US2747323A - Toy steering device - Google Patents

Description

May 29, 1956 e. H. LEE 2,747,323

TOY STEERING DEVICE Filed Dec. 17, 1952 INVENTOR. George A. lee

ll'nited States Patent G TOY STEERING DEVICE George H. Lee, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Application December 17, 1952, Serial No. 326,509

7 Claims. (Cl. 46-1) The present invention relates to toy steering devices for use in moving vehicles, such as automobiles.

There are presently available toy steering wheels for use in moving vehicles. These are usually attachable to the dashboard of an automobile by a rubber suction cup, or the like, and frequently they have a toy gear shift associated therewith. However, in the use of these toys there is present no element of cause and effect, nor is there any element of skill required in their manipulation. There are also available devices of the type illustrated by U. S. Pat. No. 2,148,828, Coin Freed Game Apparatus, issued February 28, 1939, to M. Myers, wherein a toy car is under the control of a steering wheel and arbitrary movements of a roadway are effected by motor driven means, the object of the device being to test the players skill in manipulating the steering wheel to maintain the car on the roadway. These latter devices are not intended for use as toys in moving automobiles, and, if so used, the apparent movements of the toy car on the roadway, and the required corrective movements of the steering wheel would, of course, bear no relationship whatsoever to the movements of the actual automobile on the actual roadway and the movements of the actual automobile steering wheel.

The principal object of the present invention is to introduce elements of skill, and of cause and effect, into toy steering devices of the type intended for use in moving automobiles.

Another object is to provide a toy steering device for use in moving automobiles wherein a toy car is movable with respect to a simulated roadway under the control .of a toy steering wheel and the simulated roadway is movable in response to inertia forces induced by movements of the actual automobile.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a toy steering device, as in the preceding object, wherein the corrective movements of thetoy steering wheel required to maintain the toy car properly aligned on the simulated roadway approximate in direction, and to a less extent, in magnitude, the actual movements of the actual automobile steering wheel.

The above and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description when considered in the light of the appended drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a toy steering device embodying the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a central sectional elevation view taken along the lines 2-2 of Fig. l; v

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a detail taken along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a detail taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a modified form of the invention.

In accordance with the broadest principles of the pres ent invention, the device presents to the players view two associated independently movable elements, one of which constitutes or represents a toy car, and the other "ice of which comprises a simulated roadway upon which the toy car appears to be travelling. A weight or pendulum like member is connected to the simulated roadway so that the roadway moves in response to inertia forces induced by changes in velocity (magnitude and/or direction) of the actual automobile. The toy car is connected to a toy steering device which is manipulated by the player so as to maintain the toy car in its correct position relative to the roadway.

In the preferred application of the broad principles outlined above, the two associated elements are angularly movable only, they are pivoted about a common axis, and the element representing the roadway is responsive, primarily at least, to centrifugal forces induced by turning movements of the actual automobile.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein a specific illustrative embodiment of the preferred principles of the present invention is disclosed, reference numeral 1 designates the one movable element comprising or representing a toy car, and reference numeral 4 designates the other movable element comprising a simulated roadway; The simulated roadway 4 is in the form of a plate having on its upper surface appropriate pictures, lane markings, and other indicia, one of which may represent another toy car 5, the overall effect being to present the appearance of a roadway upon which toy car 4 appears to be travelling.

Both the toy car 1 and roadway plate 4 are individually rotatably supported from a hollow cylindrical element 13 which projects upwardly from the top of box 8. Box'8 forms a support base for the entire device and is intended to sit in the players lap with the inclined bottom 10 thereof lying in a substantially horizontal plane so that the remainder of the device is tilted inwardly somewhat toward the player, it being understood that the player is sitting in a normal position on a seat of the automobile and facing the front end of the automobile.

The roadway plate 4 is attached to an off center projection 14 of a shaft 6 which extends through the hollow interior of cylindrical element '13 and is rotatably suspended therefrom by means of cooperating annular lug and slot 15.

