U.S. patent number RE30,299 [Application Number 05/696,158] was granted by the patent office on 1980-06-10 for gyroscope toy.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ideal Toy Corporation. Invention is credited to Donald Greenwood.
United States Patent |
RE30,299 |
Greenwood |
June 10, 1980 |
Gyroscope toy
Abstract
Friction driven toys including a gyroscopic stabilizing element.
.Iadd.
Inventors: |
Greenwood; Donald (Akron,
IA) |
Assignee: |
Ideal Toy Corporation (Hollis,
NY)
|
Family
ID: |
27069076 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/696,158 |
Filed: |
June 14, 1976 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
549284 |
Feb 12, 1975 |
|
|
|
Reissue of: |
879157 |
Nov 24, 1969 |
03650067 |
Mar 21, 1972 |
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/233 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H
17/26 (20130101); A63H 29/20 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63H
17/00 (20060101); A63H 29/00 (20060101); A63H
17/26 (20060101); A63H 29/20 (20060101); A63H
017/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;46/49,50,206,209 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mancene; Louis G.
Assistant Examiner: Cutting; Robert F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Rabkin; Richard M.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 549,284, filed Feb.
12, 1975, now abandoned. .Iaddend.
Claims
What is claimed is: .[.1. A two-wheeled friction driven toy having
a rotatable flywheel comprising a main body housing, and gearing
means having a plurality of gears connected to at least one of said
wheels constituting a drive wheel, said rotatable flywheel being
disposed on a common shaft with one of said gears and providing
gyroscopic action for enhancing the stability and balance of said
toy, and said rotatable flywheel being disposed vertically between
said two wheels of said toy..]. .[.2. The two-wheeled friction
driven toy according to claim 1, wherein said flywheel is of a
predetermined mass to provide adequate torque to propel said toy
and in aiding to maintain said toy to perform maneuvers in a
forward direction on said rear wheel only..]. .[.3. The two-wheeled
friction drive toy according to claim 2 wherein said flywheel is
located near the bottom of said toy in close proximity to its
center of gravity..]. .[.4. The friction driven toy according to
claim 1, including means for enabling said flywheel to be visually
perceived..]. .[.5. The friction driven toy according to claim 4,
wherein said means comprises a transparent main body housing..].
.[.6. The friction driven toy according to claim 4, wherein said
means comprises a viewing aperture in said main body housing..].
.[.7. The friction driven toy according to claim 6, wherein said
aperture is provided with a protective transparent window..]. .[.8.
The friction driven toy according to claim 1, wherein said flywheel
is made of a material having a greater density than the material
forming said main body housing and said main body housing is made
of plastic..]. .[.9. The friction driven toy according to claim 4,
wherein at least one side of said flywheel is provided with a
plurality of differently colored
spirals..]. 10. The friction driven toy according to claim .[.3.].
.Iadd.12.Iaddend., wherein said gearing means has a ratio of about
4.2 to
1. 11. A four-wheeled friction driven toy having a rotatable
flywheel and front and rear pairs of wheels comprising a main body
housing, and gearing means having a plurality of gears connected to
said rear pair of wheels constituting drive wheels, said rotatable
flywheel being disposed on a common shaft with one of said gears
and providing gyroscopic action for enhancing the stability and
balance of said toy, and said rotatable flywheel being disposed
horizontally between said two pair of wheels of said toy; said
rotatable flywheel is disposed adjacent the bottom of said toy in
proximity to the toy's center of gravity, the bottom of said toy
having a viewing window for observing said rotatable flywheel, and
said flywheel being provided with a plurality of differently
colored spirals. .Iadd. 12. A two-wheeled friction driven toy
comprising a main body housing, a pair of vertically disposed
wheels rotatably mounted in said body housing and lying in a common
vertical plane in spaced alignment with each other to define front
and rear wheels; a rotatable flywheel rotatably mounted in said
body housing in substantially the same vertical plane as said
wheels; gearing means having a plurality of gears and being
operatively connected to at least one of said wheels, said at least
one wheel constituting a drive wheel, said rotatable flywheel being
disposed on a common shaft with one of said gears for rotation
therewith and providing gyroscopic action for enhancing the
stability and balance of said toy, said front and rear wheels being
spaced from each other a predetermined distance selected such that
the minimum distance between the peripheries of said wheels is
greater than the diameter of said flywheel; said rotatable flywheel
being disposed vertically between the peripheries of said two
aligned wheels of said toy entirely within the space defined by the
minimum distance between said front and rear wheels, with no
portion of the flywheel overlying any portion of said front and
rear wheels, near the bottom of said toy in close proximity to its
center of gravity and being formed of a predetermined mass, thereby
to provide adequate torque to propel said toy and aid in
maintaining the toy in an upright position while performing wheelie
maneuvers in a forward direction on only the rearmost wheel of the
toy. .Iaddend..Iadd. 13. The friction driven toy according to claim
12, including means for enabling said flywheel to be visually
perceived. .Iaddend..Iadd. 14. The friction driven toy according to
claim 13, wherein said means comprises a transparent main body
housing. .Iaddend..Iadd. 15. The friction driven toy according to
claim 13, wherein said means comprises a viewing aperture in said
main body housing. .Iaddend..Iadd. 16. The friction driven toy
according to claim 15, wherein said aperture is provided with a
protective transparent window. .Iaddend..Iadd. 17. The friction
driven toy according to claim 13, wherein at least one side of said
flywheel visible through said aperture is provided with a plurality
of differently colored spirals. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 18. The friction
driven toy according to claim 12, wherein said flywheel is made of
a material having a greater density than the material forming said
main body housing and said main body housing is made of plastic.
.Iaddend. .Iadd. 19. The friction driven toy according to claim 12
wherein said common shaft is located in said housing at a
predetermined distance from the axes of rotation of said front and
rear wheels; the distance of said common shaft from the axis of
rotation of the rear wheel being greater than the sum of the
radiuses of the flywheel and rear wheel, and the distance of the
common shaft from the front wheel being greater than the sum of the
radiuses of the flywheel and the front wheel whereby the periphery
of the flywheel is entirely located within the space defined by the
minimum distance between the front and rear wheels of the vehicle.
.Iaddend. .Iadd. 20. A two-wheeled friction driven toy vehicle
comprising a hollow main body housing, front and rear wheels
rotatably mounted in said body and lying in a common vertical plane
in spaced alignment with each other to respectively define front
and rear wheels, a flywheel of predetermined mass rotatably mounted
in said hollow body on a generally horizontal axis for rotation in
a generally vertical plane, said front and rear wheels being spaced
from each other a predetermined distance selected such that the
minimum distance between the peripheries of said wheels is greater
than the diameter of said flywheel, said flywheel being disposed
vertically between the peripheries of said front and rear wheels
with no portion of the flywheel overlying any portion of said front
and rear wheels, entirely within the space defined by the minimum
distance between said front and rear wheels as low in said body as
possible and in close proximity to the center of gravity of the
vehicle; and gearing means in said body operatively engaged between
said flywheel and said rear wheel, said gearing means including a
plurality of operatively engaged gears, one of which is drivingly
engaged with said rear wheel, whereby the rear wheel constitutes a
drive wheel for the vehicle, and another of which is drivingly
engaged with said flywheel whereby rotation of said flywheel
simultaneously provides a gyroscopic action enhancing the stability
and balance of the toy vehicle while rotating said drive wheel to
propel the vehicle thereby to enable the toy vehicle to move
forwardly in a "wheelie" position on only its rearmost wheel.
.Iaddend. .Iadd. 21. The toy vehicle as defined in claim 20
including a shaft mounted in said housing, said flywheel being
mounted on said shaft and said another gear also being mounted on
said shaft for rotation with the flywheel. .Iaddend..Iadd. 22. The
toy vehicle as defined in claim 21 wherein said shaft is located in
said housing between said front and rear wheels in a predetermined
position in close proximity to the center of gravity of the toy
selected to position the periphery of the flywheel adjacent the
bottom of said housing. .Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application relates to toys and more particularly, to friction
driven toys having a unique gyroscopic stabilizing element.
Two- and four-wheeled toys enjoy vast acceptance in the consumer
market. Such toys, when friction driven, enjoy even better
acceptability because of their self-driving capabilities.
Frequently though, these toys tend to be unstable in performance.
With the common four-wheel toys, the toy's motion is fairly
predictable with the toy generally moving in one direction on all
four wheels. This can tend to bore a child while variety in the
direction of motion of the four-wheel toy will enhance its appeal
to children, particularly the toddler and grammar school age
groups.
To overcome the instability of one-, two-, and four-wheel toys,
gyroscope stabilizing elements have been employed. However, these
elements are generally employed with pull cord type drive means
where a pull cord is wrapped around the shaft of the gyroscope and
prior to the toy's movement, the cord is pulled. As may be
well-understood, this type of drive means has many disadvantages.
