US3768198A

US3768198A - Toy airplane of foldable sheet material and lunching means for and method of making same

Info

Publication number: US3768198A
Application number: US00277237A
Authority: US
Inventors: I Fields
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-08-02
Filing date: 1972-08-02
Publication date: 1973-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1990-10-30
Also published as: GB1444626A; CA985905A

Abstract

A toy airplane of foldable sheet material which is constructed so as to glide through the air with a horizontal velocity component after being released in the air above a predetermined starting velocity. A wing and body section of the airplane may be constructed either of a single piece of foldable sheet material or of two separate sheets of foldable sheet material. The wing section and body section are clamped in position with respect to one another by a single piece of wire which is bent over the folded portions of the airplane configuration. This same single piece of wire also extends downwardly through a single aperture on the underside of the airplane configuration to form a hook for launching the airplane. This single piece of wire is arranged symmetrically around the mid-point of the hook and the longitudinal centerline of the airplane and includes two bent over clamping sections adjacent the opposite ends of the wire. The wire extends between the folds in the sheet material such that the only portion of the wire open to the bottom of the airplane is the hook, while the only portion of the wire open at the top is the extreme end positions forming the clamping connection with the outermost layer of sheet material. A launching device in the form of a relatively rigid rod section having closed loops at the ends thereof for attaching rubber bands is provided. The rubberbands are releasably engageable with the hook at the underside of the airplane. The method of constructing the airplane includes cutting out predetermined pattern from flat sheet material, such as synthetic resinous material, forming crease lines along the desired fold lines for the airplane configuration, cutting apertures in the sheet material for accepting the wire to be utilized as the hook and clamping mechanism, and folding the flat sheet material into the desired airplane configuration while inserting the wire through the holes and bending the wire to clamp the wing section in position with respect to the body section of the airplane and to form the hook at the underside of the airplane.

Description

United States Patent 1 Fields Oct. 30, 1973 TOY AIRPLANE OF FOLDABLE SHEET MATERIAL AND LUNCIIING MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Irvin L. Fields, 459 Tomoka Avenue, Ormond Beach, Fla. 32074 221 Filed: Aug. 2, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 277,237

[76] Inventor:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 865,419 9/1907 Moorhead 46/79 1,329,062 1/1920 Pierce 124/20 R 1,792,779 2/1931 Tarr 46/79 2,186,587 7 H1940 Kleinberg.. 46/79 3,369,319 2/1968 Brown 46/80 3,540,149 11/1970 Lowe 46/79 3,576,086 4/1971 Halsey 46/79 3,714,734 2/1973 Livingston 46/79 3,526,989 9/1970 Wallace 46/79 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Robert F. Cutting Attorney-Paul M. Craig et a].

[57] ABSTRACT A toy airplane of foldable sheet material which is constructed so as to glide through the air with a horizontal velocity component after being released in the air above a predetermined starting velocity. A wing and body section of the airplane may be constructed either of a single piece of foldable sheet material or of two separate sheets of foldable sheet material. The wing section and body section are clamped in position with respect to one another by a single piece of wire which is bent over the folded portions of the airplane configuration. This same single piece of wire also extends downwardly through a single aperture on the underside of the airplane configuration to form a hook for launching the airplane. This single piece of wire is arranged symmetrically around the mid-point of the hook and the longitudinal centerline of the airplane and includes two bent over clamping sections adjacent the opposite ends of the wire. The wire extends between the folds in the sheet material such that the only portion of the wire open to the bottom of the airplane is the hook, while the only portion of the wire open at the top is the extreme end positions forming the clamping connection with the outermost layer of sheet material. A launching device in the form of a relatively rigid rod section having closed loops at the ends thereof for attaching rubber bands is provided. The rubberbands are releasably engageable with the hook at the underside of the airplane. The method of constructing the airplane includes cutting out predetermined pattern from flat sheet material, such as synthetic resinous material, forming crease lines along the desired fold lines for the airplane configuration, cutting apertures in the sheet material for accepting the wire to be utilized as the hook and clamping mechanism, and folding the flat sheet material into the desired airplane configuration while inserting the wire through the holes and bending the wire to clamp the 32 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures TOY AIRPLANE OF FOLDABLE SHEET MATERIAL AND LUNCHING MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to airplanes, particularly toy airplanes constructed of flat sheet material folded into a configuration which will support horizontal flight once given an initial starting velocity. The

present invention also relates to a launching mecha-' nism for this type of toy airplane.

