US2995866A

US2995866A - Sound actuated toy

Info

Publication number: US2995866A
Application number: US483511A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas M Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-01-24
Filing date: 1955-01-24
Publication date: 1961-08-15
Anticipated expiration: 1978-08-15

Description

1961 T. M. JOHNSON 2,995,866

SOUND ACTUATED TOY Filed Jan. 24, 1955 v 3 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR.

THOMAS M. JQHNSON ATTORNEY Aug. 15, 1961 T. M. JOHNSON SOUND ACTUATED TOY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 24, 1955 INVENTOR. THOMAS M. JOHNSON ATTORNEY Aug. 15, 1961 T. M. JOHNSON SOUND ACTUATED TOY Filed Jan. 24, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG 8 INVENTOR. THOMAS M. JOHNSON ATTORNEY United States Patent '6 395,866 SOUND :ACTUATED TOY Thomas M. Johnson, 428 Oakridge Road, Decatur, Ga. "Filed Jan. 24, 1955,-Ser. No. 483,511 21 Claims. (Cl. 46-244) This invention relates to remote control toy vehicles and more particularly to electrically powered remotely controlled'toy vehicles wherein a remotely actuated switch serves to control the steering of the vehicle.

It is of primary importance, in toy vehicles of this type to reduce manufacturing costs so that the articles can be produced and sold at areasonable and attractive price. Since the major cost of the toy vehicle is for the control mechanism and the prime mover, it would be desirable to provide -a device wherein but a single motor is used to serve the function of both steering and locomotion. Further, since the prior art-control mechanisms have usually been either bulky'or expensive, or both, it is desirable to reduce the complexity and weight thereof.

In the past, the control mechanism of toys of this type has included radio receivers in tune with a remote transmitter for controlling the steering or the direction of travel of the vehicle. These radio transmitters, the receivers and the mechanism to which the receiversare connected, have been complicated and expensive, the control arrangement for the actuation and steering requiring a plurality of motors, solenoids and the like to provide both means for steering and :meansfor controlling the direction of travel of the vehicle.

Other methods for cont-rolling a toy vehicle have included hand switches connected through appropriate sources of current and through cables to motors and solenoids in the vehicles for reversing the direction of travel of the vehicle :and "for steering the same. More recently, limited control :of steering in the hand switch .type toy vehicle has been accomplished by utilizingasingle motor for driving one of the front wheels of the toy vehicle whereby, upon rotation of the motor 'to impart forward motion to the vehicle, the steering assembly swings .so that the vehicle travels :in :an arc in one direction .and upon .de-energizing of thernotor,-the-same acts asa brake on the one front wheel to steer the vehiclein an .arc in the other direction.

To provide a toy vehicle which is inexpensive ,to'manufacture and :yet is fully steerable in any direction, actuatable both in the forwardand reverse directions and is cabaple ofstartingand stopping as-desired, without physical contact or remote connections, 'I have devised a toy vehicle which, described briefly, includes a front wheel assembly capable of rotation through a 360 arc in one direction only. To accomplish complete steering and driving, one wheel ofthe front wheel assembly is driven by a motor in one direction or the other, while the other wheel is capable of rotation in only one direction. Thus it will beseen thatbycontrolling the direction of rotation of the driven wheel, the-front 'wheel assembly is caused to actuate the vehicle in a predetermined path or in the alternative to pivot the front wheel assembly about the other wheel. The control mechanism is connected to the driving wheel and, as will more readily be seen hereinafter, includes a prime mover'with a soundswitch for reversing the direction of rotation thereof.

Incorporated with my toy vehicle, as an optional feature, is a mechanically actuated switch which, when the axis of the .front wheel is in a predetermined position, will de-actuate the prime mover until the sound switch is closed.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide an inexpensive toy vehicle wherein a single motor controls the direction of travel of the vehicle and the steering thereof.

2,995,866 Patented Aug. 15, 1961 Another object of my'invention is to provide a toy vehicle wherein a sound actuated switch controls the steerage of the vehicle.

Another object of my invention is to provide a toy vehicle which will automatically stop and start upon actuation of a sound switch.

Another object of my invention is to provide a toy vehicle which is providedwith a front wheel-assembly which is controllable by the direction of rotation of a wheel thereon.

