GB2151495A

GB2151495A - Toy vehicle sound-generating means

Info

Publication number: GB2151495A
Application number: GB08431602A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Allan Graham
Original assignee: Britains Ltd
Current assignee: Britains Ltd
Priority date: 1983-12-16
Filing date: 1984-12-14
Publication date: 1985-07-24
Also published as: GB8333552D0; GB8431602D0

Abstract

A toy vehicle (1) has a wheel (5), which is rotated on movement of the toy vehicle on the ground, a first sound-generating means (13) movable on rotation of the wheel (5) and second sound-generating means (10). One of the sound- generating means (e.g. 10) is movable between an operative position, in which it cooperates with the other sound generating means (e.g. 13), on rotation of the wheel (5), to generate sound and an inoperative position, in which no sound is generated on rotation of the wheel (5). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A toy vehicle This invention relates to a toy vehicle having a wheel which is rotated on movement of the vehicle on the ground. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a nonpowered, manually pushable wheeled toy vehicle, e.g. a tractor, in which the wheel constitutes one of the ground-engaging wheels of the toy vehicle.

According to the invention a toy vehicle comprises a wheel which is rotated on movement of the toy vehicle on the ground, first sound-generating means movable on rotation of said wheel and second sound-generating means, one of said first and second soundgenerating means being movable between an operative first position in which it mechanically cooperates with the other of said soundgenerating means, on rotation of said wheel, to generate sound and an inoperative second position in which it does not mechanically cooperate with the other of said sound-generating means on rotation of said wheel.

Typically the first sound-generating means comprises rotor means, e.g. in the form of a cog wheel, and the second sound-generating means comprises a resilient finger-like member, e.g. of plastics material or spring metal, adapted to coact with the periphery of the rotor means (e.g. teeth of the cog wheel) on rotation of the latter. Conveniently the second sound-generating means is pivoted for movement between said first and second positions.

In this case, the second sound-generating means preferably also includes a manually actuable lever portion for pivoting the soundgenerating means between said first and second positions, the said lever portion extending on one side of the pivot and the finger-like member extending on the other side of the pivot. Stop means are conveniently provided for resisting movement of the second soundgenerating means other than between said first and second positions. The stop means may suitably comprise a fixed first stop and second and third spaced apart stops formed on the pivotable second sound-generating means.

Preferably the rotor means is mounted coaxially with the longitudinal axis of an axle carrying the wheel and is fixed relative to the wheel. In the case where the whee) is rotatable on the axle (as opposed to being fixed on the axle), the rotor means is typically in the form of a toothed sleeve fixed to the wheel and surrounding a portion of the axle.

Conveniently the toy vehicle is a wheeled vehicle (e.g. a four-wheel tractor), the said wheel constituting one of the ground-engaging wheels of the vehicle. Alternatively, however, the said wheel may be rotated directly by, or indirectly from, a ground-engaging wheel or, in the case of a tracked toy vehicle, the said wheel may comprise a wheel for an endless ground-engaging track.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, the sole figure of which shows a schematic view of part of a toy vehicle according to the invention.

In the figure there is shown part of the rear end of a toy tractor 1 having a main body part 2 carrying a turnable axle 3 and a driver's cab part 4. A pair of ground-engaging rear wheels 5 (only one of which can be seen in the figure) are rotatably mounted on opposite end portions of the axle 3.

The main body part 2 carries a stud 6 acting as a fixed first stop and a pivot pin 7 for pivotally mounting a pivotable member 8 on the body part 2. The member 8 is moulded from a plastics material and has a manually actuable lever portion 9, a resilient, finger-like end portion 10 and is formed with a curved portion 11 defining a second stop and a projection 1 2 defining a third stop.

Fixed to a hub of one of the wheels 5, so as to be rotatable therewith, is a cog wheel 1 3.

