US2688492A - Traveling toy rocking horse - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 7, 1954 M. D. JAcoBs 2,688,492

TRAVELING TOY ROCKING HORSE Eiled Aug. 2 4, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l *v0* Javea INVENToR.

A M WW l) afa/wel,

Sept. 7, 1954 M. D. JACOBS TRAVELING TOY ROCKING HORSE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 24, 1951 Y@ a @N Ems M, 413@ 6 T NN m W 4.. v N hwg 1 4f :k M

\ Y w M A nn B Sept. 7, 1954 M. D. JAcoBs 2,688,492

TRAVELING Toy RocKING HORSE Filed Aug. 24. 1951 s sheets-sheet s MA umcf JA cas,

IN V EN TOR.

BY: Wm

Patented Sept. 7, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to rocking devices, particularly advancing or travelling toy rocking horses, and has for its main object to provide a device of this character, which will have novel improved construction, and more efficient operation than is the case with similar devices proposed heretofore.

The present invention is an improvement on the travelling rocking horse for which Letters Patent of the United States have been issued to me on December 6, 1949; No. 2,490,059.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the type mentioned which may advance on shorter rearward and forward rocking than was the case with the earlier similar devlces.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a travelling or advancing rocking device, particularly a rocking horse, in which rear and front runners are provided with relative motion between them for causing the device to advance or travel and in whichthe front ends of the both, the rear and front runners will have identical bottom curvatures or rocking surfaces continued in different but tangentially meeting curvatures rearwardly whereby the transition of the rocking of the device from one runner to the other will be smooth and without shocks.

A further object of my invention is to provide identical registering rocking surfaces for the fronts of the front and rear runners whereby in the foremost rocking of the device, the rear runner will be adapted to carry the weight thereof and relieve the means connecting the two runners from the strain of such weight in such a position as is the case with the device of my said patent.

Still another object of this invention is to provide improved novel means to prevent a relative motion of the front and rear runners at the one side of the device while permitting relative motion at the other side, whereby the device upon rocking will also be caused to turn in the direction of its locked side.

Still further objects of my invention will be apparent as the specification of the same proceeds or will be pointed out therein.

In the drawings forming a part of this specilcation and accompanyingthe same:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a rocking horse built according to my invention, a portion of the same being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, the section being ,ner 24.

taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and parts of the device having been removed;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional details of the left hand rocker device, the sections being taken on the respective lines in Fig. 1 and parts being removed;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic sectional view of one of the rockers of my device showing the relative position of the front and rear runners of which each rocker is composed, at slow forward rocklng;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic fragmentary view indicating the position of the fronts of the runners when the device is in full forwardly rocked position and rests on the front part of the rear runner;

Fig. 10 is a similar view for rearward rocking after a quick release of the front runner. Dotted lines indicate position of front runner before release showing clearance between its rear portion and the floor.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail by characters of reference, the numeral 20 indicates my device, in general, being mainly composed of a right hand rocker, generally indicated by the numeral 2l, a left hand rocker, generally indicated by the numeral 22, and the toy horse, generally indicated by the numeral 23. The two rockers are of identical construction, wherefore the description of one of them will suice, and I now proceed to describe the construction of the left hand rocker 22.

The said rocker is composed of a rear runner, generally indicated by the numeral 24, and a front runner 25.

The rear runner 24 is a plate-like elongated member having a curved bottom 26 and a top 21, in the embodiment being shown as of the same curvature as the bottom. It also has right hand and left hand sides 23 and 29. In the embodiment shown the rear runner 24 is provided with a central slot 30 terminating considerably in front of its rear end 3|, as indicated at 32. The rear end of said rear runner 24 is terminated with an upper inclined plane 33, and the front end thereof is also terminated in a similar inclined manner, as at 36. However, the space or slot 30 therein is continued through to the front end, the same being open there and forming a fork like termination, generally indicated Y by the numeral 31, for the front end of the run- Except for said open end 31, the -top of the rear runner is closed, as indicated at 38.

In the space or slot 30 of the rear runner is arranged the mentioned front runner, generally indicated by the numeral 25. This front runner is in the form of a plate 59 which is shorter and somewhat lower than the space 3B in the rear runner. It has an angular front formed by the sides 4B and 4I, a curved top 42, a curved rear end 43, and a bottom 44, which is of the same curvature as the bottom 26 of the front of the rear runner 2li. The two bottoms 25 and 44 of the rear and front runners are registering only through a part of their extent, as will be eX- plained hereinafter. The rear runner 24 also is provided with a reduced or cut away portion 45 in the front part of its bottom 26.