Paper airplanes of the type constructed and flown by school children for many years have the disadvantages that they are unable to withstand repeated usage or less than ideal climatic conditions. Consequently, it has been contemplated to construct glidable airplanes from sheet material other than paper, such as thin sheets of plastic and the like. However, in constructing glidable airplanes from flat plastic material that is capable of withstanding repeated usage, it becomes necessary to clamp the wing section in position on the airplane configuration. One method of holding the wing section in position on a toy airplane constructed of plastic sheet material includes lamination or direct adhesion of the sheet material folds to one another. However, this laminating step necessarily involves additional manufacturing costs in an item of the type normally marketable only in large volumes at low unit prices. Consequently, any reduction in the unit price for toy airplanes of this type could lead to substantial savings due to the large volumes contemplated. For example, if one could reduce the unit cost of this type of toy airplane to a low enough value, it would be possible to market the toy airplanes as free prizes in cereal boxes and the like, which could result in a demand for a very large number of individual toy airplanes.

The present invention is, therefore, directed in part to a novel construction of a toy airplane utilizing foldable plastic sheet material, which reduces the cost of manufacture while maintaining a reliable and sturdy airplane construction. One basic feature of the airplane of the present invention is the utilization of a mechanical clamping connection for holding the wing section and body. section in position with one another, without the necessity for lamination of the plastic sheetings to one another. A preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes a single endless wire extending between the folds of the airplane and being bent back over upon itself at the ends for clampingly holding the wing sections in position. Another important feature of the present invention is the utilization of this same single piece of wire to form a launching hook protruding from underneath the airplane. Not only does this arrangement of a single combined clamp and launching hook avoid the necessity of an additional laminating step, it also avoids the necessity of additional manufac turing steps for attaching launching hooks to the airplane.

The present invention contemplates the utilization of the combined clamp and launching hook for both airplanes constructed of a single sheet of plastic material and for airplanes constructed of more than one, preferably two, sheets of material. The single sheet embodiment of the present invention entails the advantage that only two separate parts are needed for forming the entire airplane, namely the single sheet of material and the single piece of wire forming the clamp and launching hook. The two sheet construction entails the advantage that diffferent thickness plastic sheets can be used for the body section and the wing section so as to optimize the durability and the weight balance of the airplane confirguration.

The present invention also contemplates constructing the wing section of the airplane so as to be completely smooth on the underside except for a single aperture through which the launching hook extends. This arrangement provides for a clean aerodynamic wing configuration which optimizes the flight characteristics of the airplane. The arrangement of the wire forming the hook and the clamp of the present invention is also completely covered from the outside by the plastic sheeting material except for the extreme end portions formed to clamp the outermost sheet of plastic material into position, which results in an advantageously smooth upper configuration of the wing section.

The present invention also contemplates a novel launching mechanism for engaging the hook on the airplane and imparting initial flying velocity to the airplane. The launching mechanism of the present invention utilizes a single relatively rigid wire or other rodlike member having a loop at at least one end thereof attached to a rubber band or other closed loop resilient member. To launch the airplane, one merely holds onto the rigid wire section and to the tail section of the airplane and hooks the rubber band over the launching hook on the airplane. The tail section is then moved relative to the wire so as to resiliently load the rubber band until such time as the tail section is released and the rubber band launches the airplane into the air. Preferred embodiments of the launching mechanism include closed loops formed at opposite ends of the single wire in various geometric shapes, such as formed by straight bends so as to ease the manufacture thereof. Also, the closed loops may be formed of circular shape, also easily manufactured. It is further contemplated by the present invention to configure the section between the closed loops on the wire so as to form a handle, such as by a further depending open loop in this section.

