US3623251A - Rotary toy device - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION COMPRISES A ROTARY TOY HAVING A HOUSING WITH A DRUM ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING. THE HOUSING HAS AN OPEN WINDOW AREA FOR VIEWING THE DRUM. THE DRUM IS DIVIDED INTO SKY SENCES AND CONSTRUCTED TO GIVE THE OUTWARD APPERANCE OF A THUNDER AND LIGHTNING AND RAIN SCENE, A NIGHT TIME SCENE AND DAY TIME SCENE. THE THURD AND LIGHTNING AND RAIN SCENE HAS A BOX MOUNTED TO THE SIDE OF THE DRUM WITH A COTTON WAD SURROUNDING THE DRUM TO GIVE THE APPERARANCE OF A CLOUD AND WITH ELECTRIC LIGHTS IN THE BOX AND JAGGED OPENING IN THE BOX TO GIVE THE OUTLINE OF LITHTNING BOLTS, SO THAT WHEN ONE OF THE LIGHTS IN THE BOX IS ILLUMINATED THE ILLUMINATION THROUGH THE JAGGED OPENING WILL GIVE THE APPERANCE OF LIGHTNING STRIKING. THE DRUM IS ADAPTED TO ROTATE TO ENABLE 6 VIEWERS TO VIEW THE DIFFERENT SCENES.

Description

J. D. BOSCH Nov. 30, 1971 ROTARY TOY DEVICE 5 Sh0ots-Shoot 1 Filed Oct. 22, 1969 INVENTOR James D. Bosch ATTORNEY Nov. 30, 1971 J. D. BOSCH 3,623,251

ROTARY TOY DEVICE James D. Bosch BY Ma 14% ATTORNEY 1N VENTOR Nov. 30, 1971 J. D, B H 3,623,251

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FIG.6

FIG. 5

INVENTOR James D. Bosch BY MKZW ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,623,251 ROTARY TOY DEVICE James D. Bosch, Rte. 3, Valley City, N. Dak. 58072 Filed Oct. 22, 1969, Ser. No. 868,454 Int. Cl. G09f 27/00 US. Cl. 4028.1 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention comprises a rotary toy having a housing with a drum rotatably mounted in the housing. The housing has an open window area for viewing the drum. The drum is divided into sky scenes and constructed to give the outward appearance of a thunder and lightning and rain scene, a night time scene and day time scene. The thunder and lightning and rain scene has a box mounted to the side of the drum with a cotton wad surrounding the drum to give the appearance of a cloud and with electric lights in the box and jagged opening in the box to give the outline of lightning bolts, so that when one of the lights in the box is illuminated the illumination through the jagged openings will give the appearance of lightning striking. The drum is adapted to rotate to enable 6 viewers to view the different scenes.

This invention relates to rotary toys, more particularly, the invention relates to toys which portray outdoor scenes.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel rotary toy which simulates thunder and lightning and storm cloud scenes.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel rotary toy which simulates lightning and thunder on a rotary drum.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel rotary toy device which portrays a storm scene, as well as a night-time and daytime scene.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel rotary toy device which portrays various outdoor scenes.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the rotary toy invention with the rotary drum positioned to illustrate the lightning and thunder and rainfall scene.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rotary toy invention taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the rotary toy invention, illustrating the drum after the lightning and thunder and rainfall scene have rotated substantially past the viewing area, with portions broken away to reveal the interior construction.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the rotary toy invention with the drum in position illustrating the night-time scene.

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of one perforated disc taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a schematic circuitry diagram of the electrical circuitry of the rotary toy invention.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a rotary toy device having a housing with an open window area, a rotary drum is rotatably mounted within the housing, with a first portion of the drum portraying a ski scene with thunder and lightning and a storm cloud and rainfall, a box mounted to the first portion of the drum with cotton surrounding the box to simulate a storm cloud, and with zigzag openings in the box and a light bulb behind the box whereby when the light bulb is illuminated it will simulate a lightning bolt striking behind a storm cloud, said drum also simulating a night-time scene and a daytime scene.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in FIG. 1, the rotary toy invention 20 is illustrated. The invention 20 has a hollow base 21. The base 21 is formed of a bottom plate 21' and an annular wall 21" and a top plate 21". A cylindrical wall or housing 22 is mounted to the top of the hollow base. The housing 22 has an open window area 23. A cylindrical screen or drum 24 is rotatably mounted to the top plate 21" of the base 21.

