US1753127A - Electric toy - Google Patents

Description

A. L. MACKLIN April 1, 1930.

ELECTRIC TOY 2 Sheets-Sheh 1 Filed April 22, 1927 A. L. MACKLIN April 1, 1930.

ELECTRIC TOY,

2 Sheet-Sheei 2 Filed April 22, 1927 Patented Apr. 1, 1930 FFICE ATET ARE L. MACKLIN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN ELECTRIC TOY Application filed April 22, 1927.

This invention relates to an improvement in electric toys.

The object of the invention is to provide for the actuation of toy figures by means of electric current. The vibrating means for the figure or object to be moved is not only electrical but preferably operated by an electromagnet with. means actuated by each movement of the armature for automatically breaking the electric circuit through the electromagnet, to allow a return of the parts to their initial positions.

A further object of the invention is to arrange the primary actuating mechanism in a casing which is provided with an open top and to assemble the objects to be operated upon a cover which fits over the casing, so that various objects may be assembled on as many covers and one or another placed on the casing, and it will be immediately in position to be controlled by the operating mechanism and bring the latter into operative connection with the objects to be actuated.

lVith these objects in View, the invention lies in the novel arrangement of an electromagnet mounted in a casing and electrically connected with a switch which is formed by means of two resilient contact fingers mounta lever or lever-frame is returned to its initial position upon one of the contact fingers, but upon the closing of the circuit, the electromagnet acts on an armature carried by the removable cover for moving the lever-frame out of contact with the contact fingers to break the circuit.

This provides an intermittent actuation of the armature, which is operatively connected with the figure or objects to be actuated and since not only the armature but the figures as well are carried by the cover, the latter may be removed and another cover with difierent objects mounted thereon substituted for it, which provides a convenient arrangement for the operation of many different objects from the same operating mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings Serial No. 185,861.

Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of the complete electric toy;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough; V

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the casing and operating mechanism mounted therein with the cover removed;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the complete toy;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lever-. frame removed; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the armature removed.

The numeral 1 indicates the casing in which is mounted an electro-magnet 2, electrically connected at one. side by means of a wire 3 with the casing 1 and at the opposite side by means of a wire 4; to the top spring contactfinger 5 which is placed above and is similar to a bottom spring contact finger 6, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

These contact fingers 5 and 6 are insulated from each other but are securely mounted upon a frame 7 by means of a bolt 8, and the fingers extend laterally from their support substantially to the opposite side of the casing, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The bottom contact finger 6 has a conducting plate 9 extending laterally therefrom to an. insulating block 10, this plate 9 being curved as shown 9 in Fig. 2. The insulating block 10 is securely mounted in the casing 1 bymeans of suitable straps or supports 11, which engage it and hold it in its proper position. A sliding contact pin 12 is provided with a head 13 on the inner end thereof in position to engage the contact plate 9, this pin 12 being slidably mounted in the insulating block. 10 and having a binding post 13 at the outer. end thereof for connection therewith of an electric wire 1a. A corresponding electric wire 15 is connected with another binding post- 16 fixed to the casing itself and through the casing, and the wire 8 being electrically connected with the opposite side of the electro-magnet.

A lever-frame 17 is pivoted on the shaft 18 of the casing and has a cross-plate 19 connecting the ends of the side members 20 together as shown especially in Fig. 5. At the opposite ends, the members 20 are connectedto-- tween the lugs as at 27.

gether by means of a similar plate 21 and at their forward ends the side members 20 are also provided with weights 22 in order to make the front end of the lever-frame heavier than the rear end. As shown in Fig. 4, one of the side members 20 also carries a depending lug 23 of insulating material in position to engage the upper spring contact finger 5 and move it into engagement with the lower contact finger 6, in order to close the electric circuit from the wire 1 to the wire 4t and the electro-magnet. The cover for the open top casing 1 is designated by the numeral 24, and this cover is provided with downward turned lugs 25, as shown in Fig. 2, between which is mounted an armature 26 being pivoted bet its back end, the armature 26 is provided with a depending lug 28 in position to engage the plate 19 at the rear end of the lever-frame 17 for moving this frame downward whenever the armature i actuated by the electro-magnet 2, in order to break the circuit between the spring contact fingers 5 and 6.

A frame 29 is mounted upon the cover 24': and this frame has a bearing 30 mounted therein, which receives one end of the shaft 31 rotatably mounted in the frame 29, and carrying a toothed wheel 32 upon the upper end thereof. A hammer 33 is pivoted as at in the frame in position to strike the upper surface of the toothed wheel 32. The hammer is connected by means of a connecting rod 35 with one end of the armature 26.

A figure 36 is also mounted upon the cover 24 and has the arms 3'7 anc 33 thereof mounted upon a crank sha'f 39, which is connected with and operated by the armature 26 through the medium of a connecting rod -10. A pawl 41 is pivotally connected with and actuated by the arm 37, ant. this pawl is normally positioned for engaging the teeth of the toothed wheel 32 in 0rd r to rotate this wheel as the hammer 32 strikes the upper surface thereof.