The present invention also contemplates the method of manufacturing the airplane discussed above, which method includes cutting out predetermined airplane patterns from the fiat sheet material, forming creases in the flat sheet material corresponding to the desired fold lines for the finished airplane configuration, providing apertures and grooves in the flat sheet material in a predetermined pattern so as to permit insertion of the wire forming the clamp and launching hook, and folding the flat material into the final airplane configuration while inserting the single wire forming the clamp and launching hook, and bending the single wire into the final configuration. It will be understood that the method of construction according to the present invention advantageously reduces the manufacturing cost by minimizing the number of parts and the number of manufacturing steps, in addition to utilizing only simple mechanical manipulation which can be performed with a minimum of manufacturing machinery.

The above discussed and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description thereof, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view showing the toy airplane and launching device of the present invention with the launching device in position for launching the airplane;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show three different embodiments of the eyelet configuration for the launching device of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a modified launching device according to the present invention having a handle portion formed midway between the eyelets thereof;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the clamping and propelling hook utilized in the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the clamping and launching hook shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the clamping and launching hook shown in FIGS. 6 and 7;

FIG. 9 is a top view of an airplane constructed in accordance with the present invention utilizing two sheets of plastic material;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the airplane shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an exploded top view showing the two parts forming the airplane illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 and illustrating the bending crease lines and hole patterns in the flat sheets prior to assembly;

FIG. 12 is a top view of an airplane constructed according to the present invention utilizing a single plastic sheet;

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the airplane shown in FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a top view of the flat sheet utilized for constructing the airplane shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and illustrating the bending crease lines and hole pattern prior to assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the Figures to designate like structure, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown an airplane 1 formed of foldable sheet material and including a combination clamp and launching hook 2, with the clamping hook in engagement with rubber band 3 of launching device 4. It will be understood that the launching of the airplane is conducted by holding the rod portion 5 of the launching device in one hand and the tail section 6 of the airplane in the other hand and then pulling the airplane rearwardly with respect to the rod 5 so as to store spring energy in the band 3 until such time as the tail section is released and the spring energy and band 3 accelerates the airplane in the forward direction until such time as the band 3 is released from the launching hook 7 of the combination clamp and launching hook 2.

FIGS. 2 to 5 illustrate various embodiments of the launching device according to the present invention. In the FIG. 2 embodiment, closed circular loops 8 are provided at opposite ends of the middle portion 5 for holding the rubber bands. Although loops are shown at both ends of the launching device, it will be understood that a single loop at one end would be sufficient, with the other loop and related rubber band essentially serving as a spare. Also, one could utilize different rubber bands having different spring constants at opposite ends of the launching device so as to impart differing degrees of force to the launching hook of the airplane.

The FIG. 3 embodiment differs from the FIG. 2 embodiment only in that the loops 8' are formed with straight bends, with the first bend extending rearwardly from the midportion 5. The FIG. 4 embodiment differs from the FIG. 3 embodiment in that the first straight bend adjacent the midportion 5 extends away from the midportion. The embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4 exhibit the advantage that they can be easily manufactured due to the relative ease of construction of straight bends in steel wires, rods, or the like. The FIG. 5 embodiment of the launching device includes a loop portion 5A at the center of the midportion 5 which serves as a handle to be grasped by the airplane operator. In this connection, it is noted that the FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 embodiments utilize the straight portion 5 as the handle. In each of the launching devices according to the present invention, the rigidity or resiliency of the midportion 5 may be selected to enhance the total launching characteristics of the launching device.

As best seen in FIGS. 6 to 8, the combination clamp and hook 2 is constructed of a single piece of wire bent symmetrically about the mid-point of the launching hook portion 7. The two end portions 9 are bent back over'the respective midportions 10 to clampingly engage the outermost thickness of the sheet material. The portions 9 are arranged Y-shaped with respect to the hook portion 7 so as to clampingly engage the sheet material at opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline 11 of the airplane.

