US3252241A - Pin wheel and propellor toys - Google Patents

Description

May 24, 1966 A. GOULD PIN WHEEL AND PROPELLOR TOYS Filed May 17, 1965 D/ m Y U mw w W mm mm T E T B A L A. 2 4 m E El 0 2 14 4 15S 2 1 v 6 D2 2 \k6 2 2 2 3 2 2 t 2 2 mm a F B United States Patent 3,252,241 PIN WHEEL AND PROPELLOR TOYS Albert Gould, 14 Shady Brook Road, Great Neck, N.Y. Filed May 17, 1963, Ser. No. 281,133 4 Claims. (CI. 46-58) The present invention relates to toys which spin by action of the wind, namely, pinwheels and propellors, usually on sticks, but also shown herein on kites and bicycle handle bars as further adaptations made possible by the novel and improved mounting means for the spinning member. This invention is particularly concerned with such mounts.

Heretofore, a headed nail, as a shaft carrying the spinning member, was driven into a stick to extend laterally from near an end thereof. A hole, somewhat smaller in size than the nail, was first drilled to receive the pointed nail end, to avoid the splitting of the stick upon the forced entrance of the nail therethrough. In the manufacture of articles of this kind, such drilling operation and the operation in assembly requiring holding of the laden nail while it was being driven into the stick and the operation of driving the nail, constituted a very substantial part of the cost of production.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a novel and improved mount for the spinning member of toys of the character mentioned, which will eliminate the mentioned operations in the manufacturing process and thus materially cheapen the cost to produce these items by decreasing labor costs.

A further object thereof is to provide a novel and improved mounting-means for the spinning members of such toys, which can be easily associated by a force-fit structure on held-in-hand sticks, sticks of a kite frame, handle bars of a bicycle and other perches of any material.

In toys of this class, elements arranged to make-a noise upon rotation of the spinning member, are often included. These elements are usually in pairs, one secured to the Spinning member and the other secured on the stick, and so associated that rubbing action will produce a screech.

The stick being usually of a relatively hard wood, there was difliculty in making the required attachment of the element mentioned onto the stick by a cheap operation. Mere burrs from such element, forced into the stick, would soon loosen.

It is therefore another object of this invention to secure said noise-structure element onto the mount herein provided for the spinning member, and having it easily and effectively done to hold securely.

As a further object, the novel and improved mounts herein provided requiring no nail, they are made so that the stick need not be of material into which nails are usually driven, that is, now, the stick for instance, may be made of helically-wound, tightly-applied, adhesively-held paper ribbons made into a stick of laminated structure. So made, and afforded some flexibility, they are safer in the hands of children than the wooden stick, because of the ability to bend if such paper stick is fallen on at an end face thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide novel and improved constructions in mounts for the spinning members of toys of the class described, having the mentioned attributes, and which are simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, easy to use, etlicient in carrying out the purposes for which they are designed, safe from sharp edges or points and which by their use, materially decrease the cost of manufacture of such toys.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For the practice of this invention, I provide a unitary structure of thermoplastic material, comprising a tubular 3,252,241 Patented May 24, 1966 lengthwise to be force-fitted or by force snapped on a stick,

a stick of a kite frame, the handle bar of a bicycle or 'otherperch. The said shank serves as the shaft for the spinning member. Upon setting such spinningmember onto said shank whose free end protrudes, a hot tool is merely set against such free end to form a head or swelling which maintains the assembly.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a pin wheel on a mount construction embodying teachings of this invention. This view is shown partly in section, and the pin wheel is indicated diagrammatically by an outline consisting of a dash-and-dotline.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mounting element included in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of mounting element, shown mounted on a stick which is part of the frame'of a kite.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a propellor toy using the mount of FIG. ,3 and having noise-producing means associated therewith. This view is partly in section and the propellor is indicated diagrammatically by an outline consisting of a dash-and-dot line.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another modified form of mount element, which is adapted to be snapped onto the handle bar of a bicycle or other perch.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a kite, carrying propellors on mounts as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 shows a blankifrom which the pinwheel is made.

FIG. 8 shows ablank from which thepropellor is made.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are drawn to a reduced scale and FIG. 6 is drawn to .a more reduced scale. 7

"In the drawing, the numeral 15 designates generally a mount made of a thermoplastic material as a oneepiece structure comprising a tubular element 16 from which there laterally extends a relatively thin elongated pin or shank 17. This tubular element is of a size that it need be force-fitted to be mounted on a stick 18. When the stick is round stock, the hole 19 is preferably round. The 'numeral 20 indicates generally a pin wheel which may be of Celluloid, paper or the like, to be revolvably carried on the pin shank 17. To make this pin wheel member 20, the blank therefor may be as shown at 21. This blank is a square sheet having the slits 22, each of which starts from a very vertex and extends towards, but short of, center where there is the hole 23. Thus four flaps are formed. Each such flap is provided with a hole near the squares perimeter as indicated respectively at 2 427' in the tails 24-27 respectively. As is well known, all these tails are moved a half turn so that their ends overlap and all five holes are in registry. So held, the pin shank 17 is passed from the back of the sheet 21, through all the holes, and its free end has a hot object applied thereto to form a swelling which is the head 28, to maintain the assembly. A boss 29 as an integral part of the mount 15, may be provided to minimize the bearing surface of the pinwheel 20.