For instance, the detailed type manual manipulation required to
wind the cord around the shaft and then pull it is often too
difficult for younger children to execute, and, therefore,
gyroscopic toys when equipped with pull cord type drive means find
relatively poor acceptance in the consumer market. Moreover, pull
cords readily lend themselves to being lost since they are not
physically a permanent attachment to the toy.
Friction driven toys generally comprise an energy storing element
or flywheel which is rotated upon rotation of a drive wheel,
generally being the front or rear wheels of the toy. The
transmission drive mechanism between the drive wheel and flywheel
is such as to cause energy to be stored in the flywheel and after
the drive wheel is initially rotated and the toy is placed on a
surface, the toy is propelled by the energy stored in the rotating
drive wheels. In the prior art, a stabilizing gyroscope element has
been employed with a four-wheel device which is friction driven,
but is located well above the center of gravity of the toy. While
the stability of the toy is somewhat enhanced, it is not enhanced
enough to enable the toy to perform relatively unusual, complex,
and attractive maneuvers. Therefore, the prior art friction driven
toy including a stabilizing gyroscope element generally
approximates in performance a standard four-wheel toy whose motion
is relatively predictable and "unexciting."
As is well known, toys appeal to children for many reasons, one of
which includes visual perception of moving mechanisms as the toy
operates. In the prior art, the motion of friction driven
gyroscopic elements is hidden from the view of the child. Such a
rotating movement by a relatively large member, such as the
gyroscope, would be relatively attractive to the child.
Accordingly, it is a principle object of the present invention to
provide an improved toy.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy capable
of various maneuvers.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a toy
which is relatively attractive in appearance and sturdy in
operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy whose
motion is somewhat different from a conventionally wheeled vehicle
and is self-driven.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a toy
including a gyroscope stabilizing element capable of being easily
rotated.
Another object of the present invention is to expose interesting
rotating surfaces to enable them to be viewed by a child.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a two-
or four-wheel toy which is relatively simple to operate.
Another object of the present invention is to improve the stability
to two- and four-wheel toys while in motion yet increasing the
variety of interesting maneuvers obtainable with such toys.
Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention
will be made more apparent from the following description.
SUMMARY
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, there
is provided a friction driven type toy comprising a housing and at
least two wheels with at least one of the wheels being a drive
wheel, the toy including at least one front and one rear wheel, the
drive wheel coupled to an energy storing means and a gyroscope
means, with the energy storing means and the gyroscope means being
capable of storing energy upon rotational movement of the drive
wheel and support means connected to the housing to connect at
least the gyroscope means between the front and rear wheels. As
contrasted with the prior art type of friction driven toy including
a gyroscope, the gyroscope element of the present invention located
between the front and rear wheels of the toy permits it to be
located extremely close to the toy's center of gravity. In the
prior art device, the gyroscope element is located above the rear
wheels which is necessarily a significant distance from the center
of gravity of the toy. It has been found that a toy car constructed
in accordance with the principles of the present invention is
capable of numerous complex, different, and attractive maneuvers
not otherwise attainable with the prior art device. In particular,
a four-wheel car can be made to stand on either end and rotate
thereabout, or run on two wheels and then right itself and continue
on four wheels.
The present invention utilizes a weighted flywheel as both the
energy storing and gyroscopic means. In one embodiment thereof,
namely a four-wheel car, the flywheel is disposed substantially
horizontally in a plane parallel to the plane of the wheels.
Otherwise stated, the axis of the flywheel is perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Locating the flywheel between the
front and rear wheels, as aforesaid, offers the further advantage
in that it may thereby be located at the bottom of the toy and thus
be made visible by providing a viewing means, such as a transparent
window. In addition, the exposed surface of the flywheel may be
multi-colored or variously decorated such as in the form of a
spiral so that its visible rotation offers added attractiveness and
enhances its play appeal. Thus, a toy car or other wheeled vehicle
constructed in accordance with the principles of the present
invention may serve not only as a wheeled vehicle but also as an
interesting and attractive rotational or gyroscopic element.
