US3221446A

US3221446A - Elastic band powdered rolling toy

Info

Publication number: US3221446A
Application number: US330894A
Authority: US
Inventors: Norman A Keck
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-12-16
Filing date: 1963-12-16
Publication date: 1965-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 1982-12-07

Description

Dec. 7, 1965 N. A. KECK 3, L6

ELASTIC BAND POWDERED ROLLING TOY Filed Dec. 16. 1963 FIG?) NORMAN A. KECK Y United States Patent 3,221,446 ELASTIC BAND POWDERED ROLLING TOY Norman A. Keck, 707 4th Ave., Joliet, Ill. Filed Dec. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 330,894 7 Claims. ((11. 46206) This invention relates to a toy and more particularly to a toy of improved design of the type which can be rolled across a surface and will return again in a counter direction.

In some respects the toy of this invention is an improvement on the invention set forth in my copending application Serial No. 224,697, now patent 3,174,254, filed September 19, 1962.

An object of the invention is to provide a toy which when rolled across a surface will return in a counter direction and which is extremely simple of construction, being made of few parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a toy in which the rim of the wheels may be near the frame on each side but which yet permits suificient wind up of the toy to roll and return a substantial distance. More specifically, an object is to provide wheels in the general form of hollow cones which permit attachment of resilient bands substantially inwardly of their rims.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy of this character in which the axle is a simple resilient band and wherein the wheels are frictionally mounted in spaced relationship on this band, thus providing the whole moving structure of only two different parts.

Other objects will be apparent as this specification proceeds.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of one form of the toy;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the roller-axle assembly as shown in FIG. 1 with interior edges shown in dotted lines; and

FIG. 3 is a view like FIG. 2 but showing another embodiment of the invention.

As illustrated, the device includes a frame 10 which in this embodiment is a wire in rectangular form, having side members 11 and 12, and

end members

13 and 14. Although the frame 10 is shown as a simple wire the frame may in practice take almost any form and may resemble, for example, an animal, an automobile, or other familiar object, it being necessary only that whatever form the frame may take there is provided a pair of side members between which the wheel and axle structure may extend.

In a preferred form of the device as shown in FIG. 1, the device has a front wheel-axle structure A and a similar rear wheel-axle structure A. With these two wheel-axle structures the device is stabilized. The device may also be effectively used with only one of such wheel-axle structures by hooking the device to another roll toy or by substituting for one of the wheel-axle structures A and A an ordinary set of wheels.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 2, the wheel-axle structure A includes a band 15 made of rubber or other such resilient material, and a pair of wheels and 20'.

The wheel 21) has a hub portion 21 which contains an axial opening 22. The band 15 is passed axially through this opening. Preferably the opening 22 is smaller in cross section than the cross section of the band so that the band must be stretched substantially in order to pass through the opening. Also it is preferable that the wheel be made of rubber or similar material which is stiff enough to hold its shape but which may be somewhat expanded at the opening 22 to aid in permitting the passage of the band therethrough. When the band 15 is received through the opening 22 to the desired eX- tent and then relaxed it is thus held frictionally within the hub of the wheel and when the wheel is rotated the band within the hub will also be rotated.

The hub 21 represents the smaller end of the generally conical form of the wheel, and the outer larger end of the wheel faces the side member 11 of the frame. The outer end of the wheel provides the rim 23 which is intended to contact the floor or other surface on which the toy is passed. The length 24 of the resilient band 15 which is passed through hub 21 has its end fastened to the frame side member 11 by means. of the ring or band 25. By this construction the rim 23 of the wheel 20 may be quite near the side member 11, yet the portion of the elastic band which extends between the side member 11 and the hub 21 is long enough to permit sufiicient twist for a long roll of the toy across a surface.

The other end of the band 24 is received through the opening 22 of the hub 21' of the wheel 20 in the same way as explained in connection with the wheel 20, and the end 24 of the elastic band is fastened to the side member 12 by means of the ring or band 25'. As explained in connection with wheel 20, the wheel 20' has its hub on the inner side and the larger end carrying rim 23 faces the side member 12.

With the wheel-axle assembly A thus mounted in the frame we have the central portion 26 of the band 15 extending between the wheels 26 and 20'. This portion of the band also is resilient and will yield to permit rotation of either of the

wheels

20 and 20 with respect to the other.

It is understood that where it is not necessary for the wheels 20 and 20' to be located with their rims near the frame members, these wheels may not need to be conical in shape but may be formed with the hub portion in substantially the same plane as the rim portion.

In the operation of the toy as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a person may grasp the frame and push the device along a surface a distance, or give it a push so that it moves a distance along the surface by momentum. In so moving, the wheels 20 and 20' rotate, causing the

band lengths

24 and 24 to be twisted, thus bringing them under tension. At the end of such forward movement the tension which has been built up in the elastic bands moves to produce backward rotation of the wheels and so propels the device in a counter direction, until the bands cause the device to move forwardly again, and so on, until the toy stops with the bands untwisted or substantially so.

