US2719385A

US2719385A - Motor-simulating accessory for wheeled vehicles

Info

Publication number: US2719385A
Application number: US449428A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jack C Wilson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-08-12
Filing date: 1954-08-12
Publication date: 1955-10-04
Anticipated expiration: 1972-10-04

Description

J. 0. WILSON 2,719,385

WHEELED VEHICLES MOTOR-SIMULATING ACCESSORY FOR Filed Aug. 12, 1954 INVENTOR JAcv, C. Wusouu W United States Patent MOTOR-SIMULATING ACCESSORY FOR. WHEELED VEHICLES Jack C. Wilson, Garden City, N. Y.

Application. August 12,1954, SeriaLNm 449,428

6 Claims. (Cl. 46-175) This invention relates to an accessory adapted for use on wheeled vehicles, such as1bicycles',,tricycles, velocipedes and the like, and is particularly related to a noise making accessory adapted upon such attachment and upon use of the vehicle to which the accessory is attached to produce a motor simulating sound.

The present invention provides an accessory which is adapted to be vibrated by the spokes of, the conven tional wheel employed in bicycles, tricycles and the like, and to produce in rapid succession a series of exhaustlike noises which effectively simulate the sound of a motor, and such simulated sound'is foundto be extremely pleasing to children and other persons employing such vehicles.

Many devices have heretofore been contemplated which have attempted to simulate a motor-like sound for use with bicycles, tricycles and the like. Such prior devices have in general failed to produce a commercially satisfactory device and have primarily failed because of the heavy attrition and wear exerted upon the vibrator elements previously used, resulting in the rapid destruction of such elements and'the consequent too frequent replacement thereof.

It has been found that one of the principal reasons for such prior failure through wear has resulted from the manner in which the vibrator elements have been attached, such prior devices having primarily employed an end attachment of a vibrator element. It has been found that such end-attached vibrators more readily yield to the wear of the rapid succession of blows imparted thereto upon the rotation of a spoked wheel, such as is employed in the vehicles here under consideration.

Other devices have additionally provided extremely complicated and cumbersome structures which have not proven. economical or feasible in production and which have accordingly failed to satisfy the desire for devices of the general character.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple, economical and easily installed motorsimulating accessory for use with bicycles, tricycles and the like which is primarily characterizedby a new and novel arrangement resulting in a better simulation of the motor sound and in longer wear of the elements employed.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a motor-simulating accessory of the character mentioned which comprises a hollow, substantially cylindricallywalled cup-like drum member and a vibrator diaphragm secured to the drum and overlying andcoveringthe open end thereof, the said diaphragm being of flexible, vibratable material and including a vibrator extension.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a motorsimulating accessory of the type described in which: the diaphragm is concaved and covers and overlaps the open end of a drum-like member and is connected to the drum-like member by attachment means extending substantially centrally through the drum member and through the diaphragm member whereby edge portions 2 of the diaphragm member are supported against, but unattached to, the drum member.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a devicewhich includes means for clampingly attaching the deviceto the wheeled vehicle and additional means locking the diaphragm against rotational movement relative to the clamping means, whereby to insure proper posi-- tioning of the diaphragm member relative to the wheel of the vehicle; and

A further object of the invention is to generally improve the design, construction and efiiciencyof noise making accessories for simulating the sound of motors adapted for use with bicycles, tricycles and the like.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects of the present inventiona're accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment will readily be understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. I is a fragmentary side view of a portion of a bicycle illustrating the accessory of the present invention installed thereon.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment ofthe invention.

Fig. 3 is a face view of the device from the diaphragm end thereof.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the device; and

Fig. 5 is a sectionalview taken as on the line VV of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, the present device is illustrated as mounted upon the wheel-supporting fork 1 1 of. a conventional bicycle for engagement by the spokes 13* of the wheel 15, the wheel 15 being supported in conventional manner by the fork 11 for rotation. in the operation of the bicycle.

The accessory of the present invention, generally designated' at 17, is preferably removably attached to one ably clamp 19 includes an elongated leg 23' to which the noise maker'17 is preferably removably connected.

Noise maker 17 preferably comprises a. cup-like drum member 25, one end of which is open, the interior of drum member 25 being hollow and the opposite end of the drum member being closed: as by base 26. Prefer ably the drum member 25 is of substantially circular cross sect-ion and the open end of the drum member is provided with a peripheral bead 27.

Seated against the open end of drum member 25' and substantially in contact with peripheral bead 27 is a diaphragm plate 29 which is dimensioned so that edge portions of the diaphragm overlap to a minor extent the majority of the periphery of the open end of drum: member 25,. and the diaphragm is additionally provided with anelongated, preferably pointed, vibrator portion 31, vibrator portion: 31 being formed integrally with diaphragm 29. Preferably diaphragm 29 and vibrator portion 31 are formed of thin, resilient material of limited flexibility, as to which certain of the plastic sheet materialsa such as the polyvinyls or the cellulose acetates or similar sheet-iugs have been found to be satisfactory.

The-diaphragm 29 is attached to drum member 25 by an elongatedbolt 33 which extends substantially through:

the center of the closed face 26 of drum member 25 and is of a length to. extend substantially to the open end of the drum member. included a square section or a section of angularcross section 35 which is passed through and engages with a complementarily formed aperture intermediate the extent of diaphragm 29 and remote from the cup-overlapping edge portions of the diaphragm.

