US3474564A - Toy and model vehicles - Google Patents

Toy and model vehicles Download PDF

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Publication number
US3474564A
US3474564A US584594A US3474564DA US3474564A US 3474564 A US3474564 A US 3474564A US 584594 A US584594 A US 584594A US 3474564D A US3474564D A US 3474564DA US 3474564 A US3474564 A US 3474564A
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United States
Prior art keywords
toy
swivel
strip
track rod
vehicle
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Expired - Lifetime
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US584594A
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English (en)
Inventor
Ronald Thomas Perryman
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Lesney Products and Co Ltd
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Lesney Products and Co Ltd
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H17/00—Toy vehicles, e.g. with self-drive; ; Cranes, winches or the like; Accessories therefor
    • A63H17/26—Details; Accessories
    • A63H17/36—Steering-mechanisms for toy vehicles
    • A63H17/38—Steering-mechanisms for toy vehicles actuated by hand
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H17/00—Toy vehicles, e.g. with self-drive; ; Cranes, winches or the like; Accessories therefor
    • A63H17/26—Details; Accessories
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H17/00—Toy vehicles, e.g. with self-drive; ; Cranes, winches or the like; Accessories therefor
    • A63H17/26—Details; Accessories
    • A63H17/262—Chassis; Wheel mountings; Wheels; Axles; Suspensions; Fitting body portions to chassis