When the toy is pushed straight forwardly the band lengths 24 and 24' will each be twisted equally and the center portion 26 will remain untwisted, and the toy will come straight back in the same path. But when the toy is pushed forwardly in a curved path the wheel which is on the outside of the curve will rotate faster and the portion of the band which is between that wheel and the frame will be twisted to a greater extent. Also, since one wheel is rotating faster than the other the central portion 26 of the band will also be somewhat twisted. When the toy reaches the end of its curved forward movement it will start backwardly, and since the portion of the band which is between the frame and the faster rotating wheel is under greater tension it will tend to send that wheel backwardly at a faster rate, thus to send the toy backward along the same curved path as it moved forwardly.

By having the wheels 20 and 20' connected by the twistable portion 26 of the band it is possible to send the device on curved routes as well as on straight courses.

There is shown in FIG. 3 another modification of the improved toy. The frame 10 having side members 11 and 12, is the same as the respective members of the FIG.

2 modification. The wheel-axle structure B is somewhat differently constructed. In this modification there is a central shank 30. Near one end this shank has a flattened area 31, and behind this is a washer 32. The wheel 33, in the general form of a hollow cone, has a hub portion 34 at its smaller end, and this contains an opening which is received over the end of shank 30. The end of the shank is threaded, and a nut 35 provided with the hook 36, is received over the threaded portion to bind the hub portion 34 against the washer 32.

The resilient band 37 of rubber or other such resilient material has its one end over the hook 36 and its other end fastened to the side frame member 11 by the ring 25a.

The wheel 33' is shaped similar to Wheel 33 and is mounted in similar manner to the other end of the shank 30, and the resilient band 37 is employed in similar manner to band 37 to fasten the hook 36' to the side member 12. As in the principal embodiment, the larger end of the generally conically shaped wheels 33 and 33' face their respective side frame members.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in this art will appreciate that many changes may be made, and the invention may take many forms, all within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a toy of the type which when rolled in one direction will reverse itself and roll in the opposite direction, the combination of a frame having spaced side members, an elastic band having its one end connected with one of said side members and the other end connected with the other of said side members, and a pair of wheels having hubs with axial openings therein, said band being received within the hub openings of said wheels and frictionally engaged therein.

2. In a toy of the type which when rolled in one direction will reverse itself and roll in the opposite direction, the combination of a frame having spaced side members, an elastic band having its one end connected with one of said side members and the other end connected with the other of said side members, and a pair of Wheels each in the general shape of a hollow cone, said wheels having hubs with axial openings therein and being received over said band with the band frictionally engaged within said openings and with the larger ends of each of said generally conical wheels facing outwardly toward one of said side members.

3. In a toy of the type which when rolled in one direction will reverse itself and roll in the opposite direction, the combination of a frame having spaced side members, a pair of wheels each in the general shape of a hollow cone, said wheels being spaced apart and disposed between said side members with the larger end of each wheel facing outwardly toward one of said side members, and means for connecting said wheels axially between said side members, said means including a length of elastic band extending between the smaller end of one of said wheels and one of said side members and a length of elastic band extending between the smaller end of the other of said wheels and the other of said side members.

4. In a toy, the structure set forth in claim 3 in which the smaller ends of said wheels are connected by a rigid shank.

5. In a toy, the structure set forth in claim 4 including a hook fixed to each end of said shank, each of said hooks being disposed within one of said generally conically shaped wheels and each engaging the inner ends of said lengths of elastic band.

6. In a toy of the type which when rolled in one direction will reverse itself and roll in the opposite direction,

the combination of a frame having spaced side members,

a pair of wheels spaced apart and disposed between said side members and elastic means for axially connecting said wheels together and to said side members whereby said wheels may rotate with respect to said frame and with respect to each other through the yielding of said means.

7. In a toy, the structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said wheels are formed of rubber material whereby the Wheels may be frictionally engaged with said band at the hub openings and at their rims with the surface on which the toy is placed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,797,527 7/1957 Lohnes 46-206 X 2,814,160 11/1957 Keck 46212 X RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

Claims

3. IN A TOY OF THE TYPE WHICH WHEN ROLLED IN ONE DIRECTION WILL REVERSE ITSELF AND ROLL IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, THE COMBINATION OF A FRAME HAVING SPACED SIDE MEMBERS, A PAIR OF WHEELS EACH IN THE GENERAL SHAPE OF A HOLLOW CONE, SAID WHEELS BEING SPACED APART AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SIDE MEMBERS WITH THE LARGER END OF EACH WHEEL FACING OUTWARDLY TOWARD ONE OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID WHEELS AXIALLY BETWEEN SAID SIDE MEMBERS, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A LENGTH OF ELASSTIC BAND EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SMALLER END OF ONE OF SAID WHEELS AND ONE OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS AND A LENGTH OF ELASTIC BAND EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SMALLER END OF THE OTHER OF SAID WHEELS AND THE OTHER OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS.