US2933854A - Toy accessory and operating means therefor - Google Patents

Description

April 26, 1960 D. l.. cRosMAN 2,933,854

Toy ACCESSORY AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 14, 195e 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 e iii 71+ INVENTOR DOP/.AND epos/AMM April 26, 1960 D L, CROSMAN v 2,933,854

TOY ACCESSORY AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 14, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 TOY ACCESSORY AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR Dorland L. Crosman, Bloomfield, NJ., assigner to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application November 14, 1956, Serial No. 622,179l

8 Claims. (Cl. 46-245) This invention relates to an improved toy and operating simulate the movement of Va man 'from an enclosure toV the track side for applying the simulated fuel hose'to the locomotive or other vehicle and then returning the figure to the enclosure. Y

` Still another object of the invention resides in the novel and improved lever operating mechanism that is characterizedby its simplicity, dependability and low cost. Through a novel and improved arrangement of elements the rate of movement of the Ylever is simply and effectively controlled to attain a wide range of angular velocities and without affecting other elements of the mechanism.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a novel and improved fuel station for model railroads and other similar devices and including a movable toy figure and fuel line that are moved toward and away from the vehicle to simulatethe action of a real person. By reason of an improved control mechanism a high degree of play value is attained and the accessory can be controlled from a remote location.

A further object of the invention resides in anl im.`

A still further object of the invention resides in a novel; and improved fuel loading station for model railroads and other similar equipment.

The above and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings forming part of this application.V

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention; Y

Fig. 2 is a top view of the invention as shown in Fig. l with parts broken away to illustrate portions of the operating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the inventionl as shown in Fig. 3; p

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view vtaken along the line 4 4 of Figs. 2 and 3 to illustrate certain structural details of the operating mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of Figs. 2 and 3 taken along the lines 6-6 thereof; Y

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of supporting and transporting means for a toy figure taken along the lines ited Sittesgljatent i Y as a trackside accessory with model railroad equipmentv g 2,933,854 Patented Apr. 26, 1960 Figs. 8 and 9V are top views of the cam slot which cooperates with the toy figure supporting and transporting means for automatically reversing the direction of the figure as it is moved first in one direction and then the other; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a flat spring forming part of the toy figure operating mechanism and speed control means associated therewith.

For the purposes of this application the invention will be described in connection with a fuel oil station for use though it is to be understood that certain features of this invention may be used in other types of toys and devices.

Referring now to the drawings and more specifically to Fig. 1 the track side accessory includes a base 10 preferably provided with a bottom cover member 11 secured thereto by suitable lugs 12. The top of the base 10 carries a simulated enclosure or house 13, a roof 14, a simulated sand tank 15 supported by a stanchion 16, a platform 17 to facilitate the loading of sand into a locomotive as in the case of actual equipment and a fuel pipe 18 supported by a post 19 for delivering fuel to.

a Diesel locomotive. The fuel pipe 18 is pivotally supported on the post 19 and is oscillated byl an electrical control mechanism when actuated through the applica.

tion of energy to the terminals 20 and 21. In addition to the foregoing elements the station further includes a toy ligure 23 that moves back and forth in a cam slot 24 inthe base 10 when energy is applied to the device. The Amovements of the toy ligure 23 and the fuel pipe 18 are coordinated so as to simulate the action of a real person leaving the house 13, applying fuel to the locomotive and then returning to the house or station.

The operating apparatus for the toy figure 23 and fuel pipe 18 is shown in Figs. 2 through 10. Primaryl provided within the station and one side of the socket isY connected to the base 10 (grand terminal Ztl) and the other side to terminal 22 so that the station may be` illuminated independently of the operation of the toy figure 23 and fuel pipe 18.