FIGS. 9 to 11 show an embodiment of an airplane according to the present invention which utilizes two sheets of flat material. The wing section 12 is primarily constructed of the sheet 13 shown in FIG. 11 and a body section 14 is primarily constructed of the sheet 15 shown in FIG. 11. The sheet 15 includes a longitudinal fold line 16 and a horizontal fold line 17, along with four

apertures

18, 19, 20 and 20'. In the assembled condition, the end section 21 of sheet 15 is folded along crease line 17 so that holes 18 and 19 are in alignment,

with holes 20 and 20' being adjacent to the outer edges of the triangular section 21. That is, section 21 does not close off the

holes

20, 20. Sheet 13 includes longitudinal crease line 22, horizontal crease line 23 and

diagonal crease lines

24 and 24. Sheet 13 also includes apertures 25 and 26 along the longitudinal crease line 22 and apertures 27 and 27' spaced laterally at opposite sides of the longitudianl crease line. During assembly, sheet 15 is first folded over at crease line 17 and then crease line 17 is placed in alignment with crease line 23 of sheet 13.

Sections

28 and 28 are then folded along their

respective fold lines

24 and 24' such that

cutout sections

29 and 29 are aligned with the edges of aperture 25.

End sections

30 and 30 are folded over their

respective crease lines

24 and 24' such that the

respective apertures

27, 27 are in alignment with apertures 20, 20' of sheet 15. It is noted that relief sections 31 and 31' are provided for permitting the relative folding of the various sections. The section 32 is then folded along crease line 23 so as to bring aperture 25 in alignment with aperture 26 and apertures 18 and 19. During the course of this folding process, the wire forming the combination clamp and hook is inserted upwardly through aperture 26, at which point it is spread into a horizontal V-configuration and extended between sheet 15 and the respective sections 33 and 33' of sheet 13 and then upwardly through

respective apertures

20, 20 and 27, 27, at which point it is bent back upon itself in engagement with section 32 so as to clamp section 32 against

respective sections

30, 30, which in turn are clamped against sheet 15. It is also understood, that all sheet material is bent upwardly about the longi tudinal crease lines 16 and 22 so as to present a relatively flat- Vshaped configuration to the airplane.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 14 is basically similar to the above-described embodiment of FIGS. 9 to 11, except that only a single sheet 34 (FIG. 14) of plastic material is utilized. In order to facilitate a direct comparison of the two embodiments, the reference numerals utilized in FIGS. 12 to 14 will be identical to the reference numerals of FIGS. 9 to 11, except for the addition of 100. It is noted that there are no reference numerals corresponding to the sheet 16 of FIG. 11 corresponding to the body section, since the body section of this embodiment is integral with the wing section, although it will be understood that the longitudinal crease line 122 corresponds to both crease lines 16 and 22 of the FIG. 11 embodiment.

This single sheet embodiment is constructed by first bending

sections

130 and 130 over their

respective fold lines

124 and 124, which bending will bring cutouts 135 and 135' adjacent the edges of aperture 126 and cutouts 129 and 129' adjacent the edges of aperture 125. The then triangular end section surrounding aperture 125 is folded over horizontal fold line 123 to bring aperture 125, along with corresponding cutouts I29, 129' in alignment with aperture 126 and corresponding cutouts 127, 127'. During this folding operation, in a manner similar to that described above for the two piece embodiment of FIGS. 9 to 11, the combination clamp and launching hook 2 is assembled so as to clampingly hold the triangular end section against the sections 130 and 130'. It can be seen that this one sheet construction is very simple since only two separate folds need be made. The particular contour configuration of the wing section and the body section of the airplane may be chosen so as to optimize the desired flight characteristics, while also taking into account packaging requirements, etc. Also, the relative longitudinal extent of the body section with respect to the width of the wing section can be varied to give different gliding characteristics. During launching of the toy airplane according to the present invention, one can effectively vary the pitch of the airplane by the way one folds the tail section. That is, by varying the angle between the tail section sides and the longitudinal centerline 11 of the airplane, one can obtain different looping flight characteristics. By selecting appropriate sheet material having the capability of retaining a postion for a certain period of time after being bent, one can enhance the control of the flight characteristics.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the sheet material used was general purpose sheeting VCA 2603, manufactured by Union Carbide. In the single sheet embodiments, sheet material having a thickness of approximately .01 inch to .012 inches was used. In embodiments of the airplane using two separate sheets, sheets of the same thickness can advantageously be utilized. However, in preferred two sheet embodiments, the thickness of the wing section was made slightly different than the thickness of the body section so as to optimize the weight balance of the airplane and to give structural integrity to the most heavily loaded portions.

