Free-wheeling, free-steering, foldable multi-stage tricycle with a single-motion release mechanism

1. A foldable multi-stage tricycle, comprising:

(a) a front wheel assembly;

(b) a mainframe, latched to said front wheel assembly via a front mount;

(c) a pair of rear-wheel assemblies;

(d) a pair of folding ring assemblies coupling said rear-wheel assemblies to said mainframe; and

(e) a mechanism for simultaneously unlocking said pair of ring assemblies and unlatching said mainframe from said front wheel assembly so that a single pulling motion on said mechanism unlocks and unlatches the foldable tricycle from an assembled state thereof so as to he converted to a folded state thereof.

2. The tricycle of claim 1 , wherein said mainframe includes:

(i) a Y-shaped chassis; and

(ii) a pinlock, journalled within a pinlock spring, said pinlock spring terminating in a pinlock clip disk operationally coupled to said pinlock, wherein said pinlock is biased by said pinlock spring and adapted to reversibly latch said mainframe to said front mount.

3. The tricycle of claim 2 , wherein each of said pair of ring assemblies includes:

(i) a hubless tube, operationally coupled to said mainframe, said hubless tube including: (A) a spring-loaded rocker swing lock, and (B) a locking aperture, formed in said hubless tube, said locking aperture adapted to receive said rocker swing lock;

(ii) a hubless handle ring, operationally coupled to said hubless tube and further adapted to be coupled to an arm of a guide handle; and

(iii) a hubless wheel ring, operationally coupled to said hubless handle ring and to a said rear-wheel assembly, wherein said hubless wheel ring and said hubless handle ring are coaxially positioned, and wherein said hubless tube defines an axle about which said rings are adapted to swivel.

4. The tricycle of claim 3 , wherein said mechanism includes:

(i) a line, operationally coupling said spring-loaded rocker swing locks; and

(ii) a tether, operationally coupled to said line and looped through a ring of said pinlock,

wherein said tether is adapted to he pulled, thereby simultaneously retracting said pinlock and extracting said spring-loaded rocker swing locks from said apertures, thereby unlatching said front mount from said mainframe and unlocking said ring assemblies to allow the tricycle to be converted from said assembled state to said folded state.

5. The tricycle of claim 3 , wherein said ring assemblies have a first, assembled, configuration when the tricycle is in said assembled state and a second, folded, configuration when the tricycle is in said folded state, and wherein said hubless wheel rings and said hubless handle rings are adapted to swivel about said hubless tubes when said spring-loaded rocker swing locks are located externally from said apertures, so as to reversibly convert the tricycle from said assembled state to said folded state.

6. The tricycle of claim 5 , wherein in said first configuration, in each of said ring assemblies said rocker swing lock rests in said aperture of said hubless tube and protrudes partially through said aperture to rest in a first locking groove portion formed in said hubless handle ring and in a first locking groove portion formed in said hubless wheel ring, when said first locking groove portions are aligned, thereby preventing rotation of said hubless rings about said hubeless tube when in said first configuration, and

wherein in said second configuration said rocker swing lock rests in said aperture of said hubless tube and protrudes partially through said aperture to rest in a second locking groove portion formed in said hubless handle ring and in a second locking groove portion formed in said hubless wheel ring, when said second locking groove portions are aligned, thereby preventing rotation of said hubless rings about said hubeless tube when in said second configuration.

7. The tricycle of claim 5 , wherein each of said pair of ring assemblies further includes:

(iv) a loose tongue, configured to be received within an aperture formed in swivel guide grooves of said hubless handle ring and said hubless wheel ring, so as to limit a swivel range of said hubless handle ring and said hubless wheel ring.

8. The tricycle of claim 7 , wherein said limited swivel range of said hubless handle ring is between about 95° and 150° of rotation and wherein said limited swivel range of said hubless wheel ring is between about 160° and 200° of rotation.

9. The tricycle of claim 1 , further comprising:

(e) a guide handle, adapted to reversibly connect to said folding ring assembly.

