U.S. patent number 3,731,424 [Application Number 05/193,388] was granted by the patent office on 1973-05-08 for toy aircraft and control therefor.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Marvin Glass & Associates. Invention is credited to Burton C. Meyer.
United States Patent |
3,731,424 |
Meyer |
May 8, 1973 |
TOY AIRCRAFT AND CONTROL THEREFOR
Abstract
An amusement device which includes a craft, such as a model
airplane, attached by a power cable and a tethering line to a
control means which includes an upright generally hollow support
pylon for tethered "flying" of the craft about the pylon. The
tethering line is threaded for free movement through the hollow
pylon, extends from the top thereof for connection to the craft,
and extends from the bottom thereof for manipulation whereby the
flight of the craft may be controlled simply by pulling in or
paying out the tethering line. In one embodiment of the invention a
motor in the craft is connected through the power cable to battery
type power means in the pylon. A switch for the power means is
operatively associated with the tethering line and is actuated as a
function of the amount of tension in the line. The motor is
removably mounted in a recess on the exterior of the craft and a
power plug is connected to the end of the power cable and is
removably received in a socket on the craft. A reel type assembly
is provided for paying out and reeling in the tethering line. The
assembly has a single lever and control handle arrangement for
controlling both the speed of the craft motor and the paying out
and reeling in of the tethering line. Lost motion means is provided
in the connection between the lever and the reel to prevent
entanglement of the line on the reel during rapid paying out of the
line. The reel itself has a double core to provide space between
the cores for excess tethering line to further prevent entanglement
thereof on the reel.
Inventors: |
Meyer; Burton C. (Chicago,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Marvin Glass & Associates
(Chicago, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
22713440 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/193,388 |
Filed: |
October 28, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
472/9; 472/3;
472/11; 472/10 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H
27/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63H
27/00 (20060101); A63H 27/04 (20060101);
A63h () |
Field of
Search: |
;46/77,78,74,243
;272/31A,31B |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mancene; Louis G.
Assistant Examiner: Lever; J. Q.
Claims
I claim:
1. An amusement device, comprising, in combination:
an upright support pylon having a vertical hollow portion extending
substantially from top to bottom thereof;
a tethering line disposed in the hollow portion of said pylon with
an end portion extending from the bottom of the pylon for grasping
and manipulation by an operator of the device and an end portion
extending from the top of the pylon for connection to a craft such
as a toy airplane, the tethering line being freely movable through
the pylon so that the flight of the craft may be manipulated by
pulling in or paying out the tethering line;
a craft secured to said tethering line for tethered "flying" about
the pylon;
motor means on said craft;
power means on said pylon;
cable means operatively connecting the motor means and power
means;
and switch means for said power means, said switch means being
operatively associated with said tethering line and actuated as a
function of the amount of tension in the tethering line.
2. The amusement device of claim 1 wherein said switch means is
caused to be closed when there is tension in the tethering line and
opened when the tension is released.
3. The amusement device of claim 2 wherein the relative lengths of
said tethering line and said cable means are such that the outer
limit of flight of said craft is determined by the length of said
cable means whereby the switch means may be opened when the craft
is at its outer limit of flight simply by releasing the tension in
said tethering line.
4. An amusement device, comprising, in combination:
a support pylon;
a tethering line associated with said pylon and adapted to be payed
out and pulled in relative to the pylon;
a craft secured to said line for tethered "flying" about said
pylon;
power means on the pylon and operatively connected through cable
means to said craft; and
switch means to activate and deactivate said power means, said
switch means being operatively associated with said tethering line
and actuated as a function of the amount of tension in the
tethering line.
5. The amusement device of claim 4 wherein said switch means is
caused to be closed when there is tension in the tethering line and
opened when the tension is released.
6. The amusement device of claim 5 wherein the relative lengths of
said tethering line and said cable means are such that the outer
limit of flight of said craft is determined by the length of said
cable means whereby the switch means may be opened when the craft
is at its outer limit of flight simply by releasing the tension in
said tethering line.
