US Patent 10953949 Pivot joint and vehicles that employ a pivot joint

In an aspect, a pivot joint for a collapsing foot-deck-based vehicle is described, comprising a foot deck, at least two wheels coupled to the foot deck, and a handlebar assembly coupled to the foot deck via a locking pivot joint, also referred to as a locking swivel joint, the handlebar assembly comprising at least one handle, the locking pivot joint having a pivot axis that is generally unparallel with a horizontal plane defined by the lowermost surfaces of the at least two wheels, the handlebar assembly being selectively pivotable via the locking pivot joint between a riding configuration in which the handle is generally distal from the foot deck and a collapsed configuration in which the handle is generally proximal to the foot deck.