Patented Oct. 4,. 1955 Adjacent the head of bolt 23 is- It will be observed that the diaphragm 29 is so mounted upon the open end of drum 25 preferably as to slightly concave the outer surface of the diaphragm, this concavity being maintained by central bolt 33 when the device is fastened into completed relationship. The opposite end of bolt 33 is threaded and provides the means for attaching clamp 19 to the closed end 26 of drum member 25. Preferably the elongated clamp leg 23 is provided with a plurality of bolt receiving apertures 37 in order to provide for adjusting the position of the clamp relative to the drum member.

It will be seen that when clamp 19 is mounted upon the extending end of bolt 33 that the clamp is locked in position on the bolt as by a suitable lock nut 39, and as the diaphragm 29 is connected to bolt 33 by the complementary engagement of the diaphragm aperture with the angular bolt section against rotation relative to the bolt, the clamp and the diaphragm are maintained in relative alinement.

In the use of the device one of the apertures in clamp leg 23 is passed over the end of bolt 33 and clamp 19 fixed to fork 11, with the open end of drum 25 preferably facing forwardly of the vehicle and with the pointed vibrator 31 extending into the path of the spokes 13 of the wheel. Upon the rotation of the wheel the vibrator is rapidly and repeatedly impacted causing a rapid series of noises, the resonance of which is increased by drum 25, producing the motor-simulating noise which is desired.

It will be understood that the foregoing description relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that variations may be made in details of the structure with out departing from the present invention.

I claim:

1. A motor-simulating noise maker for use with wheeled vehicles, comprising a hollow drum having an open end, a flexible and resilient diaphragm covering and concaved into the open end of said drum, edge portions of said diaphragm overlapping said open end, attachment means connected to the opposite end of said drum and extending substantially axially of said drum, said attachment means engaging said diaphragm substantially at the level of said open end and intermediate and remote from the edge portions of said diaphragm to attach said diaphragm to said drum with said diaphragm edge portions contacting and unattaching to the rim of said drurn open end, said attachment means including means preventing rotation of said diaphragm relative to said attachment means, an angularly tapered resilient vibrator portion integrally connected to said diaphragm and projecting away from said diaphragm and said drum, and clamp means for mounting said noise maker with said vibrator extending into the path of the wheel spokes of a vehicle wheel, said clamp means being detachably locked to said attachment means, whereby to maintain relative alinement between said clamp means and said diaphragm portion.

2. A motor-simulating noise maker for use with wheeled vehicles, comprising a hollow drum having an open end, a flexible and resilient diaphragm, edge portions of said diaphragm overlapping said open end, attachment means connected to said drum, said attachment means engaging said diaphragm substantially at the level of said open end and intermediate and remote from the edge portions of said diaphragm to attach said diaphragm to said drum with said diaphragm edge portions contacting and unattaching to the rim of said drum open end, said attachment means including means preventing rotation of said diaphragm relative to said attachment means, a resilient vibrator portion integrally connected to said diaphragm and projecting away from said diaphragm and said drum, and means for mounting said noise maker adjacent the wheel spokes of a vehicle wheel, said mounting means being detachably locked to said attachment means, whereby to maintain relative alinement between said clamp means and said diaphragm vibrator portion.

3. A motor-simulating noise maker for use with wheeled vehicles, comprising a hollow drum having an open end, a flexible and resilient diaphragm covering and concaved into the open end of said drum, edge portions of said diaphragm overlapping said open end, attachment means connected to the opposite end of said drum and extending substantially axially of said drum, said attachment means engaging said diaphragm substantially at the level of said open end and intermediate and remote from the edge portions of said diaphragm to attach said diaphragm to said drum with said diaphragm edge portions contacting and unattaching to the rim of said drum open end, a resilient vibrator portion integrally connected to said diaphragm and projecting away from said diaphragm and said drum, and means for mounting said noise maker adjacent the wheel spokes of a vehicle wheel.

4. A motor-simulating noise maker for use with wheeled vehicles, comprising a hollow drum having an open end, a flexible and resilient diaphragm covering the open end of said drum, edge portions of said diaphragm overlapping said open end, attachment means connected to the opposite end of said drum and extending substantially axially of said drum, said attachment means engaging said diaphragm substantially at the level of said open end and intermediate and remote from the edge portions of said diaphragm to attach said diaphragm to said drum with said diaphragm edge portions contacting and unattaching to the rim of said drum open end, a resilent vibrator portion integrally connected to said diaphragm and projecting away from said diaphragm and said drum, and means for mounting said noise maker with said vibrator portion projecting into the path of the wheel spokes of a vehicle wheel.

5. A motor-simulating noise maker for use with wheeled vehicles, comprising a hollow drum having an open end, a flexible and resilient diaphragm, edge portions of said diaphragm overlapping said open end, attachment means connected to said drum, said attachment means engaging said diaphragm intermediate and remote from the edge portions of said diaphragm to attach said diaphragm to said drum with said diaphragm edge portions contacting and unattaching to the rim of said drum open end, a resilient vibrator portion integrally connected to said diaphragm and projecting away from said diaphragm and said drum, and means for mounting said noise maker adjacent the wheel spokes of a vehicle wheel.

6. A motor-simulating noise maker for use with wheeled vehicles, comprising a hollow drum having an open end, a flexible and resilient diaphragm covering the open end of said drum, edge portions of said diaphragm overlapping said open end, attachment means connected to said drum, said attachment means engaging said diaphragm intermediate and remote from the edge portions of said diaphragm to attach said diaphragm to said drum with said diaphragm edge portions contacting and unattaching to the rim of said drum open end, and a resilient vibrator portion integrally connected to said diaphragm and projecting away from said diaphragm and said drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,701,734 Stephens Feb. 12, 1929 1,882,595 Hewitt Oct. 11, 1932 2,603,035 Countryman July 15, 1952 2,609,640 Newell Sept. 9, 1952 2,624,156 Meyer Jan. 6, 1953