The rotary screen or drum 24 is formed of a cylindrical side wall 25 with an annular disc plate 26. The drum 24 is rotatably mounted to the top plate of the base member 21 by means of a bolt 27 fixed centrally to the disc 26 of the drum and extending downward into a sleeve 27 and rotatably mounted in the sleeve. The sleeve 27' is fixed to the top plate 21' of the base member 21 by means of an annular flange 28 formed integrally with the sleeve 27 and the annular flange 8 is bolted to the top plate 21" by bolt 29.

The drum 24 has four rubber wheels 30, 30', 30" and 30"" which are rotatably mounted to the underside 32 at the bottom plate 26, in evenly spaced relationship about the circumference of the plate 26. Each wheel 3030' has a pair of depending flanges 31 and 32 with the upper ends 31' and 32 of the flanges being fixed to the underside of the plate 26, and one arm rotatably mounted between the lower ends 31" and 3-2" of the flanges by a pin 33 passing through the flanges and fixed thereto, with the respective wheels rotatably mounted in their pin 33.

A small electric motor 34 is mounted in the hollow base 21. The motor has an output drive shaft 34' with an annular toothed gear 35 fixed axially to the output shaft 34'. The drum 24 has an annular ridge 36' extending around the bottom of its wall portion 25, with gear teeth 36 formed therein. The gear 35 is positioned in driving engagement with the teeth 36 of the drum, whereby energizing the motor 34 which cause the drum 24 to rotate about the axis of its bolt 27, on the wheels 3-030". The wheels are made of rubber for improved frictional engagement with the top plate 21".

A motor 42 is fixed to the top plate 26 of the drum 24. The motor 42 has an output shaft 4-4. A perforated disc 49 is fixed to the other outer end 44 of the shaft 44, whereby energizing the motor 40 which rotates the perforated disc 49.

An electric light 50 is positioned behind the perforated disc 49 and when the disc 49 is rotating and the electric light 50 is illuminated, the light passes through the perforations in disc 49 and through the perforations 51' of wall portion 51 of Wall .24 to simulate rainfall as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3.

A concave reflector 52 surrounds the light bulb 50 and directs the light of the bulb toward the perforated disc 49. The electric bulb 50 is threaded into a conventional socket, which socket, is fixed to an upright support plate 53 The support plate 53 in turn is fixed to the base plate 26 of the drum 214 The cylindrical wall of the drum 24 is divided into three accurate portions forming three scenes or scenery portions 58, 59, and 60, respectively. The portion 58 is the simulated thunder and lightning sky scene, which includes a simulated rainfall. The accurate portion 60 is the clear daytime sky scene.

The drum 24 when rotated by the energizing of motor 34 rotates counter-clockwise at a very slow speed when viewed from FIG. 2, with scene 59 following scene 58, and scene 60 following scene 59, and scene 58 following scene 60, when viewed from FIG. 1, as the scenes appear in front of the open window area 23.

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING SCENE The thunder and lightning scene as shown on the accurate wall portion 58 of the drum 24 is constructed to simulate a thunder cloud, sky scene with lightning behind the cloud, and rain falling from the cloud.

