U.S. patent application number 09/809785 was filed with the patent office on 2002-09-19 for toy vehicle remote controller.
This patent application is currently assigned to May Cheong Toy Products Factory Limited.. Invention is credited to So, Moon-Lam.
Application Number | 20020132556 09/809785 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25202213 |
Filed Date | 2002-09-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020132556 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
So, Moon-Lam |
September 19, 2002 |
Toy vehicle remote controller
Abstract
A toy car radio controller has a housing 10 with an open
compartment 13 in one side A radio controllable car 14 fits into
the compartment for storage when not in use. Electrical contacts
connect a battery of the controller to a battery of the car when
the car is stored in the controller.
Inventors: |
So, Moon-Lam; (Kowloon,
CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ALIX YALE & RISTAS LLP
750 MAIN STREET
SUITE 1400
HARTFORD
CT
06103
US
|
Assignee: |
May Cheong Toy Products Factory
Limited.
|
Family ID: |
25202213 |
Appl. No.: |
09/809785 |
Filed: |
March 16, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/456 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 30/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/456 |
International
Class: |
A63H 030/04 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A toy vehicle remote controller and a controllable vehicle, in
which the controller has an open compartment into which at least a
substantial part of the toy vehicle can fit and be secured.
2. A toy remote controller and a controllable vehicle according to
claim 1, in which the compartment is configured such that the
vehicle can only fit to the controller in one chosen
orientation.
3. A toy remote controller and a controllable vehicle according to
claim 2, in which the compartment has walls shaped to fit snugly
against at least parts of outer surfaces of the vehicle in the one
chosen orientation.
4. A toy remote controller and a controllable vehicle according to
claim 1, including posts in a base of the compartment that receive
and slide into co-operating apertures in an outer surface of the
vehicle when the vehicle is fitted in the compartment.
5. A toy remote controller and a toy vehicle according to claim 4,
in which there are at least two posts that carry electrical
contacts and co-operating of the apertures have electrical contacts
for mating with the electrical contacts on the posts.
6. A toy vehicle remote controller and a toy vehicle according to
claim 1, in which the vehicle fits completely inside the
compartment.
7. A toy remote controller and a toy vehicle according to claim 6,
including a lid for closing off the compartment.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a toy vehicle remote
controller.
[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0004] Toy vehicles controllers, typically for cars, are
well-known. The controllers usually generate radio signals but may
also use other transmissions, such as infrared or ultrasonic
signals. These controllers are handholdable and powered by
batteries. They are used to remotely control the speed and
direction of the vehicle. The vehicle has its own power source and
a receiver for responding to signals from the controller. The
controller and vehicle must be separately stored when not in use,
which is often not convenient or particularly safe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is an object of the invention to overcome this
problem.
[0006] According to the invention there is provided a toy vehicle
remote controller and a controllable vehicle, in which the
controller has an open compartment into which at least a
substantial part of the toy vehicle can fit and be secured
[0007] The compartment is preferably configured such that the
vehicle can only fit to the controller in one chosen
orientation.
[0008] The compartment may have walls shaped to fit snugly against
at least parts of outer surfaces of the vehicle in the one chosen
orientation.
[0009] Posts may be provided in a base of the compartment that
receive and slide into co-operating apertures in an outer surface
of the vehicle when the vehicle is fitted in the compartment. There
are preferably at least two posts that carry electrical contacts
and co-operating of the apertures have electrical contacts for
mating with the electrical contacts on the posts.
[0010] Preferably, the vehicle fits completely inside the
compartment.
[0011] A lid may be provided for closing off the compartment
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] A handholdable toy car radio controller and toy car
according to the invention will now be described by way of example
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is an front isometric view of the controller;
[0014] FIG. 2 is an isometric rear view of the controller with the
toy car stored in the controller; and
[0015] FIG. 3 is an isometric rear view of the controller with the
car removed from the controller.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Referring to the drawings, in FIG. 1 the controller has an
external housing 10, various control buttons 11 and an aerial 12.
Such a remote controller is already very well-known and is normally
used for transmitting radio signals (or other signals) to the car.
The car is provided with a receiver that responds to signals from
the controller for changing its speed and/or its direction of
travel, in a manner also already well-known.
[0017] An open compartment 13 is integrally formed in a rear face
of the housing 10 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The car 14 fits within
the compartment as shown in FIG. 2 Walls of the compartment fit
snugly against or around the outer surfaces of the car and it will
be appreciated that the car can only fit into the compartment when
suitably orientated, with its bonnet 15 facing away from the aerial
12. Posts 16 and 17 are provided on a base of the compartment to
slidingly fit into cooperating apertures 18 and 19 formed in a
lower surface of the car. Electrical contacts 20 and 21 held
against sides of the posts mate respectively with contacts 22 and
23 in the apertures 18 and 19 when the car is stored in the
controller. A removable lid (not shown) may be fitted to close off
the compartment 13.
[0018] When the controller is not in use, the car can be
conveniently and safely stored in the controller as shown in FIG.
2. It is possible for the car when stored, not to be mounted
completely inside the controller but sufficiently inside for
convenience and for maintaining the controller and the car
`attached` together, such that and at least to some extent, for the
controller and the car to be physically compact and intact.
[0019] Normally, the controller is powered by a re-chargeable
battery, as is well-known already in the art. Preferably, the car
is also powered by a re-chargeable battery which can be re-charged
via the contacts 20 to 23. Even where the controller battery is not
re-chargeable, that battery will tend to drain more slowly in use
than the car battery, so the car battery may still be re-charged
from the controller battery during times of car storage via the
contacts 20 to 23.
[0020] The posts are normally arranged to hold the car sufficiently
firmly in the compartment 13 to prevent inadvertent separation of
the posts 16 and 17 and apertures 18 and 19. However, the walls of
the compartment may arranged to frictionally slidingly fit against
parts of the outer surface of the car to hold the car more firmly
in the compartment 13. Spring clips, or similar, may also be used
for holding the car in the compartment.
[0021] The stored orientation of the car in the described
arrangement is determined essentially by the overall shape of the
compartment. The required orientation may additional or
alternatively be determined in other ways. For example, this can be
done by arranging the posts 16 and 17 to be non-symmetrical either
individually or by their disposition within the cavity of the
compartment. Also, additional posts (and apertures in the car) may
be provided to fit together only when the orientation of the car is
chosen correctly. The posts then collectively physically prevent
the car being entered into compartment the `wrong way round`.
* * * * *