Another object of my invention is to provide a toy vehicle wherein the steering may be controlled from a remote'station.

Another object of my invention is to provide a fully controllable toy vehicle which is inexpensive to manufacture, durable in structure and eflicient in operation.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description when "taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is azpartially broken side elevational view of a :toy vehicle constructed in accordance with my invention.

2 is a front elevational view of the toy vehicle illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a crossesectional view taken along line 33 in 'FIG. :2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 inFIG.2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the toy vehicle illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. .6 is a partially broken perspective view of the sound switch shown in the vehicle in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a partially broken perspective view of an alternate soundswitc'h which may be substituted for the sound switchshown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is aschematic electrical wiring diagram for the my vehicle of my invention.

Referring now in detail to the embodiment chosen for purpose of illustration and to FIG. 1 in particular, the casingo'f my toy vehiclecomprises a platform 10 which is a flat rigid member having ahood 11 anda body 12. The shapetof the casing of my vehicle is immaterial but in the present embodiment the casing simulates a conventional truck. The casing, itself, may be constructed of plastic or metal or the like, but it should be of sufficient size to house the equipment :hereinafter'to be described.

The rear wheels .13 are freely rotatable on an axle 14 which in turn .is carried by .-a bracket 15 extending down from the rear lower surface of platform 10. The axle 14 is disposed perpendicular to a vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the casing as is conventional in most toy vehicles.

According to my invention, the front wheel assembly of my toy vehicle includes a simulated steering wheel 16 which is rigidlyconnected to an upright standard 17 which serves .as a simulated steering shaft and projects adjacent to .hood l-ldown through platform 10. Standard 17 is in a vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the casingand is journaled substantially in the forward part of the casing by platform 10. Aniappropriate indicia such as a line orarrow 18 is placed on the upper surface of steering wheel 16 so that byobserving the direction of pointing .of the arrow, the radial position of standard 17 may be ascertained.

Projecting radially from the central portion of standard 17 .are a pair of diametrically opposed

fingers

19, 19 which, upon rotation of standard 17 about its axis, will alternately strike and pivot a downwardly projecting arm 20 carried by a horizontal shaft 21. Shaft 21 is journaled'for rotation about its axis by an upstanding jour- 3 nal member 22 which is anchored beneath hood 11 to platform 10. The free end of shaft 21 is provided with a normally closed mercury switch 23 which is opened when arm '20 is rotated by either of

fingers

19 or 19. A spring 24 connected between journal member 22 and shaft 21 urges shaft 21 to its original position with mercury switch 23 closed. The function of mercury switch 23, as a means of starting and stopping the vehicle, will be described in more detail hereinafter. Of course other switch means 'may be substituted for mercury switch'23 without departing from the scope of my invention.

Fixed to the lower end of standard 17, below platform 10, is'the front wheel carriage comprising an inverted U-shaped yoke 25 which supports rectangular frame 26. Bolts 27 or other means pivotally connect the ends of yoke 25 to the midsection of the longitudinal members of frame 26 whereby the frame may pivot with respect thereto.

The transverse members of frame 26 are pierced centrally to receive the front axle 28 of my toy vehicle and a prime mover such as reversible motor 29 is positioned at one corner of frame 26 so that small gear 30 fixed on shaft 31 of motor 29 protrudes past frame 26. Motor 29 is preferably a 3-volt DC. motor of the typehaving a constant magnet field with brushes leading to the commutator of the armature so that upon reversal of the current flowing to the motor, the direction of rotation of the armature will be reversed.

Freely rotatable wheel 332 and unidirectional wheel 33 are provided on the ends of axle 28 to form the front wheels of my toy vehicle. Concentrically fixedon the inside of wheel 32 is a gear 34 which is driven from gear 30 through appropriate reduction gears 35. Thus it is seen that motor 29 drives wheel 32 in either direction of rotation. 'It is readily apparent that many other means of driving wheel 32 may be employed without departing from the scope of my invention.

The other front wheel 33 is provided with a ratchet wheel 37 which is concentrically-fixed to the inside of the same. A pawl member 38, which is fixed to frame 26, extends diagonally down from one corner of frame 26 to engage the serrations of ratchet wheel 37 to thus permit rotation of wheel 33 in only one direction.

