US2920904A - Sit and roll unicycle - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 12, 1960 M. H. DOUD ETAL 2,920,904,

SIT AND ROLL UNICYCLE Filed May 27, 1958 w Sm INVENTOR. Bryan A See/ey BY Mary H 0000 .\.Q A/IJ/ United States Patent fifice 2,920,904 Patented Jan. 12, 1960 This invention relates to improvements in toys and has particular reference to a toy which a child may ride.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a toy upon which a child sits, which toy may be propelled over a surface in any direction and with complete safety to the child.

A further object is to produce a toy which is novel in appearance, one wherein a child will not become injured through the ordinary manipulation of the toy.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numbers are employed .to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the preferred form of our toy;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified form of our toy;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detailed view of one of the caster wheels and its spring mounting;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view showing the braking mechanism.

Children are very fond of toys upon which they can ride, particularly any new form of toy of this character.

Applicants have therefore devised a rubber ball upon which the child sits on a superimposed framework and then propels the ball in any desired direction, preferably by leaning in the direction it is desired to go, or by manipulating pedals, thus pivoting the ball in the direction desired.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of our invention, the numeral 5 designates a ball which is preferably inflated or made of a resilient material which accomplishes the same efiect.

In Fig. 1 we have shown a shaft 6 extending through the ball and having pedals 7 and 8. This shaft serves to support a frame designated as a whole by the numeral 2 9, consisting of a plurality of arms 12 extending downwardly from a seat plate 11 and terminating in open ends into which are telescopically arranged casters 13. The free ends of the arms are secured to a spacer ring arranged substantially parallel with the supporting surface upon which the toy is rolled, while springs 14 serve to absorb any bouncing action when the casters engage the supporting surface such as the highway as shown at A.

The seat has handles 16 and 17 which the child may grasp. A brake handle as shown at 18, which is pivoted as at 19 to the underside of the seat 11, has a forked end 21 pressing downwardly on a fitting 22 which has a brake show 23 ridable on the outer surface of the ball 5.

A spring 24 normally keeps the brake out of engagement with the surface of the ball.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 2, the construction is identical, with the only difference being that we employ a ball having flat sides, thus making the whole structure more compact. We can eliminate the pedals entirely by forming a race within 'the frame of the device in which race the ends of the shaft 6 may travel.

In this case the entire propulsion is through the use of the feet on the highway, and the guidance is entirely by means of leaning in the direction desired.

It will thus be seen that our invention accomplishes all of the objects above set forth. It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

A toy comprising a resilient ball-like supporting member having a shaft extending axially therethrough, a frame supported on said shaft, said frame having a seat mounted thereon at a point above the vertical axis of said ball, a ring secured to said frame at a point slightly above the supporting surface on which said ball rolls, casters carried by said ring and adapted to engage said supporting surface when said frame is tipped, means for rotating said ball, and braking means carried by said seat and engaging said ball to stop rotation of said ball.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 470,841 Madden Mar. 15, 1892 550,399 Anderson Nov. 26, 1895 1,989,573 Von Loutzkoy Jan. 29, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,177 Great Britain of 1895

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