plate, which is used to mount the truck assembly to the underside of the board, a mounting bracket to bridge the truck assembly to the mounting plate and an axle assembly, which includes axle rods, axle hubs and two wheels. The axle assembly is generally arcuate in shape and includes a lower surface with a more pronounced arcuate design and a central arched section. Each axle rod extends outwardly from the central arched section and slopes down to a terminus point adjacent to the inside portion of the wheel where the axle rod flares relative to the size of the axle hub to conform to the interior sidewall of the wheel and the underside of the flared axle rod coincides in substantial aligned relation with the corresponding wheel tread. Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,408, discloses a turf board for simulating snowboarding on snow-less terrain. The turf board includes a platform, two wheel assemblies and two bindings. Each of the wheel assemblies includes tires independently attached to a bottom surface of the platform by a shock, absorber suspension. In a preferred embodiment, each of the wheel assemblies include a unique, three-piece rim which maintains the tire. The two bindings are attached to a top surface of the platform for securing a user to the turf board. Finkle, U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,182, discloses a truck assembly for skateboards where the axle assembly is supported on an elastomeric bumper that in turn is supported on an angled shaft. As the skateboard is tilted, the bumper is twisted, causing the axle of the skate assembly to tilt and turn. The bumper is held at one end to the base and at the other end to the axle assembly. Goodspeed, U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,202, discloses a skateboard provided with a low profile and a simplified mechanism for driving without interfering with skateboard steering. A narrow drive belt is entrained about a centrally located pulley integrally mounted on a shaft carrying forward wheels including an overrunning clutch mechanism. A pedal mounted on the front of the board drives a horizontally displaceable rack via an intermediate cam member that provides a variable velocity. The rack in turn drives pinions operative for winding the drive belt around a pulley against spring tension applied at the remote end of the belt. The belt may also be entrained about a rear wheel pulley for empowering the rear wheels of the board. Kimmell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,842, discloses truck for a skateboard or roller skate, the truck being a unitary assembly having a structure for securing to a member for supporting a rider, the member being in the form of a skateboard or soleplate of a roller skate, the structure being generally rigid and downwardly depending from the undersurface of the rider supporting member with a lower edge lying in a plane diagonally disposed relative to the undersurface. The structure includes an axle-receiving portion for receiving an axle therein with the axle being normally generally parallel to the rider-supporting member and generally perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline thereto. The axle-receiving portion in one embodiment is connected to the lower edge. In the other embodiment a generally flexible web interconnects the lower edge with an upper edge of the axle receiving portion with the two edges in generally parallel relation, with the web in a plane normally perpendicular to the undersurface of the supporting member, the shifting of the weight of the rider deflecting the axle receiving portion relative to the rider supporting member to provide steering. List, U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,629, discloses a skateboard truck that comprises a base a hanger and a coupling assembly. The base has a first portion with a first hole therein and a second portion with a second hole therethrough. The hanger has an axle for mounting wheels thereon, a ring and a pin, the pin being received in the first hole. The axis of the pin coincides with the axis of the first hole and passes through the center of the ring. The coupling assembly is provided for coupling the hanger to the base, the coupling assembly passing through the ring and being received in the second hole. Solimine, U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,830, discloses a wheel truck for a steerable platform such as a skateboard. The wheel truck includes a base frame mounted below the platform and carrying a vertical support shaft and downwardly inclined steering shaft. An axletree upon which wheels are mounted is carried from the frame by resilient support means. The support means includes pairs of elastomeric bushings mounted about both of the support and steering shafts. The bushings are seated in sockets formed in the axletree for positioning the latter with respect to the frame. Fasteners are provided to secure the bushings on the shaft. The fasteners are adapted to change the steering response or to vary angular orientation of the axletree for purposes of changing the turning radius.
The related art described above discloses a range of skateboard truck and wheel assemblies. However, the prior art fails to disclose a skateboard truck assembly with press-fit axle shafts, bushings locked in a fixed position, and the ability to use a bushing hardness appropriate for the weight of the user. The present disclosure distinguishes over the prior art providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the following summary.