US3047295A

US3047295A - Lassoing toy

Info

Publication number: US3047295A
Application number: US111633A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sachs David
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-05-22
Filing date: 1961-05-22
Publication date: 1962-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 1979-07-31

Description

July 31, 1962 D. SACHS LASSOING TOY Filed May 22, 1961 INVENTOR. 0,4100 JIM/l5 3,047,295 LASSOKNG TOY David Sachs, 3933 Topanga Canyon Lane, Malibu, Calif. Filed May 22, 1961, Ser. No. 111,633 9 Claims. (Cl. 273-1) This invention relates to amusement toys and has as its general object to provide a toy which is operable to simulate the action of a cowboy lassoing a running horse. A specific object of the invention is to provide such a toy which calls for skill on the part of the operator in effecting the lassoing operation.

More specifically, the invention contemplates such a toy wherein a plurality of running horse figures are mounted upon the rim of a rotatable platform which can be spun so as to effect a circular movement of the horse figures, simulating the running of horses past a cowboy figure which is mounted in a fixed position with respect to the rotating platform.

A further object is to provide, in such a toy, a part simulating a lasso, supported by an arm of the cowboy figure, which arm is movable vertically to lower the lasso into a position where the head of a moving horse figure can be lassoed. A still further object is to provide, in such a toy, means operable by the player for manipulating the lasso to and from the lassoing position.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the ensuing specifications and appended drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a toy embodying the invention, taken through the center of the rotating platform;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view thereof, with a portion of the cowboy figure shown in horizontal section as indicated by line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the central hub assembly of the device; and

FIG. 5 is a detail sectional View of the torso of the cowboy figure.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, I have shown therein, as an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, a toy, fabricated largely of stamped sheet metal (or sheet plastic material) embodying generally a base A adapted to rest on a horizontal supporting surface, a platform B rotatably mounted on the base A, a mounted cowboy figure C mounted on the base A in a fixed position, and a plurality of running horse figures D mounted on the rim of platform B.

The base A comprises a cylindrical skirt having a beaded rim 11 for engaging a supporting surface 12 and having a top panel 13 in the form of a circular disc (preferably flat). In the center thereof is a downwardly projecting boss 14.

Referring now to FIG. 4 in connection with FIG. 1, a tubular pedestal 16 is secured at its lower end in boss 14 and projects upwardly into the cowboy figure C. At its upper end, it has a neck 17 of reduced diameter joined to the body thereof by an annular offset shoulder 18 providing a thrust bearing race. Secured to the upper end of reduced neck 17 is a hat section 19 extending downwardly and terminating in a radial peripheral flange 20, providing a support for the mounted cowboy figure C. Hat section 19 is functionally integral with neck 17 but 3,047,295 Patented July 31, 1962 to facilitate fabrication, it is shown as being formed as a separate part, secured thereto as indicated.

Platform B comprises a circular disc body 22 having at its center a tubular hub 23 projecting upwardly and terminating at its upper end in an inturned radial flange 24 (FIG. 4) overhanging the bearing race shoulder 18 of pedestal 16. Interposed between the flange 24 and the shoulder 18 are a series of bearing balls 25 providing an anti-friction end-thrust bearing upon which the platform B is supported for free spinning rotation.

Mounted upon the rim of platform 22 are the running horse figures D, which may be of fabricated sheet metal construction or hollow molded plastic structure in accordance with well-known techniques utilized in fabricating toy figures. Each of the horse figures D has legs 27 attached to the platform 22 and a head 28 projecting forwardly. The heads 28 are raised sufficiently to be extended substantially horizontally to facilitate the lassoing operation, and are offset radially inwardly from the bodies of the respective horses so that, if in an attempted lassoing maneuver, the lasso loop 35 misses a head 28, it will not strike against the body of the horse figure D.

The mounted cowboy figure C comprises a hollow standing horse figure 30 of fabricated sheet metal or molded hollow plastic material having a tubular belly portion including an underneath wall which is provided with a circular aperture 31 rotatably receiving the hat section 19 of the pedestal 16 and supported upon the hat section flange 20 with a light frictional engagement which provides a braking action for arresting rotation as hereinafter described. Mounted upon the horse figure 30 is the vertical, hollow torso 32 of a seated cowboy figure, the lower end of torso 32 being open and in communication with the hollow interior of horse figure 30. Pivotally mounted upon a shoulder portion of torso 32 is an arm 33 which is normally extended horizontally as indicated in FIG. 1. Secured in the end of the arm 33 is a straight length of spring wire 34 terminating in a loop 35 simulating a lasso. The loop 35 is positioned at the same radius from the center of the toy as the heads 28 of the running horse figures D, the heads 28 being positioned at a common radius (though not necessarily at the same height).

The arm 32 is secured to the outer end of a pivot shaft 36 which extends transversely through the cowboy torso 32 and is journalled in suitable bearings therein. Within the hollow torso 32, a short lever arm 37 is secured to pivot shaft 36 and projects forwardly (FIG. 5) in the same direction as the arm 33. Pivoted to the forward end of lever arm 37 is an actuator stem 38 which extends downwardly and is joined to a push rod 39 which is vertically slidable in the tubular body of'pedestal 16. The lower end of actuator stem 38 is rotatably mounted inv a cylindrical socket 49 in the upper end of push rod 39. The lower end of push rod 39 is pivoted, at 40, to an actuator lever 41 disposed within the hollow space defined by base A. One end of lever 41 is connected by a pivot 42 to a bracket 43 secured to base skirt 10, and the other end-of the lever 41 projects through a vertical slot 44 in the opposite side of skirt 10. A compression spring 45,

.mounted at its lower end to a horizontal mounting tab 46 secured to the skirt 10 and projecting inwardly therefrom, has its upper end attached to and supporting the lever 41 with a yielding support which permits the lever to be pushed downwardly. A button 47 on the outer end 3 of lever 41 is positioned for engagement by the fingertip of the player.

In playing with the toy, the player engages one of the running horse figures D with a finger or fingers of one hand and gives it a sharp push to spin the platform B, in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 50 in FIG. 2. The heads 28 of the running horse figures D are all facing forward with reference to this direction of rotation of the platform B. The player then manipulates the lever 41, pressing it downwardly as a running horse figure D approaches the vertical plane of loop 35. The object of the operation is to move the loop downwardly in this plane to a position immediately in front of the head 28 of an approaching horse figure D so that the head 28 will enter the loop 35, thus lassoing the horse.

The

lasso element

34, 35, is of spring wire (e.g. piano wire) and sufficiently flexible so that the spinning momentum of the platform B will be absorbed with a cushioning action which arrests the rotation of the platform without damaging the structure of the toy. More specifically, as the head 28 of a horse is caught in the lasso loop 35, the lasso member 34 will be bowed circumferentially in the direction of spinning movement of the platform, and as the resistance of the lasso member to the bowing action is increased with the circumferential deflection of the lasso member, rotation will be transmitted to the mounted cowboy figure C and will be absorbed by frictional braking action of the under wall of the belly portion of the horse body 30 against the supporting flange 20 of hat section 19, until the platform comes to rest. At the same time, the link 38, rotating with the mounted cowboy figure C, will rotate in the socket in the push rod 39.

Although the cowboy figure is shown and described herein as a horse-mounted figure, it will be understood that it could as well be a standing cowboy figure without a horse, with the torso thereof mounted on the hat section 19 of the pedestal in a manner analogous to that disclosed herein. Other changes may be made in the apparatus herein disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is my intention to cover by my claims all modified forms equivalent to that disclosed and described specifically herein.

I claim:

1. In a lassoing toy: a base having a pedestal rising from the center thereof; a platform rotatably mounted upon said pedestal for rotation above said base and having a running horse figure mounted thereon near its periphery for movement in a circular orbital path with its head projecting forwardly, a lassoing figure mounted upon said pedestal above said platform, said figure including an arm pivotally attached thereto on a horizontal axis for movement in a vertical plane, and a lasso element attached to said arm, projecting generally radially over said platform and terminating in a lasso loop disposed in a generally vertical plane, normally above the head of said running horse figure but movable downwardly in a position to receive said head as said horse figure moves in said orbital path; said arm being adapted to be moved vertically by a player to manipulate said lasso loop into said position to receive said running horse head.