A gyroscopic element serves to stabilize the motion of a toy
because as is well known in the art, the gyroscope or any rotating
body tends to maintain a fixed axis of rotation. With a gyroscope
or flywheel rotating at a given speed, a toy car embodying the
principles of the invention, is self-supporting on either its front
or rear end and it will rotate thereabout. It may be well
understood that such a rotational movement of a car upon either of
its ends is extremely attractive to a child. Further, a car
constructed in accordance with the principles of the present
invention will thereafter when righting itself, exhibit widely
diverse characteristics such as moving on only two wheels in regard
to its motion and such action is extremely attractive from that
viewpoint.
Some other embodiments illustrating the principles of the present
invention are shown in the following description. In particular, a
motorcycle may be provided with a gyroscopic element located
between the front and rear wheels in a generally vertical direction
and may suitably be driven by the rear wheel. Such a location for
the gyroscope enhances the stability of a two-wheeled motorcycle
device, and enables it to perform maneuvers in a forward direction
for some distance on the rear wheel only. By encasing the
gyroscopic element of the motorcycle in a transparent housing, its
motion, when the gyroscope is multi-colored, is extremely
attractive to the child and enhances its appeal.
In order to provide durability for a toy constructed in accordance
with the principles of the present invention, relatively durable
material such as plastic are suitable. The flywheel, which serves
as the gyroscope, should be weighted or comprise a material having
greater density than that utilized for the housing of the toy.
Generally, metal is employed for the flywheel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toy car of the present invention
rotating on its rear end;
FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a toy car constructed in
accordance with the principles of the present invention moving on
only two wheels;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a toy car constructed in
accordance with the principles of the present invention moving on
all four wheels;
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a toy car supported on four
wheels and showing, in phantom, the car when riding on two
wheels;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view in cross section of the toy car
of FIG. 4 taken generally along the lines 5--5 thereof;
FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the car shown in FIG. 5 with the
bottom cover removed;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toy car of FIG. 6 taken
generally along the lines 7--7 thereof;
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a motorcycle toy constructed in
accordance with the principles of the present invention, partially
sectioned to show the gearing arrangement and the location of the
flywheel;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view partially in cross section of the
motorcycle toy shown in FIG. 8 taken generally along the lines 9--9
thereof; and
FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are side elevational views partially in cross
section to illustrate other alternate embodiments utilizing the
gyroscope stabilizing element of the invention in various friction
driven toys.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In order to understand the principles of the present invention,
FIGS. 5 and 6 which illustrate the operative functional elements of
the toy car of the present invention will first be described. The
car basically comprises two members: a toy housing or shell member
12 and a bottom chassis portion 14. The top housing 12 generally
comprises the hood, trunk and main body portions of a replica
automobile, while the bottom chassis portion 14 comprises a bottom
13, having preferably a circular viewing window 15, wheels and a
drive mechanism for the toy car. The top housing 12 may suitably be
fabricated of a durable plastic material. If desired, the top
housing 12 can be colored to enhance its attractiveness. The bottom
portion 14 generally comprises a gear box 16 housing the gearing
members of the drive mechanism previously described. The gear box
16 may be suitably molded to efficiently hold and protect the
operative working members of the drive mechanism of the toy car.
Apertures, such as the pair of holes 17 and 18 are provided in the
bottom portion 14 of the front and rear areas of the car to
accommodate fasteners, such as screws 20 and 22 threaded into
corresponding recesses 24 and 26, respectively, in the top housing
portion 12. Only one fastener may also be employed where one end of
the bottom portion 14 is simply "hooked" in place, or the bottom
portion 14 can readily be snapped into place without use of any
fasteners.
The car comprises a pair of front wheels 28 and a pair of rear
wheels 30. Front wheels 28 are connected to and rotate with an axle
or shaft 32 which has wheels 28 connected on each end while wheels
30 are connected to and rotate with an axle or shaft 34. Rear
wheels 30 preferably serve as the drive wheels for the friction toy
of the present invention. In particular, when shaft 34 rotates by
spinning the rear wheels 30, a crown or bevel gear 36 fixedly
mounted on shaft 34 also rotates. A pinion gear 38 fixedly mounted
on a suitable rotatively supported shaft 40 meshes with gear 36.
Gear 42, larger in diameter than pinion gear 38, is also fixedly
mounted on shaft 40 so as to rotate when pinion gear 38 rotates.
Gears 38 and 42 which form part of the overall gear train may
suitably be integrally formed together. Gear 42 in turn meshes with
an idler gear 44, which is mounted on a suitable rotatively
supported shaft 46. Gear 44 meshes with another pinion 48, which
rotates about a shaft 50. Gears 42 and 38 are located towards the
rear of the car, while gears 44 and 48 are located towards the
front of the car with respect to gear 42. A flywheel 52 is fixedly
connected to and also rotates with shaft 50. Flywheel 52 serves
both as the inertia (energy storing means) and gyroscopic element
of the toy car shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The ends of shaft 50 are
preferably tapered or conical in form (47 and 49) and retained for
rotation in corresponding conical shaped bearing recesses provided
in the chassis. The top wall 51 of gear box 16 is provided
preferably with an integrally formed conical bearing recess 53 for
seating the conical end 47 of shaft 50, while the conical end 49 is
seated in a suitable conical bearing insert 54 provided on the
upperside of the bottom chassis portion 14. In this manner,
flywheel 52 is located between the shafts 32 and 34 near the bottom
of the toy and in close proximity to its center of gravity. Such a
position is critical in that it enables the toy car to execute
various maneuvers. Of course, the conical bearing recess for the
bottom end of the shaft 50 could also be made integral with the
viewing window 15.
The gears 36, 38, 42, 44 and 48 preferably are fabricated of a
light durable material such as plastic, while the flywheel 52 is
fabricated of a heavier type material such as steel. As best shown
in FIG. 2, the bottom of flywheel 52 is preferably multicolored in
the form of a logarithmic or Archimedean spiral, for example, and
when the driving means rotates flywheel 52, a suitable attractive
pattern is visible to the child. This enhances its attractiveness
as a toy.
FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate various positions of the car when the
drive wheels 30 have caused flywheel 52 to rotate at a relatively
high rate of speed. In FIG. 1, the car has been placed and is shown
standing on one end (rear in this case) and rotating; in FIG. 2,
the car is shown moving on only its right side wheels; in FIG. 3,
the car is shown moving on all four wheels; while in FIG. 4, the
car is shown moving from its two-wheeled position to a four-wheeled
position. Arrows in each of the figures indicate the motion sought
to be illustrated by the respective figures.
FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate another embodiment of the present
invention in which a toy motorcycle is shown. The toy motorcycle 60
generally includes a frame 61 in the rear portion of which is
mounted a gear wheel 62 on a shaft 64 rotatively mounted in the
sides 63 and 65 of the frame adjacent the rear end of the
motorcycle. The sides 63 and 65 may be made of a clear plastic
material or side 65 may in lieu thereof be provided with a viewing
window. At the forward or front end of the frame, a bifurcated
member 68 is provided and the two extending arms 70 serve to
rotatively retain shaft 74 supporting the front wheel 76 which
freely rotates with the shaft 74. A simulated speedometer 80 is
attached to the top end of the member 68 between suitable handle
bars 72 extending outwardly from the top of the bifurcated member
68 while a simulated headlight 82 projects from the common throat
section of the bifurcated member 68.
The drive means for the motorcycle comprises a spur gear 84 fixedly
disposed about the shaft 64 and meshing with an idler gear 86 which
rotates about a shaft 88 retained in one side of the body of
motorcycle 60. Idler gear 86 meshes with a pinion 90 which is
rotatable with a shaft 92 retained in place between the opposite
sides 63 and 65 of the motorcycle frame 61. A flywheel 94 is
disposed about shaft 92 and when drive wheel 62 is caused to
rotate, its rotational movement is imparted to the flywheel 94.
Flywheel 94 serves both as an energy storing element and as the
gyroscope element for the motorcycle toy. It should be noted that
the flywheel 94 is mounted vertically between the wheels 62 and 76,
and that it is disposed as low as possible to the ground inasmuch
as this position is significant in maintaining the vehicle in an
upright position while traveling forward. Significant added
stability to the toy while in motion is provided by the flywheel 94
which provides improved performance. Flywheel 94 may be fabricated
of a multi-colored material, and when rotated is visible to the
child which enhances the toy's attractiveness.
FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate yet another embodiment of the invention
wherein a two-wheeled toy bear is illustrated. As shown in FIGS. 10
and 11, the bear 100 is illustrative of only one type of animal
form which could be mounted on a one- or two-wheel device. In FIG.
10, the toy 100 comprises a front wheel 102 and a rear wheel 104.
Rear wheel 104 is rotatively disposed about a shaft 106 which is
connected in the lower end of a downwardly extending rear strut
member 108 of the body portion of the bear. The front wheel 102 is
the drive wheel and rotates about a shaft 110. Driving gear 112 is
fixedly disposed about shaft 110 and meshes with an idler gear 114
which in turn meshes with a pinion 116 fixedly supported about
shaft 118. A flywheel 120 is also supported in a vertical plane
about the shaft 118, and when the front wheel 102 is rotated, the
flywheel 120 is thus also caused to rotate at a high r.p.m. When
flywheel 120 is properly weighted, it serves as an effective
stabilizing gyroscope enhancing the stability of the toy while in
motion.
FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein a
unicycle is employed. The body 122 is mounted on a single wheel 124
which is disposed about a rotatively mounted shaft 126. A crown or
bevel gear 128 is also mounted about shaft 126 and meshes with a
pinion gear 130 disposed about a rotatively mounted shaft 132.
Flywheel 134 is also disposed horizontally about shaft 132 and
serves as the stabilizing element for the toy while it is in
motion.
FIG. 12 is still another embodiment of a friction driven toy
including a gyroscope stabilizing element, illustrating a toy plane
140. Only the front portion of the plane is shown broken away. The
plane 140 comprises a main body portion 142 with a propeller 144
located in front thereof. The plane 140 further comprises
conventional wheel arrangements wherein wheel 146 is illustrative
of a drive wheel construction for the plane. Wheel 146 is disposed
about a rotatively supported shaft 148 and a gear 150 is also
fixedly secured about shaft 148. Gear 150 meshes with an idler gear
152 which is mounted about idler shaft 154. Gear 152 in turn meshes
with a gear 156 which is disposed about a shaft 158. Also disposed
about shaft 158 is a crown or bevel gear 160 which meshes with
pinion gear 159 disposed about driven shaft 162. The propeller 144
being suitably secured, such as by pinning, to shaft 162 is thus
caused to rotate upon rotation of wheel 146. In order to enhance
the stability of the toy airplane, a weighted flywheel 164 is also
fixedly mounted in a vertical manner about shaft 162 and when the
wheel 146 is rotated, a rotational movement is imparted to flywheel
164 and to propeller 144. In this manner, the stability of the toy
airplane is significantly improved which serves to make the
airplane a more attractive toy.
The mass of the flywheel must be sufficient to provide adequate
torque to propel the vehicle while also acting as the gyroscope for
maintaining various positions in which the car or like vehicle is
placed. With regard to the overall gear ratio, it is proportional
to flywheel and vehicle speed. The gear ratio is thus not critical
so long as adequate flywheel speed is provided to act as the
propelling force and gyroscopic action. Cars may therefore have an
accumulated ratio of about 5.2 to 1, whereas motorcycles may have a
ratio of about 4.2 to 1.
In operation, the user or child spins the drive wheels on a flat,
smooth surface so that high r.p.m. is achieved. Then, the toy is
placed on the surface in any desired position and the toy, for
example if a car, will maintain such position for a while after
which the toy car will, if standing on one end, topple over and
take off generally first on only two side wheels and thereafter on
all four wheels. Such a toy car of the invention will maintain
itself, for example, on two side wheels for a considerably long
period of time when compared to existing prior art toys which
cannot maintain motion on two side wheels for more than an
instantaneous period of time. Although the gyroscope is a
stabilizing element, the car is not a perfectly balanced rotor and
hence the car will eventually topple over from a standing position.
The many interesting maneuvers which a toy car of the invention can
execute will clearly become attractive to a child and provide
incentive for the child to even set up his own simulated stock car
races. In a like manner, the other modified toys would also execute
interesting maneuvers. It will be appreciated that although no
mention was made for a viewing window in the embodiments of FIGS.
10-12, it is of course possible to provide same or make the entire
body from a transparent material. In addition, the airplane
embodiment could be in the form of a "pure" jet where the rotating
gyroscope can be colored in such a manner to simulate swirling hot
exhaust gases.
It should also be appreciated that the flywheel can be of solid
construction or even of a series of flat discs stacked together to
form a unitary assembly. With such a construction, it is possible
to therefore have a different design on each disc. In fact, designs
can be applied on both surfaces of each disc. Of course, the
flywheel 52 in such cases would be readily accessible for quick and
easy dismantling and reassembling of same.
As described with reference to the toy car, the gears and body of
the other toys are preferably made of durable materials, such as
plastic. The flywheel is preferably a balanced weighted device and
may comprise a steel wheel.
While the above embodiments illustrate the principles of the
present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changes can
be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without
departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the
following claims.
* * * * *