US3517455A - Toy boat with phonograph - Google Patents

Description

June 30, 1970 GLASS ET AL TOY BOAT WITH PHONOGRAPH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 17, 1968 s A Q & O m E N w A NJ Wm. MW. Z

- ATTORNEY June 30, 1970 GLASS ET AL TOY BOAT WITH PHONOGRAPH Filed Jan. 17, 1968 INVENTORE United States Patent O 3,517,455 TOY BOAT WITH PHONOGRAPH Marvin I. Glass, Chicago, and Palmer J. Schoenfield, Evanston, Ill., assignors to Marvin Glass & Associates, Chicago, L, a partnership Filed Jan. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 698,468 Int. Cl. A63h 23/04 US. Cl. 46-93 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A self-propelled toy boat which includes a phonograph device for producing appropriate sounds as the boat is propelled through the water. The hull or housing of the boat includes a rotatable turntable with a record thereon, a tone arm having a needle positionable to engage the sound track of the record, an acoustical amplifying cone having its apex in position for engagement by the tone arm, and a pair of battery powered motors for driving the turntable and for propelling the boat, respectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to self-propelled toy boats, and is particularly directed to a boat including a phonograph device which operates to produce appropriate sounds as the boat is propelled through the water. The phonograph device is encased within the hull and is operable continuously as long as the boat is power driven.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A self-propelled toy boat comprising a hull portion, a phonograph device mounted within said hull and comprising a rotatable turntable including a sound track, a tone arm having a stylus positionable for engagement with said sound track, an acoustical amplifying cone having. its apex in position for engagement by said tone arm, a spring-biased repeating device carried by said turntable and operable, when said stylus reaches an inner portion of the sound track, to lift the tone arm and reposition the stylus at the beginning of the sound track, a first electric motor drivingly connected with said turntable, a second electric motor including a shaft projecting outwardly through said hull and having a propeller thereon, a battery having electrical connection with each of said motors, and a switch for controlling the flow of current to said motors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toy boat embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the boat, with the deck and superstructure removed to reveal the operating mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of structure seen in FIG. 2, illustrating the operation of the phonograph repeat mechanism;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary, perspective view of structure seen in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 illustrates another form of deck and superstructure, whieh can be applied to the hull in FIGS. 2 and 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As seen particularly in FIGS. 13, the illustrated em bodiment of the invention comprises a toy boat 10 which simulates a tub boat and includes a hull portion 12, a deck 14, and superstructure 16. The hull portion 16 is preferably a unitary construction of molded plastic, in order to assure a water-tight housing for the drive means and phonograph device. The phonograph device 18 comprises generally a rotatable turntable 20, a tone arm 22, an acoustical amplifying cone 24, and a drive motor 26 for effecting rotation of the turntable. The means for effecting propulsion of the boat comprises a second miniature motor 28 having its drive shaft 31 extending through a water-tight bearing 33 in the stern of the boat and including a propeller 34 on its exposed shaft portion. Both of the motors 26 and 28 are powered by a pair of batteries 32, and an off-0n switch mechanism 35 is provided to afford simultaneous motors.