Definitions

  • This invention relates to toy and model vehicles all of which will hereinafter be referred to as toy vehicles for the sake of brevity.
  • An object of the invention is to render small-scale toys of this kind readily steerable in a simple manner which does not add materially to the cost of their production.
  • a toy vehicle having a pair of steerable wheels mounted on stub axles that are displaceable about swivel pins whose ax s do not intersect those of the stub axles, wherein the swivel pins are interconnected by a synthetic plastic member which integrally includes a resilient portion that is arranged to tend to maintain the stub axles substantially perpendicular to the length of the toy and to be resiliently deformed to allow the stub axles to turn about the swivel pins by the application of manual pressure to the toy.
  • FIGURE 1 is a plan view of parts of a toy car in accordance with the invention.
  • FIGURE 2 is a section taken on the line 11-11 of FIGURE 1,
  • FIGURE 3 is a plan view, to an enlarged scale, of part of the steering mechanism of the toy of FIGURES 1 and 2,
  • FIGURE 4 is a part-sectional side elevation corresponding to FIGURE 3,
  • FIGURE 5 is a plan view of parts of an alternative embodiment of a toy car in accordance with the invention.
  • FIGURE 6 is a section taken on the line VIVI of FIGURE 5,
  • FIGURE 7 is a vertical longitudinal section of a toy ambulance having further alternative parts constructed in accordance with the invention.
  • FIGURE 8 is a plan view showing certain parts of the steering mechanism of the toy ambulance of FIGURE 7 disconnected from one another and in greater detail.
  • FIG- URES 1 and 2 show a toy sedan having a body 1 made from die cast metal, a chassis or base 2 made from die cast metal and a rear axle 3 having rotatable wheels 4 mounted at its opposite ends. Details of the construction and arrangement of the parts that have just been mentioned are not relevant to the present invention and, therefore, no further description of these parts will be given.
  • FIGURES 3 and 4 show the steering mechanism of the toy car before it is fitted to the latter.
  • the whole mechanism is moulded integrally in one piece from polypropylene which has been found to be particularly suitable for this purpose.
  • other synthetic plastic materials may be employed if desired.
  • the steering mechanism includes a pair of swivel blocks 5 only one of which can be seen in FIGURE 3.
  • the second relatively symmetrical swivel block 5 has been omitted from FIGURE 3 for the sake of simplicity but it can be seen in FIGURE 1 of the drawing to which further reference will subsequently be made.
  • Each swivel block 5 carries a swivel pin 6 and is formed with a hollow boss 7 adapted to receive a corresponding stub axle -8 (FIGURES 1 and 2).
  • the two swivel blocks 5 are integrally linked to opposite ends of a connecting member in the form of a profiled track rod 10 by corresponding necks 9.
  • the center point of the track rod 10 is integrally connected to one end of a resilient strip-shaped portion 11 the general plane of which, as can be seen in FIGURES 1 to 4, is vertically disposed.
  • the end of the portion 11 remote from the track rod 10 is integrally connected to a relatively perpendicular anchor portion 12 the mid-point of which is formed with a hollow anchorage boss 13 and the opposite ends of which are formed with hearing holes 14.
  • FIGURES 3 and 4 show the steering mechanism after moulding and it will be evident that the whole mechanism can be moulded in one piece in a relatively inexpensive substantially uni-planar mould.
  • the metal stub axles 8 are fastened in the bosses 7 in known manner and one end of each swivel pin 6 is entered through that one of the two bearing holes 14 which is nearest to it.
  • Each swivel block 5 can then be turned through 90 relative to the track rod 10 after which one end of each swivel pin 6 can be entered in the corresponding bearing hole 14. This bending movement, also, is permitted by resilient deformation of the necks 9.
  • FIGURE 3 and FIGURE 1 of the drawing will' show the configuration of the steering mechanism before and after the operations that have just been described.
  • the anchorage boss 13 is fastened by a rivet 15 (FIG- URE 2) to a further fixing boss 16 projecting upwardly from the chassis or base 2 of the toy, the rivet 15 being integral with the boss 16.
  • the ends of the two swivel pins 6 that are remote from the ends entered through the bearing holes 14 are entered through further bearing holes formed in the chassis or base 2.
  • Front wheels 17 are rotatably mounted on the stub axles 8 at some convenient time before or during the fitting procedure which has just been described in outline.
  • the top When the top is completed, it can be steered by pressing its wheels manually into contact with the ground and, at the same time, exerting a manual pressure in a direction extending substantially horizontally and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the toy. If, for example, such pressure is exerted in the direction indicated by the arrow A in the plan view of FIGURE 1, the swivel blocks 5, swivel pins 6, stub axles 8 and front wheels 17 will all tend to be turned in the direction indicated by the arrow B about the vertical axes afforded by the swivel pins 6 due to the fact that the points of contact of the wheels 17 with the ground are spaced rearwardly of the toy from the axes of the swivel pins 6.
  • the two necks 9 and the track rod 10 will move in the direction indicated by the arrow 0 against the resilient opposition of the strip-shaped portion 11 which, as will be evident from the drawing, is arranged to tend to maintain the stub axles 8 substantially perpendicular to the length of the toy so that the toy will normally move in a straight line.
  • the two necks 9 that interconnect the track rod 10 and swivel blocks 5 bend to allow the necessary relative movement.
  • the resilient stripshaped portion 11 regains the position illustrated in FIG- URES 1 and 2 so that straight-line steering is restored. It will be noted that the toy steers in the same direction as the direction of application of the force A.
  • the toy car which is illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6 of the drawing is basically similar to the one which has already been described and, therefore, parts which are similar, or identical, to parts illustrated in FIGURES 1 t 4 of the drawing will be denoted by the same reference numerals as are used in those figures.
  • the toy car of FIGURES and 6 is provided with a resilient suspension, this suspension being efiected by means of a resilient strip 18 which may be formed from a synthetic plastic material such as polystyrene, polypropylene or high density polyethylene or, alternatively, from spring steel.