While I have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is to be understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications as known to a'person skilled in the art, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein, but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are within th scope of those skilled in the art. For example, the combination clamp and launching hook could be installed on the airplane configuration without all of the apertures disclosed in the illustrated embodiments. For example, the crease lines 140 and 140' which become aligned with crease line 123 upon folding of sections and 130', could be replaced by cutout sections. Also, the

particular cutout sections

135, 129, 129' could be dispensed with by appropriately .dimensioning adjacent sheet structure so as not to obstruct the apertures for the combination clamping and launching hook. Also, it would be possible to utilize other than a single piece of wire for clampingly holding the wing section and body section into position, it being noted that the present invention is basically directed to avoiding the necessity of complex laminating processes for holding the airplane sections together.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising: at least one sheet of normally flat sheet material folded into an airplane configuration having a body section and a wing section, both of said body section and said wing section being symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of a longitudinal airplane axis, said body section and wing section being constructed so as to fly through the air upon being released in the air above a predetermined starting velocity, clamping means for holding said wing section in position with respect to said body section, hook means attached to at least one of said body section and said wing section, and launching means releasably engagable with said hook means for accelerating said airplane configuration to above said predetermined starting velocity, wherein said clamping means and said hook means are operatively connected to one another and are attached to said wing section and body section to fly through the air along with said wing section and body section.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said both clamping means and said hook means are formed from a single piece of wire-like material.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein said single piece of wire-like material is symmetrically formed on both sides of its midpoint, and wherein said midpoint also constitutes the midpoint of said hook means.

4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein the underside of said wing section includes a small bore through which the hook means extends.

5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein said small bore in the wing section is located on the airplane longitudinal axis at a position adjacent the front end of the airplane configuration.

6. The combination according to claim 5, wherein said wing section exhibits an uninterrupted smooth under surface except for the small bore and the hook means extending therethrough.

7. The combination according to claim 5, wherein the respective end portions of said single piece of wire like material are bent back upon themselves to clamp the wing section in position with respect to the body section.

8. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said launching means includes a relatively rigid part and a relatively resilient part, said resilient part being directly and abuttingly releasably engageable with said hook means.

9. The combination according to claim 8, wherein said relatively rigid part is formed of a single piece of rod-like material, at least one end of said single piece of rod-like material being bent in the form of a substantially closed loop, said resilient means being attached to said closed loop.

10. The combination according to claim 9, wherein both ends of said single piece of rod-like material are bent in the form of substantially closed loops, and wherein said resilient means includes two endless rubber bands attached one each to the respective closed loops of said rod-like material.

11. A toy airplane comprising: at least one sheet of normally flat sheet material folded into an airplane configuration having a body section and a wing section, both of said body section and said wing section being symmetrically disposed at opposite sides of a longitudinal airplane axis, said body section and wing section being constructed so as to fly through the air upon being released in the air above a predeteremined starting velocity, clamping means for holding said wing section in position with respect to said body section, and hook means attached to at least one of said body section and said wing section, wherein said clamping means and said hook means are operatively connected to one another and are attached to said wing section and body section to fly through the air along with said wing section and body section.

12. A toy airplane according to claim 11, wherein both said clamping means and said hook means are formed from a single piece of wire-like material.

13. A toy airplane according to claim 12, wherein said single piece of wire-like material is symmetrically formed on both sides of its midpoint, and wherein said midpoint also constitutes the midpoint of said hook means.

14. A toy airplane according to claim 13, wherein the underside of said wing section includes a small bore through which the hook means extends.

15. A toy airplane according to claim 14, wherein said wing section exhibits an uninterrupted smooth under surface except for the small bore and the hook means extending therethrough.

16. A toy airplane according to claim 12, wherein the airplane configuration consists of two sheets of normally flat sheet material, said wing section consisting of one of said sheets, said sheet forming the wing section being folded over the front end of said other sheet such that said other sheet is completely covered at the front end thereof.

17. A toy airplane according to claim 12, wherein the airplane configuration consists of a single sheet of normally flat sheet material, said wing section extending rearwardly from the most forward end of said airplane configuration.

18. A toy airplane according to claim 12, wherein the most forward end of said airplane configuration extends perpendicularly to the airplane longitudinal axis such that a top view of the airplane configuration exhibits a flat nosed front end portion, said hook means and clamping means being located immediately behing said front end portion.

19. A toy airplane according to claim 12, wherein said end portions of said single piece of wire-like material extend over the uppermost layer of the flat sheet material in the finished airplane configuration.

20. A toy airplane according to claim 13, wherein the respective end portions of said single piece of wire-like material are bent back upon themselves to clamp the wing section in position with respect to the body section.

21. A toy airplane according to claim 20, wherein respective intermediate portions of said single piece of wire-like material between the hook means and the respective end portions extend between upper and lower layers of the flat sheet material so as not to interrupt the exterior air foil of the airplane configuration.

22. A toy airplane according to claim 21, wherein said single piece of wire-like material is the exclusive means for clamping the wing and body section in position.

23. A toy airplane according to claim 12, wherein said single piece of wire-like material is the exclusive means for clamping the wing and body section in postion.

24. A toy airplane according to claim 11, wherein a tail portion is provided at the rear end of said body section, said tail portion being formed one-piece with said body section.

25. A toy airplane according to claim 1 1, wherein the flat sheets making up the airplane configuration are folded along the airplane longitudinal axis so as to present a V-shaped configuration.

-26. A toy airplane according to claim 11, wherein said flat sheets are formed of synthetic resinous material.

27. Launching means for a toy airplane comprising a relatively rigid part and relatively resilient means, said resilient means being directly and abuttingly releasably engageable with a hook means on a toy airplane, said rigid part being formed of a single piece of rod-like material, both ends of said single piece of rod-like material being bent in the form of substantially closed loops, said resilient means including two endless resilient bands attached one each to the respective closed loops of said rod-like material.

28. Launching means according to claim 27, wherein said resilient bands are rubber bands.

29. Launching means according to claim 28, wherein said closed loops are constructed with curved edges.

30. Launching means according to claim 28, wherein said closed loop are constructed with straight edges.

31. Launching means according to claim 29, wherein that portion of the single piece of rod-like material between the closed loops is constructed with a bent portion forming a handle.

32. A method of making a toy airplane comprising cutting out at least one pattern sheet from a flat sheet of synthetic resinous material, forming fold lines in said pattern sheet corresponding to the predetermined final desired fold configuration for the airplane, forming apertures in said pattern sheet in positions such that they will be aligned with one another for accepting a combination clamp and launching hook in the final folded configuration of the airplane, folding said pattern sheet along said crease lines into the final configuration of the airplane while inserting a single piece of wire through the aligned apertures to form the launching hook underneath the airplane and to clamp the wing sections of the airplane in position.

Claims

25. A toy airplane according to claim 11, wherein the flat sheets making up the airplane configuration are folded along the airplane longitudinal axis so as to present a V-shaped configuration.

26. A toy airplane according to claim 11, wherein said flat sheets are formed of synthetic resinous material.