7. In an amusement device which includes a craft attached by means
including a power cable to a control means including power means
for tethered "flying" of the craft about the control means, and
motor means on said craft and operably connected to the control
means through said cable, the improvement comprising: a power plug
including contact means on the outer end of said power cable, and a
socket on said craft for removably receiving the power plug.
8. The amusement device of claim 7 including contact means on said
craft associated with said motor means for engaging the contact
means on said power plug when the plug is positioned in said
socket.
9. An amusement device comprising, in combination:
a craft attached by means including a power cable and a tethering
line to a control means, including power means, for tethered
"flying" of the craft about the control means,
motor means on said craft and operably connected to the control
means,
said control means including an assembly for paying out and reeling
in the tethering line, including a rotatably mounted reel and a
control lever operably associated with the reel for rotating the
reel by manual manipulation of the lever to pay out and reel in the
tethering line, and
said control means further including means to vary the speed of
said motor means, including a manipulatable speed control handle
mounted on the end of said control lever whereby both the speed of
the motor means and the paying out and reeling in of the tethering
line may be accomplished by grasping the handle and manipulating
the handle and said lever.
10. The amusement device of claim 9 wherein said speed control
handle is removably mounted on the end of said control lever.
11. An amusement device, comprising, in combination:
a craft attached by means including a tethering line to a control
means for tethered "flying" of the craft about the control
means,
said control means including an assembly for paying out and reeling
in the tethering line, including a rotatably mounted reel on which
the tethering line is wound, a control lever, and means operatively
connecting the control lever to said rotatable reel so that
movement of the lever in one direction permits the reel to rotate
to pay out tethering line for said craft and movement of the lever
in an opposite direction rotates the reel to wind the tethering
line onto the reel, and
said last named means includes lost motion means in the connection
between the lever and the reel whereby movement of the lever in
said one direction does not positively drive the reel but permits
the craft to pull the tethering line from the reel due to the
centrifugal force of the craft and thereby prevent entanglement of
the line on the reel.
12. The amusement device of claim 11 wherein said connecting means
between the control lever and the reel comprises a gear train and
said last named means comprises angularly positioned lug means on
said lever and on a gear in said train thereof.
13. The amusement device of claim 12 wherein said connecting means
between the control lever and the reel comprises a rotatably
mounted shaft member on which said lever is fixed for rotation
therewith, a disc member fixed to said shaft member for rotation
therewith and including an axially protruding lug on said disc and
spaced from said shaft member, a gear member mounted on said shaft
member for rotation relative thereto but fixed axially thereof,
said gear member having an axially protruding lug spaced from the
shaft member and extending into the path of rotation of the lug on
said disc member, and a second gear member fixed relative to said
reel for rotation therewith about the axis of the reel, said second
gear member being meshed with the gear member mounted on said shaft
member.
14. In an amusement device which includes a craft attached by means
including a tethering line to a control means for tethered "flying"
of the craft about the control means, said control means including
an assembly for paying out and reeling in the tethering line,
including a rotatably mounted reel on which the tethering line is
wound, the improvement wherein said reel comprises an inner core on
which the tethering line is anchored, an outer core superimposed
over the inner core and of a larger diameter than the inner core so
as to define space between the cores in which excess portions of
the tethering line may be wound on the inner core, and means
defining an aperture in the outer core through which the tethering
line may extend from said inner core to the exterior of the
reel.
15. The amusement device of claim 14 wherein said inner core and
said outer core are fixed at adjacent ends thereof to one end disc
portion of said reel for conjoint rotation, and including means
removably mounting an opposite end disc portion of the reel to the
opposite ends of said cores to provide access to said space between
the cores to permit the tethering line to be anchored and wound
onto the inner core.
16. The amusement device of claim 15 wherein said outer core
comprises a cup-like shell fixed to said one end disc portion of
the reel, and including a cup-like portion fixed to the opposite
end disc portion of the reel and telescoped within the cup-like
shell fixed to said one end disc portion of the reel.
17. The amusement device of claim 16 wherein said cup-like shell on
said one end disc portion and said cup-like portion on said
opposite end disc are press fit together.
