US3418751A

US3418751A - Propulsion unit for aquatic toys

Info

Publication number: US3418751A
Application number: US596608A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mabuchi Takaichi
Original assignee: Tokyo Kagaku Co Ltd
Current assignee: Tokyo Kagaku Co Ltd
Priority date: 1965-12-22
Filing date: 1966-11-23
Publication date: 1968-12-31
Anticipated expiration: 1985-12-31
Also published as: GB1112504A

Description

DEC-31,1968 TAKAICHI'MABUCHI 3,413,751

PROPULSION UNIT FOR AQUATIC TOYS Filed NOV. 23, 1966 INVENTOR. TA Kama rmBuoHI Wm M RTTORN! 16 United States Patent 3,418,751 PROPULSION UNIT FOR AQUATIC TOYS Takaichi Mabuchi, Tokyo, Japan, assigncr to Tokyo Kagakn Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo. Japan Filed Nov. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 596,608 Claims priority, application Japan, Dec. 22, 1965, 78,512 12 Claims. (Cl. 46-243) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A propulsion unit for use with a toy, such as a boat, is comprised of two housing parts which together define an enclosure for a battery and a driving motor. A shaft extends from the driving motor through the housing and a propeller, secured to its exterior end, is rotated by the motor powered by the battery. The housing parts fit together in a watertight fashion. The electrical circuit connecting the battery to the motor is operated by a switch which is thrown when at least one of the housing parts is displaced.

This invention relates to a propulsion unit for aquatic toys and more particularly to propulsion units for floating toys such as boats, sea planes, water animals, submarine toys, and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a unit for propulsion of floating toys that may be fitted to the floating toys during their production or to existing floating toys which were not equipped with such propulsion units.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a unit for propulsion of floating toys wherein the switching arrangement and an electric drive motor for driving the screw rpropeller is accommodated in a water-tight casing together with a power supply, such as a battery, the switching arrangement being operable from the exterior by rotating a portion of the casing.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a unit for propulsion of floating toys which may be easily fitted to the bottom of the floating toys suitably to provide a propulsion unit therefore.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a floating toy propulsion unit which may itself serve as an aquatic toy.

With the abovementioned objects in view, the present invention resides in the construction of the unit for propulsion of floating toys comprising a water-tight casing in the shape of a fish-torpedo, a screw propeller fitted to the end portion of said casing, a driving motor fitted together with a battery in the inside of the casing for driving said screw propeller, and a switching mechanism adapted to open and close the circuit to the power source of the motor by manually moving a portion of the casing The present invention will now 'be described hereinbelow with reference to certain embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a propulsion unit for floating toys constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing the propulsion unit fitted to an aquatic toy;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section showing an embodiment of the internal structure of the unit; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevation in longitudinal section showing another embodiment of the internal structure thereof.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the toy or propulsion unit includes a motor housing or main casing 1 and a cap member or casing portion 2 removably secured to the main casing. The main casing proper 1 and the cap member 2 are constructed water-tightly from synthetic resinous material and the like in a streamlined shape as for example in the shape of a fish-torpedo to providing an outline of low frictional resistance when the unit is propelled in the water. The cap member 2 of the casing in the embodiment of FIG. 3 is fitted to the casing 1 by threading an externally threaded portion 3 of the main casing 1 into an internally threaded portion 4 of the cap member 2. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 the parts are snap-fitted together. An annular rib 5 on the main casing 1 snaps into a corresponding annular nick '6 defined adjacent the end of the cap member 2. Packing 7 is fitted between the two members.

Motor 8 is secured within the main casing 1 and its shaft 27 projects rearwardly through the main casing proper 1 and through a packing 9 of an exterior rib. A screw propeller 19 is mounted on the motor shaft 27 between the rib and a rudder plate 11 which is carried slidably and rotatably by upper and lower supporting rods 12 which projected rearwardly from the main casing 1.

The outer wall member of the main casing 1 is formed with mounting means for mounting the toy and the present unit together. In the embodiment as illustrated, an attachment plate 14 formed with an attachment face 13 on one side and a dovetail 15 on the other side is attached to the toy beforehand. The toy can be fitted to the propulsion unit by inserting the dovetail 15 of the attachment plate 14 into a dovetail groove 17 formed in a projected portion 16 provided on the outer wall of the main casing 1 as shown in FIG. 3.

Alternatively as shown in FIG. 4, the casing 1 may be formed with a flat attachment face on the projected portion 16 which is similar to the attachment face 13. In this arrangement, it is to be noted that the toy may be fitted directly onto the attachment face by application of the adhesive or the attachment face may be fitted with a. magnet or a sucking disc for attachment of the toy thereto.

Battery 18 is inserted into the cap member 2 via an open end thereof so after the cap 2 is detached from the casing 1. The battery 18 has a positive pole 19 and a negative pole 20 on its forward and rearward portions respectively.

