EP0370418A2

EP0370418A2 - Miniature vehicle with deformable coachwork

Info

Publication number: EP0370418A2
Application number: EP89121395A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paride Lanza
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-11-23
Filing date: 1989-11-18
Publication date: 1990-05-30
Also published as: EP0370418A3; IT8882611A0

Abstract

A miniature model/vehicle toy on wheels, with deformable coachwork (A), comprising an internal structure preferably conformed with relative seats and usual inside vehicle accessories, characterized in that said coachwork is constituted in elastically yielding plastic material (2) that includes a deformable wire metallic structure (1).

Description

The invention has for object a miniature vehicle with deformable coachwork .
The invention finds particular and convenient even if not exclusive application in small vehicles utilized as miniaturized hobbyist and/or play models or toys.
In the prior art said model/toys vehicles reproducing the bigger real ones are well known .
This miniatures regard principally aircraft boats, cars and motor vehicles in general.
The category of the miniature motorvehicles is the most preferred from the buyers and is the real application field in which this invention is directed.
These models are essentially constituted by a preformed plastic material chassis, implicating the respective axles and the wheels and all the internal structures present in real cars as reproduction of commands, steering wheel, seats, luggage storing area, etc. The coachwork that support all this accessories and features is generally made in steel or aluminium alloy, brass and like, being this materials substantially rigid, or not easily deformable. Other coachworks are realized in plastic material not easily deformable.
The noticeable drawbacks in the cited solutions consist essentially in the fact that in playing this models for example obliging them to collide one against the other or against obstacles, the respective collision do not produce the effects that arise in the reality and the coachwork does not underlies a deformation.
A miniaturized vehicles realized with deformable coachwork is disclosed in IT-59320B/86 filed the name of the same applicant. In this solution the coachwork realized is in yielding and permanently deformable material and the used material is a lead material .
In this case the main drawback lies in the toxicity of the material, the material being actually forbidden for this application by different laws .
A second but not negligible drawback lies in that subduing the coachwork of the model to multiple deformations and consequent further resetting, the material for its own nature, breaks, making impossible the further utilization.
Purpose of the present invention is to obviate to the mentioned drawbacks.
These and other purposes are reached with the present invention solving the exposed problems as claimed, by means of a miniature model/vehicle toy on wheels, with deformable coachwork, comprising an internal structure preferably conformed with relative seats, and respective accessories, characterized in that said coachwork is constituted in elastically yielding plastic material that includes a deformable wire metallic structure.
The advantages of this solution consist essentially in that in collision the collided part deforms in conformity by the deformation of the metallic wire structure, but the elastic plastic material of the coachwork tends elastically to return to the original shape, the original shape being impeded by the deformation of the wire structure. The respective original shape being easily restored without breakages of the coachwork plastic material in repeating the operation, simply forcing by hands the coachwork to reshape the original form suggested by the elasticity of the plastic material, (eg. plastic rubber or other elasto-plastic materials).
These and others advantages will be better understood with the following description of a preferred solution of realization with the help of the included drawings which particulars have not to be considered as limitation but only for exemplification.

Fig. 1 represents a schematic perspective view of the coachwork of the model in preferred solution.
Fig. 2 represents a view of the metallic wire structure included in the coachwork represented in the previous figure in conformity of the invention.

Making reference to the figures the miniature comprises a coachwork (A) realized in elastically yielding plastic material (A,2) in which is included (dotted lines) the deformable metallic wire reinforcing structure (1), the material of of the wire being preferably copper that assure a lot of deformations without breaking .
The copper wire can be obviously but less preferably, inserted only in certain parts of the coachwork (A) subjected to frequent deformation (front and rear of the vehicle), being the remaining structure of the (central portion) more rigid to avoid deformations, this rigidity being obtained, or by reinforcing the thickness of the plastic material or reinforcing the respective wire if the last one is included also in the central portion of the coachwork as a continuous structure (1) in conformity with the figures that represent the preferred solution, this scope being achieved by changing the size of the respective wire.
A further advantageous solution is to utilize in the respective frequently subjected to deformation coachwork portions as front and rear, more then one wire (preferably two). In this way (respecting in any case the more strong resistance of the central portion of the miniature-vehicle ), the multiple wire in the deformable portions allows a major number of deformations and restoring, because, also if one wire breaks the second joined wire continues the function to allow further deformation and restoring, that means a longer life of the miniature-vehicle in comparison to the others.
Advantageously each copper wire is coated by plastic material being in this case made as a single core electric wire, with this solution the respective wire being better integrated in moulding the coachwork plastic material that will include the first one.

Claims

1. A miniature model/vehicle toy on wheels, with deformable coachwork (A), comprising an internal structure preferably conformed with relative seats and usual inside vehicle accessories.,
characterized in that said coachwork is constituted in elastically yielding plastic material (2) that includes a deformable wire metallic structure (1).

2. A miniature/toy, as claimed in claim 1, in which the wire (1) is in copper.

3. A miniature/toy as claimed in claim 1, in which the respective metallic structure is made in preshaped wire (1), shaping being made before moulding the plastic material to integrate it.

4. A miniature/toy, as claimed in claim 1, in which the wire structure (1) inserted in the coachwork (2) is in deformation resistance differentiated in front and rear of the coachwork if compared with its central portion.

5. Miniature/toy, as claimed in claim 1, in which the wire structure (1) at lest in certain portions of the coachwork (2) as front and rear, employs more then one wire (1), the respective wire being,
- coated with yielding plastic material,
- independent one from the other/s.