  • the strip 18 is rigidly secured to the chassis or base 2 by a forward rivet 19 integrally mounted on top of a boss 20 and by a rearward rivet 21 that is directly mounted on the chassis or base 2.
  • the rear end of the strip 18 bears centrally against the rear axle 3 of the toy car and urges said axle downwardly against the chassis or base 2.
  • the opposite ends of the axle 3 are entered through substantially vertically extending slots (not visible in FIGURES 5 and 6) so that said axle can move upwardly of the slots when a downward pressure is applied to the toy car against the action of the resilient strip 18.
  • the forward end of the strip 18 is of forked formation and it should be noted that the whole strip 18 is shown in FIGURE 5 as being formed from a transparent material to avoid concealing parts that are disposed beneath it. It will be realized that, in practice, the strip 18 will not normally be transparent.
  • the two swivel blocks 5 are formed separately from, preferably, die cast metal, each block 5 incorporating the corresponding swivel pin 6 and also a vertical pivot pin 22 by which the rear end of each block is pivotally connected to a corresponding end of the track rod 10.
  • each swivel pin 6 is entered through a corresponding hole formed near the extremity of one of the forks of the leading end of the strip 18. Moreover, the lower end of each pin 6 is entered through a hole formed in the chassis or base 2 while the uppermost extremity of the upper end of each pin 6 is located just within the mouth of a blind bore formed in a boss 23 depending from a body portion of the toy car which is not shown.
  • the blocks 5 which include the swivel pins 6 are interconnected by a member in the form of the track rod 10 which track rod integrally ineludes the resilient strip-shaped portion 11.
  • the boss 13 at the leading end of the strip-shaped portion 11 is secured to the fixing boss 16 in such a way that it cannot turn relative to that boss, the anchor portion 12 being omitted in this embodiment.
  • the integral parts 10 and 11 are formed from a resilient synthetic plastic material which is preferably polypropylene and, in the use of the toy, the resilient formation of the strip 11 tends to maintain the axles 8 substantially perpendicular to the length of the toy while allowing it to be steered in the manner previously described by the application of manual pressure to the toy.
  • the pivot pins 22 allow relative movements between the track rod 10 and the swivel block 5 rather than providing for such movement by resilient deformation of the necks 9.
  • the resilient suspension strip 18 occupies a position such that its leading forked end urges the two swivel blocks 5 downwardly into contact with the chassis or base 2.
  • FIGURES 7 and 8 of the drawing The embodiment which is illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8 of the drawing is once again basically similar to the two embodiments which have already been described and, therefore, the same reference numerals are used to indicate parts which are identical, or similar, to parts that have already been described.
  • only the rear wheels 4 of the toy ambulance are resiliently suspended with the aid of a short resilient strip 18 whose leading end is secured to an anchorage 24 on the upper side of the chassis or base 2 of the toy.
  • the strip 18 acts in the same way as has already been described in relation to the rear axle 3 and wheels 4 that are shown in FIGURE 5 of the drawing.
  • the track rod 10, the resilient strip-shaped portion 11 and the anchor portion 12 are all formed integrally from a synthetic plastic material which is preferably, but not essentially, polypropylene.
  • the two swivel blocks 5 are formed separately and are preferably made from die cast metal. Only one of the swivel blocks 5 is shown in the plan view of FIGURE 8 and it will be seen that it integrally includes the corresponding swivel pin 6 and the corresponding pivot pin 22 by which it is pivotally connected to one end of the track rod 10 during assembly of the toy.
  • FIGURE 7 of the drawing both each swivel pin 6 and each pivot pin 22 have symmetrical upper and lower ends. This enables a single swivel block 5 to be produced which can be used at either the leftor the right-hand side of the toy ambulance with either one, or the other, side uppermost. Thus, mistakes which might otherwise occur during assembly of the toy are avoided.
  • a toy vehicle having a pair of steerable wheels mounted on stub axles that are displaceable about swivel pins whose axes do not intersect those of the stub axles, said toy vehicle comprising a molded one-piece body of synthetic plastic material connected to said swivel pins and including swivel blocks supporting the stub axles, a track rod pivotally connected to the swivel blocks and an integral resilient portion extending from the track rod to maintain the stub axles substantially perpendicular to the length of the toy vehicle and to be resiliently deformed to allow the stub axles to turn about the swivel pins by the application of manual pressure to the toy vehicle laterally of the steerable wheels.
  • each neck is of circular cross-section with a diameter of about 0.20 inch and said plastic material is polypropylene.
  • each stub axle is integral with the corresponding swivel block.
  • a toy vehicle having a pair of steerable wheels fotatably mounted on stub axles, said vehicle comprising swivel blocks supporting the stub axles, a one-piece molded body of synthetic plastic material secured to the vehicle and supporting said swivel blocks, said body including an anchor portion secured to the vehicle, swivel pins connecting said swivel blocks to said anchor portion for pivotal movement about axes which do not intersect those of the stub axles, said body including a track rod extending in spaced relation from said anchor portion and having opposite ends pivotably connected to said swivel blocks at positions spaced from the pivot pins, and
  • a resilient strip integral with said anchor portion and -track rod and extending therebetween longitudinally with respect to the vehicle to urge the stub axles to assume a .transverse orientation relative to the vehicle, said strip being resiliently deformable to allow the stub axles to turn about the swivel pins by the application of manual pres- .Ssure to the vehicle for steering of the vehicle laterally of the steerable wheels.
  • the vehicle has a body and a chassis and further comprises a second resilient strip secured to the vehicle and resiliently suspending said molded body therefrom to normally urge the swivel blocks axially downwardly of the swivel pins towards the chassis of the toy vehicle.

