GB2053008A - Air-floating saucer toy - Google Patents

Abstract

An air-floating saucer toy, comprises a housing, in which is a circular slot and which carries a saucer, an air pump, a micro motor, a speed reducing device, a flexible pipe and batteries. The saucer is driven along the circular slot of the housing by compressed air delivered by the air pump through the flexible pipe which is connected to an injection nozzle so that the saucer floats along an orbit above the slot together with the injection nozzle which is driven along under the slot by the motor via the speed reducing device. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Air-floating saucer toy The present invention relates to a toy having saucers which float and rotate in a housing.

The main dynamic elements include an air pump, a micro motor, a speed reducing device, a flexible pipe and batteries which are provided within the housing for driving and floating the saucers along a circular route defined by a slot in the housing.

One conventional saucer toy generally comprises an individual saucer body, which is thrown into the air by the player. The effect of such a static toy is of far less interest than the dynamic saucer of this invention, moreover, a wide playing area is demanded for such an outdoor sport.

A dynamic saucer with remote control is also available, but this is expensive to produce and suffers from the inconvenience of restricting the places where the toy can be used.

An object of the present invention is to mitigate the disadvantages of the above-mentioned saucer toys and to provide an interesting saucer toy of the floating type. The present invention also provides a desirable saucer toy of low cost which can be used at any place. In accordance with this invention therefore we provide a toy comprising a housing having a circular slot therein, a motor, a pipe having an air nozzle at one end thereof, speed reduction means coupling said motor to said pipe to move said nozzle along a path beneath said slot, a pump to compress air, means coupling said pump to said pipe to admit air compressed by said pump to said nozzle, one or more saucers located on said slot, and means to control the energisation of the motor and pump to control the rotational speed of the pipe and the air pressure at the nozzle to lift the saucer off and orbit it around the slot.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an airfloating saucer toy according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a sectional cutaway view of the air-floating saucer shown in Fig. 1, Figure 3 is a fragmentarily sectional view of the air nozzle of the air-floating saucer toy shown in Fig. 1, and Figure 4 shows the nozzle and saucer of the toy shown in Fig. 1 as seen from the center of radius.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the toy includes a micro motor 8 coupled to a speed reducing device 9 whose output shaft 91 is coupled to a flexible pipe 5 through a connection 10 supplied with air compressed by a pump 6 via a pipe 71, the compressed air being admitted to the pipe 5 via holes 53 therein as shown in Fig. 3. The end of the pipe 5 carries a perforated injection nozzle 51 having three apertures 52 and a lamp 54. A cable 43 connects switches 41 and 42 in a control box 4 to the micro motor 8 and pump 7 respectively, batteries being contained within a battery box 6 beneath the pump.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the airfloating saucer toy which comprises a housing 1 with a circular slot 11 therein, and a transparent cover 2 mounted thereon. One or more saucers 3 are located along the circular slot 11. When pressing the switches 41 and 42 in the control box 4 the motor 8 and air pump 7 are energised by the batteries in battery box 6. The rotating speed of the motor 8 is reduced to 0.5 rpm-1.0 rpm by means of the speed reducing device 9, which, via the shaft 91 drives the flexible pipe at a rotational speed of 0.5 rpm-1.0 rpm. Air is compressed by the air pump 7 and passed through the pipe 71 into the flexible pipe 5 through the holes 53. The air passed through the pipe 5 is sprayed outwards through the orifices 52 of the perforated injection nozzle 51.The saucer is thereby lifted off the slot and driven along the radial path of the rotating nozzle 51 to float as a flying saucer. The perforated injection nozzle 51 is slightly askew to the horizontal plane of the radial slot (as shown in Fig.

4), so that the saucer 3 may be driven upward more easily, moreover, the bottom of the saucer is provided with an opening 32.

The compressed air jetting from the orifices 52 passes through the slot and up into the opening 32, driving the saucer upward. In order to avoid sudden movement of the saucer at the beginning, several small annular holes 31 are provided in the saucer, so that some of the compressed air passes through the small holes to enable the saucer 3 to float smoothly under balancing air pressure.

As the pipe 5 rotates the nozzle 51 of the pipe 5 moves under the circular slot 11 and the compressed air is continuously jetted upward along the circular route. Thus the saucer 3 floats along the circular route of the nozzle 51, and it seems as though the saucers are flying along a certain orbit.

Materials suitable for the saucers are generally kinds of light plastic to enable the air to blow the saucers upwards.

When the switch 41 (shown in Fig. 1) is pressed to energise the electric circuits, the lamp 54 on the pipe 5 begins to emit the light. The switch 42 is provided with means to control the pump and thus the pressure of the compressed air so that the saucer may be lifted off the slot at varying heights.

In one preferred form the or each saucer 3 comprises a domed top with the holes 31 spaced around the circumference thereof, an annular flange at the base of the domed top and an open ended frusto-conical section depending downwardly from the junction be tween the domed top and the annular flange.

Claims (5)

1. A toy comprising a housing having a circular slot therein, a motor, a pipe having an air nozzle at one end thereof, speed reduction means coupling said motor to said pipe to move said nozzle along a path beneath said slot, a pump to compress air, means coupling said pump to said pipe to admit air compressed by said pump to said nozzle, one or more saucers located on said slot, and means to control the energisation of the motor and pump to control the rotational speed of the pipe and the air pressure at the nozzle to lift the saucer off and orbit it around the slot.

2. A toy according to claim 1, wherein the housing is covered with a transparent cover.

3. A toy according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the nozzle is askew to the horizontal plane of the slot.

4. A toy according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said speed reducing means includes an output shaft coupled to the other end of said pipe and wherein said pump coupling means includes a connector about said other end of said pipe which is provided with holes to allow compressed air to be admitted to said pipe.

5. A toy according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the saucer has an opening at the bottom thereof and a domed top with annular holes therein.