US1732799A - Construction toy - Google Patents

Description

Get. 22, 1929. I c, GILBERT 1,732,799

CONSTRUCTION TOY Filed July 20, 1927 Patented Oct. 22, 1929 UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE ALFRED C. GILBERT, OF HAMIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS.

TO THE A. C. GILBERT COMPANY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND CONSTRUCTION TOY Application filed July 20,

This invention relates to construction toys, and more particularly to a plurality of construction elements adapted to be connected together to make a small wheel toy, such as a car truck for example, and including a truck frame or trunnion member adapted to connect the wheel axles to the body of the toy.

Toys of this character are featured by havlo ing their parts capable of being readily assembled and detached, so that a variety of different models and toys may be made from a set of such elements, and also by the fact that the models when made, simulate actual working devices so that the toy becomes an instrument of instruction as well as an enjoyable plaything. It will, of course, be obvious that the toy sets may be more economically made the fewer the number of diilerent parts which must be supplied with each one, that is, the more models that can be made from parts of the same character the cheaper the price of the set. It is then a considerable advantage to have various parts intel-changeable and adapted for use in various relations and positions, for even if a greater number or more duplication of such parts is required, it will still be more economical than to supply the same number of different elements.

One object of this invention is the provision of new and improved means for securing the body of toys to the wheel structures or trucks.

Another object of this invention is to provide toy elements suchthat the same elements may be used to form a two wheel truck or a four wheel truck.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a truck member which may be secured to a toy body in different positions, so as to attach to the toy a greater number of wheels when secured in one position than when secured in another position.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a con- 1927. Serial No. 207,139.

struction toy, embodying my invention, the toy shown being supplied with what is termed a two wheel truck;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, showing the manner of securing the truck member or trunnion piece to the body of the 3 is a side elevational view similar to F ig. 1, but showing a toy supplied with four wheel trucks;

Fig. 4t. is a fragmentary sectional view of the toy shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the truck or trunnion member.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown a wheel toy in the form of a flat car or wagon truclr. The body of the toy consists of a flat rectangular plate 10, having side flanges 11. These flanges may be formed integrally with the plate 10, or as shown on the drawing, they may be formed by connecting to the plate 10, strips of angle cross section by means of the bolts 12 and 13. The flanges 11 project substantially at right angles to the surface of the plate 10, and secured thereto are truck or trunnion members 14. In general, four of these members will be secured to each toy, two on each side, one of these being adjacent the front end of thetoy and the other adj acent the rear end.

As shown in Fig. 5, the trunnion members 14; are provided with converging lateral edges 15 and 16, so that the element is considerably wider at one end 17 than at the other end 18. A pair of perforations 19 and 20 are provided adjacent the edges at the wider end, while a single perforation 21 of similar size" is provided adjacent the smaller end. Directly below the opening 21, is provided an opening of larger size 22, the use of which will presently appear. Adjacent each of the openings 19, 20 and 21, the member 14 is provided with a pair of projecting lugs 23, the lugs near the opening 21 being provided upon a pedestal portion 24- above the converging edges 15 and 16. This pedestal member 2 1 is connected to the base strip 25 by a stud 26, in which the opening 22 is partially formed.

and 20 of the truck pieces, and corresponding openings 29 of the flange members. It may be noted that these flange members are also provided with large openings, 30 corresponding in size with the opening 22 in the truck member and alternating with the smaller openings 29. These openings are equally spaced from center to center along the flange member, and the center distance is so calcu lated that alternate openings of either size will register with the openings 19 and 20.

In this instance, as described, the wider end of the trunnion piece is adjacent the body plate 10, as shown in Fig. 2, the narrower end 18 projecting downwardly so that the opening 22- lies below the lower edge of the flanges 11 to receive the axles 2.8. The ears 23 abut the lower side of they body of the toy, so that the trunnion member will be held firmly in position. If it is desired to use a smaller axle member and smallerwheels, such a member may be passed through the opening 21 and thus, when my improved truck member is employed, a two wheel truck having either large or small wheels may be constructed.

In Figs 3 and 1 of the drawing, I have shown a toy having four wheel trucks connected thereto. In this instance, they are on each side of the toy body, two front wheels and two rearwheels. In this construction the smaller end 18 of the truck member 14 is secured to the flange 11, as shown more especially in Fig. i, with the cars 23 adjacent that end of the member abutting the lower side of the toy body, to hold the truck member firmly in position and a bolt being passed through one of the small openings, 29 of the flange 11 and the. opening 21 of the truck member. Axles 32 and 33 are passed through the openings 19 and 20 and wheels 34 and 35 are mounted on the projecting ends of the axles.

It will be obvious that by merely reversing the truck piece and connecting the opposite end to the toy body, the number of wheels carried by the truck piece may be increased so that I may, with the same elements, build either a two or a four wheel truck. It will also be obvious that as the truck member 14 comprises a single flat relatively thin piece of material lying all in one plane, it may be very economically constructed and at the same time may be firmly secured tothe other parts of the toy with which it is, adapted to be used.

While I have shown and described some preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A truck member for construction toys, comprising a relatively broad base portion, converging lateral portions connected thereto at one end, a pedestal portion narrower than the base portions at the other end of said lateral portions, :1 perforation in the pedestal portion and adjacent each end of the base portions, and projecting lugs tlormed adjacent the perforations.

2. A truck member for construction toys, comprising a relatively broad base portion, converging lateral portions connected thereto at one end, a pedestal portion narrower than the base portions at the other end of said lateral portions, a perforation in the pedestal portion and adjacent each end of the base portions, and projecting lugs formed adjacent the perforations, and all parts of said member lying in the same plane.

3. An element for use in constructing toys or nodels, said element con'iprising a flat plane member having a relatively wide base and a relatively narrow opposite edge, there being a plura ity of perforations in said element in which other elements of a toy structure may be received, certain of said perforations being adjacent the wide base and at least one of said perforations being adjacent the narrow edge, and means adjacent the openings in said base and adjacent the opening in said narrow edge adapted to engage other elements of the toy structure to secure said member against movement about elements received in said openings, said means comprising spaced lugs, two for each of said openings.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of July, 1927.

, ALFRED C. GILBERT.

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