It is evident that it is preferred to have the tubular member 16 rectangular when the mount 15' is to be force-fitted on a stick 18' which is of similar section as when part of the frame of a kite 30. In this mount 15', the pin shank is designated by the numeral 17'. In FIG. 4, this mount is shown associated with a noiseproducing means indicated generally by the numeral 31, and the pin revolvably supports a propellor denoted generally by the numeral 32. The kites corners are not covered by the body sheeting 33, thereby exposing the ends of the frame sticks 35, 18' and their connecting cord 37 at such regions. The mount '15 carrying the propellor 32 ..and its associated.noise-producing means 31, all as a unit, may be mounted on the stick 18 as shown in FIG. 4, and may be duplicated at 38 and 39 if desired. Of course, the noise means 31 may be omitted.

The propellor 32 may be made of a blank as shown in FIG. 8, with a hole 40 at the centerand with the holes 41', and '42 in its respective ears 41 and 42; said three holes being in alignment. Said ears are brought to overlay each other so that all three holes 40, 41', 42 shall be in register, and thus set onto the pin shank 17 whereafter upon the application of a heated tool or object at the free end of said pin shank, a head 43 is formed to maintain the assembly.

If it is desired to include the noise-producing means 31, then before the blank 44 is folded to form the propellor, it has secured thereto the washer 45 which has a prong 46 extending therefrom for rubbing contact with the interior wall of a dished element 48, both made of metal; said dished piece being secured to the tubular member 16'. All this is to bring us particularly to the manner in which said pieces 45 and 48 are attached, which will now be explained.

The washer 45, around its hole, has burrs 50 extending from that face which is opposite the face the prong 46 extends from. These burrs 50 are set as a nipple into the hole 40 of the blank 44, and bent over away from said hole, to grip the said blank and thus secure the washer thereto. The dished element 48 is likewise provided with the prongs or burrs 51 which are slightly curved to form a flare. Forcing these burrs '51 into the plactic, they follow an arcuate path therein respectively, because the plastic of the unit 15' yields to allow their penetration into the wall of the tubular piece 16' and flows around such burrs to make a secure joint.

Linear polyethelene is recommended as the best suitable plastic for making the units 15, 15', 15" and each of these is preferably an integral piece cast by injection molding apparatus. This material olfers stifiness plus flexibility. 7

Where the toy is to be mounted on, for instance, the handle bar of a bicycle, the tubular element is split as at 16 so it can be snappedon, to forcibly clamp such bar. This split tubular element may be made with flared lips 51 and of course has the extending pin shank 17" and it may have the small boss 29".

It is well known in the art to have eyelets (not shown) mounted in the holes through which the pin shank sets.

The term tubular element in the appended claims shall be deemed to include those which are whole or split.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments shown herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather then to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a toy of the character described, a tubular element adapted to be force-fitted on a perch, a pin shank extending laterally from the outer surface of said tubular element, a spinning member revolvably mounted on the pin shank, a pair of washers loose about said pin shank, positioned between said spinning member and the tubular element; one of said washers being secured to said spinning member; the second washer being secured to said tubular element; one of said washers having a prong extending laterally there from and in frictional contact with the other washer.

2. A toy as defined in claim 1, wherein both said tubular element and the pin shank are integral and of thermoplastic material.

3. A toy as defined in claim 1, wherein the second washer has curved prongs; said prongs being forced into the wall of said tubular element whereby said second washer is secured to said tubular element.

4. A toy as defined in claim 1, wherein at least said pin shank is of thermoplastic material so that upon mounting the spinning member thereon, the free end of said pin shank when heated andpressed towards said tubular element, will swell and be formed with a headlike formation at such end to maintain the assembly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 943,528 12/ 1909 Exline 46-53 2,452,865 11/1948 Nietsche 46-58 2,532,835 12/1950 Cohn 46-58 2,646,644 7/1953 Richmond 46-58 2,788,612 4/1957 Samets 46-191 DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A TOY OF THE CHARACTER OF DESCRIBED, A TUBULAR ELEMENT ADAPTED TO BE FORCED-FITTED ON A PERCH, A PINK SHANK EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM THEL OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT, A SPINNING MEMBER REVOLVABLY MOUNTED ON THE PIN SHANK, A PAIR OF WASHERS LOOSE ABOUT SAID PIN SHANK, POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SPINNING MEMBER AND THE TUBULAR ELEMENT; ONE OF SAID WASHERS BEING SECURED TO SAID SPINNING MEMBER, THE SECOND WASHER BEING SECURED TO SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT; ONE OF SAID WASH-

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