US1570849A - Toy vehicle - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 26 1926.

R. H. MA'NLEY TOY VEHICLE Filed July 5.' 1925 I un I INVENTOR AUORNEYS Patented Jan. 26,1926. e

RAYMQND H. MANLEY, OF COTTONWOOD, ARIZONA.

v TOY VEHICLE.

Appiicatmn ined July 5,

To @ZZ Iwhom t majoor/cern.'

LnY, a citizen of the United'V States, and resi-k'y dent. of Cottonwood, in the county of Yavapai and VState of Arizona, have V.invented certain new and useful Iiiiproveinen'ts in Toy Vehicles, of which the following is a specification. A, 'e

My invention relates to improvements ,in

toy vehicles ofthe class comprising vehicles: which -are adapted to be straddledbychildren and to be propelled by bodyginovements of the riders, and itl consists in the combinations, constructions`- andy arrangements herein describedand claimed. z i

A11 object of the invention is to,A va l vehicle of the' character described ,whichisl constructed in such manner, that ay forward and.I backward rocking inovenfientl of the bodyof achild seated thereon'will cause,l

locomotion of ther vehicle. i'

A further object ofthe invention is to pro-4 vide a wheellessjvehicle which issupported upon rockeriinits 'which fare adapted'tofbe actuated. `successivelyl upon '-'forwardand backward rocking movementY of the body'v of a child seated onthe vehicle to cause locomotion of the surface.

A further object of the invention is to `prov vide a vehicle of the character'described which is' relatVely'sim'ple in construction, strong and durable, easyl of operation.V andv thoroughly practical commercially.

Other objects and advantages will be ap- `l parent from the following Vdescriptio'mcon`V sidered yin yconjunction with `the yaccompanying drawings, in which-H Figure 1.is,aside elevation,.ofafvehicle embodyingi the invention, showing theV for-l ward end portionoffthebody ofthe vehicle in relativelyraised position. f

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure; 1,]

sho-wing the rearward end portion of the body ofthe vehicle in relativelyraisedpo-V,

sition, and

Figure 3 is al top plan viewA of .the ve-k hicle.. I'

A vehicle embodying,.the/invention the thefseat 2 and extending longitudinally of .l

the latter, and a member 4 which is upstandvehicle along a supporting 1923, seria1nae4a,eoe. 4

` v ing from the ldat the forward end` of Be it known that" LRAYMOND H. MAN- j the latter and which carries a pair 4of laterallyf'extending handles 5.The barsB are i Vsecured to the' under side'o'f the seat2 to ,extend in parallelrelation to each otherl and along thek under side ofthe seat 2 adjacent to the oppositeside or longitudinal jedges extend'beyond the forward 'end of tions Vof the'bars'S andy is secured to :the

tending end Yportions of a single rodorlk barwhich is supported intermediateits lengthin an openingithrough the upperpart ofthe upstanding member lk and extends equi-di1sff v tant beyond the opposite 4sides of the latter. l -Tlierseat 2and .thebars 3 maybe `fashioned f lto have the general sliapeofftlie fbodyrof; ananimal, suoli as a horse, and the upst'and-Y ing.l member 4 maybe fashionedlto lhave fthe shapek of the` neck portion and headbffth'e animal,'thelikeness being accentuated by the use'of paint on the upstanding portion 4 in the manner indicated at,9, ifdesired.

of the latter, best seeii'in Figure-3. lThe bars 3 Y'therseat 2 and at points adjacent to their `for-rv ward extremities support a pair of laterally l extending' foot rests 6 ywhich niay'bethe ex- "tending'end portions of a singlebar or rod', such as that indicated at 7, which extends` through openings vin the forward end [porr- The body' 1 jis'wsupported uadjacent to: its,"

`forward,endupon a rockenunit 10 and adjacentto its rearward y,endmupon `a rocker 4 v unit 11. 'The 'rocker unit 10 comprises a? pair of similar rockers 10a heldin yspaced:n

parallel relation in respect to each other by .l a connecting lblock '10b' and provided with Ya pair of'axially aligne'dtrunnions 10c which extend'fronifopposite sides of the rockers 10a. in eccentricrelation to the latter, the

:axis ofthe trunnions 10"; intersecting the rocker unit 10 'along a line located nearer vto the forward end 'of the rocker unit .and nearerto the upper side of the rocker unit of therocker unit 10, or in 'other words relain the bars l3, the axis ofthe openings' 12 10o than to the rearward end and the'lowerside ulying-ina vertical plane passing rearwardly merged one into the other along a curved line and lie in planes extending substantially at right angles to each other.