The cog wheel 1 3 and the pivotable member 8 are dimensioned and arranged so that when the pivotable member 8 is in an operative first position (as shown in full lines in the figure) with the stud 6 positioned against the curved portion 11, the finger-like end portion 10 is positioned so as to be contacted, and resiliently moved, by the teeth of the cog wheel 13, when the latter is rotated, thereby generating a "clicking" noise somewhat similar to the noise of a real tractor engine.On pivoting the member 8 into an inoperative second position (as shown in dotted lines in the figure) with the projection 1 2 abutting against the stud 6, the finger-like end portion 10 is moved out of a position in which it can be contacted by the teeth of the cog wheel 1 3 on rotation of the latter and thus no sound is generated when the toy vehicle 1 is pushed along the ground. Thus, the generation of a clicking sound is controlled by pivoting the member 8, by manual actuation of the lever portion 9, into the first or second position. By altering the shape of the cog wheel teeth, the separation between the teeth and/or the diameter of the cog wheel 13, the noise generated can be modified.

The toy vehicle described herein may be modified in many ways within the scope of the present invention. For instance the wheel 5 could, instead of being a ground-engaging wheel, be a wheel for carrying an endless track of a tracked vehicle. Furthermore the cog wheel 1 3 need not necessarily be mounted on the axle carrying the groundengaging wheels. Instead the cog wheel 1 3 could be driven by gear wheels from the ground-engaging wheel or axle thereof.

Although in the preferred embodiment the member 8 is pivotable, it would, in other embodiments, be possible to have a fixed resilient finger-like portion (e.g. of plastics material or spring metal) and a rotatable cog wheel axially movable on an axle between operative and inoperative positions. In this latter case the drive wheels 5 would, for example, be fixed to the axle and the cog wheel, although rotatable with the axle, could be slidable along the latter under the control, for example, of a manually actuable lever.

Claims

1. A toy vehicle comprises a wheel which is rotated on movement of the toy vehicle on the ground, first sound-generating means movable on rotation of said wheel and second soundgenerating means, one of said first and second sound-generating means being movable between an operative first position in which it mechanically cooperates with the other of said sound-generating means, on rotation of said wheel, to generate sound and an inoperative second position in which it does not mechanically cooperate with the other of said soundgenerating means on rotation of said wheel.

2. A toy vehicle according to claim 1, in which the first sound-generating means comprises rotor means and the second soundgenerating means comprises a resilient fingerlike member adapted to coact with the periphery of the rotor means on rotation of the latter.

3. A toy vehicle according to claim 2, in which the rotor means comprises a cogwheel having teeth which coact with the finger-like member on rotation of the cogwheel.

4. A toy vehicle according to claim 2 or 3, in which the resilient finger-like member is made of plastics material.

5. A toy vehicle according to claim 2 or 3, in which the resilient finger-like member is made of spring metal.

6. A toy vehicle according to any of claims 2 to 5, in which the second sound-generating means is pivoted for movement about a pivot axis between said first and second positions.

7. A toy vehicle according to claim 6, in which the second sound-generating means includes a manually actuable lever portion for pivoting the sound-generating means between said first and second positions, the said lever portion extending on one side of the pivot axis and the finger-like member extending on the other side of the pivot axis.

8. A toy vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, including stop means for resisting movement of the second sound-generating means other than between said first and second positions.

9. A toy vehicle according to claim 8 when dependent on claim 6 or 7, in which the stop means comprise a fixed first stop and second and third spaced apart stops formed on the pivotable second sound-generating means.

1 0. A toy vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, in which the rotor means is mounted coaxially with the longitudinal axis of an axle carrying the said wheel and is fixed relative to the said wheel.

11. A toy vehicle according to claim 10, in which the said wheel is rotatable on the axle.

1 2. A toy vehicle according to claim 11, in which the rotor means is in the form of a toothed sleeve fixed to the said wheel and surrounding a portion of the axle.

1 3. A toy vehicle according to any of the preceding claims including ground-engaging wheels, the said first-mentioned wheel constituting one of the ground-engaging wheels of the vehicle.

14. A toy vehicle according to any of claims 1 to 12, including ground-engaging wheels, the said first-mentioned wheel being rotatable directly by, or indirectly from, one of said ground-engaging wheels.

1 5. A toy vehicle according to any of claims 1 to 1 2 having endless ground-engaging tracks, the said wheel comprising a wheel around which one of the ground-engaging tracks passes.

1 6. A toy vehicle having sound-generating means constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawing.