U.S. patent number 3,757,459 [Application Number 05/209,794] was granted by the patent office on 1973-09-11 for powered dragster having lateral stability coacting with track.
Invention is credited to Joseph H. Bales, Gordon H. Buck, Brian S. Prodger.
United States Patent |
3,757,459 |
Buck , et al. |
September 11, 1973 |
POWERED DRAGSTER HAVING LATERAL STABILITY COACTING WITH TRACK
Abstract
A powered toy vehicle resembling a high performance dragster
racing machine both as to appearance and as to performance utilizes
a trailing member which contacts the running surface and registers
with the sidewalls of a vehicle track to provide lateral stability
to the vehicle when its front wheels rise above the running
surface.
Inventors: |
Buck; Gordon H. (Torrance,
CA), Bales; Joseph H. (Huntington Beach, CA), Prodger;
Brian S. (Torrance, CA) |
Family
ID: |
22780309 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/209,794 |
Filed: |
December 20, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/429;
280/755 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K
85/005 (20130101); A63H 17/004 (20130101); A63H
18/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01K
85/00 (20060101); A63H 17/00 (20060101); A63H
18/08 (20060101); A63H 18/00 (20060101); A63h
017/00 (); A63h 018/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;46/206,202,211,243M,243AV,243MV,243LV,243P,244R ;280/15A,15C |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
|
|
|
|
217,576 |
|
Oct 1924 |
|
GB |
|
165,966 |
|
Jul 1921 |
|
GB |
|
666,984 |
|
Sep 1964 |
|
IT |
|
Primary Examiner: Shay; F. Barry
Claims
We claim:
1. A toy including a vehicle resembling a high performance dragster
vehicle in combination with a flat elongate track with an upper
running surface and upstanding sidewalls, comprising:
a toy vehicle having a body and wheel assemblies, said body
resembling a dragster racing car, said wheel assemblies including
at least one wheel at the front portion of said body and a pair of
driven wheels supporting the rear portion of said body;
motor means carried by said body, said means including a coupling
arrangement operatively coupling torque developed by said means to
said driven wheels, said motor means being capable of delivering an
amount of torque to said driven wheels to cause said front wheel to
rise above and lose contact with said running surface when the
vehicle is supported thereon with said track and vehicle in
generally horizontal position; and
means for cooperating with said track to produce lateral stability
of said vehicle affixed to said rear portion of said body for
contacting said running surface only when said front wheel leaves
said surface to limit the height to which said front wheel rises
and tending to return said front wheel to said running surface,
said stability means comprising a generally downwardly extending
leg pivotally mounted at its upper end to said body.
2. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said leg includes a
horizontally extending portion disposed adjacent its lower end and
having a length dimension transversally of the longitudinal
dimension of said body approximately that of the width of said
running surface of said track between said sidewalls.
3. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said lateral stability means
includes means for restricting the pivotal movement of said leg
relative to said body to limit the distance said front wheel may
rise above said running surface.
4. A toy according to claim 1 wherein said motor means is disposed
rearwardly of said driven wheels.
5. A toy according to claim 1, including a weight member detachably
mounted on said front portion of said body.
6. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said front wheel is
relatively smaller than said driven wheels, said driven wheels each
including a flat rubber ring disposed about its periphery
simulating racing slicks.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The background of the invention will be set forth in two parts.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains generally to the field of toys and
more particularly to simulated high performance racing car toys
having relatively high torque producing, self-contained motors.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
It is well known in the toy industry that toys which are realistic
counterparts of actual devices, vehicles, objects, animals or human
beings, hold much more attention and provide more entertainment for
children and adjults than do toys which are not so designed.
Accordingly, it is generally found that in the area of toy
vehicles, for example, the more closely the toy resembles a
well-known type of actual operational vehicle, the more demand
there will be for the toy.