10. The tricycle of claim 9 , wherein said guide handle is a telescoping handle.

11. The tricycle of claim 1 , wherein said front wheel assembly includes:

(i) a handlebar;

(ii) a handlebar tube, coupled to said handlebar;

(iii) a fork, including a locking mechanism configured to reversibly couple said fork to said handlebar tube thereby electively providing handlebar-directed steering when said fork is coupled to said handlebar tube and handlebar-free steering when said fork is uncoupled from said handlebar tube.

12. The tricycle of claim 11 , wherein said locking mechanism includes:

(A) a handle tube cap, capping said handlebar tube,

(B) a fork tube cap, capping said fork,

(C) a fork lock pin, journalled within said fork tube cap and adapted to be reversibly journalled within said handle tube cap, and

(D) a fork lock lever, operationally coupled to said fork lock pin such that manipulation of said fork lock lever reversibly journals said fork lock, pin in said handle tube cap.

13. The tricycle, of claim 11 , wherein said front wheel assembly further includes:

(iv) a front wheel, coupled to said fork,

(v) a pedal lock coupled to said front wheel; and

(vi) a pedal bar journalled within said pedal lock, wherein said pedal lock is adapted to reversibly lock said pedal bar to said front wheel, such that when said pedal bar is locked to said front wheel then the tricycle is in a pedal-wheeling state and when said pedal bar is unlocked from said front wheel then the tricycle is in a free-wheeling state.

14. The tricycle of claim 1 , wherein said rear-wheel assemblies include:

(i) rear-wheel arms, operationally coupled to said folding ring assemblies; and

(ii) rear wheels, operationally coupled to said rear-wheel arms.

15. The tricycle of claim 14 , wherein at least one of said rear-wheel assemblies further includes a brake lever operationally coupled to a braking mechanism for braking at least one of said rear wheels.

16. A multi-stage tricycle comprising:

(a) a handlebar;

(b) a handlebar tube, operationally coupled to said handlebar;

(c) a front mount, associated with said handlebar tube;

(d) a fork, associated with said front mount, said fork including a locking mechanism configured to reversibly couple said fork to said handlebar tube thereby electively providing handlebar-directed steering when said fork is coupled to said handlebar tube and handlebar-free steering when said fork is uncoupled from said handlebar tube, wherein said locking mechanism includes:

(i) a handle tube cap, capping said handlebar tube,

(ii) a fork tube cap, capping said fork,

(iii) a fork lock pin, journalled within said fork tube cap and adapted to be reversibly journalled within said handle tube cap, and

(iv) a fork lock lever, operationally coupled to said fork lock pin such that manipulation of said fork lock lever reversibly journals said fork lock pin in said handle tube cap.

17. A multi-stage tricycle comprising:

(a) a front wheel,

(b) a pedal lock coupled to said front wheel; and

(c) a pedal bar journalled within said pedal lock and said front wheel, wherein said pedal lock is adapted to reversibly lock said pedal bar to said front wheel, such that when said pedal bar is locked to said front wheel then the tricycle is in a pedal-wheeling state and when said pedal bar is unlocked from said front wheel than the tricycle is in a free-wheeling state, wherein said pedal lock includes:

(i) a sprocket wheel operationally coupled to said front wheel;

(ii) a flange, fixedly mounted on said pedal bar;

(iii) a sprocket pin, fixed mounted on said flange and said pedal bar; and

(iv) a pedal lock sleeve mounted over said sprocket wheel having an internal lumen mounted with bars interlocking with spokes of said sprocket wheel only, in said free-wheeling state and adapted to further interlock with spokes of said sprocket pin in said pedal-wheeling state,

wherein said pedal lock sleeve is adapted to reversibly engage said sprocket pin, in said pedal-wheeling state, by sliding said sleeve reversibly over said sprocket pin such that said bars additionally interlock with said spokes of said sprocket pin thereby operationally coupling said front wheel to said pedal.