Front and rear curved through-going slots 45 and 4l are arranged in the front runners, and pins 48 and 49 are secured in the rear runners carrying rollers 50 and 5I in the respective slots 46 and 4l whereby the front and rear runners may have a relative motion to one another through said rollers travelling in said slots, as will be obvious.

A resilient cord or band 52 is secured, at its rear end 53 on the front runner, and at its front end 55 on the rear runner, whereby the two runners are connected with said yielding but resilient member 52.

The resilient band 52 in the normal condition is short, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 10, whereby, normally, the front runner 25 is pulled forwardly with reference to the rear runner 24.

In the embodiment shown, the upper structure of my rocking device is in the form of a toy rocking horse 23, as has been mentioned, and to support the same, front and rear cross members 55 and 55 are secured to the respective rockers 2l and 22, thereby forming a rigid structure of these parts. The toy horse 23 will have a body proper and seat, or saddle, member 51, a head 58 and front and rear legs 59 and 60.

As will be seen, the toy horse 23 rests by its legs on the respective cross members 55 and 55.

Grips 5l project from the head 53 whereby the child using the seat 51 may have a grip on the head. The head 58 is secured on and is rotatable with shaft E2, the construction and purpose of which will be more fully explained hereinafter.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the device is shown in its position as it is rocking forwardly, after its rearward rocking, and is arriving to a phase of the forward rocking when the support thereof is changing from the rear runners to the front runners.

The operation of my present rocking device is similar to the one described in my said patent for a travelling rocking horse.

When the user is rocking the device slowly forwardly as shown in Fig. 8 (arrow 24a), the same will entirely rest for the latter part of said movement on the forward runners, as indicated at 53, since the cut out portions 45 of the rear runners 24 will prevent a friotional engagement of the rear runners, at the said phase of the forward rocking of the device, with the ground or oor G4. In such a forward rocking the device will frictionally rest on the front runners 25 and will x the same in this position, on the floor, while the rear runners 24 will slide forwardly with reference to the front runners, under the weight of the upper structure 23 and the person occupying the same, as indicated by the arrow 55. During such a motion, the rear runner will advance forwardly with reference to the front runner and the resilient band 52 between the two runners will be stretched as shown in Fig. 8.

Upon still further forward rocking the bottom surface 26 of the rear runner will engage the door and for a short while the front runner will be released and the band 52 will pull it somewhat forwardly, while at the unal phase of the forward rocking both runners will grip the oor, as indicated in the fragmentary section of Fig. 9. The former position of the front ruimer is indicated in dotted lines.

It is to be noted that from a point 65, about at the end of the cut out part or recess 45, the rear portion of the bottom 25 of the rear runner will have a somewhat larger diameter for its curvature 55a than is the diameter for the front part thereof, which as has been mentioned is the curvature of the bottom of the front runner all of its length. The larger curvature 65a of the rear portion of the rear runner of course will be a tangential continuation of the smaller curvature of the front thereof, so that the rear runner may continue either forward or rearward rocking over this point, switching from one curve to the-other very smoothly without any shock.

Now, after the most forward position, as indicated in Fig. 9, the rear runner starts to rock in a reverse direction, rearwardly, as indicated by the arrows 24h in Figs. 9 and 10.

For a period of time both runners 24 and 25 will engage the floor 54 and their relative position will not change. However, when the rear runner arrives to the point 55 it will continue to run on the larger rear curve 65a and the front runner will be released, having a smaller curvature, as indicated at 26a.

The resilient band 52 now very quickly will pull the front runner into its foremost position.

Such a phase of the rearward rocking of the device is illustrated in Fig. l0.

The device continues its rearward rocking on the rear runner 24 and then will again rock forwardly until it arrives to the position of Fig. 8 when for a time it again will rest on the front runner 25 and the rear runner again will slide forwardly, as has been described hereinbefore.

It will be seen that upon a rearward rocking the front runner will advance, and upon a forward rocking the rear runner will slide forwardly, and myl rocking horse, aside of rocking back and forth, will also travel as has been described in my said patent.