There have been many, not often appreciated, problems associated
with the fabrication of these realistic toys. This has especially
been found to be true for replicas of high performance racing
vehicles. This problem obtains because all parameters of these
full-size machines cannot be practically scaled down as easily as
their overall dimensions and shapes. For example, the
weight-to-volume ratio cannot generally be so scaled. Another very
important feature is the fact that the full-sized vehicle is
operated by a driver, while the toy resembling the same vehicle is
operatorless. Thus, where a racing driver has continuous control
over steering and power application, the operator of this type of
toy does not, and such vehicles tend to easily lose directional
control.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing factors and conditions characteristic of
this art, it is a primary object of the present invention to
provide a new and improved toy not subject to the disadvantages
enumerated above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy
resembling a high performance dragster capable of simulating the
high acceleration characteristics of such actual racing
machines.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an
economical to fabricate miniature vehicle toy incorporating means
producing lateral stability on either a broad flat surface or on
conventional elongate track with upstanding side walls.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a rugged,
highly-powered toy vehicle which may controllaby be made to
simulate a high performance sprint-type racing vehicle doing what
are commonly called "wheelies."
According to the present invention, a toy resembling a high
performance dragster vehicle for use on a relatively flat running
surface includes a toy vehicle body with suspension and wheel
assemblies, the body resembling a dragster racing car and the wheel
assemblies including a pair of front wheels at the front portion of
the body and a pair of driven wheels supporting the rear portion
thereof. The body carries motor means including a coupling
arrangement operatively coupling torque developed by the motor
means to the driven wheels, the torque applied to the driven wheels
tending to cause the front wheels to rise above and lose contact
with the running surface. Affixed to the rear portion of the body
is lateral stability means for contacting the running surface only
when the front wheels leave the surface and thereby tending to
return the front wheels to the running surface.
The lateral stability means may include an arm pivotally attached
at its upper end to the rear of the toy's body, and the leg may
include a transverse arm portion registering between the sidewalls
of the track to provide lateral stability during the period of time
the front wheels are not in contact with the running surface.
The features of the present invention which are believed to be
novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The
present invention, both as to its organization and manner of
operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof,
may best be understood by making reference to the following
description, taken in accordance with the accompanying drawings in
which like reference characters refer to like elements in the
several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view in section of an embodiment of
the present invention, with the front wheels in contact with the
running surface;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partially broken away, showing
the vehicle of FIG. 1 accelerating and the front wheels rising
above the running surface;
FIG. 3 is a sectional illustration of the toy of FIG. 1 taken along
line 3--3;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the toy taken along line 4--4 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 5 is a sectional illustration taken along line 5--5 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lateral stability member or leg
attached to the rear of the vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 7 is a perspective illustration of a detachable weight in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
and
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view in section of the front portion
of the toy vehicle utilizing the weighted member of FIG. 7.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:
Referring again to the drawings and more particularly to the toy
vehicle shown in FIG. 1 and herein generally identified by
reference 11, there is shown a toy vehicle body 13 having a front
portion 15 and a rear portion 17. The body 13 generally resembles a
high performance dragster vehicle and is assembled using separately
fabricated components including a lower body portion or chassis 19,
an upper body portion 21, and a simulated high performance engine
23 positioned on the upper body portion 21.
These components may be fabricated from any suitable materials such
as a plastic material or a lightweight metal and may be formed in
any desired shape using conventional techniques such as vacuum
molding, casting, etc. The upper body portion 21 is shown having
depending spacing columns 25 to support the portion 21 above the
chassis 19. The body portion and the chassis are bonded together
along their length by sonic welding or an adhesive. This
strengthens the assembly against front end impact. The simulated
engine 23 is held in place by a vertically disposed screw or rivet
27 extending through apertures 29, 31, and 33, respectively. More
importantly, the rivet 27, along with a vertical post 35 extending
down into the aperture 31 in the body member 13, serves to help the
vehicle's body to support leverage forces placed thereon by an
enclosed spring motor, to be later described.
Front wheels 37 of the vehicle are freely rotatably mounted on axle
elements or drive screws 39 extending horizontally from a front
suspension member 41 integrally formed with the upper body portion
21 of the toy vehicle body 13 (see FIG. 4). Located in the rear
portion 17 of the toy 11 are a pair of relatively larger driven
wheels 43 fixedly attached to a rotatable drive shaft 45, best
viewed in FIG. 3. The wheels 43 preferably are fitted with flat
ring-like resilient members 47 of a material such as rubber, for
example, to resemble racing slicks generally used on such dragster
machines.
