US1236149A - Wheeled toy. - Google Patents

Description

w. A. covENTRY.

WHEELED TOY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2B, 19H..

Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

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W. A. COVENTRY.

WHEELED TOY.

APPLICATION FILED MARJB. 1917.

Patented Aug. 7', 1917.

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WILLIAM A. COVENTRY, 0F LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR TO GREY IRON CASTING COMPANY, 0F MOUNT J' OY, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION 0F PENN- SYLVANIA.

WHEELED TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. "Z, 1917.

Application filed March 28, 1917. Serial No. 157,920.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. CovEN- TRY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l/Vheeled Toys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to toys and more particularly to a toy car of novel construction.

The principal object of the present invention is to produce a toy comprising a representation of a railway carand so constructed as to be cheap to manufacture and economical to assemble. t

A further object of the present invention is to provide a toy car of the character specified with automatic coupling devices whereby aplurality of such cars may be coupled together as a train.

A still further object of the present invention includes a novel roof structure for toy cars and the like.

Other and further objects of the present inventionwill in part be obvious and will in part be pointed out hereinafter in the specification following by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are represented by like characters throughout the several figures ofthe drawings.

VFigure l is a view showing an elevation of a car constructed in accordance with the present invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device disclosed in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 isa section taken on 3*?) of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the preferred form of roof construction.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modified form of roof construction.

Fig. 6 is a view` showing the operation of section line the coupling device as illustrated by an ele- 4 formed the complete car body including the roof. In this type of construction any slight variation between the portions forming the roof left an unsightly opening on the center llne of the car in the middle portion of the roof which is the most prominent portion of the toy when it is on the floor where such toys are usually placed. Also in the art of toy cars it has been common to provide depending portions through which truck axles, usually comprising pieces of wire, were adapted to extend with the wheels on the outside of the truck frames. This construction necessitates the threading of the axles through the bearings and the riveting of the wheels on the axles so that the wheels are on the outside of the truck frames. Also this construction necessitates more or less skilled labor in assembly of the parts. Still further the prior art shows various types of couplers particularly wire devices for forming the individual cars into trains. Such devices are not ordinarily automatic in their operation, and furthermore, the introduction of wire devices brings in an added expense in both assembly and production.

The present invention comprises more particularly the production of a toy car obviating the foregoing diiculties as specied inherent in the known prior art and also to provide a novel construction. A toy car in accordance with the present invention comprises a representation of a car wherein the body portion of the car is formed by mating a pair of similar side castings. Each side casting is identical in shape and form and all of the side castings might be made from a single mold. They are so constructed that when mated interlocking portions lit properly to position and aline the side members. These side members are suitably spaced by vestibule partitions and vestibule floors which extend inwardly to the middle of the assembled car. The roof comprises a continuous sheet of metal shaped to conform to the outline of a car roof and adapted to be secured to the portion of the sides of the car representing the sides of the upper deck of a passenger car. The truck frames are cast integral with the sides of the cars and each pair of wheels is cast integral with the axle which terminates in stub axles extending from each wheel. These stubaxles extend through the bearings in the truck the other end.

the vestibule floor is carried by each side from `side to side of the cai:

An automatic coupler is provided and con'iprises a kcast iron latch in substantially U-shaped form with the latch portion above the vestibule cai' floor and a weighted porytion below the vestibule car iiooiwith a fiat connecting portion extending through an opening one-half of which is provided in each section oit the vestibule cai floor. The

latcli portion oi" the coupler is adapted to latch into and engage a similar opening in the end of an adjacent car, whereby in order to enable the cars to be formed into trains each car carries a latch member at oneend and is pri'ivided with a coupler opening at This construction provides a neat, ,cheap and satisfactory toy car.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the side sections 1 are provided with vestibule iioors 2 wherein one-half of section, and the side sectionat one end is provided with a projection i and at the opposite vend is formed with a companion depression 5 whereby when two side sections are paired together the projection 4depressionA interlock as illustrated in Fig. 7. Each section 1 is also provided with a ifloor sill 6 which extends longitudinally of the section from the vestibule floor at one end to the vestibule )floor at the opposite end, The vestibules at each end are likewise provided with veiiftical partitions?, ones-half of such partitions being carried by each side section andthese partitions are likewise provided with proj ectiiig tongues 8 and corresponding receptacles 9 whereby these members S and 9 also interlock when the side sections are suitably paired as illustrated in Figs. i and 5. The side members 1 carry suitable truck `fraiiies 1.0 which may be provided with a plurality of bearings 11 comprising merely openings through the truck frames. Pairs of wheels 12 are preferably cast integral with an axle 1l and provided with stub axles 15 that extend outwardly from the wheels 1 2 and tliiiough the bearings 11. The side sections` 1 may be secured together by means of a through rivet 16 which when suitably positioned firmly locks the two side sections together. The roof preferably is formed of sheet metal 17 shaped `to simulate a car rooi' and may be provided with linls18 that are adapted to be extended. through the 20 of the 'upper deck of the car.