With reference particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the turntable 20 comprises a generally flat circular member fixed to a spindle 36 which is rotatably mounted at its lower end portion in a vertically extending cylindrical boss 38 formed in the bottom of the hull. The periphery of the turntable 20 is grooved to provide a seat for an endless drive belt 40 which encircles the turntable and the drive shaft 42 of the motor 26. The motor 26 is mounted on a transverse supporting frame structure 44 suitably fixed to the hull, as illustrated particularly in FIG. 4. The tone arm 22 comprises an elongated member having a generally cylindrical part 46 at one end providing a pivotal connection with a pin 48 seated in a vertically extending boss 50 formed in the bottom of the hull. A light coil spring 52. is interposed betwee nthe top of boss 50 and the tone arm pivot 46 to provide resiliency for the mounting, and also to provide a predetermined pressure on the stylus 54 carried at the free end of the tone arm. An intermediate section of the tone arm 22 is disposed in frictional engagement with a rib 56 formed on the apex of the amplifying cone is preferably of light weight plastic material and has its peripheral base portion 58 suitably fixed to the underside of the boat deck. The portion of the deck 14 overlying cone 24 is provided with an opening 60, and the superstructure 16 is also provided with suitable openings, such as through the smoke stack 62, to afford escape ment of the sound from the hull. As seen particularly in FIGS. 2, S and 6, the turntable 20 is provided with a repeat mechanism, in order to allow essentially continuous play during operation of the boat. The upper side of the turntable has a sound track 64 formed therein in a continuous spiral groove having its starting portion near the circumference of the turntable and terminating adjacent the center portion of the turntable. The repeat mechanism comprises an arm 66 pivoted on a pin 68 extending upwardly from turntable 20, and a coil spring 70 encircles pivot pin 68 and has one end fixed in relation to a projection 72 on the arm and the other end of the spring abuts the turntable spindle 36. The forward or free end of the arm 66 is curved and includes a curved cam surface indicated at 74. As the needle or stylus 54 reaches the inner end of the helical sound track 64, the end 74 of arm 66 strikes an inclined portion 76 on the arm to lift the latter off the sound track and comes to rest against needle 54. Continued rotation of the turntable 20 causes the needle 54 to force the arm 66 counterclockwise in FIG. 5 until it reaches the outer edge of the turntable adjacent the start of the sound track. At this point the needle 54 rides off the end of repeat arm 66 and is positioned in the beginning groove portion of the sound track, while the repeat arm 66, under the influence of the coil spring 70, returns to its position adjacent stop 77, as seen in FIG. 2.

With reference particularly to FIG. 2, it is seen that batteries 30, 32 are removably positioned within the hull 12 through a removable hatch cover 78- on the deck 14.

A pair of rib sections 80, 82 extend the width of the hull and have arcuate portions for receiving the two batteries in side by-side position. A pair of battery clips 84, 86 are fixed in position to engage the positive terminals of each of the batteries, and each of the clips has a suitable wiring connection, respectively, with the boat drive motor 28 and the phonograph motor 26. The flat metal spring switch device 35 is secured to the ribs and extends across the base of the batteries 30, 32 and is connected with the motor 26 and 28, respectively. The center flexible portion of this spring :strip 35 is engageable by a pin 88 extending upwardly through the deck 14. As the pin 88 is rotated, an arm 90 at its midportion bears against the back wall 92 of the boat and forces pin 88 against spring strip 35 and moves the latter into contact with the batteries and closes the circuits including the battery 30 and motor 26 and the battery 32 and motor 28, respectively.

Thus it is seen that there is provided a self-propelled toy boat having a sound device which can be selectively provided with any form of sound, messages, etc., appropriate to the form given to the boat by the superstructure. It is contemplated that fireboats, Warships and the like can be provided with appropriate and realistic sounds recorded on turntables for the respective boats.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-propelled toy boat comprising a hull portion, a phonograph device mounted within said hull and comprising a rotatable turntable including a sound track, an elongated tone arm pivotally supported at one end on said hull and having a stylus at its free end positionable for engagement with said sound track, a deck portion for said boat disposed across the topof said hull portion and having an opening therein, an acoustical amplifying cone supported by said deck portion beneath said opening and having its apex in position for sliding engagement by said tone arm, a spring-biased repeating device carried by said turntable and operable, when said stylus reaches an inner portion of the sound track, to lift the tone arm and reposition the stylus at the beginning of the sound track, a first electric motor drivingly connected with said turntable, a second electric motor including a shaft projecting outwardly through said hull and having a propeller thereon, a battery electrically connected with each of said motors, and switch means for controlling the flow of current simultaneously to both of said motors.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,989,021 1/1935 Pedersen et a1. 4693 X 2,978,836 4/1961 Kato 46175 X 3,282,588 11/1966 Ashmele 46-175 X ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 46l75

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