Affixed to the drive shaft 45 is a relatively small drive pinion
49. The pinion is positioned within the body 13 and the shaft
extends through the body at holes 51 which act as bearings.
Meshably engaged with the pinion 49 is a relatively larger first
intermediate gear 53 fixedly mounted on a shaft 55, this shaft also
holding a second intermediate gear 57 that is somewhat smaller than
the gear 53. The intermediate gear shaft 55 is supported in
inclined elongated slots 59 in the inner wall of the body 13, the
function of which will be described in detail later. The gear 57 is
positioned to mesh at all times with a relatively large motor
output gear 61 rigidly mounted on a motor shaft 63.
The wheels 43 are driven by a spring-type mechanical motor 64 which
includes a spool or drum 65 coaxially fixed to the shaft 63 so as
to rotate with it and with the gear 61. One end of a cord 67 is
attached to the outer surface 69 of the drum and is wound
thereabout between the gear 61 and an annular end plate 70. Also
attached to the drum 65 is one end of a spiral spring 71 that is
wound about the shaft 63 and is anchored at its other end to body
13.
The motor 64 is energized by grasping a ring 72 attached to the
cord 67 and pulling the cord in the direction indicated by arrow 73
relative to the toy 11, as shown in FIG. 1. This action rotates the
drum 65 in the direction 75, and at the same time, rotates the
shaft 63, the motor output gear 61, and winds up the spring 71. As
the gear 61 rotates, it causes the second intermediate gear 57 to
move in the direction shown by arrow 77 and also causes the
intermediate shaft 55 to rise in the slot 59 so that the first
intermediate gear 53 leaves engagement with the drive pinion 49.
Once the spring 71 is sufficiently wound about the shaft 63, the
cord 67 is released. This allows the spring to exert a rotational
force on the shaft, turning the drum 65 and the gear 61 in the
direction indicated by the arrow 79 in FIG. 2. The intermediate
gears 53 and 57 are caused to rotate in the opposite direction 81
and their shaft 55 is forced downwardly in the slot 59 so that the
drive pinion 45 is engaged and rotates in the direction of arrow
83. This action, of course, rotates the driven wheels 43 in a
direction to accelerate the toy 11 forward. It will be also noticed
that the rotation of the drum 65, as the spring 71 unwinds, causes
the cord 67 to be pulled in the direction 84 and wound about the
drum's outer surface 69 so that the winding process may be
repeated.
The toy vehicle 11 is preferably operated on a flat surface such as
a sidewalk or floor 85, for example, but it is particularly adapted
to run along a flat elongate track such as herein identified by
numeral 86. The track 86 has a relatively flat surface 87 along
which the wheels 37 and 43 of the toy travel. The track may be
fabricated from any material generally considered suitable for this
application, such as a flexible plastic material, for example, and
any conventional process such as an extruding process may be used.
The track 86 is also provided with upstanding vehicle retaining
sidewalls 89 along the sides of the running surface 87. This type
of track generally is manufactured in linear sections with
appropriate means for connecting a number of such track sections
end-to-end. In the case of track 86, a lower surface 91 includes a
pair of identical longitudinally extending L-shaped sections 93
which define a relatively narrow but broad channel 95 adapted to
accept flat elongate channel engaging tabs, not shown. A more
detailed description of the track sections and their channel
engaging tabs may be obtained by referring to U.S. Pat. No.
3,487,999 which is assigned to the assignee of the present
invention.
As noted previously, the realistic operation and appearance of a
toy vehicle are significant factors in the marketing of this type
toy. The latter aspect has been accomplished by the design of the
toy 11 as illustrated in the drawings. As to the toy's realistic
operation and performance, the motor 64 provides an amount of
torque to the driven wheels 43, through the gearing arrangement, to
cause the toy to pivot about the drive shaft 49, as indicated by
arrow 97, and thereby raise the front portion 15 of the vehicle and
lift the toy's front wheels 37 from the running surface 87. This
action closely resembles the operation of full sized dragsters at
initial acceleration. However, in a toy it has been found that due
to the difference in such factors as friction-to-weight ratios and
other factors preventing a toy replica from operating exactly as
its model, it is highly desirable to provide compensating elements
which help cure the problem while not detracting from the toy's
appearance or performance.