However, on account of the rear portion of the front runner having smaller curvature than the rear part of the rear runner, the release of the front runners will be quicker and earlier than was the case with the device of said patent and a full measure of advance will be assured in any rocking of the present invention.

A rubber limiting member 68 is secured across the front end of the space 30 in the rear runner and the front runner will strike it when arriving to its foremost position (Fig. 10).

The present device will be adapted to perform a certain amount of forward or advancing movement or travel even with less forward and rearward rocking as was the case with the device of my said patent, and also on a quick rocking, as will be obvious.

Another great improvement of the present device over the rocking horse of my said patent lies in the fact that the front portion of both, the rear and front runners, will have the same regirtering bottom curvatures or rocking surfaces, whereby in the extreme forward rocking of the device, the rear ruimer will be locked and the weight of the device will rest thereon and on the ground, instead of on the pins and rollers in the slots 46 and 41, as is the case with the device of said patent.

This arrangement, obviously, will relieve the pins and rollers of the weight at such phases of the operation of the device and will insure a smoother operation and longer life for my rocking device.

Finally, at the foremost rocking of thedevice the bottom Icurvatures or rocking surfaces of the front and rear runners will be the same and will register and the device will then change from one runner to the other very smoothly. This action will be similar on the rearward rocking when changing the weight of the device fromv the front runners to the rear runners whereby the rocking of the device in both directions and the changing from one runner to the other will be effected without any shocks and in the very simple smooth continuous manner as against the shocks produced in the device of said patent.

As has been mentioned, the head 5B of the horse 23 will be separated from the body 51 thereof and will be secured on a shaft 62 rotatable in said body. The lower end of the shaft is bent forwardly, as indicated at 1| (Figs. 1 and 3) and will engage a ring 12 which is secured on a transversely slidable bar 13, as by the screw 14. Bar 13 is'slidable in an appropriate slot 15 in the forward cross member 55.

The rear runner 24 of the right hand rocker member 2| will have an aperture 16 provided in its inner leg 29 and a similar aperture 11 will be provided in the inner leg '29 of the rear runner 24 of the left hand rocker member 22. Upon a right hand turning of the head 58, and with it the shaft B2, the sliding bar 13 will be pushed through the left hand aperture 11 until it will strike the respective front runner Z5 whereby the left hand front and rear runners will be prevented from a relative slidingmotion against one another and that side of the device will act like an ordinary rocking device with a fixed rocker while the `other side will remain advancing and therefore the device will turn to the right. Similarly, if the head of the horse will be turned in a left hand direction, the whole device will turn in the same manner, therefore the rocking horse will be caused to turn right or left as the horses head is turned in the respective directions, and this result will be attained with the very simple construction of the shaft 62, ring 12 and sliding bar 13 as described.

On account of the said quick release of they front runners, their advance will be quicker than was the ycase with the device of said patent and the rocking horse of the present construction will turn quicker and with larger amounts.

Having thus described my invention in some detail, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In an advancing rocking device, a rear runner, a front runner thereon shorter than said rear runner, means to provide relative predetermined forward motions between the two runners, said two runners having identical bottom curvatures, or rocking surfaces, at their front ends, but with the bottom of the rear runner being recessed along vthe bottom surface for a distance shorter than the length of the front runner to allow the front runner to become the bearing surface during a phase of the rocking motion, the rear of the rear runner then having a larger curvature for its rear rocking surface whereby in the foremost position of the runners each will engage the ground, nien for the aforesaid phase of its rocking the device may entirely be supported by the front runners, vand then again for a period by the rear runners only, the transition from one runner to the other being quickly and early executed through said smaller curvature in the rear part of the front runner than the curvature in the rear part of the rear runner.

2. In a device of claim l, a limiting member for the forward motion of the front runner at the front end of the rear runner.

3. In a device, as set forth in claim l, said two curvatures in said rear runner meeting in a smoothly continuous tangential manner, and said curvature of the front runner .also meeting the curvatures in the rear runner in a similar manner, whereby the transit from one curvature to the other will be smooth and without any shock.

4. In a device'of claim 1, said front curvature of the rear runner being continued in a continuous unbroken manner to the front end of said runner.