To prevent rotation of the front wheel assembly about its vertical axis when wheel 32 is rotated in the direction in which wheel 33 is capable of rotating, a flat circular ratchet 39 is concentrically fixed on standard 17 between yoke 25 and platform and is engaged by pawl 40 which is mounted to the bottom of platform 10. For purposes to be described later, the top of ratchet 39 is insulated by insulating material 41 and carries a slip ring 42 which is contacted by a collector brush 43 mounted to platform 10. I

It is now seen that the front wheel assembly will rotate in only one direction about its vertical axis and wheel 33 will rotate in only one direction about its axis; thus, when motor 29 drives wheel 32 in such a direction as to tend to rotate the front wheel assembly in the direction opposite the direction in which it will rotate, and wheel 33 is freely rotatable in the direction of rotation of wheel 32, the front wheel assembly will move along a surface 44 in a direction at right angles to front axle 28.

In order to change the position of the front wheel assembly, the direction of rotation of motor 29 is changed to drive wheel 32 in the opposite direction. When wheel 32 is driven in this opposite direction, wheel 33 is not capable of rotation in that direction and hence, the front wheel assembly will pivot about wheel 33 with pawl 40 riding over the serrations on ratchet 39.

Mounted centrally within the body on platform 10 is a 6-volt battery45 having terminals at either end thereof and a center tap. Mounted adjacent battery 45 is a double pole, single throw relay 46 comprising a solenoid 47 and a switch 48 operated thereby. A small condenser 49 and a resistor 50 are located adjacent battery 45 while on-olf, double pole, single throw switch 51 is positioned appropriately on body 12.

In the rear of the body is a substantially square box which constitutes a Helmholtz resonator 52 mounted on

sponge rubber

53 and 54. A sound switch is mounted in resonator 52, one suitable sound switch being shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 with an alternate structure sound switch in FIGS. 7 and 8. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 6, resonator 52 is provided with a switch actuator such as diaphragm 55 which is cone-shaped and extends across the open mouth of resonator 52. A pillow block 56 of substantially the same depth as diaphragm 55 is mounted at one side within the resonator 52 and a flexible, cone alignment member 57 extends between pillow block 56 and the apex of diaphragm 55. A contact adjustment member 58 extends parallel to alignment member 57 and is spaced beneath the same by metal bridge 59 and a set screw '60. Set screw 60 is journaled for rotation by pillow block 56 and threadably engages one end of contact adjustment member 58 while bridge 59 is affixed to the lower side of alignment member 57 at the apex of diaphragm 55 and extends to a position intermediate the apex of diaphragm 55 and adjustment member 58.

From an examination of FIG. 1, it will be seen that cone alignment member 57 is substantially three-fourths the length of contact adjustment member 58. The tip of contact adjustment member 58 is provided with an electrically conductive contact finger 61 which is preferably tipped with silver or other hard high melting point metal. A reed 62 projects parallel to contact adjustment member 58 from the end of cone alignment member 57. This reed 62 terminates immediately above finger 61 to form a sound actuated switch which, upon vibration of the reed, will close.

' In the preferred embodiment, cone alignment member 57 is selected to have a resonant frequency higher than the frequency at which the sound switch is to operate, and contact adjustment member 58 should be constructed with sutficient stilfness so that it can follow the movement of the cone without moving the contact finger. Further, the Helmholtz resonator 52 and the reed 62 are tuned to the pitch at which the sound switch is to operate.

Members

57 and 58 may be constructed of wood, plastic or the like while reed '62 may be constructed of metal provided with a hard conductive coating adjacent to finger 61. e In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, an alternate structure of the sound switch is shown wherein the switch actuator or vibrator 63 is a substantially flat piece of metal or the like which is supported from one edge 64 by a flange 65 which is fixed to the top of resonator 52. An examination of FIG. 7 will disclose that vibrator 63 is spaced from the opening at the top of resonator 5'2 and extends over the entire opening to absorb the sound vibrations emanating from the box when it is in resonance with a sound vibration.

