US3919804A

US3919804A - Traveling toy

Info

Publication number: US3919804A
Application number: US462788A
Authority: US
Inventors: Toyotaro Nakata
Original assignee: Tonka Corp
Current assignee: Hasbro Inc
Priority date: 1974-04-22
Filing date: 1974-04-22
Publication date: 1975-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-18

Abstract

A miniature toy vehicle having wheels powered by a spiral spring to move the vehicle over a ground surface, the spring being wound by a vertically movable bar having rack teeth engaging a pinion in a series of pinions which transmits vertical downward movement of the bar to store energy in the spring and then transmits said energy to the ground wheels when the bar is released and a second spring yieldably retaining the bar in a raised position.

Description

[ Nov. 18, 1975 United States Patent [191 Nakata FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS TRAVELING TOY [75] Inventor:

Toyotaro Nakata, Yasuzuka 25,288 6/1883 Germany 46/67 444,352 3/1936 United Kingdom.............t....... 46/67 Mibumachi, Japan [73] Assignee: Tonka Corporation, Hopkins, Minn.

[22] Filed:

Apr. 22, 1974 Primary Examiner-Hugh R. Chamblee Assistant ExaminerJ. Q. Lever Attorney, Agent, or FirmDouglas L. Carlsen [57] ABSTRACT A miniature toy vehicle having wheels powered by a spiral spring to move the vehicle over a ground sur- 21 Appl. No.: 462,788

52 us. 46/206; 46/206 51 Int. A6311 17/00 46/67 69 face, the spring being wound by a vertically movable bar having rack teeth engaging a pinion in a series of [58] Field of Search.........

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US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet2of2 3,919,804

TRAVELING TOY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to wind-up miniature toy vehicles wherein some mechanism is provided for storing energy in a spiral'spring and which when released will transfer the energy to the vehicle wheels to propel the vehicle over a ground or floor. surface.

In heretofore known toy vehicles of this type the power spring has generally been wound by a hand key or by moving the driven wheels themselves over a floor surface. Such means are relatively slow and sometimes cumbersome or inoperable by very young children of the age most likely to play with this type of toy.

It is accordingly desirable that a wind-up toy vehicle be provided wherein the loading of the driving spiral spring is quickly and easily accomplished merely by moving an operating bar mounted on the vehicle in a vertical direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the foregoing objective and others in view this invention broadly comprises a miniature toy vehicle having a spiral spring powered wind-up mechanism wherein the spring is wound by vertical reciprocation or pumping of an operating bar having a rack of teeth which is engageable with a series of gears to wind the spring during downward movement but which desengages during upward movement and when retained in a raised position. There is also a spring means for retaining the operating bar in raised position. Finally, the gear train connects the spring with the ground wheels but includes means for automatically breaking said connection during downward or winding movement of the operating bar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS mechanism during downward movement of the operating bar.

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 but shows the condition of the mechanism when the operating bar is in its raised position.

' DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to the drawings reference numerals will be used to denote like parts or structural features in the different views. A basic vehicle incorporating the drivemechanism is shown in FIG. 1 comprising a vehicle body mounted on a front wheel assembly 11 and a rear wheel assembly 12.

Body 10 includes a chassis member 14 having side walls which journal an axle 15 which jointly with wheels 16 forms the rear wheel assembly 12. A frame for mounting the drive mechanism is denoted generally at 17 and comprises a housing having side walls 18, a front wall 19, a rear wall 20, a top wall 21, and flanges 22 at the bottom which are secured to the chassis 14. The drive mechanism for driving wheels 16 now be described. An operating bar denoted at 24 is mounted for vertical sliding movement in the rear portion of the housing 17 between the rear wall 20 thereof and a cross plate '25. Bar 24 has a cross handle 26mounted on its upper end and is provided with a series of vertically spaced rack teeth 27 along its front side. A holder 28 in the bottom of housing 17 slidably receives a pin 29 projecting downwardly from bar 24 and encircled by a compression spring 30 which yieldably retains the bar in a raised position, as shown in FIG. 4.

A pair of opposing vertically elongated slots 34 are provided in the side walls 18 of member 17. These slots jointly and loosely journal a shaft 35 which carries a pinion 36 in mesh with the rack 27.