The rear rocker unit 11 comprises a pair of similar' rockers 11a held in spaced parallel relation in respect to each other and connected by a block 111, the rocker unit 11 being provided with a pair of trunnions 13 extending laterally of the remote faces of the rockers 11a. The axis of the trunnions 13 intersects the rocker unit 11 along a line relatively adjacent to the front upper corner of the rocker unit 11. The trunnions 13 are journaled in horizontally aligned openings 14 in the rearward end portions of the bars 3. The lower face of eac-h of the rockers 11a is indicated at 11c and is relatively long, being convexly curved as shown and being merged along a curved line into the front face 11d of the rocker. l

A spring 15 which is secured adjacent to its rearward end to the under side of the seat 2 curves downwardly and forwardly toward its front end and engages at its front end with the upper side of the connecting block 10b rearwardly of the vertical plane in which the axis of the trunnions 10c is located, thus tending to swing the rocker unit 10 a clockwise direction about the axis of the trunnions 10C to the position illustrated in Figure 1, whereby the body 1 will be raised at its forward end. A spring 16 which is secured at or adjacent to its rearward end to the under side of the seat 2 curves downwardly and forwardly toward its forward end and engages at its forward end with the upper side of the block 11b rearwardly of the vertical plane in which the axis of the trunnions 13 lies and tends to swing the rocker unit 11 in a clockwise direction about the axis of the trunnions 13 to the position illustrated in Figure 2, whereby the rearward end portion of the body 1 will be raised in respect to a supporting sur-- face, such as that indicated at 17, as shown in Figure 2.

From the foregoing description of the v rious parts of the device, the operation there of may be readily understood. The weight of the body of a child who is seated upon the body 1 will hold the body 1 substantially in horizontal position so long as the body of the child is erect. In order to propel the vehicle, the child places his feet upon the foot rests 6, grasps the handles 5 and then alternately bends the body forward and. backward, pushing with his feet against the foot rests 6 and with his hands against the handles 5 during the forward movement of his body and pulling on the handles 5 during the rearward movement of his body. During the forward movement of the body of the child, the pressure occasioned by his weight on the body 1 will be removed from the rocker unit 11 to an extent sufficient to permit the spring` 16 to act to swing the rocker unit 11 to the position shown in Figure 2. lVhen the weight of the body of the child is imposed upon the rocker unit 11, as when the body of the child has been swung backward, the action of the spring 15 will swing the rocker unit 1() to the position shown in Figure 1 and the rocker unit 11 will roll forward to a position in which the radial distance from the axis of the trunnions 13 to the supporting surface is relatively short, thus occasioning a movement of thev body 1 over the supporting surface in the general direction of the length of the body 1 and in a manner simulating the novement of an animal which walks on four egs.

It thusV will be apparent that the radial distance from the axis of the trunnion of the rocker unit 10 to the supporting surface will be relatively short when the radial distance from the' trunnions of the rocker unit 11 is relatively long, and vice versa. Therefore, rocking of the body of a child who is seated upon the body 1 forward and backward will cause locomotion of the vehicle. This movement of the vehicle can be effected with but relatively little fatigue tothe child and the movement of the vehicle in a forward direction can be guided by varying 95 the pressure against the respective foot rests 6, as required. rlhe swinging movements of the rocker units 10 and 11 in response to the actuation thereof by the springs 15 and 16 will be limited by the engagement of the 100 rocker units with the under side of the seat 2. The vehicle comprises no, parts which move relatively in such manner as to be likely to pinch or injure any portion of the body of the child who is seated thereon. 105 The outer side faces of the rockers 10a and 11EL may be painted to depict the legs and feet of the animal of which the upstanding portion represents the neck and head portion.

Obviously, my invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawings and I' therefore consider as my own all modifications and adaptations of the form of the de- 115 vice herein disclosed which fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. A toy vehicle comprising an elongated 120 seat, a pair of eccentrics rockingly supporting` the seat upon a supporting surface at points `adjacent to the opposite ends of the latter and in advance of and above the level of the transverse central lines of the eccen- 125 tries, handle members supported upon the seat above the forward end of the latter. foot rest members supported in advance of the forward end of the seat, and spring means arranged between said eccentrics and 130 the seat and acting continuously to urge said eccentrics toward such positions in respect to the seat that the radial line from the axis about which each eccentric rocks to the supporting surface will be relatively long.

2. A'toy vehicle comprising a seat, a pair of spaced apart parallel bars secured to the under side of the seatand extending beyond the forward end of the latter, a pair of laterally extending foot rests carried by said bars .adjacent to the forward ends thereof, an upstanding handle carrying member on the forward end portion of said seat, a pair of rocker units swingingly attached to said bars for supporting said seat at points adjacent to the forward and rear .ends of the latter, each of said rocker units being attached to said bars to turn about an axis intersecting the upper forward portion of each rocker unit, and spring means carried by the seat and re-acting against the upper sides of the rocker units rearwardly of their axes ofrevolution to urge the rearward end portions of the rocker units downwardly.

3. A toy vehicle comprising a pair of rocker units, an` elongated body swingingly supported upon the rocker units, one of said rocker units being disposed beneath one end portion of said body and the other yrocker unit being disposed beneath the opposite end portion of said body, each of said rocker units comprising an eccentric adapted to rock about an axis intersecting the respective eccentric in advance of and above the level of'its transverse central line andex- .tending at right angles to the direction of length of said body, said rocker units being` of said rocker units rest upon .a substanf tially flat surface and when so actuated repeatedly to propel the body forward.

RAYMOND H. MANLEY.

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