I would like to state that the alternate version of the sound operated switch is capable of discrimination of pitch so that several cars may be operated at the same time, and the range of effective use is from 200 to 450 cycles per second. I Extending centrally from edge 64 is a flat metal reed which projects beyond the edge of resonator 52. Below the projecting end of reed 66 is an adjustment member comprising a U-shaped tong 67, the ends of which are adjustably held together by a screw 68 which threadably contacts one arm of tong 67 and is rotatably carried by the other. Tong 67 is appropriately mounted by a pillow block 69 adjacent resonator 52 in such a position that a cat whisker contact member 70 may project up from the surfaceof tong 67 then down to contact reed 66 when vibrator 63 is vibrating.

It will be apparent that, while I have described a sound actuated switch .and an .alternate structure which .are sensitive .to sound in the frequency of from about 200 cycles per second to say 450 cycles per second, other sound actuated switches, .radio operated switches or a remotely connected switch could be substituted for .the switches described above.

In FIG. 8, it will be seen that the center tap of battery 45 is connected by wire 71 .to one brush of motor 29. The other brush of motor 29 .is connected by means of wire 72 to switch 48 of relay 46.

To supply current in either one direction or the other to motor 29, the throw terminals 73, 73' of switch 48 are respectively connected to the terminals of battery 45 with terminal 73 being .connected thereto through wire 74 and on-ofi switch 51 and terminal 73' being connected thereto through mercury switch 23, wire 75 and on-ofi switch 51. It is to be remembered that switch 48 is normally in contact with terminal 73' and hence, when on-oif 'switch 51 and mercury switch 23 are closed, current is supplied to rotate motor 29 and wheel 32 inthe same direction in which wheel 3-3 is capable of rotating; .however, if switch 48 is thrown to contact terminal 73, current flowing in the opposite direction is supplied to reverse the motor 29.

For throwing switch 48 upon the sounding of a noise of proper frequency, one lead from solenoid 47 .is connected through wire 76 to wire 75, and the other lead is connected through wire 77 to one terminal of :the sound switch. The other terminal of the sound switch is connected through wire 78 to wire 74. To prevent oscillation and thereby provide for substantially a constant flow of current, when the sound switch is closed, condenser 49 and resistor 50 are arranged in series with each other and in parallel with the sound switch. Therefore, when anoise or sound of proper frequency is sounded, solenoid 47 pulls switch 48 to contact terminal 73 for supplying current to motor 29 in a direction opposite to the flow of current through terminal 73'.

From the foregoing description, the operation of my toy vehicle will be apparent. The first step is to tune the sound switch. For maximum sensitivity over a substantially wide range, finger 61 or contact member 70, as the case may be, is brought very close to reed 62 or reed 66. Probably the most practical method of tuning is to turn on-ofl switch 51 on .and rotate the front wheel assembly until mercury switch 23 is opened. This prevents current from .being supplied to motor 29 until the sound switch is closed. Thereafter,-rotate set screw 60 or screw 68 until'motor 29 begins to rotate, then rotate the screw about 15 in the reverse direction to just slightly open the sound switch.

My toy vehicle is now ready for operation and'is placed on a flat surface 44. If the mercury switch 23 is open, anoise orsound of the appropriate frequency will actuate motor 29'to cause the front wheel assembly to rotate about wheel 33 :andthen move in its predetermined direction as soon as the noise or sound is stopped. If mercury switch 23 is closed, motor 29 normally rotates wheel 32 in the same direction in which wheel 33 will rotate to drive my toy vehicle. It is thus apparent that my toy vehicle may be driven forward and backward depending on the position of the front wheel assembly, or in any other direction desired.

By making a sound for a suflicient time to'rotate the front wheel assembly to one of the two predetermined positions where .mercury .switch 23 is open, my vehicle maybe stopped. Of course, when the on-ofi switch 51 is opened, the toy is de-actuated and may be stored.

It is to be noted that my toy vehicle .is well adapted to travel over rugged terrain since frame '26 is pivotallycarried by yoke 25 so that

wheels

32, 33 will always contact the surface 44.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many 6 variations may be made in .the single embodiment chosen for purpose of illustration without departing from the scope of my invention .as defined .by the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. In a toy vehicle, a wheel assembly comprising a rotatable wheel carriage, .a ,pair of wheels rotatably mounted on said carriage, means for rotating one of said wheels in either direction, means operably connected .to the other wheel for retarding the rotation of the other wheel in only one direction, and means .for preventing the rotation of said rotatable wheel carriage in only one direction.

