US2587699A - Parachute attachment for model gliders - Google Patents

Description

March 4, 1952 w, con- 2,587,699

PARACHUTE ATTACHMENT FOR MODEL GLIDERS Filed Dec. 10, 1948 INVENTOR BY I I k ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PARACHUTE ATTACHIWENT FOR MODEL GLIDERS William J. Cotter, Washington, D. 0.

Application December 10, 1948, Serial No. 64,527

1 Claim. (01. 46-80) This invention relates to toys, and more particularly, has reference to a parachute attachment for toy glider.

Parachute attachments for gliders used as toys are not in themselves broadly new. However, so far as I am aware, all such attachments as have heretofore been devised have been such as require expensive construction, rather complicated mechanisms, and otherwise have defeated their very purposes of providing an efficient parachute attachment for a toy glider that yet will be commercially practicable.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide an attachment of the character described that will not require any modification to the glider that carries the parachute to an extent as would aifect fully efficient normal performance of the glider.

Another important object is to provide a parachute attachment as described that can be constructed at low cost, is simple in operation, and is adapted to be discharged free of the glider at a certain point in the gliders flight, without possibility of the parachute fouling in portions of the glider.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts, hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed."

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a glider equipped with a parachute attachment constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of that portion of the glider to which the parachute attachment is secured.

Fig. 3 is a, view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the glider body, showing the position of the parts after the parachute attachment has been released.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the parachute and figure suspended therefrom.

Referringto the drawings in detail, the reference numeral 5 designates the body of a glider. At this point, it should be mentioned that the glider to which the parachute attachment is secured is not in itself new, and is not claimed as part of the present invention.

The glider as mentioned embodies foldable wings 6, the wings 6 being illustrated in Fig. 1

2 a in an intermediate folded position. These wings are swivelled at 1 to the body, and are adapted to be brought to their unfolded or extended position by the contraction of rubber band 1' secured to both of the wings. In other words, the wings 6 are adapted to be folded flat against both sides of the body, so that they will present no resistance to air. Then, after the wings have been folded flat in this manner, the glider is catapulted into the air, by means of a rubber band or the like (not shown) adapted to engage in the notch 8' of the body. After the glider reaches a point at which the rubber band 1' overcomes the air resistance which has been holding the wings 6 fiattened, the rubber band 1' contracts, and the wings are snapped to the position illustrated in Fig. 3, whereupon the glider can descend in a long glide.

When the wings 6 snap to the position illustrated in Fig. 3, stop means are embodied in the glider to prevent movement past the desired extended position. This stop means embodies a yoke that includes the pins 8 pivotally mounted in the respective wings, arms 9, and cross mem-, ber l0 connecting the arms.

All the parts so far described constitute portions of the glider as presently constructed, and no claim is made to said glider or to any of said portions in and of themselves.

In accordance with the invention, I secure rigidly to the above mentioned yoke, or form integrally therewith, a finger ll. cured in any desired manner, as for example, finger II can be a length of spring wire bent around the connecting or cross member l0, and soldered so as to be rigid with the cross member. In the folded position of the wings 6, the finger I l extends upwardly and forwardly as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. However, when the wings 6 are snapped to unfolded position, the finger II will extend rearwardly, but still upwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The parachute attachment used with the glider is fashioned to include a depending figure [2, that can be formed from a piece of cardboard material or the like cut to shape to simulate an airman. The parachute is designated l3, and can be a square of thin paper or silk material.

Shrouds l4 and I5 connect the parachute to the figure 12, there being two pairs of shrouds illustrated in the present instance. These are rigid members, and can be fashioned from bamboo strips. Preferably, the figure I2 is secured to the shrouds by providing a small string l6 that extends through the figure, this being secured to the lower ends of the bamboo strips or This can be seshrouds H by means of adhesive sleeves H. Another string I8 is secured by sleeves l9 to the shrouds IS, in the same manner.

At its lower end, the figure is formed with an opening 20, which can be reinforced by a grommet or the like.

In use of the parachute attachment, when the wings 6 are folded rearwardly, the figure is positioned upon the,yoke in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1, with the foot end of the figure positioned forward, and with finger ll received in the opening 20. The shrouds l4 and I5 are extended between the folded wings 6, with theparachute 13 being disposed alongside the rudder or tail portion of the glider. Thus, when the wings 6 are fully folded, the shrouds and parachute are fully enclosed therebetween, andit has been found that they offer no resistance to air when the glider is impelled upwardly with its wings folded. Similarly, the figure l2 has been found to ofier no resistance to air, because of its flat formation and its particular arrangement relative to the gliderproper.

When the glider has reached its highest point, and has lostmomentum to an extent where the strength of the rubber band I will overcome the pressureof the air against the wings 6, the wings 6 will snap to their unfolded position. The result is that the finger II will be caused to describe, at high speed, an arc in moving from the position illustrated in Fig. 1 to the position illustrated in Fig. 3. As 'thefinger ll comes against the upper edge of the body'5, the figure [2 which has been carried rearward with the finger, is

.jarred or snapped off the finger II, and the parachute attachment is released to float free of the glider, at the same time that the glider begins its descent.

It is to be noted that the bamboo shrouds l5 are incapable of contraction in the direction of their length, and as a result, when the body of the parachute attachment swings rearwardly through the aforementioned arc with the yoke on which it is supported, the bamboo shrouds are shifted endwise thereof, so as to bodily shift the parachute I3 rearwardly jointly with shifting of the body on the yoke supporting said body, thus to cause the parachute l3 to clear the tail portion of the plane or glider concurrently with release of the parachute body from the yoke.

What is claimed is:

In an aerial toy of the type having an elongated body, wings swivelly carried by the body which fold adjacent opposite sides thereof during the launching of the toy, means carried by the body and connected to the wings for moving said wings into extended position when the pressure of the air against the Wings falls below a predetermined value, and a yoke carried by the wings and engageable with the body for arresting movement of the wings relative to the body when they have attained extended position, means for releasably holding a miniature parachute and figure on the toy and launching said parachute and figure when the wings attain extended position, said means comprising a finger carried by the yoke and movable therewith from an upwardly and forwardly extending position relative to the body of the toy to an upwardly and rearwardly extending position relative to the body of the toy, a miniature figure adapted to lie prone adjacent the body near the front end thereof, said figure having an opening extending therethrough for the reception of said finger, a miniature parachute adapted to hem folded position adjacent the rear end of the body, and rigid shrouds-connected to the parachute'and to the figure and adapted to be engaged by the folded wings, whereby when the wings move to extended position the shrouds will be released to permit opening of the parachute and the finger will move to its rearwardly inclined position to free the toy figure and permit it to float on the parachute free from the body.

. WILLIAM J. COTTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are ofv record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,218,330 Smith Mar. 6, 1917 1,795,946 Grimm Mar. 10, 1931 1,965,793 Crissey July 10, 1934 2,136,067 Witte Nov. 8, 1938 2,221,012 Walker Nov. 12, 1940 2,268,487 Jacobs Dec. 30, 1941

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