IP Library Granted Patent US 8,087,490
Granted Patent B2
US 8,087,490 · App. 12/648,421 · Granted Jan 3, 2012

All terrain vehicle

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,087,490
App. No.
12/648,421
Granted
Jan 3, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

An all terrain vehicle includes a steering shaft to which a handle is coupled, a coupling device configured to rotatably couple the steering shaft to a vehicle body frame, and a power steering device which is mounted to the vehicle body frame, the power steering device including an input shaft to which the steering shaft is coupled, wherein the coupling device includes plural members provided with bolt holes and a bolt inserted into the bolt holes in a state where the plural members are joined to each other; and wherein at least one of the plural members has an elongate hole as the bolt hole.

Claims (40)

1. An all terrain vehicle comprising:

a steering shaft to which a handle is coupled;

a coupling device configured to rotatably couple the steering shaft to a vehicle body frame; and

a power steering device which is mounted to the vehicle body frame, the power steering device including an input shaft to which the steering shaft is coupled;

wherein the coupling device includes plural members provided with bolt holes and a bolt inserted into the bolt holes in a state where the plural members are joined to each other;

wherein at least one of the bolt holes provided in one of the plural members is an elongate hole; and

wherein the plural members include a support member configured to rotatably support the steering shaft, a first bracket coupled to the support member, and a second bracket coupled to the vehicle body frame.

2. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 1 ,

wherein the bolt is one of a plurality of bolts inserted into the bolt holes in a state where the plural members are joined to each other;

wherein the elongate hole is one of a plurality of elongate holes included among the bolt holes that are provided in the plural members, each of the plurality of elongate holes corresponding to a respective one of the plural bolts; and

wherein respective long axes of at least two of the plural elongate holes extend in respective directions that are substantially perpendicular to each other.

3. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 1 ,

wherein the bolt is one of a plurality of bolts inserted into the bolt holes in a state where the plural members are joined to each other;

wherein the elongate hole is one of a plurality of elongate holes included among the bolt holes that are provided in the plural members and, each of the plurality of elongate holes corresponding to a respective one of the plural bolts; and

wherein respective long axes of at least two of the plural elongate holes extend in respective directions that are substantially parallel to each other.

4. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 1 ,

wherein the bolt is inserted into the bolt holes in a state where the first bracket and the second bracket are joined to each other; and

wherein at least one of the first bracket and the second bracket includes the elongate hole.

5. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 1 ,

wherein the bolt is inserted into the bolt holes in a state where the support member and the first bracket are joined to each other; and

wherein at least one of the support member and the first bracket includes the elongate hole.

6. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 1 ,

wherein the support member includes a pair of resin-made clamps configured to rotatably support the steering shaft; and

wherein the pair of resin-made clamps are mounted to the steering shaft such that the clamps are vertically spaced apart from each other.

7. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 1 ,

wherein the steering shaft is provided with a flange for retaining the support member.

8. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 1 ,

wherein each of the first bracket and the second bracket includes a base plate portion and a protruding plate portion protruding from both sides of the base plate portion so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the base plate portion, each protruding plate portion being provided with at least one bolt hole of the bolt holes, and the base plate portion of the first bracket being provided with at least one bolt hole of the bolt holes;

wherein the bolt is inserted into the bolt holes in a state where the protruding plate portion of the first bracket and the protruding plate portion of the second bracket are joined to each other, and the bolt hole of at least one of the protruding plate portion of the first bracket and the protruding plate portion of the second bracket is the elongate hole; and

wherein the bolt is inserted into the bolt holes in a state where the base plate portion of the first bracket is joined to the support member; and the bolt hole of at least one of the base plate portion of the first bracket and the support member is the elongate hole.

9. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 8 ,

wherein the protruding plate portion of at least one of the first bracket and the second bracket includes a pair of protruding plate portions protruding from both sides of the base plate portion; and

wherein the pair of protruding plate portions protrude from the base plate portion in a direction away from each other.

10. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 8 ,

wherein the second bracket includes reinforcing plate portions protruding from two sides of the protruding plate portion of the second bracket so as to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the protruding plate portion of the second bracket, and the reinforcing plate portions are fastened to the vehicle body frame.

11. The all terrain vehicle according to claim 8 ,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes an inverted-U shaped steering support frame member;

wherein the base plate portion of the second bracket is provided at an upper portion of the steering support frame member such that the base plate portion is substantially parallel to an imaginary flat plane in which the steering support frame member is present;

wherein the protruding plate portion of the second bracket includes a groove into which the steering support frame member is inserted, at least one bolt hole of the bolt holes located above the groove and at least one bolt hole of the bolt holes located below the groove; and

wherein the bolt hole located below the groove is provided so as to deviate from the bolt hole located above the groove in a normal line direction of the base plate portion.

Assignments (2)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jun 2, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 060300/0504 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 29, 2009
From: NOZAKI, TAKUMA; TAKEGAMI, ITSUO
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 023711/0505 →