The toy car 1 is fixedly attached to a pin 2 which is coaxial with respect to shaft 6 and which extends through 'a hole in plate 4. Pin 2 is fixedly connected to the central annular hub portion 16 of a toy steering wheel 3 by being attached to a radially inward extension 19 of the hub portion, which extension projects slightly beyond the axis of shaft 6 but terminates prior to the off center projection 14 of shaft 6. Hub portion 16 of steering wheel 3 has a downwardly extending annular collar 17 which fits over cylindrical element 13 and is rotatably supported thereon by means of cooperating annular lug and slot 18.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that toy car 1 and roadway plate 4 are independently rotatable about a common axis (the axis of pin 2), and that the angular position of toy car 1 is under the control of the player through his manipulation of toy steering Wheel 3. Engagement of extension 19 and projection 14 after somewhat less than relative rotation between toy car 1 and roadway plate 4 establishes a limit to the degree of relative rotation between car 1 and plate 4.

Shaft 6 terminates at its bottom in a perpendicularly extending stem 20, which, in turn, terminates in a relatively heavy weight or bob 7, stem 20 and weight 7 forming a pendulum like arrangement located within box 8.

In the operation of the toy, it will be apparent that when the box 8 is held such that its bottom '10 lies in a substantially horizontal plane, the weight 7 is rotatable in a plane which is inclined to the horizontal. .G-ravity, therefore, provides a restoring torque tending to maintain the weight 7, and therefore roadway plate 4, in its normal indicated position. When the actual automobile is travelling along a straight road, this torque will be unopposed and the roadway plate 4 will remain in its normal indicated position. However, whenever the actual automobile is executing a turn, the resulting centrifugal force on weight 7 produces a torque which tends to rotate it, and roadway plate 4, in a direction which depends upon the direction of the turn being executed (clockwise in Figs. 1 and 4 if the turn is to the right, and counterclockwise if the turn is to the left). The weight 7 and roadway plate 4 will then assume some equilibrium angular position, different from that indicated in the drawing, whereat the centrifugal and gravitational torques are in balance. If, in the meantime, the toy car 1 has been retained in its original indicated position, the car 1 will give the appearance of being headed off the road in the same direction as the actual automobile appears to be headed off the actual road, that is, off the road to the right for a left hand turn and vice versa. Of course, the player attempts to manipulate the toy steering wheel so as to maintain continuous alignment of the toy car on the simulated roadway. It will be noted that in order to accomplish this object, the toy steering wheel must be manipulated so as to approximately and substantially simultaneously reproduce the movements of the actual automobile steering wheel.

It is highly desirable in the above described device to provide damping means for the weight 7 to avoid undue oscillations of the weight "about its equilibrium position. Such damping means is indicated in Fig. 2, for illustrative purposes, as comprising conventional magnetic type damping means consisting of metal sheet 11, attached to shaft 6, and associated permanent magnet 12 through the gap of which sheet 11 is forced to rotate as weight 7 rotates. Any of the many other known types of damping mechanism would, of course, be satisfactory for this purpose.

It will be apparent that it is not necessary to rely solely on gravity for the above referred to restoring torque. A suitable restoring torque may be provided, if desired, by means of a simple spring connection between the box 8 and either shaft 6, stem 20, or weight 7, tending to unnecessary to operate the device in a position such that the plane of rotation of weight 7 lies in an inclined plane.

Also it would be desirable, particularly if gravity is relied on as the sole restoring torque for weight 7, that is, if the optional spring connection 21 is not provided, to provide means for limiting the angular deviation of weight 7 to a maximum deviation of about 90 in either direction from its indicated normal position. For this purpose lugs 22 projecting downwardly from the top of box 8 may be employed as stops for weight 7, if desired.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view looking down from just beneath the top of box 8 and showing alternate mechanism within the box for controlling the movement of shaft 6 and roadway plate 4. In this case, perpendicularly extending stem 20, corresponding to stem 20 of Fig. 2, has a longitudinally extending slot 26. Weight 7, in this case, is not fixedly attached to stem 20', but instead is adapted to ride on a wire 25 which extends horizontally between opposite sides of the box, weight 7' having a horizontally extending hole therethrough to accommodate wire 25. Weight 7 has a downwardly depending pin 27 which rides in the slot 26 of stem 20', thereby forcing stem 20 and roadway plate 4 to adopt an angular position corresponding to the horizontal position of weight 7.