veiitilating openings 1 9 in the side members If desired the roof sheet may be positioned by bending the edges to constitute langes 21 which extend under these side members 2O as shown in Fig. 5. A

The coupler mechanism comprises a suitable cast metal latch of substantially Un shaped form wherein the latch arm 22 carrying the latch head 24 is mounted above the vestibule car floor and the weight 25 is beneath the vestibule ycar floor with a lat connecting portion. `26 integrally securing the latch arm to the weight. Preferably the metal adjacent the pivot of the latch is rounded, as at 27 and 28, to facilitate theV action oi' the coupler. Clpenings Q19, one-half of which is provided in each vestibule car floor, comprise eithel1 a suitable mount for the coupler latch or a suitable opening into which the coupler head may interlock to couple individual cars into trains (see Figs. 6 and 7). The rounded ,end .30 on the latch head and the coupler weight 25 cause the coupler latch to bev automatic in its .operation so that when two cars are suitably moved with their vestibules adjacent to cause one car to approach the other the coupler latch automatically secures the cars of a .Car body, each Side `inernbia" having horizontal vestibule floor portions. extending substantially to the middle .of .the car at the ends of the car, vertical vestibule portions at the ends of the car and extending to the middle oi the car adjacentthe upper portion of the car, iioor supports extending along the lower inner sides of the car, a. sheet metal floor adapted to be supported upon the said floor supports, and means comprising a sheet metal roof to lock the sides of the car together.

2f A toy Car formed .of sido members of identically the same shape and `each side membol1 comprising substantially one-half of the car body, truck frames integral with the said sides and vextending beneath the said sides and provided with bearing openings, truck members comprising wheels with an axle betweentlie wheels and Stub axles extending outside of the wheels and adapted to extend into and be supported within the Said bearings, and means for locking the sides together to form a complete car and retain said trucks within said truck frames.

3. As an article of manufacture, a toy car comprising in combination, a pair of sides formed of identically the same shape and adapted when reversed to'be complemental one to the other, vestibule floors formed integral with said side members and extending to the middle of said car, vestibule partitions adjacent the ends of the car and having portions extending to the middle of the car, a sheet metal roof over the upper portion of said sections and adapted to lock the upper portion of said sections together, and rivet means for locking the sides of said car together.

4l. In a toy car of the character described, a coupling mechanism comprising a toy car structure provided with an opening in the Y Gopies ot this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the end platform thereof, a coupler latch pivotally mounted within said opening, said coupler latch having an arm provided with a latch head on the end of said arm, a downwardly extending member integral with the other end of said arm, and a weight integral with said downwardly extending member, said weight being positioned toward said latch head whereby gravity acting on said weight and latch head returns said latch head to horizontal position when same is released after being displaced upwardly to enable said latch head to engage an opening in an adjacent car to couple the cars together.

5. In a toy car of the character described, an automatic coupling mechanism comprising a coupler having an arm extending above the end platform of a car, a latch head on the end of said arm and positioned outwardly beyond the end of said platform, the advancing face of said latch head being downwardly inclined, aV weighted arm extending beneath said iirst mentioned arm, and means connecting said weighted arm and the first mentioned arm to permit the latch head to be raised and dropped into an opening in an adjacent car to couple the cars together.

6. In a toy car of the character described, an automatic coupler comprising an arm normally resting on the end platform in substantially a horizontal position, a coupler latch head on the outer end of said arm and extending outwardly from said platform, the advancing face of said coupler head being suitably inclined to permit said coupler head to engage and be retained Within a suitable interlocking recess in an adjacent car, and means for enabling said arm to pivot relatively to said car platform to perfinit said coupler head to interlock as speci- WILLIAM A. COVENTRY.

Gommssioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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