GB1382757A - Buoyant - Google Patents

Abstract

1382757 Toy dolphins &c TOYTOWN CORP 27 June 1973 30529/73 Heading A6S A floating toy, shown as a toy dolphin 10, powered by an electric motor 16, Fig. 5, and batteries 22, has a tail 64 which is oscillated about a vertical pivot 66, Fig. 4, to propel it, and a buoyant device, such as a ball 99, Fig. 1, mounted at its front on a support arm 97 pivoted downwards from the position shown to raise the head of the dolphin, &c out of the water, Fig. 3 (not shown), while a noisemaking device 104, &c is operated to emit a squealing sound. The motor 16 is controlled by a switch 24, its pinion 30 driving through a train of step-down ratio gearing to a shaft 40 fast on the lower end of which is a cam 42, Fig. 6. The jaws 44 of a lever 46 embrace the cam 42 so that the lever oscillates about its fulcrum 50, a slot 60 at the remote end of the lever engaging a pin 62, Fig. 4, on the tail 64 which is journalled to oscillate about its pivot 66. A slot 68 through which the tail 64 extends so limits the oscillations of the tail to one side that the toy dolphin is paddled in a circle. A gear 70, Fig. 5, on the shaft 40, drives through a further train of step-down ratio gearing 74, 76, &c to a shaft 54 having fast at its upper end a disk 82, Fig. 4, carrying a radial arm 86 and formed with a recess 84. The shaft 54 is rotated slowly anticlockwise until. the radial arm 86 engages an abutment 100 on a plate 88 which it then slides forwardly of the toy dolphin against the biass of a tension spring 98. An arm 92 fast with the sliding plate 88 is journalled to a crank arm 94 (illustrated also in Fig. 7, not shown), integral with a shaft to which the support arm 97 is secured. Thus as the plate 88 slides forward, the arm 97 is lowered, together with the floating ball 99, and the toy dolphin rears up in the water. Simultaneously, the recess 84 in the disc 82 allows a lever 110 joumalled on a pivot 112 to turn clockwise Fig. 4, when it aligns with a cam projection 114. The detent end 108 of the lever 110 accordingly releases a leaf spring 104 to engage with the motor pinion 30, so that the spring emits a squealing noise. A cam 116, Fig. 4, fast upon the upper end of the shaft 40, has projections 118 which intermittently engage the lever 110 and momentarily re-engage its detent end 108 with the leaf spring 104 to withdraw it from the motor pinion 30. The squealing noise caused by the leaf spring 104 is therefore repeatedly briefly interrupted and recommenced, until the. cam projection 114 is engaged by the end of the recess 84 in the disk 82, when the lever 110 is pivoted back to the position shown, disengaging the leaf spring 104 from the motor pinion 30. The arm 86 fast with the disk 82 releases the abutment 100, the plate 88 is slidden by its spring 98 back to the position shown, and the support arm 97 is allowed to rise, together with the. floating ball 99. Accordingly the squealing noise stops, and the toy dolphin's head ducks back to its normal position, the dolphin continuing to swim in a circle until the next cycle of operations begins.