In the modification of Fig. 5, fluid friction damping means is employed instead of the magnetic damping means of Fig. 2, and spring means is exclusively employed to provide the restoring torque for shaft 6 and roadway plate 4. For these purposes, another perpendicularly extending stem 28 is attached to shaft 6 opposite stem 20. Spring means, illustrated as rubber band 24, is attached at its center to the end of stem 28, and at its ends to opposite sides of box 8, to thereby provide a restoring torque tending to maintain stem 28 and shaft 6 in its indicated normal position. A pair of readily flexible airtight accordion-like elements '30 extend from stem 28 to opposite sides of box 8. Stem 28 has a small orifice 29 therethrough permitting air to pass slowly from the interior of one of elements 30 to the other. It will be apparent that elements 30 cooperate with stem 23 and orifice 29 to form a simple air bellows, to thereby provide. an air friction type damping mechanism.

The operation of Fig. 5 is entirely analogous to that of Figs. 1 to 4. Since gravity is not relied on to provide the restoring torque for roadway plate 4, the mechanism of Fig. 5 need not be operated in an inclined plane. If desired, the spring means, represented by elastic band 24, could be incorporated into the accordion like elements 30, themselves.

Certain refinements may be incorporated in the above described toy steering device, if desired. For example, the realism of the device would be considerably enhanced by the provision of a restoring torque tending to maintain the toy steering wheel 3, and therefore toy car 1, in its normal indicated position. Elastic band 9 (Fig. 2), connected between the box 8 and the hub 16 of the toy steering wheel, represents a simple spring connection suitable for providing such a restoring torque.

Preferably, a transparent plastic cover 23 is fixedly attached t0 the spokes of steering wheel 3 to serve as protection for the toy car 1 and roadway plate 4. As a cheap version of the toy, the toy car 1 could be eliminated, as such, and replaced with a picture of a car located on the plastic cover 23 so that it appears to be positioned on the simulated roadway in the same position as the toy car 1 is positioned.

The device could also be improved somewhat, if desired, by inserting reduction gearing between the toy steering wheel 3 and the toy car 1, whereby a given rotation of wheel 3 results in a lesser rotation of car 1.

Since many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. A toy steering device for use in a moving vehicle comprising two elements visible to the operator of the device and individually rotatable about a common axis, the first of said elements representing a toy car and the second of said elements representing a roadway upon which the toy car appears to be travelling, a toy steering wheel manually rotatable by the operator of the device, a mechanical interconnection between said toy steering wheel and the first of said elements for turning the toy car to change its apparent direction of travel with respect to said roadway, a weight member movable in response to inertia forces induced by changes in the velocity of the moving vehicle, and a mechanical interconnection between said weight member and the second of said elements for turning the roadway to change its orientation with respect to said car, whereby turning the steering wheel then steers the car to keep it in its proper roadway path.

2. A toy steering device for use in a moving vehicle comprising two individually rotatable elements visible to the operator of the device, the first of said elements representing a toy car and the second of said elements representing a roadway upon which the toy car appears to be travelling and with respect to which roadway the toy car is normally aligned, said toy car element and said roadway element being mounted for individual rotation about a common axis such that rotation of either directly introduces misalignment thcrebetween, a toy steering wheel manually rotatable by the operator of the device, a direct mechanical interconnection between said toy steering wheel and the first of said elements, whereby any existing misalignment of said car with respect to said roadway may be directly removed by rotation of said steering wheel, a weight member mounted to be movable in response to centrifugal forces exerted in a direction perpendicular to the normal direction of apparent movement of said car along said roadway and induced by turning movements of the toy steering device as a whole about an axis olfset from said device as a whole, and a direct mechanical interconnection between said weight member and the second of said elements, whereby misalignment of said roadway with respect to said toy car is directly introduced by movement of said weight member.

3. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 2, further including means tending to retain the second of said elements in a normal central position.

4. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 2, further including References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 579,253 Blackburn Mar. 23, 1897 1,090,707 Hamel Mar. 17, 1914 2,108,726 Rocuskie Feb. 15, 1938 2,148,828 Myers Feb. 28, 1939 2,523,902 Eflinger Sept. 26, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 452,735 Great Britain Aug. 28, 1936

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