Children's ride-on vehicle

Abstract

Children's ride-on vehicles. The ride-on, or ride-on vehicle, includes a frame having a seat adapted to support a child, and a drive assembly with a battery-powered motor assembly. The ride-on vehicle further includes one or more steerable wheels and one or more driven wheels. The ride-on vehicle includes a biasing assembly that is connected to the frame and adapted to bias the seat away from the vehicle's driven wheels. In some embodiments, the ride-on vehicle includes a free-floating wheel, which is unbiased and travels within a defined range of positions with respect to the ride-on vehicle's frame as external forces are imparted to the wheel. In some embodiments, the ride-on vehicle includes a high-speed switch positioned for momentary high-speed operation of the ride-on vehicle and a user-manipulable portion may be provided to enable a child to select such a high-speed configuration.

1 . A children's ride-on vehicle, comprising: 
 a vehicle body having a frame, wherein the body is a reduced-scale body sized for use by a child and at least substantially formed from molded plastic;    a seat assembly supported on the body and including a seat adapted to receive at least one child;    a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the vehicle body and including a pair of driven wheels adapted to be rotationally driven by a drive assembly and at least one steerable wheel adapted to be selectively steered by a child seated on the seat;    a biasing assembly connected to the frame and adapted to enable oscillating movement of the seat relative to the driven wheels, and further wherein the biasing assembly is adapted to bias the seat away from the driven wheels;    a drive assembly having a motor assembly adapted to drive the driven wheels and a battery assembly adapted to power the motor assembly;    a steering assembly including a steering mechanism coupled to the at least one steerable wheel, wherein the steering mechanism includes a handlebar assembly-adapted to be grasped by a child operating the vehicle to steer the vehicle.    
   
   
       2 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the motor assembly includes a pair of motors that are selectively configurable between parallel and series configurations, and further wherein the drive assembly is adapted to restrict configuration of the pair of motors in the parallel configuration when the drive assembly is configured to drive the vehicle in the reverse direction.  
   
   
       3 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the biasing assembly includes a coil spring.  
   
   
       4 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the biasing assembly is adapted to enable pivotal movement of the seat relative to the driven wheels relative to a pivot point forward of the seat.  
   
   
       5 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly is adapted to drive the vehicle's driven wheels at least at a first speed, and at a second speed that is greater than the first speed, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to selectively drive the vehicle in a forward direction and a reverse direction, and further wherein the drive assembly is adapted to restrict driving of the vehicle in the reverse direction at the second speed.  
   
   
       6 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 5 , wherein the body includes a dashboard portion having at least a speed switch adapted to configure the drive assembly to drive the driven wheels at a selected one of the first and the second speeds and a direction switch adapted to configure the drive assembly to drive the driven wheels at a selected one of the forward and the reverse directions.  
   
   
       7 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the handlebar assembly includes a pair of handgrips and at least one switch positioned for actuation by a child sitting on the seat and holding onto the handgrips with the child's hands without requiring the child to release either of the handgrips.  
   
   
       8 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one switch includes a biased switch adapted to be depressed by a child from an unactuated position, in which the switch is open, to an actuated configuration, in which the switch is closed, and further wherein the switch is adapted to automatically return to the unactuated position upon release of the switch by the child.  
   
   
       9 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the seat is adapted to be straddled by a child sitting upon the seat, and further wherein the body includes foot boards adapted to support the feet of a child sitting on the seat during use of the ride-on vehicle.  
   
   
       10 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 9 , wherein the drive assembly includes an on/off switch in the form of a foot pedal positioned on one of the foot boards.  
   
   
       11 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wheels includes the driven wheels, the at least one steerable wheel, and at least one non-driven and non-steerable wheel coupled to the frame generally rearward of the driven wheels and the at least one steerable wheel.  
   
   
       12 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the at last one non-driven and non-steerable wheel is adapted to travel within a range of positions relative to the frame responsive to external forces imparted to the wheel.  
   
   
       13 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one non-driven and non-steerable wheel is free from internal bias.  
   
   
       14 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the frame includes a track that defines upper and lower limits within which the at least one non-driven and non-steerable wheel is adapted to travel as external forces are imparted to the at least one non-driven and non-steerable wheel.  
   
   
       15 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the at last one non-driven and non-steerable wheel is adapted to travel within a range of positions relative to the frame responsive to external forces imparted to the wheel.  
   
   
       16 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the handlebar assembly includes a rotatable handgrip adapted to be grasped by a child operating the vehicle to steer the vehicle and a switch assembly with a switch having a mechanical contact housed within the handlebar assembly and which forms a portion of a wiring harness that selectively interconnects the battery assembly and the motor assembly of the vehicle's drive assembly, wherein the handgrip is selectively rotatable within a range of positions that include an unactuated position, in which the switch is not actuated, and an actuated position, in which the switch is actuated, wherein in the unactuated position, the drive assembly is adapted to drive the vehicle's driven wheels at a first speed, and in the actuated position, the drive assembly is adapted to selectively drive the vehicle's driven wheels at a second speed that is greater than the first speed.  
   
   
       17 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 16 , wherein the handlebar assembly further includes a biasing mechanism that urges the handgrip to the unactuated position.  
   
   
       18 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 16 , wherein the handgrip includes a cam that rotates with the handgrip and selectively engages the mechanical contact when the handgrip is in the actuated position to actuate the switch.  
   
   
       19 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 18 , wherein the handgrip is rotatable about an axis of rotation and further wherein the cam extends radially outward from the axis of rotation.  
   
   
       20 . The children's ride-on vehicle of  claim 19 , wherein the mechanical contact is adapted to be urged within a range of positions extending transverse to the axis of rotation of the handgrip.