The accurate wall portion 5 8 has four-sided box member 61 positioned on the outside of the wall portion 58 and held in position by a pair of magnets 62 and 63. The magnet 62 is fixed to the outside 58' of the accurate wall portion 58, and the magnet 63 is fixed to the inside of the base panel 64 of the box 61. The magnets are magnetized to attract one another when in their position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereby they abut one another and thereby hold the box 61 in place on the wall portion 58 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The box 61 has four side walls 65, 65, 65" and 65' which surround the base panel 64 and are integrally connected thereto. The base panel 64 has a pair of zigzag openings 66 and 67, each of which have a jagged three-like appearance and extend downward along the base panel 64 and each of which simulate, in their outline, lightning flashes or lightning bolts. Electric bulbs 68 and 69 are mounted behind the slots 66 and 67, respectively, and when the light bulbs 68 and 69 are illuminated, the light emanating from the bulbs passes through the slots 66 and 67 to give the appearance of lightning bolts striking in the sky.

A wad of cotton 70 surrounds the box 61, to give the appearance of a cloud. When the bulbs 68 and 69 are illuminated, it further gives the appearance that lightning is striking behind the clouds.

The outside surface 58 ofthe area of the wall portion 58 adjacent the clouds formed by the cotton 70 is painted a grayed blue to simulate stormy skies.

A wall 71 divides the box 61 into two compartments, one for each lightning bolt slot 66 and 67, so that when one bulb 68 or the other bulb 69, is illuminated, its rays will pass through its respective slot 66 or 67 The wall 71 extends down from the top wall 65" to the adjacent top of the magnets 62 and 63 and terminates, and then extends from adjacent the bottom of the magnets 62 and 63 to the bottom wall 65 to thereby divide the box into two compartments. The side walls 65, 65', 65" and 65", center panel 64, and dividing wall 71, are all made of opaque material so that light will not pass through except through the slots 66 and 67.

The rain scene beneath the box 61 and cotton wad 7 is provided by a plurality of slit-like openings 51' in the accurate wall portion 8, which run in vertical rows spaced from one another, beneath the cotton cloud 70. The perforated disc 49 rotated counter-clockwise and when viewed from FIG. 1, so that the left portion of the perforated disc as it passes through the light from the bulb 50 creates a downward like movement of the light rays as they reach the slits 51 so as to simulate rainfall.

NIGHTTTME SCENE The accurate wall portion 59 of the drum 24 simulates a nighttime sky scene after the storm has cleared, which storm was simulated by accurate wall portion 58. The nighttime scene of wall portion 59 simulates clear skies with stars shining and a quarter moon shining in the sky.

The accurate wall portion 59 has a plurality of small dot-like perforations or openings 96, and an opening 97 which has the outline of a quarter moon, to simulate stars and a quarter moon respectively. Behind the wall portion 59 is a curved and concave wall 98 having its outer ends 98' and 98" fixed to the inside of the wall portion. The concave wall 98 has reflective material along its inner face 99. A light bulb 100 is mounted between the wall portion 59 and the concave wall 98 and when illuminated its light rays pass and are reflected by the reflective material and pass out through the dot-like openings 96 and the moonlike opening 97 to give the simulated night-time appearance of the stars and moon shining, when viewing the accurate portion 59 from its outer face 59.

The Wall portions of accurate portion 57 adjacent the opening 96 and 97 are painted blue to give the appearance of a clear blue sky.

DAYTIME SCENE The accurate portion 60 of the drum 24 simulates a daytime scene. The accurate portion 60 is painted a light blue and an electric bulb 101 is mounted in the drum 24 above the accurate portion 60 and when illuminated gives the appear-ance of sunlight in the sky. A switch 102 is mounted to the cover 22' in the path of block 73, and is engaged by the block 73, when the daytime scene approaches the window area and is held on by the block until the daytime scene passes the window area.

A semi-circular base block 122 is mounted to the toy plate 21" and surrounds the drum in spaced relation about its lower edges. The blocks have an irregular top surface 127 which is painted green and brown to simulate the ground or earth.

OPERATION The rotary toy invention 20 operates as folows:

The closing of the main switch 103 energizes the motor 34. Assuming for purposes of illustration that the drum 24 is positioned with the nighttime scene '59 generally facing the open window as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the motor 34 through its output gear 34 rotates the drum from left to right as viewed from FIGS. 3 and 5, or counter clockwise as viewed from FIG. 6 in slow motion.