18. The amusement device of claim 16 wherein said aperture
comprises a slot in the cup-like shell fixed to said one end disc
portion opening at the end of the shell opposite the end fixed to
the one disc portion.
19. The amusement device of claim 18 wherein said slot extends
axially of said cup-like shell and has a length greater than the
axial width of the cup-like portion on said opposite end disc.
20. The amusement device of claim 15 including a rod fixed to the
inner face of said opposite end disc and extending axially into the
space between said cores whereby relative rotation of the end discs
will cause said rod to engage the tethering line anchored to the
inner core and extending through the aperture in the outer core and
thereby wind the tethering line onto the inner core due to said
relative rotation of the end discs.
21. In an amusement device which includes a craft attached by means
including a power cable to a control means including power means
for tethered "flying" of the craft about the control means, and
motor means on said craft and operatively connected to the control
means through said cable, the improvement comprising: means readily
removably mounting said motor means in operating position on said
craft to permit easy replacement of the motor means without
dismantling the craft, and independent contact means on said craft
and so positioned as to operatively connect the motor means to said
power cable when the motor means is properly placed in said
operating position on the craft.
22. The amusement device of claim 21 wherein said craft comprises a
toy airplane with a recess located in the nose thereof for
receiving said motor means, and said motor means has a propellor
mounted on the front thereof and exposed for rotation when the
motor means is disposed in said recess in said operating
position.
23. The amusement device of claim 21 wherein said craft has means
defining a recess on the exterior thereof for receiving said motor
means, and latch means to releasably hold the motor means in the
recess in said operating position in connection with said contact
means.
24. The amusement device of claim 21 including a power plug on the
outer end of said power cable, the power plug having contact means
for engaging the contact means on said craft, and a socket on said
craft for removably receiving the power plug in position for
engagement with the contact means on said craft when the power plug
is seated in said socket.
25. An amusement device comprising, in combination:
a craft attached by means including a power cable and a tethering
line to a control means, including power means for tethered
"flying" of the craft about the control means,
motor means on said craft and operatively connected to the control
means,
said control means including an assembly for paying out and pulling
in the tethering line, including a control lever mounted for manual
manipulation to pay out and pull in the tethering line,
and said control means further including means to vary the speed of
said motor means, including a manipulatable speed control means
mounted on said control lever whereby both the speed of the motor
means and the paying out and pulling in of the tethering line may
be accomplished by grasping the control lever and manipulating the
lever and said speed control means.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a toy or amusement device and more
particularly relates to a tethered craft, such as a model airplane,
which is controlled by a power cable and a tethering line both
secured to the craft and to a control means which includes an
upright support pylon.
Prior aircraft or airplanes of the power driven type have been
capable of sustained flight and commonly are tethered by means of a
power cable and/or a tethering line secured at one end to the
craft, with the opposite end, in effect, being held and controlled
by the operator through a control mechanism to cause the craft to
fly in closed circles. The present invention is directed to such
toys or amusement devices and has for one of its objects the
provision of a new and improved pylon type controlled tethered
airplane, or the like, wherein the airplane is rotated in an orbit
about the pylon. The orbit can be increased or decreased in
diameter.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved control
means in which the airplane is power rotated and the speed can be
controlled readily during the paying out or reeling in of the
tethering line.
The present invention contemplates the provision of a powered,
tethered craft, such as an airplane, or the like, for tethered
"flying" about an upright support pylon which, in one form of the
invention, has a plurality of batteries providing the power means
for the plane. A tethering line is threaded through a guide channel
within the pylon, alongside the batteries, for free movement
through the pylon. The tethering line extends from the top of the
pylon for connection to the craft and from the bottom of the pylon
for grasping and/or manipulation by an operator so that the flight
of the airplane may be changed by pulling in or paying out of the
tethering line for tethered flying about the pylon. A motor is
disposed on the craft and is operatively connected to the batteries
in the pylon by a power cable extending along the tethering line. A
switch is provided to activate and deactivate the battery-type
power means and the switch is operatively associated with the
tethering line and actuated as a function of the amount of tension
in the tethering line.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention the switch means is
held closed to activate the power to the craft's motor when tension
is maintained in the tethering line and is opened when the tension
is released. The relative lengths of the tethering line and the
power cable are such that the outer limit of flight of the craft is
determined by the length of the power cable so that the switch may
be opened when the craft is at its outer limit of flight simply by
releasing the tension in the tethering line.