The armature 26 is positioned immediately over the electro-magnet 2, so as to be actuated by said magnet as it is energized by the electric current supplied by the wires 1a and 15 from any suitablesource.

The sliding pin 12 acts as a switch and when it is retracted out of engagement of the head 13 thereof with the contact plate 9, the circuit through the electro-magnet is broken; but when the pin is pushed into the position shown in Fig. 2, an electrical connection is established from the wire 14 through the spring contact members 5 and 6, and the wire 1, through the electro-magnet 2, causing energizing of the magnet, which attracts the armature 26 and moves the arms of the figure 36 to rotate the wheel 32 and to cause the hammer 33 to strike the upper surface of said wheel 32.

The attraction of the armature 26 also moves the lug 28 into engagement with the plate 19 of the lever-frame 17, which likewise moves the rear end of this frame downward and the forward end upward with the lug 23 out of engagement with the upper springcontact linger 5, releasing this finger and allowing it to move upward out of en gagementwith the other spring contact finger 6, which breaks the circuit through the electro-magnet and likewise releases the armature 26, which is returned to its normal position by means of a weight 4-2,.carried on the forward end thereof, and this likewise releases the lever-frame 17 which causes the weights 22 to move the forward end thereof downward into its normal position,'which likewise causes the lug 23 to again engage the spring contact finger 5 to close the circuit through the fingers 5 and 6, and the electro-magnet to again actuate the armature and the fingers connected therewith.

In this way, there is a continuous making and breaking of the circuit through the armature with a corresponding continuous actuation of the armature, which operates the figures connected with it, and by reason of the novel arrangement of the armature upon the cover, which is removable from the case, various covers with different figures mounted thereon may be placed on the casing and no other connection is necessary in order to actuate the dili'erent figures carried by the different covers from the operating mechanism mounted in the casing 1. In this way, not only a novel form of electric toy is provided but one which is very simple in structure and which may therefore be manufactured at a very small expense contrary to the usual complicated electric toys which are necessarily very expensive.

A speed control lever 43 is mounted on the casing 1 by means of a spring holder 14 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The lever 43 may have an arm 4-5 at the lower end thereof which may be turned outwardly beneath the plate 19 as shown in Fig. 2 to decrease the extent of movement of the frame 17 and thereby increasing the speed of the toy. The arm 45 is adapted to be turned outwardly above the platelS) in order to hold the lug 23 out of contact with the plates 5 and 6 during shipping of the toy to prevent injury thereto.

1 claim 1. 'An electric toy including a casing having I an electro-inagnet mounted therein, spring contact members for making and breaking a circuit through the electro-mag net, a lever frame mounted in the casing for actuating said spring contact fingers to make and break the circuit, an armature in position to be actuated by the electro-magnet for actuating the lever frame, a movable object mounted upon the casing and operatively connected with said armature, an insulating block carried by the casing, a plate extending from said insulating block to the contact fingers, and a slidable switch pin mounted in the insulating block and having the head thereof in position to engage said plate, and a speed control lever associated with the lever frame.

2. A toy including a frame, a shaft mounted therein, a toothed wheel fixed on the shaft, a hammer pivoted to the frame in position to engage the surface of the toothed wheel for applying a series of blows thereto, a figure having arms connected therewith, a pawl connected with one of said arms in position to engage the teeth of the toothed wheel for rotating said wheel, and operating means associated with and for actuating the arms.

3. An electric toy including a casing, electro-magnetic actuating means mounted in said casing, a cover removably mounted on the casing, a movable figure carried by the cover, an armature carried by the cover in position to be actuated by the electro-ma-gnetic actuating means, and means positively connecting said armature with the movable figure.

4. An electric toy including a casing, an electro-magnet mounted therein, a cover removably mounted on the casing, a movable figure carried by the cover, an armature pivotally carried by the cover, means positively connecting said armature with the figure, said armature being so disposed on the, cover to be in operative relation with the electromagnet when the cover is in position on the casing.

5. A toy including a frame, a shaft mounted therein,a toothed Wheel fixed on the shaft, a figure having arms connected therewith, at least one of said arms being so disposed as to engage and rotate the toothed wheel, and actuating means for the arms of the figure.

6. A toy including a frame, a shaft mounted therein, a Wheel fixed on the shaft, rotating means for the wheel, a hammer pivoted to the frame in position to apply a series of blows to the Wheel, and means positively connected with said hammer independently of said shaft for actuating said hammer.

7. An electric toy including a casing, electro-magnetic actuating means mounted therein, a cover removably mounted on the casing, a figure carried by the cover and having at least a part thereof movably mounted, an armature pivoted to the cover for movement relative thereto, said armature being disposed in operative relation to the electromagnetic actuating means when the cover is on the casing, and means independent of the cover for transmitting the movement of the armature to the movable part of the figure.

8. An electric toy including a casing, electro-magnetic actuating means mounted therein, an immovable cover fixed on said casing, a movable figure carried by the cover, an armature pivotally mounted in the casing for movement independent of the cover, and

being disposed in operative relation to the electro-magnetic actuating means, and means positively connecting the armature with the movable figure independently of the cover.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ARE L.'M.A.CKLIN.

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