Description of References

First Reference- Pedal Braking

Patent number: 4037852[1] was filed on March 17, 1976 and issued on July 26, 1977. It is for a braking mechanism for a skateboard that consists of a pedal placed on the top of the skateboard that activates the brakes when stepped on by the user. The pedal is attached to a lever that is attached to the braking element on the underside of the skateboard. When pressed, the pedal pushes the rod, which pushes the braking element onto the rear wheels of the skateboard, causing the skateboard to stop. The more pressure the rider applies to the pedal, the more force applied to the brakes. The pedal is held in the depressed position by a spring, so after pressure is done being applied to the pedal, it returns to the depressed position.

Another configuration causes the braking to be caused by pressure on the interior vertical surfaces of the rear wheels instead of directly on top of the wheels. When the pedal is pressed, two pins come into contact with the vertical surfaces to cause braking.

According to the inventors, there were no prior inventions for braking mechanisms for skateboards at the time they filed their patent application. They also claimed that there was a need for a skateboard braking mechanism due to injuries riders received from not being able to stop their skateboards, especially on hills.

In the case analyses, this reference will be referred to as the pedal braking invention.