The motor is readily removably mounted in a recess on the exterior
of the airplane, preferably at the nose thereof, to permit easy
replacement or provide for interchangeability of the motor without
dismantling the craft itself. A latch releasably holds the motor in
the recess. A power plug is connected to the power cable on the
outer end thereof and is removably received in a socket on the
airplane, the power plug having contacts which operatively engage
contacts associated with the motor.
The device of the present invention also includes a new and
improved assembly for paying out and reeling in the tethering line.
The assembly includes a rotatably mounted reel and a control lever
for rotating the reel by manual manipulation of the lever to pay
out and reel in the tethering line. Movement of the lever in one
direction permits the reel to rotate to pay out tethering line for
the airplane and movement of the lever in an opposite direction
rotates the reel to wind the tethering line onto the reel. A lost
motion connection is provided between the lever and the rotating
reel whereby movement of the lever in said one direction does not
positively drive the reel but permits the craft to pull the
tethering line from the reel due to the centrifugal force of the
craft flying about the pylon, thereby preventing entanglement OF
the line on the reel by paying out more line than the flight of the
aircraft will take, as has been heretofore prevalent. The reel
itself has a double core construction, with an inner core and an
outer core. The outer core is superimposed over the inner core and
is of a larger diameter than the inner core so as to define space
between the cores in which excess portions of the tethering line
may be wound on the inner core. The double core construction
provides a place to "store" excess tethering line, as hereinafter
described, and thereby further prevents entanglement of the line on
the reel.
Yet a further feature of the invention is the provision of an A.C.
connection for the device, including a manipulatable speed control
handle removably mounted on the end of the reel control lever
whereby both the speed of the airplane motor and the paying out and
reeling in of the tethering line may be accomplished by grasping
the handle and manipulating the handle and the lever.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the amusement device of
the present invention which is battery operated and wherein the
tethering line is manually payed out and pulled in to control the
diameter of the orbit in which the airplane rotates about the
pylon;
FIG. 2 is a modified form of the invention in which the airplane is
powered by A.C. current and wherein a reel and lever assembly is
provided for paying out and reeling in the tethering line to the
airplane;
FIG. 3 is a vertical, generally central, section through the pylon
and rotating arm structure of FIG. 1, partially broken away, and
with the top of the pylon on which the rotating arm is mounted
shown broken away and disposed to the right as viewed in FIG.
3;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the ring contacts disposed at the top
of the pylon, with the operating arm and complementary contacts on
the arm shown in phantom;
FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken generally along the line 5--5
of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a vertical section similar to that of the right-hand
portion of FIG. 3, but through the rotating arm of the embodiment
of the invention shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a broken away vertical section taken generally along the
line 7--7 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a vertical longitudinal section through the reel and
lever assembly shown to the right in FIG. 2;
FIG. 9 is a horizontal section through the reel and lever assembly
of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a wiring diagram of a type of circuitry utilized with
the device of the present invention for adaptation to A.C.
current;
FIG. 11 is a vertical section through the nose of an airplane of
the present invention, with the motor and propeller thereof removed
therefrom and shown in exploded view;
FIG. 12 is a view similar to that of FIG. 11, with the motor and
propeller seated and latched in the recess in the nose of the
airplane, with the removable power plug inserted into the socket on
the underside of the airplane nose; and
FIG. 13 is a view of the double core reel, partially broken away,
utilized with the reel assembly shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings in greater detail, FIGS. 1 and 2 show two
embodiments of the invention adapted for utilizing direct and
alternating current, respectively. Both embodiments include an
upright support pylon 10 having a generally flat base portion 12 at
the bottom thereof and an arm 14 extending horizontally from the
top thereof, the arm being pivoted to the top of the pylon for full
360.degree. rotation thereabout. As will be described in greater
detail hereinafter, the upright support pylon 10 is generally
hollow and a tethering line 16 is threaded through the pylon for
free movement relative thereto, thereby providing easy control of a
craft simply by pulling in or paying out the tethering line. The
"outer end" 16a of the tethering line 16 is secured to a craft,
such as a model airplane, generally designated 18, for tethered
"flying" of the airplane about the pylon 10. The "inner end" 16b of
the tethering line 16 extends from the bottom of the pylon 10 for
manipulation by an operator of the device. As is known, as the
airplane is powered in tethered "flight," the orbit of the airplane
about the pylon 10 can be increased or decreased in diameter by
pulling in or paying out the tethering line.
Since the pylon of the present invention is generally hollow, the
pulling in or paying out of the tethering line 16 is accomplished
simply by manipulation of the inner end 16b of the tethering line.
In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, this
manipulation is afforded simply by providing a handle 20 on the
inner end of the tethering line for manual grasping by the operator
who controls the orbit of the airplane by pulling on or releasing
the tension in the tethering line. Pulling on the line will
decrease the diameter of the airplane's orbit and releasing the
line will permit the centrifugal force of the airplane to pull on
the line and increase the orbit of flight. In the embodiment of the
invention shown in FIG. 2, a reel and lever assembly, generally
designated 22, is provided for manual control to reel in or pay out
the tethering line 16.
Preferably, the tethering line is sufficiently long so that the
inner end 16b thereof extends beyond the maximum orbit of the
airplane 18 so that the operator may position himself completely
beyond the airplane's path of circular flight while manipulating
the craft.
The airplane may be provided with adjustable elevators 23 (FIG. 1).
At a constant speed and orbital diameter, a higher and slower
flight is effected with the elevators up, and a lower and faster
flight is effected with the elevators down.
Reference now will be made to FIGS. 3 through 5 and particularly
the adaptation of the invention for use with direct current (i.e.,
battery operated). Referring to FIG. 3, the generally hollow
support pylon 10 houses a plurality of batteries 24 stacked end to
end in the upright pylon. An access door 25 (FIG. 1) is provided to
replace the batteries 24. Within the pylon is mounted a pair of
contact strips 26 and 28 which engage the bottom and top of the
stack of batteries 24, respectively. More particularly, the contact
strip 26 which extends generally the entire length of the upright
pylon has a lower lip 26a which is sandwiched between a bottom wall
30 of the pylon and the bottom of the lowermost battery in the
stack thereof. The contact strip 26 extends upwardly along the
inside of the pylon and terminates at the top thereof in an
inwardly turned hook portion 26b (see the top right-hand portion of
FIG. 3). The other contact strip 28 also extends generally along
the entire length of the pylon 10 on the inside thereof and is
secured to an L-shaped contact leaf 28a which extends at its lower
end through an upper wall 32 of the pylon for contact with the top
of the uppermost battery in the stack thereof, as at 28b. The
L-shaped contact leaf extends upwardly and terminates in a hook
portion 28c (see the right-hand portion of FIG. 3).
Referring particularly to the right of FIG. 3, the rotating arm 14
which extends radially outwardly of and is pivoted to the top of
the pylon 10 is generally hollow and includes a downwardly
extending hollow pivot shaft 34 which is journalled in a bushing
member 36 at the top of the pylon 10. The arm pivot shaft 34 is
fixed vertically relative to the bushing member 36 by a key 38. The
tethering line 16 extends from its inner end 16b (see the bottom of
FIG. 3) through an aperture 40 in the base 12 of the pylon 10
upwardly through a guide channel in the generally hollow pylon
defined by an inner wall of the pylon and a guiding strip 42 (see
FIG. 5). The tethering line passes through the top of the pylon,
through the hollow pivot shaft 34 and into the hollow pivot arm 14,
as best seen at the top right-hand portion of FIG. 3. The tethering
line is threaded through the hollow pivot arm 14 and through an
aperture 44 on the outer end of the pivot arm for connection either
directly to the flying craft or airplane 18 or for connection to
the outer end of a power cable, generally designated 46.
The power cable 46 comprises two conductive wires 46a and 46b which
are connected at their outer ends to a power plug, generally
designated 48. Wire 46a of the power cable 46 extends through the
lower wall 50 of the rotating arm 14 and is secured to a contact
leaf 52 which is conductively connected to the batteries 24, as
described hereinafter. The other wire 46b of the power cable 46
also extends into the hollow arm 14 and is secured to a switch
button 54 which comprises one part of a switch means in the circuit
from the batteries 24 to the airplane. The other part of the switch
means comprises a switch arm 56 which has a contact leaf 56a which,
like the contact leaf 52, is in conductive association with the
batteries 24.
In particular, and referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, an outer contact
ring 58 and an inner contact ring 60 are mounted on top of the
bushing member 36 on top of the pylon 10. The outer contact ring 58
has a downwardly depending hook portion 58a which engages the upper
hook portion 28c of the contact leaf 28a (which, in turn, engages
the top of the stack of batteries 24). The outer contact leaf 58
also engages the contact leaf 52 which is secured to the wire 46a
of the power cable 46 (see FIG. 4). The inner contact ring 60 has a
downwardly depending hook portion 60a (FIG. 3) which engages the
upper hook portion 26b of the contact strip 26 (which, in turn,
engages the bottom of the stack of batteries 24). Again as seen in
FIG. 4, the inner contact ring 60 engages the contact leaf 56a on
the inner end of the switch arm 56 which makes or breaks the
circuit by contact with the switch button 54 which is secured to
the wire 46b of the power cable 46. As is known, the contact rings
58, 60 have a "brushing" engagement with the contact leafs 52 and
56a so that the arm 14 may rotate about the top of the pylon 10
without breaking the circuit between the power plug 48 and the
batteries 24.
As seen best at the top of FIG. 3, the tethering line 16 extends
through an aperture 62 in the switch arm 56. Thus, it is apparent
that since the tethering line 16 enters the bottom of the rotating
arm 14 through the hollow pivot shaft 34 and leaves the rotating
arm 14 through the aperture 44, which is also at the bottom of the
arm, tension in the tethering cable will urge the switch arm 56
downwardly into engagement with the switch button 54 to complete
the circuit as described above. In other words, the switch means
(54, 56) to activate and deactivate the power means of the device
(the batteries 24) is operatively associated with the tethering
line 16 and actuated as a function of the amount of tension in the
tethering line. Tension in the tethering line closes the circuit.
The circuit is open when the tension is released. The tension in
the tethering line normally is provided by the centrifugal force
resulting from the flight of the airplane 18. With the power cable
46 connected to the airplane, through the power plug 48, and also
fixed to the rotating arm 14, the outer limit of flight of the
airplane is determined by the length of the power cable 46. Thus,
if there is sufficient slack in the tethering line 16, the switch
means may be opened when the airplane is at its maximum orbit of
flight simply by releasing the tension in the tethering line
16.
Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, a motor 64, which has a propeller 66
secured to a rotating shaft 68, is removably mounted in a recess,
generally designated 70, in the nose portion 18a of the airplane
18. A latch member 72 is pivoted on opposite sides of the nose of
the airplane and is movable from its position shown in FIG. 11 to
its position shown in FIG. 12 to hold the motor 64 in the recess 70
in operative position. A pair of contacts 74a and 74b are
operatively engageable with the motor 64. As seen in FIG. 12, the
power plug 48 has a rod portion, generally designated 48a, which is
received in a socket or aperture 76 through the bottom of the nose
portion 18a of the airplane. The rod portion 48a of the power plug
48 has contact portions 48b and 48c which make contact with the
motor contacts 74a and 74b, respectively, when the power plug is
properly positioned in the nose of the airplane. The contact
portions 48b and 48c of the power plug are separated by an
insulator member 78. Thus, the power circuit described above,
through the power plug 48, drives the motor 64, through the
contacts 74a, 74b. With the power plug 48 and the motor 64
removably mounted on the nose of the airplane, a wide variety of
flying crafts and/or flying characteristics of an individual craft
is made available by the present invention. Different types of
crafts may be utilized with the same pylon and control arrangement
simply by unplugging the power plug 48 from one craft and inserting
it into a different craft. In addition, the motor 64 may be
replaced if defective, or interchangeable motors having different
power characteristics may be utilized with the same type of
craft.