A shaft 37 is journaled'in the side walls 18. of frame gear 39 and a second larger gear 46. Gear 45 is in constant intermeshing engagement with gear 39.

A shaft 47 is loosely journaled in opposing upright I slots 48 in the side walls 18. Shaft 47 fixedly carries gear 49 and a larger gear 50, the former being longitudinally aligned with gear 46 for meshing engagement therewith and the latter being longitudinally aligned with a gear 51 mounted on axle 15 for meshing engagement therewith.

The operation of the toy will now be described. In normal idle or nonuse condition the mechanism components are in the relative positions shown in FIG. 4 with the operating bar 24 elevated and holding the pinion 36 in raised position in the slots 34. As the operating bar is depressed through manual downward pressure upon the handle 26, as shown in FIG. 3, the pinion 36 will move downwardly into/intermeshing engagement with gear 38 causing the fshaft 37 to rotate in a slots 48causing the gear 50 to move out of engagement with gear 51.

By holding wheels 16 down against the floor surface the operating bar 24 maybe reciprocated or pumped until the desired amount of energy has been stored in spring 40, it being understood that there will be 'no drive connection between the spring and the axle l5. When the spring 40 has been sufficiently wound the handle 26 is released allowing bar 24 and opinion. 36 to return to the position of FIG. 4 under the compressive force of spring 30. As spring 40 unwinds the gear train through

gears

39, 45, 46 and 49 causes shaft 47 to rotate clockwise and it will drop slots 48 to the position shown in FIG. 4 bringing the gear 50 into meshing engagement with gear 51 to drive the axle l5 and wheels 16 in a counterclockwise direction to propel the vehicle fowardly over the floor surface F.

The toy thus provides a construction for simple and rapid of the driving spring mechanism.

3 Having now therefore fully illustrated and described the invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by United States Letters Patent is: 1

1. In a miniature wheeled toy vehicle adapted to be powered over a ground surface by a windable spring,

a. a chassis, r

b. said chassis supported on an axle carrying ground wheels,

c. a mounting frame on the chassis,

d. a shaft journaled on the mounting frame parallel to the axle and carrying a spiral spring having one end fixed to the shaft and the other end fixed to the mounting frame,

e. a gear fixedly mounted on the axle,

f. an operating bar supported in the mounting frame in upright position for vertical sliding movement and having a rack of gear teeth spaced vertically therealong,

g. said bar having a cross handle at its upper end and a pin on its lower end slidably seated in a holder on 4 the mounting frame with a spiral spring encircling the pin and held-under compression between the bar and mounting frame to yieldably bias the operating bar toward a raised position,

h. a gear train of intermeshing gears connecting the rack to the axle gear and including gears fexed on the shaft carrying the spiral spring to transmit downward movement of the operating bar to store energy in the spiral spring when the bar is depressedand to transmit the energy in the spring to rotational movement of the axle when the bar is released, and

i. said gear train including a pinion which is journaled in slots to be movable between a non-intermeshing position with the axle gear when the operating bar is moving downwardly and a position in intermeshing engagement with the axle gear when the bar is moving upwardly.

Claims

1. In a miniature wheeled toy vehicle adapted to be powered over a ground surface by a windable spring, a. a chassis, b. said chassis supported on an axle carrying ground wheels, c. a mounting frame on the chassis, d. a shaft journaled on the mounting frame parallel to the axle and carrying a spiral spring having one end fixed to the shaft and the other end fixed to the mounting frame, e. a gear fixedly mounted on the axle, f. an operating bar supported in the mounting frame in upright position for vertical sliding movement and having a rack of gear teeth spaced vertically therealong, g. said bar having a cross handle at its upper end and a pin on its lower end slidably seated in a holder on the mounting frame with a spiral spring encircling the pin and held under compression between the bar and mounting frame to yieldably bias the operating bar toward a raised position, h. a gear train of intermeshing gears connecting the rack to the axle gear and including gears fexed on the shaft carrying the spiral spring to transmit downward movement of the operating bar to store energy in the spiral spring when the bar is depressed and to transmit the energy in the spring to rotational movement of the axle when the bar is released, and i. said gear train including a pinion which is journaled in slots to be movable between a non-intermeshing position with the axle gear when the operating bar is moving downwardly and a position in intermeshing engagement with the axle gear when the bar is moving upwardly.