2. In a my vehicle, a wheel assembly comprising .a rotatable wheel carriage, a pair of wheels rotatably mounted on said carriage, a motor for driving one of said wheels, means for selectively rotatingsaid motor ineither direction of rotation to drive said wheel in one direction or the other, means for preventing the rotation of the other of said wheels in one direction of rotation of the driven wheel, and means operable in all positions of said wheel carriage for preventing the rotation of the wheel carriage in the direction which the driven wheel tends to drive the carriage when said driven wheel and the other of said wheels are rotating in the same direction.

3. In a toy vehicle, a wheel assembly comprising a wheel carriage having a vertical axis and a transverse axis, said carriage being rotatable about its vertical axis in only one direction of rotation, a pairof spaced wheels rotatably mounted on said carriage along its transverse axis on opposite sides of said vertical axis for contact with a surface to tend to rotate the carriage, means for selectively rotating one of said wheels in either direction of rotation, and means continuously operable for preventing rotation of the other of-said wheels in the direction in which the driven wheel rotates the carriage about its vertitical axis.

4. In a toy vehicle having a body and rear wheels, a front wheel assembly comprising a front wheel carriage having a vertical axis about whichit is rotatable and a transverse axis, said front wheel carriage being pivotally mounted to said body for rotation about its vertical axis, a pair of wheels mounted on said transverse axis for concentric rotation ,and for contact with the surface on which said vehicle rides, said wheels being mounted on opposite sides of said vertical axis, means for driving one of said wheels along said surface in either direction of rotation to tend to pivot said carriage about .its vertical axis in one direction or the other, a pawl mounted on said body, a ratchet fixed to said carriage with its center substantially at the vertical axis for pivoting with said carriage, said pawl engaging said ratchet to prevent pivoting of said carriage in one direction of rotation, at second pawl con nected to said carriage, a second ratchet fixed to the other of said Wheels, said second pawl engaging said second ratchet to prevent rotation of the same in the direction of rotation of said driven wheel when said driven wheel tends to rotate said carriage in the direction-in which it ;is capable of pivoting.

5. The structure defined in claim 4 wherein said means for driving one of said wheels includes an electric motor driving that wheel, a source of electric current connected to said body, an electrical circuit connecting said source of current to said motor, and means for reversing the di rection of flow of current from said source of current to said motor.

6. The structure defined in claim 4 wherein said means for driving one of said Wheels includes an electric motor, a slip ring mounted for rotation with said first mentioned ratchet and electrically connected tosaid motor, a brush extending from said body for .contact with said slip ring, a sourceof .electric current withinsaid body, an electrical connection through said carriage .tosaid body, means for supplying current from said .source to said brush and said electrical connection, and means for reversing the flow of current to said brush and said electrical connection. 7. In a vehicle, a carriage having a vertical axis and a transverse axis, said carriage being rotatable about said vertical axis, a pair of wheels mounted on said carriage 6 for rotation about said transverse axis and for contact with the surface on which said vehicle rides, said wheels being mounted on opposite sides of said vertical axis,

means for driving one of said wheels along said surface in either direction of rotation to thereby tend to pivot said 10 carriage about its vertical axis in one direction or the other, means for preventing rotation of the undriven wheel, said carriage being freely pivotable through a 360 degree are in one direction about said vertical axis,

and means for retarding pivoting of said carriage about 'said vertical axis in the other direction.

8. The structure defined in claim 7 wherein said means for retarding rotation of said carriage about said vertical axis includes pawl and ratchet elements, one of said elements being connected to said vehicle and the other of said elements being connected to said carriage.