Before describing the utilization of alternating current with the
present invention, it should be pointed out that, preferably, a
swivel device 80 (FIG. 7) is employed appropriately in the
tethering line 16 to prevent the line from twisting or knotting. In
addition, as seen in FIG. 7, the guide strip 42 is flared inwardly
at its upper end so as to provide a smooth, continuous guide
channel through the pylon in which the tethering line 16 is
threaded for free movement through the pylon as the line is pulled
in or payed out.
The structure as described above is readily adaptable for utilizing
A.C. current rather than the batteries 24. In doing so, as seen at
the bottom of FIG. 3, the contact strips 26 and 28 are elongated at
their lower ends for connection to wiring which is shown in
phantom. In addition, with reference to FIG. 6, the rotating arm 14
may be modified to include a lug 82 on the inside of the top wall
thereof to hold the switch arm 56 and switch button 54 in contact.
Other switching means or speed control means, as hereinafter
described, may be employed exteriorly of the pylon structure for
controlling the power to the airplane motor 64.
FIG. 10 shows one type of circuitry which may be employed to
utilize A.C. current with the device of the present invention. A
plug 84 is provided for connection to an appropriate source of A.C.
current, and a step-down transformer T is employed to reduce the
voltage of the alternating current source. A pair of diodes D1 and
D2 and a capacitor C are appropriately used in the circuit. In
order to control the speed of the airplane by controlling the
current thereto, a rheostat R or other variable resistance means is
employed in the circuit. Lead wires 86a and 86b are connected to
the contact strips 28 and 26, respectively, as seen at the bottom
of FIG. 3. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 9, a button 88 (also see FIG. 10)
may be mounted on a speed control handle 90 for controlling the
rheostat R.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show the reel and lever assembly 22 for paying out
and reeling in the tethering line 16. The assembly includes a
housing 92 within which is rotatably mounted a reel, generally
designated 94, on which the tethering line is wound. A control
lever 96, through lost motion means described in greater detail
hereinafter, is operatively connected to the reel 94 so that
movement of the lever in one direction permits the reel to rotate
to pay out the tethering line 16 but does not positively rotate the
reel when moved in said one direction. Movement of the lever in an
opposite direction positively rotates the reel to wind the
tethering line onto the reel. In other words, movement of the lever
in said one direction, because of the lost motion connection, does
not positively drive the reel but permits the airplane 18 to pull
the tethering line from the reel due to the centrifugal force of
the airplane, thereby preventing entanglement of the line on the
reel should the lever 96 be moved at a rate to pay out the
tethering line faster than it will be taken up by the pull from the
airplane. More particularly, the lever 96 is fixed to a shaft 98
rotatably journalled in the housing 92. A disc member 100 is fixed
to the shaft 98 for rotation therewith and includes an inwardly
axially protruding lug 102 on the disc and spaced from the shaft
98. A segmented gear member 104 is mounted on the shaft 98 for
rotation relative thereto but fixed axially thereof. More
particularly, the gear 104 is prevented from moving in one
direction by the disc 100 which is fixed to the shaft and in the
opposite direction by an end disc 94a of the reel 94. The gear
member 104 has an axially protruding lug 106 spaced from the shaft
member and extending into the path of rotation of the lug 102 on
the disc member 100. A second gear member 108 is fixed to the reel
94 on the outside face of the end disc 94a for rotation therewith
about the axis of the reel and is in mesh with the segmented gear
member 104 mounted on the lever shaft 98. With the structure,
upward movement of the lever 96, as viewed in FIG. 9, rotates the
disc member 100 in the direction of arrow B (FIG. 8) causing the
lug 102 on the disc to engage the lug 106 on the segmented gear 104
and thereby cause the segmented gear to rotate in the direction of
arrow C. With the segmented gear 104 meshed with the reel gear 108,
rotation of the segmented gear 104 in the direction of arrow C will
cause the reel to rotate in the direction of arrow D and reel in
the tethering line 16. In other words, movement of the lever 96 in
the aforementioned direction positively drives the reel 94 to pull
in the tethering line and, normally, the line will not become
entangled on the reel regardless of the speed by which the lever is
moved in the aforesaid direction. However, should the lever 96 be
moved in the opposite direction (i.e., to cause the disc 100 to
move opposite the direction of arrow B) at a fast rate, the lug 102
on the disc 100 simply would "leave" the lug 106 on the segmented
gear 104 creating a lost motion action whereby the tethering line
16 will be pulled from the reel due to the centrifugal force of the
airplane as the lug 106 catches up to the lug 102.