5. In an advancing rocking device, having a pair of front and rear runners at each side thereof, a horse shaped connecting body structure carried by said rear runners, and the advancing being provided by the relative motion of the two runners, a vertical shaft rotatable in said horse shaped connecting structure and having rotating imeans in the shape of the head of a horse secured thereon and rotatable therewith, a sliding transverse barin the device below the front of said horse shaped connecting structure, a ring secured on said bar, the lower end of said shaft being bent and passed through said ring, said front runners being in a space inside of said rear runners, an aperture in each rear runner adapted to permit the respective end of said bar to pass therethrough when the said rotating means and the shaft is turned in the respective direction correspondingly moving said bar, said bar then preventing a relative motion of the respective front runner, but permittiing an advancing of the other front runner and thereby causing the horse to turn in said direction when rocking.

6. In an advancing rocking device, the combination comprising a pair of rear runners, a connecting body structure carried by said rear runners, a pair of front runners, said front runners being in a space inside said rear runners, means to provide a relative predetermined forward motion between each front runner and each rear runner, said front runners and said rear runners having identical bottom curvatures, or rocking surfaces, at their front ends, but with the bottom of the rear runner being recessed along the bottom surface for a distance shorter than the length of the front runner to allow the front runner to become the bearing surface during a phase of the rocking motion, the rear of the rear runners then having larger curvatures for their rear rocking surfaces whereby in the foremost position of said runners each will engage the ground, then for the aforesaid phase of its rocking the device may entirely be supported by the front runners only, the transition from one pair of runners to the other pair being quickly and clearly executed through said smaller curvature in the rear part of the front runners than the curvature in the rear part of the rear runner, normally disengaged engaging means for preventing a relative motion of one front runner but permitting an advancing of the other front runner and thereby causing the device to turn in said' direction when rocking.

7` 7. In an advancing rocking device, the combination comprising a pair of rear runners at each side thereof, a connecting body structure carried by said rear runners, a pair of front run-v ners at each side thereof, said front `runners being in a space inside said rear runners, means to provide relative predetermined forward motion between each front runner and each rear runner, said front runners and said rear runners having identical bottom curvatures, or rocking surfaces, at their front ends, but with the bottom of the rear runner being recessed along the bottom surface for a distance shorter than the length of the front runner to allow the front runner to become the bearing surface during a phase of the rocking motion, the rear of the rear runners then having larger curvatures for their rear rocking surfaces whereby in the foremost position of said runners each will engage the ground, then for the aforesaid phase of its rocking the device may entirely be supported by the front runners, and then again by the rear runners only, the transition from one pair oi runners to the other pair being quickly and clearly executed through said smaller curvature in the rear part of the front runners than the curvature in the rear part of the rear runners, a vertical shaft rotatable in said body structure, rotating means secured thereon and rotatable therewith, a slidable transverse bar below the front of said connecting structure, a ring secured on said bar, the lower end of said shaft being bent and passed through said ring,v

an aperture in each rear runner adapted to permit the respective end of said bar to pass therethrough when said rotating means and said shaft is turned in the respective direction correspondingly moving said bar, said bar then preventing a relative motion of the respective front runnerl but permitting an advancing of the other front runner and thereby causing said rocking device to turn in said direction when rocking.

8. In a device, as set forth in claim '7, a connecting body structure carried by said rear runners of such shape, contours, and dimensions as to simulate the body of a horse and rotating means secured on said vertical shaft and rotatable therewith of such shape, contours, and dimensions as to simulate the head of a horse.

9. In an advancing rocking device, having a pair of frontv and rear runners on each side thereof, a connecting body structure carried by said rear runners, and the advancing being provided by the relative motion of the two runners; a vertical shaft rotatable in said body structure, rotating means secured thereon and rotatable therewith, a slidable transverse bar below the front of said connecting body structure, a ring secured on said bar, the lower end of said shaft being bent and passed through said ring, an aperture in each rear runner adapted to permit the respective end of said bar to pass therethrough when said rotating means and said 'shaft is turned in the respective direction correspondingly moving said bar, said bar then preventing a relative motion of the respective front runner, but permitting an advancing of the other front runner and thereby causing the rocking device to turn in said direction when rocking.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 96,708 Lautensclager Nov. 9, 1869 2,487,663 Mikulic Nov. 8, 1949 2,490,059 Jacobs Dec. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,823 Great Britain Aug. 20, 1903 158,240 Germany Feb. 6, 1905

Images