2. A toy as defined in claim 1, including means for manipulating said lasso element, said means comprising an actuator stem connected to said arm and extending downwardly through said lassoing figure to a point beneath said base; and an actuator lever pivoted at one end to one side of said base, having a connection between its central portion and the lower end of said actuator stem, and having an opposite end projecting through the opposite side of said base for engagement by a player.

3. A toy as defined in claim 2, including spring means yieldingly biasing said actuator lever upwardly to normally maintain said lasso element in its normal raised position.

4. A toy as defined in claim 1, wherein the head of said running horse figure is offset radially inwardly from the body thereofv 5. A lassoing toy comprising: a base including a peripheral skirt portion adapted to rest on a supporting surface and a tubular pedestal rising from the center of said base; a rotatable platform including a flat horizontal platform body and a tubular sleeve portion extending upwardly from the center thereof around said pedestal; a thrust hearing providing a rotatable support for the upper end of said tubular sleeve portion upon the upper end of said pedestal, said pedestal having a reduced neck portion projecting upwardly from its said upper end through said thrust bearing; a lassoing cowboy figure having a body portion supported upon said neck portion of said pedestal, having an arm pivoted to said body portion for swinging movement in a vertical plane, and having a lasso element secured to the outer end of said arm, projecting generally radially above said platform and terminating in a lasso loop disposed in a generally vertical plane, said platform having a running horse figure supported thereon near its periphery and having a forwardly and generally horizontally projecting head adapted to enter said lasso loop when the latter is lowered; and operator means for manipulating said arm portion of said lassoing figure to lower said lasso element to bring said loop into position to be entered by said running horse head.

6. A toy as defined in claim 5, including a rotatable, frictional braking connection between said lassoing cowboy figure and said pedestal whereby said cowboy figure may normally remain in a fixed position but may rotate with said platform to absorb the momentum thereof when said lasso element is engaged by said running horse figure.

7. A toy as defined in claim 6, wherein said lasso element is of resilient wire, adapted to flex circumferentially to absorb the initial impact of the running horse figure against said lasso loop.

8. In a lassoing toy: a generally drum-shaped base including a cylindrical skirt having a rim adapted to rest upon a horizontal supporting surface, a generally fiat top member, and a tubular pedestal secured in the center of said top member and rising therefrom; a rotatable platform including a generally flat circular platform body disposed immediately above said top member and a tubular sleeve portion rising from the center of said body around said pedestal and terminating at its upper end in an inturned bearing flange, said pedestal having at its upper end a reduced tubular neck and an offset annular bearing shoulder joining the same to the body portion, said neck projecting upwardly from said shoulder; end thrust bearing means interposed between said inturned flange and said annular shoulder for mounting said platform for rotation around said pedestal and above said base; a hat section including a top portion secured to the upper end of said reduced neck and a body portion extending downwardly around the upper end portion of said platform sleeve and terminating at its lower end in a radially outwardly projecting supporting flange; a lassoing figure having a wall provided with a circular aperture receiving said hat section and resting upon said flange for rotation of said lassoing figure upon said pedestal with a frictional braln'ng action normally holding said lassoing figure stationary.

9. In a lassoing toy: a generally drum-shaped base including a cylindrical skirt having a rim adapted to rest upon a horizontal supporting surface, a generally flat top member, and a tubular pedestal secured in the center of said top member and rising therefrom; a rotatable platform including a generally flat circular platform body disposed immediately above said top member and a tubular sleeve portion rising from the center of said body around said pedestal and terminating at its upper end in an inturned bearing flange, said pedestal having at its upper end a reduced tubular neck and an offset annular bearing shoulder joining the same to the body portion, said neck projecting upwardly from said shoulder; end thrust bearing means interposed between said inturned flange and said annular shoulder for mounting said platform for rotation around said pedestal and above said base; a hat section including a top portion secured to the upper end of said reduced neck and a body portion extending downwardly around the upper end portion of said platform sleeve and terminating at its lower end in a radially outwardly projecting supporting flange; a mounted lassoing figure including a body portion simulating a standing horse, having a hollow belly section with a lower wall provided with a circular aperture receiving said hat section and resting upon said flange for rotation of said lassoing figure upon said pedestal with a frictional braking action normally holding said lassoing figure stationary, said lassoing figure further including a 5 cowboy torso portion rising from said hollow body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,464,261 Ripley Mar. 15, 1949