As a further feature of the invention, the speed control handle 90
has a recess 90a in the base thereof for positioning over the outer
end of the lever 96 so that both the speed of the airplane motor 64
and the paying out and reeling in of the tethering line 16 may be
accomplished by grasping the speed control handle 90 and
manipulating the rheostat button 88 while at the same time
manipulating the lever 96.
It also should be pointed out that the housing 92 of the reel
assembly may be utilized to house the transformer T and related
circuit components, as seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, with the the lead
wires to the plug 84 and the speed control handle 90 extending
through the housing 92, as seen in FIG. 9.
FIG. 13 shows in detail the structure of the reel 94, The reel has
a double core construction which provides means for "storing"
excess tethering line which is not necessary for controlling the
flight of the airplane 18 which is governed, in part, by the length
of the power cable 46. Such excess line on the reel could tend to
cause entanglements in the line. The reel includes an inner core
110 which defines the shaft for the reel. An outer core 112 in the
form of a cup-like shell is fixed to the end disc 94a of the reel.
The opposite end disc 94b of the reel is fixed to a cup-like member
114 which is telescoped within the outer core 112 and held in such
relationship by a press fit, with the inner core 110 extending
through the end disc 94b. A slot 116 is formed in the outer core
112 and is open at the end of the core opposite the end disc 94a.
The slot is longer than the width of the cup-like member 114 so
that an aperture 118 is formed through which the tethering line may
extend from the inner core to the exterior of the reel. A rod 120
is fixed to the end disc 94b and extends into the space between the
inner core 110 and the inside of the outer core 112 so that
relative rotation between the end disc 94a and the end disc 94b
will cause the pin 120 to engage the tethering line extending
through the aperture 118 and between the two cores and cause the
tethering line to be wound onto the inner core 110. Of course, such
relative rotation in the opposite direction would permit the
tethering line to be pulled off of the inner core. Once the desired
amount of tethering line is wound onto the inner core 110, the
components of the reel (i.e., the end disc 94a and the outer core
112 and inner core 110 fixed thereto, and the end disc 94b and the
cup-like member 114 fixed thereto) will rotate together as a unit
during the normal operation of the device in paying out and reeling
in the tethering line.
With the device of the present invention, paying out and reeling in
of the tethering line 16 not only simply changes the diameter of
the plane's orbit of flight about the pylon 10, but the plane can
be made to "dive" and "climb" as it travels about the pylon. Such
flight patterns are effected particularly when the tethering line
is payed out or reeled in at a relatively rapid rate. In addition,
varying patterns of flight, altitude-wise, further can be effected
by changing the speed of the plane by operating the rheostat R by
means of the speed control button 88. Normally, toy model airplanes
of the type usually employed with pylon-type control devices as
disclosed herein will not fly above the top of the pylon as it
orbits thereabout. However, by making the plane climb and dive
during flight, the momentum of the plane during its climb will
propel the plane higher than the top of the pylon.
The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of
understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be
understood therefrom as some modifications will be obvious to those
skilled in the art.
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