The supporting and transporting means for the toy ligure 23 includes a lever 30 pivoted to the underside of the base at 31. Rotation of the lever 30 is accomplrished by a cord or cable 32 connected effectively at one end to the plunger 27, encircling the hub 30' of the lever 30 and connected to a spring 33 having one end fixed to a post 34 secured to the base 10. The spring 33 functions to keep the cable 32 taut and moves the lever 30 to the full line position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 when the coil 26 is denergized. When the coil is energized by the application of a suitable voltage to the terminals 20 and 21 the plunger 27 is pulled inwardly of the coil 26 and causes the lever 30 to be moved to the position as indicated in dotted outline in Figs. 2 and 3.

In order to limit the rate of angular displacement of the lever 30 upon application of energy to the coil 26 an' inertia wheel 35 is directly coupled to the cable 32. More specifically, the inertia wheel 35 is carried by a shaft 36 pivotally supported by a bearing 37 secured to wrapped about the shaft 36 to provide at least one astanti..

turn. In order to enable the' inertia wheel to effectively reduce the speed of operation of the plunger magnet it has been found desirable to maintain `the cable 32 in.

tight coupling with the. inertia wheel shaft 36 at all times so that control of the motion of the lever 30 will be effected throughout its entire movement. l For this purpose a leaf spring 38 is provided for maintaining cable in tight engagement with the' shaft 36 and at the same time providing al simple and effective structure for the attachment of the cable to the plunger 27. While under certain conditions the spring 33 may provide adequate tension on the cable 32, in instances where a relatively light spring 33 may be required to obtain the desired mode of operation of the lever 30 'ya relatively heavy spring 38 may nevertheless be provided for insuring proper operation of the inertia wheel without affecting the characteristics of the operating mechanism. More,- over the use of the spring 38 enables substantial tension to be obtained about the shaft 36 without the need' for enlarging the size of the magnet coil 26 or in anyway affecting the operation of spring 33.

The spring 38 is shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and l0k and is generally in the form of an S. One end 39 of the spring is provided with a bifurcation extending beyond the bend 42. The end portion 39 further includes a circular opening 40 intersecting the bifurcation as may be observed in Fig. l for attachment of the spring to a cooperating groove formed in the outer end ofthe plunger 27. The end portion 39 of the spring 38! in-l addition to forming an attachment to the plungerv27',

also cooperates with a stop 41 secured, to the'base 10 to limit the outer movement of the plunger 27.

The bifurcation of the end 39 of the springv38 is terminated beyond the curved portion 42 in a circular opening 43 substantially in line with the circular openingv 40 previously described. The spring is then curved back beyond itself and the outer end 44 also includes a bifurcation terminatingl in a circular opening 45. It will be observed that the spring 38 is made large enough to span the shaft position 36 so that it will not interfere Vwith the operation of the apparatus upon reciprocation ofv the plunger 27. The cable 32 is fastened to the spring 38in this embodiment of the inventionV by split klead shot 46 and 47. The shot 46 is secured to the end of the cable 32 and engages the spring 38 with the cabler passing through the opening 43. The split lead shot 47 is positioned on the cable 32 so that when it engages the outer end 44 of the spring 38 it will hold the spring in a compressed position and thereby maintain the cable part between the shot members 46 and 47 in a taut condition. This will cause the cable to firmly engage the shaft 36 so that any motion of the plunger, 27 will impart equivalent rotation to the inertia wheel 35. It will be observed from the foregoing description that the stiffness ofthe spring 38 has no effect upon the power required on the part of the plunger magnet 25 to move the lever 30 in a clockwise motion as viewed in Fig. 3 and any motion of the cable will be controlled by the inertia wheel 35.

The toy figure 23 previously described is actually carried and transported by the outer end of the lever 30., More specifically, the toy figure 23 is supported by a pivoting arm 48 having a central offset portion 49. The: upper end 50 of the pivoting arm 48 is secured to the toyY figure with the offset portion 49 extending to the rear thereof. For convenience the front of the fragmentary section of the toy figure 23 in Fig. 7 is denoted by the arrow A. The bottom portion Sp1 of the pivoting aJ- rnl 48 pivotally engages the outer end 52 ofthe. lever 3.0:wth the otset; portion 49 engaging the. walls ofthe slot 3; The pivoting arm 48 extends througha Camelot.. 53 in the base 10 and the slot is provided.. Witha *radiusv substantially equivalent to the. radius of." the arm., 33')v though it may deviate from the radius ot the annV 30 by a'nnairlountA not exceeding the depth of. the. offset portion 49 of the pivoting arm. The cooperation of the slot 53 with the pivoting arm 48 as the lever 30 is' moved rst in one direction and then the other is shown in Figs. 8 and 9 and will be described in connection with those figures.

Referring first to Fig.. .8, which represents the motion of the toy figure outwardly from the station 13 it will be observed that, the offset portion 49 isv downwardly as viewed in Fig. 8 and the toy figure is therefore facing in the direction of the arrow A. As the, lever 30 is moved from the solid line positionA as shown in Fig. 3 to the dotted position the toy figure will be carried downwardly as illustrated in Fig. 8 until the offset portion 49 strikes` the cam 5.4 of, the slot 53. The offset portion 49 will be caused to rotatein thei direction of the dotted arrow B until it strikes the edge 55 of the cut out 56 also forming part of the slot 53. As the lever 30 moves beyond this point it will then carry the offset portion 49 in a trailing position so that the toy figure will now face in the direction of movement indicated by the dotted arrows B. When the lever arrives at a position centrally of the slot 53 and defined by the curved section 57 the toy ligure will be caused to simulate slight shift in direction andwill tend to face slightly to the right as shown in this figure. As the lever 30 passes this curved sec-4 tion the toyv figure will again straighten out and will' be carried in the forward position past the cam part 58 of the slot 53 until it reaches the, end or outer position. The outer position of the toy figure is shown in Fig. l.

When the plunger magnet 25 is deenergized the spring 33 will carry the lever 30 from the dotted line position of Fig. 3 to the solid line position and in so doing the toy figure 23v will be moved'back to the station 13. This action is illustrated in Fig. 9. It will be observed that the full' line position of the offset portion 49. of the pivoting lever 4 8 is in the lowermost end of the slot 53 in Fig. 9. As the lever moves backwardly the offset portion 49 is in the leading position andv will strike the cam part 58` defiecting it to the left until it strikes the edge 59 of the cutout 60. In so doing the offset portion 49 will be moved to the trailing position so that the toy ligure will now face in the direction of arrow A and move toward the station. As the lever carries the toy figure past the curvedy section 57 the toy figure will face slightly to the lefty as shown in Fig. 9, then againv be straightened out and carried in a forward direction past the cam part 54 and into the station 13.

In order to coordinate the operation ofthe fuel pipe 18 with the motion of the toy figure, the fuel pipe is mounted on a shaft 61 extending through the post 19 and intovthe base 10. The bottom end of the shaft 6'1 carried a lever 62. One arm 63 of this lever projects beyond theslot 53 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and a second arm 64- projects in the opposite direction. A spring 65 is connected between the arm 64 of the lever 62 and a post 66 fastened to the base '10 to hold the lever in its clockwise position as viewed in Fig. 3. Atl the same time the fuel pipe 18 is disposed in a rearward position as shown in Fig. 2. With this arrangement as the lever 30 is moved from its solid line position as shown in Fig. 3 to the outermost position ofy the slot' 53 it will engage the lever arm. 63 and displace. it from the full line position shown in Fig. 3 tothe dotted line position. This angular movement of the lever 6 2 functions to rotate the fuel pipe 18 about the post 19 and brings it to. the outermostv position as shown in Fig. 1 simultaneously with. the arrival of. the toy sure so that the apparatus simulates the action of a real person corn-r ing out 0f. the station 13 and. moving, the fuely pipe 18 to loadl fuel into a locomotive or other vehicle.

Withthe invention as described it is evident that. ahigh degree of realism and play value are attained and at the, sametime theattainmant of these. endsv is accomplished by a simpledepend'able vand. .effective structure at rela tively low cost. In addition added realism isy obtainedv fuel pipe which are governed in speed so that displacement of the toy iigure is not instantaneous but more nearly simulates actual performance of a real person. While the operating mechanism in the instant embodiment of the invention is for the purpose of operating a toy figure and rotating a fuel pipe the structure may of course be applied for other purposes requiring controlled rotary motion with the motive means being in the form of a plunger magnet.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is apparent that other modications, alterations and changes may be made Without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a toy accessory, a toy figure, a base member including an elongated cam slot therein, toy gure supporting means extending through said slot and having an offset portion engageable with and cooperating with the edges of said slot, said figure being confined by said slot for movement therealong, a pivoted leverI including a hubbed portion symmetrical with the pivotal location, said lever pivotally carrying said supporting means, resilient means connected to said base, a plunger magnet, a cable connected to said plunger magnet looped around the hubbed portion of said lever and connected to said resilient means whereby said lever is moved in one direction by said cable in response to operation of said magnet and in the other direction in response to said resilient means, and an inertia wheel engaging said cable to control the movement of said lever.

2. In a toy accessory according to claim 1 wherein said inertia wheel includes a shaft about which said Wheel is rotatable, said cable is wrapped about said shaft and spring means engages said cable on each side of said shaft to tightly couple the cable to said shaft without affecting the cable tension reacting against the operation of said magnet.

3. In a toy accessory according to claim 1 including an accessory mounted on a rotatable shaft, a second lever for angularly moving said shaft and extending into the path of said pivoted lever, said pivoted lever engaging and displacing said second lever with movement in one direction and spring means for returning said second lever to the tirst position upon movement of the pivoted lever in the other direction.

4. A toy accessory comprisinga base member having an elongated slot defined thereon, a member having one end rotatably mounted on said base member and the other end oscillatable back and forth along a path adjacent to said slot, mannikin means pivotally connected to said member and having a portion extending upward through said slot in said base member, and means to oscillate said member whereby to move said mannikin means along said slot. A

5. A toy accessory according to claim 4, wherein said mannikin means includes a crank arm pivotally connected to said member rand said slot includes a main elongated'slot portion, an offset slot portion extending laterally from said main slot portion, and means in said main slot portion to detiect said mannikin means against a wall of said olfset portion to restrain said mannikin means against movement along said slot and to cause rotation of said crank arm and turning of said mannikin means beforesaid mannikin means comes out of said offset portion and continues along the main elongated slot portion.

6. A toy according to claim 5, wherein said means in said slot includes a protuberance dened in said base member extending outwardly from one side of said slot at a location opposite said laterally extending offset slot portion whereby said mannikin means striking said protuberance is deflected thereby into said offset portion.

7. An accessory according to claim 4, wherein said mannikin means includes a crank arm pivotally mounted on said member and having a portion thereof extending upwardly through said slot in said base member and having a mannikin mounted on said crank arm.

8. A toy accessory according to claim 4 wherein said member includes a hubbed portion and including a tension spring mounted on -said base member, an electromagnetically actuable plunger, a cable connected at one end to said plunger and looped around the hubbed portion of said lever and connected at its opposite end t0 said spring whereby actuation of said plunger is effective to move said lever in one direction and deactivation of said plunger is effective to move said lever in an opposite direction.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,384,963 LaBatt July 19, 1921 1,685,238 McDowell Sept. 25, 1928 2,364,174 Strang et al. Dec. 5, 1944 2,486,293 Kempt Oct. 25, 1949 v 2,639,548 Hall May 26, 1953 2,660,001 Smith et al. Nov. 24, 1953 2,739,484 Orr Mar. 27, 1956 2,789,395 Sprouse Apr. 23, 1957

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