Mounted to the top of the drum 24, on the edge of the drum generally opposite the thunder and lightning scene is an accurate block 73 which serves as an electric cont-act system for the thunder and lightning simulation of the thunder and lightning scene on accurate portion 58.

The block 73 has radial legs 74 and 75 fixed at their one ends to the block 73 and their other ends to the drum 24, to attach the block to the drum. A magnetic reproducing head 76 is fixed to the outer top wall portion 77 of the cover 22 at the housing 22. A pair of switches 78 and 79 are mounted beneath the magnetic head. The magnetic head 76, and the switches 78 and 79 are in alignment with three horizontal tracks on elongated outer surface portions 80, 81, and 82, on the accurate outside surface of the block 73.

The tracks 80, 81 and 82 are divided into separate areas, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 91, and 92, which represent time intervals. and govern the time sequence of activation of the light bulbs 68 and 69, which are controlled by switches 78 and 79, and the magnetic tape strips 93 on the track 80, are pre-recorded magnetically with the sound of thunder, and when the magnetic head then engages these tape strips asthe accurate block goes by the sound of thunder is reproduced through the magnetic head.

The track 81 has lobs or ridges 94 at intervals along the nine separate areas, and when the switch 78 reaches these lobs or ridges, the track engages the switches 78 momentarily and activates the light bulb 68 giving the appearance of lightning striking.

A similar track 82 has lobs or ridges 95 at intervals along its nine separate areas, and when the switch 79 reaches these lobs or ridges, the lobs or ridges 95 will engage the switch 79 momentarily and activate light bulb 69 giving the appearance of a lightning bolt striking. The turning of the main switch also illuminates the light bulb which is activated by the main switch 103, and causes light to pass through the openings 96 and 97 in the drum, and simulates a nighttime scene with the stars and a quarter moon showing. The lobs 94 and 95 have varying horizontal lengths so as to vary the length of time the bulbs 68 and 69 are illuminated, by varying the length of time the switches 78 and 79 are held closed by the lobs 94 and 95.

When the cloud 70 or the drum has reached its position shown in dashed lines and designated by numeral 104, the block member 73 will accordingly have reached the point also shown in dashed lines and designated by numeral 105 and the daytime sky scene will be coming into view in front of the window area 23. At this point the control arm 102' of the conventional variable resistor 102 will be rotated by the pin 102". The variable resistor 102 being mounted on the block, member 73 and the pin 102" being fixed to the underside 22" of the cover 22' of the housing. The pin 102" engaging the L-shaped control arm 37 of the variable resistor gradually pivots the arm 37 counter-clockwise from its position shown in solid lines and designated by numeral 38 to its position shown in dashed lines and designated by numeral 39, which gradually decreases the resistance in the line and gradually illuminates the bulb 101. The bulb 101 will remain illuminated during the time the daytime scene passes in front of the window area 23 and until the arm 37 engages the pin 40, which pin is also fixed to the underside 102" of the cover 22. When the arm 37 engages the pin 40, this pivots the arm 37 gradually clockwise back to its position shown in solid line, and gradually decreases the illumination of bulb 101 and turns it olf.

When the cloud 70 reaches the position relative to the housing 22, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2, and designated by numeral 106, the first area 84 of block member 73 will begin traveling past the switches '78 and 79 and magnet head 76, and the cloud 70, will be approaching the window over from left to right when viewed from FIG. 1.

As the first area is reached the ridge 94 in area 84 of track 81 will activate the bulb 68, and illuminate through zigzag opening 66, and through the cotton cloud 70, giving the appearance of a lightning bolt striking. The bulb 68 will only be activated momentarily, and then deactivated after the ridge has passed.

As the drum 24 continues to rotate and area 85 comes into vertical alignment with the magnetic beads and switches, the ridge 95 in track 82 will activate bulb 69 and illuminate through zigzag opening 67 and through cloud 70, giving the appearance of a lightning bolt striking. The bulb 69 will also only be activated momentarily and deactivated after the ridge has passed.