One such serious problem is the tendency of a high performance toy
to lose lateral stability when its front wheels leave the running
surface. In other words, it has been found that when such vehicles
do "wheelies" there is a tendency for one of the driven wheels to
have a different traction characteristic than the other wheel and
to thereby cause the toy to veer to one side or the other or to
even spin. In accordance with the invention, this problem has been
solved by utilizing a lateral stability member or leg 101 extending
generally downwardly from the rear of the toy vehicle.
As best viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6, the leg 101 roughly resembles the
letter H with side portions 103, a cross brace 105, upper journals
107, and lower guide arms 109. The journals 107 are cylindrical and
extend horizontally in the same plane with and parallel to the
cylindrical guide arms 109. The leg 101 may be rigidly affixed to
the rear of the toy 11 and extend downwardly at a predetermined
angle to a point above the running surface 87 so that the arm 109
will not contact this plane until the front wheels leave the
surface. However, in accordance with the presently preferred
embodiment of the invention, the journals 107 are pivotally held in
associated horizontally disposed cup bearings 111 integrally molded
in the inner wall of the rear body portion 17. The leg member 101
extends through an opening 113 in the rear of the vehicle 11, which
opening acts to restrict the degree of rotation the leg may
traverse. For example, when all the wheels of the toy are in
contact with the running surface 87, the member 101 may be nearly
vertical and extend toward but not contact the surface 87.
Upon the motor 64 being energized and the vehicle released, the toy
will tend to perform a "wheelie" and thus rotate in the direction
97. This sequential action is illustrated in FIG. 2 where a first
dashed outline 115 indicates the position of the toy prior to
rotation; a second dashed line 117 indicating the first contact of
the trailing leg member 101 with the surface 87; and maximum
rotation of the toy, as limited by the leg 101 engaging the upper
edge of the opening 113, is shown by the solid outline.
The trailing leg 101 may be of molded plastic, or, if additional
weight is desired at the rear of the toy, this component may be
fabricated from any suitable metal or metal alloy. The leg, upon
contacting the running surface, tends to cause the front end of the
vehicle to descend to the roadway to again provide lateral
stability. However, in the meantime, such control is provided by
the arm portions 109 which extend parallel to the track surface 87
between the side walls 89. Any tendency for the toy to move to
either side is prevented by one of these arms contacting an
adjacent side wall, as best shown in FIG. 5. Thus, it can be seen
that the lateral stability member 101 not only limits the vertical
rotation of the toy under acceleration conditions, but also
prevents lateral instability by tending to cause the front wheels
to return to the track surface and by registering within the
track's side walls.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the forward
portion of the chassis 19 is provided with holes 119 to accommodate
a pair of bent tabs 121 of an elongate detachable weight member
123, shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The member 123 is attached below the
chassis 19 by fitting an upstanding curved front portion 125 of the
weight at the front end 127 of the toy 11 and by pushing the tabs
121 through the holes 119. The curvature of the front portion 125
generally conforms with the configuration of the vehicle's front
end to assure reliable attachment of the member 123. The function
of the weight is to prevent or limit the tendency of the front
wheels 37 to leave the running surface. Thus, if for any reason it
is desired that the toy not do "wheelies," the weight member 123
may be easily snapped on to the chassis 19.
From the foregoing, it should be evident that there has herein been
described a very entertaining, new and novel powered vehicle toy
which closely resembles, both in appearance and operation, very
popular drag strip racing machines, and which overcomes the
disadvantages of the prior art.
Although only a limited number of embodiments of the invention have
been described in detail, it should be understood that other
embodiments and variations are possible within the scope of the
invention. For example, the vehicle may take the form of a three
wheeled tricycle. Accordingly, it is intended that the foregoing
disclosure and drawings shall be considered only as illustrations
of the principles of this invention.
* * * * *