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US584594A 1965-10-06 1966-10-05 Toy and model vehicles Expired - Lifetime US3474564A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB4247665 1965-10-06

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US3474564A true US3474564A (en) 1969-10-28

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DE (1) DE1603414A1 (pm)
NL (1) NL6614083A (pm)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4187637A (en) * 1976-12-06 1980-02-12 Ideal Toy Corporation Toy vehicle
US4449323A (en) * 1982-05-20 1984-05-22 Zee Toys, Inc. Adjustable spinning toy vehicle
US5000716A (en) * 1986-05-23 1991-03-19 Polistil Generale Giocattoli S.P.A. Spring steering device for toy cars
US5312288A (en) * 1992-03-27 1994-05-17 Williams Larry C Steering system for toy vehicle
US5449311A (en) * 1992-03-27 1995-09-12 Williams; Larry C. Steering system for toy vehicle
US20090247044A1 (en) * 2008-03-31 2009-10-01 Mattel, Inc. Trim adjustment for toy vehicle steering
US20090325460A1 (en) * 2008-06-26 2009-12-31 Vladimir Leonov Steering Mechanism for a Toy Vehicle

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2888778A (en) * 1955-07-08 1959-06-02 Joseph H Carter Steering mechanism for toy vehicles
US3144731A (en) * 1961-08-07 1964-08-18 Mettoy Co Ltd Model vehicles

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2888778A (en) * 1955-07-08 1959-06-02 Joseph H Carter Steering mechanism for toy vehicles
US3144731A (en) * 1961-08-07 1964-08-18 Mettoy Co Ltd Model vehicles

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4187637A (en) * 1976-12-06 1980-02-12 Ideal Toy Corporation Toy vehicle
US4449323A (en) * 1982-05-20 1984-05-22 Zee Toys, Inc. Adjustable spinning toy vehicle
US5000716A (en) * 1986-05-23 1991-03-19 Polistil Generale Giocattoli S.P.A. Spring steering device for toy cars
US5312288A (en) * 1992-03-27 1994-05-17 Williams Larry C Steering system for toy vehicle
US5449311A (en) * 1992-03-27 1995-09-12 Williams; Larry C. Steering system for toy vehicle
US20090247044A1 (en) * 2008-03-31 2009-10-01 Mattel, Inc. Trim adjustment for toy vehicle steering
US8002606B2 (en) 2008-03-31 2011-08-23 Mattel, Inc. Trim adjustment for toy vehicle steering
US8231427B2 (en) 2008-03-31 2012-07-31 Mattel, Inc. Trim adjustment for toy vehicle steering
US20090325460A1 (en) * 2008-06-26 2009-12-31 Vladimir Leonov Steering Mechanism for a Toy Vehicle
US7938709B2 (en) 2008-06-26 2011-05-10 Vladimir Leonov Steering mechanism for a toy vehicle

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Publication number Publication date
DE1603414A1 (de) 1970-08-06
NL6614083A (pm) 1967-04-07

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