In the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 3, the cap member 2 is not threaded to the casing proper 1 through the whole length of its threaded portion 4 and the positive pole 21 of the motor is spaced apart slightly from the positive pole 19 of the battery 18, so the circuit of the propulsion unit is opened. A cylindrical contacting plate 22 is connected to the negative pole of the motor 8 and fitted inside of the open end of the casing 1. The negative pole 20 of the battery 18 is connected electrically to negative motor contacting plate 22 by means of a resilient contacting plate 23 secured at one end to the inner end of the cap member 2 by means of a screw 28. A spring 24 interposed between the end portion of the cap member 2 and the resilient contacting plate 23 completes the connection to the battery 18. If from this state the cap member 2 is moved further towards the casing by threading it in respect to the main casing 1, the cap member 2 will travel in the direction of the arrow mark as indicated in the drawing and the positive pole 19 of the battery 18 will be moved into contact with the positive pole 21 of the motor 8 to close the circuit between the motor 8 and the battery 18.

Referring to the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 4, a contacting piece 25 connected to the negative pole of the motor 8 and fitted inside of the open end of the motor casing 1 is connected to the negative pole 20 of the battery 8 by spring 24 and resilient contacting plate 23 which in this embodiment engages a single axially extending contacting piece 25. To close the circuit the cap member 2 must be rotated relative to the casing 1, with the annular rib provided on the casing proper 1 engaging With the corresponding annular groove 4 provided on the cap member 2, until the contacting plate 23 rotates with rotation of the latter and aligns circumferentially with the contacting piece 25. The circuit is opened when the plate 23 is moved in a circumferential direction away from and out of alignment with the contacting piece 25.

In the drawing, numeral 26 indicates a toy that is floatable on the water.

According to the propulsion unit of the present invention, the operating switches such as are provided to the outside of the casing in the conventional devices are omitted and the driving motor is contained in the watertight housing together with the battery.

What is claimed is:

1. A propulsion unit particularly for aquatic toys comprising a housing formed of a main casing and a cap member having interengaging portions for connecting them together to define a water-tight: enclosure, and permitting relative rotation thereof; a driving motor in said main casing having a rotatable shaft projecting from one end of said main casing; a screw propeller secured to said shaft; a battery mounted in said cap member; and connecting means provided on said main casing and said cap member defining an electrical circuit which is closed and opened from the motor to the battery in accordance with the relative rotational positions of said interengaging portions.

2. A propulsion unit particularly for aquatic toys as claimed in claim 1, wherein mounting means for mounting the unit on an aquatic device is provided on the outer wall of said housing.

3. A propulsion unit particularly for aquatic toys as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interengaging portions provided on said main casing and said cap member are interengaging screw thread, and said connecting means comprises a resilient contacting plate engaging on one side thereof with the negative pole of said battery and on the other side thereof with the negative pole of said motor making a normally closed circuit, the positive pole of said motor and the positive pole of said battery being disposed face to face in spaced relationship to form a normally open cincuit and adapted to move together into contact with each other as said interengaging screw threads are progressively engaged.

4. A propulsion unit particularly for aquatic toys as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interengaging portions include an annular rib formed on said casing, a corresponding annular recess formed on said cap member interengeable therewith elastically and water-tightly; and said connecting means comprise a positive pole of the motor and the positive pole of said battery in contact therewith making a normally closed, circuit and a resilient contacting plate connected at one end thereof to the negative pole of said battery and disposed to come into contact at the other end thereof with the negative pole of said motor upon relative rotation of said interengaging portions.

5. A propulsion unit for water-borne devices such as toys comprising first and second interconnected housing parts defining a substantially water-tight compartment, a driving motor in said compartment having a rotatable propeller shaft extending to the exterior of said housing parts, a propeller affixed to the exterior of said propeller shaft for rotation by said motor with said propeller shaft, a battery in said compartment adjacent said motor, connecting means extending between said battery and said motor for running said motor from said battery including a pair of interengageable contacts carried by at least one of said first and second housing parts, said contacts being movable into engagement and being movable away from engagement by the selective movement of at least one of said housing parts.

6. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, wherein said first housing part includes an annularly extending projection and said second housing part includes a complementary recess, said first and second housing parts being interengaged by insertion of the projection in said recess.

7. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, wherein said first housing part and said second housing part includes interengageable threaded end portions which may be screwed together to interconnect said housing parts.

8. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, including means on said housing for mounting said propulsion unit on another device such as a toy.

9. A propulsion unit according to claim 8, wherein said means comprises a portion of said housing defining a receiving recess, and a mounting member having a projection adapted to be fitted into said recess to hold said housing for mounting said housing on another device.

10. A propulsion unit according to claim 9, wherein said mounting member includes an elongated member having a fiat top surface for securing said surface to another device and a bottom bead-shaped projection adapted to fit into the recess of said housing parts.

11. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, wherein said connecting means includes an axially extending contact carried by one of said parts, the other of said parts carrying a complementary axially extending contact, said contacts of said two parts being interengaged in dependence on the relative rotative position of one of said parts in respect to the other of said parts.

12. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, wherein said connecting means includes a pole of said battery and a terminal of said motor, said battery being disposed in spaced relationship to the terminal of said motor and being movable upon relative movement of said first and second housing parts to engage with said terminal and to complete the circuit from said battery to said motor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/ 1961 McAda 46-243 X 5/1962 Presnell 46-243 US. Cl. X.R. 46-93