9. A vehicle comprising a body, a carriage connected to said body, said carriage being freely rotatable in one direction about a vertical axis and incapable of appreciable rotation in the opposite direction, said carriage having a transverse axis, wheels mounted to said carriage along, said transverse axis on opposite sides of said vertical axis, one of said wheels being freely rotatable in one direction and incapable of appreciable rotation in the opposite direction, an electric motor for driving the other of said wheels in either direction, a battery carried by said body, switch means on said body, a pair of circuit means between said battery and said motor, said switch means controlling current from said battery through said pair of circuits to said motor for controlling the direction 85 of rotation of said motor, a second switch actuated when said carriage is positioned in a preselected radial position for disconnecting one of said pairs of circuits to prevent rotaton of said motor in one direction until said carriage has been moved from said preselected position.

10. In a vehicle, a body, a reversible motor, a carriage pivotable through a 360 degree are with respect to said body, wheel means on said carriage and driven by said 4 motor to move said body in the direction of alignment of said carriage when said motor is rotated in one direction, means for pivoting said carriage with respect to said body when said motor is rotated in another direction, and means for maintaining said carriage in any angular position during the time said vehicle is driven.

' 11. In a vehicle, a body, a switch actuated by sound, a source of power on said body, a carriage mounted on said body, wheels supporting said carriage, a motor for driving said vehicle in either direction, means connected between said switch and said motor and said source of power whereby the direction of rotation of said motor is controlled by said switch, stop mechanism on one of said wheels for substantially preventing rotation of that wheel in only one direction, and a second stop mechanism for substantially preventing rotation of said carriage in only one direction, said carriage being pre- 6 vented by said stop mechanism from rotation in the direction such that said one of said wheels will rotate with respect to the surface on which said one of said wheels rides as said vehicle is driven by said motor.

12. In a vehicle having a freely rotatable carriage and 6 rotable wheels supporting said carriage on opposite sides of said carriage, the combination of means for preventing rotation of one of said wheels in only one direction of rotation and means for preventing rotation of said carriage in only one direction of rotation.

13. In a vehicle, a carriage having a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, said carriage being rotatable about said vertical axis, means for preventing appreciable rotation of said carriage in one direction, a pair of wheels mounted on said carriage for rotation about said horizon- 75 8 v tal axis and for contact with the surface on which said vehicle rides, said wheels being mounted on opposite sides of said vertical axis, means for driving one of said wheels along said surface in either direction of rotation to tend to pivot said carriage about its vertical axis in one direction or the other, and means for preventing appreciable rotation of the other of said wheels in the direction of rotation of said driven wheel when said driven wheel tends to rotate said carriage in the direction in which it is capable of rotating.

14. In a toy vehicle having a body, a wheel assembly comprising a shaft journalled by said body,said shaft passing through said body and rotatable within said body, an indicating means mounted on said shaft at the upper side of said body for indicating the position of said shaft with respect to said body, means permitting rotation of said shaft about its axis in one direction of rotation of said shaft and preventing rotation of said shaft in the other direction of rotation of said shaft, wheel supporting means affixed to the lower end of said shaft, wheel means mounted on said wheel supporting means, said wheel means contacting the surface along which said vehicle travels, a motor rotatable in one direction of rotation to drive said wheel means, said motor also being rotatable in the other direction of rotation, power means for selectively actuating said motor to rotate in either direction of rotation, and means for transmitting power from said motor for continuously rotating said shaft in the direction in which it may rotate Wvhile said motor is rotating in said other direction.

15. In a toy vehicle having a body, a wheel assembly comprising a shaft journalled by said body, said shaft passing vertically through said body and rotatable within said body, an indicating means mounted on the upper end of said shaft for indicating the position of said shaft with respect to said body, means permitting rotation of said shaft about its axis in one direction of rotation of said shaft and preventing rotation of said shaft in the other direction of rotation of said shaft, wheel supporting means affixed to the lower end of said shaft, wheel means mounted on said wheel supporting means, said wheel means contacting the surface along which said vehicle travels, means for driving said wheel means, and means for rotating said shaft in the direction in which it may rotate, said shaft being rotatable in the direction in which it may rotate through a 360 arc.

16. In a toy vehicle having a body and rear wheels, a front wheel assembly comprising a yoke, a rotatable shaft fixed to said yoke and extending through said body, said shaft being journalled by said body, means mounted on said shaft for indicating the position of said yoke with respect to said body, an axle carried by said yoke, Wheel means on said axle for propelling said vehicle across a surface, a ratchet fixed to said shaft, a pawl on said body engaging said ratchet for permitting rotation of said shaft in one direction of rotation of said shafts and preventing rotation of said shaft in the other direction of rotation of said shaft, a motor rotatable in both directions of rotation, a source of electrical power connected to said motor, switch means connected electrically between said source of electrical power and said motor, and means for transmitting power from said motor to said wheel means to rotate said wheel means to move said vehicle across said surface upon rotation of said motor in one direction of rotation, and means for transmitting power from said motor to said shaft to rotate said shaft in said one direction of rotation of said shaft upon rotation of said motor in the other direction of said motor.

17. In a toy vehicle having a body, a wheel assembly comprising a shaft journalled by said body, said shaft passing through said body and rotatable within said body, an indicating means mounted on the upper end of said shaft for indicating the position of said shaft with respect to said body, means permitting rotation of said shaft about its axis in one direction of rotation of said shaft and preventing rotation of said shaft in the other direction of rotation of said shaft, wheel supporting means aflixed t the lower end of said shaft, an axle normal to said shaft carried by said wheel supporting means, wheel means mounted on said axle, said wheel means contacting the surface along which said vehicle travels, a motor rotatable in one direction of rotation for driving said wheel means, said motor also being rotatable in the other direction of rotation, power means for selectively actuating said motor to rotate in either direction of rotation, and means for continuously rotating said shaft in the direction in which it may rotate while said motor is rotating in said other direction, said shaft being rotatable through a 360 arc.

18. In a toy vehicle having a body, a shaft vertically journalled by said body, a wheel carriage below said body and affixed to said shaft, a direction indicating means above said body and atfixed to rotate with said shaft, said shaft being freely rotatable through a 360 are for the positioning of said wheel carriage in any radial position, wheel means on said wheel carriage, means for alternately rotating said wheel means and rotating said shaft, said last mentioned means being operable to position said shaft at any preselected position, and means actuatable during the free travel of said vehicle for controlling said last mentioned means.

19'. A toy vehicle having a body and rear wheel means, a freely rotatable front wheel carriage on said body, front wheel means carried on said carriage, a reversible motor driving said front wheel means for moving said vehicle along a surface when said motor is rotating in one direction, means elfective upon reversal of said motor for continuously rotating said carriage on said body during the entire period said motor is reversed, and means for supplying current to said motor for selectively rotating said motor in one direction and rotating said motor in the other direction, said means for supplying current including a sound actuated switch and a battery, said current being supplied from said battery to said motor to rotate the same to move said vehicle along a surface when said sound actuated switch is deactuated and to rotate said motor to pivot said front wheels when said sound actuated switch is actuated.

20. A toy vehicle having a body and rear wheel means, a freely rotatable front wheel carriage on said body, front wheel means carried on said carriage, a reversible motor driving said front wheel means for moving said vehicle along a surface when said motor is rotating in one direction, means effective upon reversal of said motor for continuously rotating said carriage on said body during the entire period said motor is reversed, and means for supplying current to said motor for selectively rotating said motor in one direction and rotating said motor in the other direction, said means for supplying current including a switch and a battery and a relay, said battery supplying current through said relay to said motor, said relay being constructed and arranged to reverse the flow of current to said motor, said switch being connected to said relay to actuate the same to reverse the flow of current.

21. In a toy having a body, a propulsion means, a means for steering said propulsion means, a source of power, control means for alternately actuating said propulsion means to move said body and for actuating said means for steering to move said means for steering to various positions, and means for disconnecting said propulsion means from said source of power at a predetermined position of said steering means whereby said propulsion means is rendered unactuatable until said means for steering has been moved from said predetermined position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,766,329 Caruso June 24, 1930 1,951,505 Dambrine Mar. 20, 1934 2,267,629 Van Over Dec. 23, 1941 2,401,390 Unger June 4, 1946 2,481,686 Roggenstein Sept. 13, 1949 2,488,464 Arpin Nov. 15, 1949 2,519,472 Howard Aug. 22, 1950 2,587,082 Albisetti Feb. 26, 1952 2,718,729 Giardina Sept. 27, 19 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,094,044 France Dec. 1, 1954