When the area 86 comes into vertical alignment the ridge 94 in track 81 will again activate switch 78 illuminating bulb 68, giving the appearance of a lightning bolt striking. As the area 86 passes across the magnetic head, the magnetic strip 93, will engage magnetic head 76, shortly after bulb 68 was illuminated and the said reproduction strip will produce the sound of thunder, for most of the area 86.

When the area 87 comes into alignment the ridge 95 will through, switch 79, again activate bulb 69, giving the appearance of a lightning bolt striking. Again as area 87 passes across the magnetic head 76, the magnetic strip 93 in area 87 will engage the magnetic and reproduce the sound of thunder.

As areas 88, 89, 90, 91, abd 92 are reached the same process as occurred in areas 86 and 87 will repeat itself, with the bulbs 68 and 69 alternately activating as the area is reached and the sound of thunder following as the area passes by the magnetic heads.

The thunder sound will be delayed long after the bulbs are illuminated, as the storm cloud approaches the window area, since in normal circumstances the lightning and the corresponding thunder are separated more in time as a storm cloud approaches, as it takes longer for the sound to reach the ears of the person that it does the lightning flash. Also, the interval between the simulated lightning flashes and the simulated thunder is close as the storm cloud comes directly in front of the viewer to correspond with the fact that when a storm cloud is very close or directly over a person the interval between the lightning and thunder is close as practically simultaneous.

After the rear end 83 of the block member 73 has passed by the magnetic switches and they all move across the block member have passed by the switches and magnets, and storm cloud will substantially have a left the window area as viewed from FIG. 1, and the nighttime scene will reappear and the sequence begins all over.

The rain scene will be operating continuously as the rotating disc 49 driven continuously as long as the drum 24 is rotating and the bulb 50 is activated by the closing of the main switch 34. The electrical system provides four rings 107, 108, 109 and 110, made of electric conductive metal which may be fixed coaxially to the underside of the plate 26 and will rotate with the drum 24, while four electrical conductive brushes 112, 113, 114 and 115 are fixed to the top of the panel member 21" and continuously engage their respective rings 107-110 as the drum rotates to provide a conventional electrical connection through respective circuit wires for electrical current. The operator will continue to repeat it all until the main switch 103 is turned off.

Thus it will be seen that a novel toy device has been provided which simulates a storm scene with lightning, and thunder, and storm clouds, and which also simulates a nighttime and a daytime scene.

It will be obvious that various changes, and departures may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and accordingly it is not intended that the invention be limited to that specifically described in the specification or as illustrated in the drawings, but only as set forth in the appended claims wherein:

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary toy device comprising a rotary drum, a housing surrounding said drum, said housing having a window area for viewing the drum, said drum having a horizontal platform with a plurality of pictorial structural members arranged about the circumference of the drum with each structural member forming a scene, one of said structural members having an upright wall painted a grayish blue to simulate stormy skies, a plurality of zigzag openings in said wall member extending downward along the wall member and each having the silhouette of a flash of lightning, each of said openings having illuminating means behind the opening with a wall member separating one of the illuminating means from another of the illuminating means so that each may operate independently to illuminate their zig-zag opening, a sound track having a simulate sound of thunder, electric means staggering the illumination of the zig-zag openings in relation to the actuation of the sound of thunder to provide a variable delay between the lightning illumination and the thunder activation as the thunder and lightning scene passes in front of the window area to simulate the approach of thunder and lightning to the viewer in front of the window area.

2. A rotary toy device according to claim 1 wherein said scenes on said drum render a night-time scene and a daytime scene following said storm scene.

3. A rotary toy device according to claim 1 wherein said scenes include a rainfall scene.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,403,631 1/1922 Pyper 40106.53 1,514,552 11/1924 McCormick 272 15 1,843,279 2/1932 Gritt 40-10654 2,092,761 9/1937 Klein 4028.1 2,600,664- 6/1952 Leech 40106.54 2,733,528 2/1956 Miller et a1. 272-15 UX ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner W. J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner

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