US61416A - William f - Google Patents

Description

@glitten tutes 17de-tritt ffirapp WILLIAM F. GOODWIN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT" .-OF COLUMBIA.

Letters Patent No. 61,416, dated January 22, 1867.

AUTOMATIC TOY.

TO`ALL WHOM IT MAY CONOERN:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F; GOODWIN, ofthe city and county of Washington, and District of Columbia, have invented a new improvement in mechanical movements to be applied to Automaton Toys and Hobby Horses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact descriptionlof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made part of this specification,- and in which- Figure 1 may represent a toy o r hobby horse embodying my improvement, showing a vertical longitudinal section through thc side and legs of the toy, and showing s. sido view ofthe apparatus by which it is operated.l

' Figure 2 is a top view of lche same, showing a vertical longitudinal section through the top of the body, the

back being removed to show a top view of the driving apparatus as arranged in Vthe body of the toy, and by which motion is imparted to the legs, head, andtail of thc same. f

My invention consists ina novel method of applying mechanical movements to automaton toys, made in the -image of various animals, whereby the toy is caused to move the legs, head, and tail in the a'ct of walking and trotting, after the manner of the animal Vwhich the toy is made to imitate.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to fully understand and use the same, I will proceed to describe it in connection with the accompanying drawings.

The letter W may represent the covering by which the toy is formed vinto proper shape, which may be made of wood or other suitable material. Letter E may represent metal plates or pieces of sheet brass or iron placed in each side of the body to aford journal bearing for the moving apparatus. Letter K may represent the box which contains the springs. Letter O may represent the key-post on which the spring is wound up. Letter may represent a gear-wheel, attached to the box K, and turned by the spring, which is enclosed in the'box. Letter L, L1, L2, and L3, may represent gear-wheels, by the means of which the motion is multiplied and imparted to the shafts B and cranks B', the rotating of which imparts motion to the legs. Letters A, Al, A, A3, A4, and A5,

. may represent the bars of the leg and the foot.

Similar letters of reference may represent corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention can be applied to toys' made in the image of a variety of'animals, either quadruped or Vbiped. I have selected the horse as the animal most appropriate by which to illustrate myinvention, supposing that lit will be most gener-ally used in toy and hobby horses made for children to play with. The body of thetoy may Vbe made of wood, or papier mache, or India rubber, or any other suitable material. The legs may be made of rubber, cloth, or wood, jointed at the joints, or leather, or any exible material, or any material made flexible by making the leg in pieces and joining it together by hinge joints. The plates E and E are shaped to adapt them to the shape of the toy, and to afford hearings and points of attachment for the several parts of the apparatus attached to them. The box K is placed between the plates E E near the centre, and is held in position by the shaft O, on which it is mounted. The shaft O has journals on its ends, which are fitted into suitable holes inthe plates E and E. One cnd of the shaft O projects through the plate, and is squared to receive a key. The

spring is attached or locked to the shaft O and box -K in the usual -manner of attaching a clock spring, and is wound up by a key, and held by a ratchet; and the-operation of the spring is the same as the springof a clock.

The gear-wheel L is mounted on tl1c`end of thc box K, and rotates with the same. The` pinion-Wheel Ll is mounted on the shaft M, and in gears with the wheel L. The gear-wheel L2 is also mounted on the shaft M, and rotates with the same. The wheel 'Ifl is mounted on thc shaft B, in gear with the wheel L2. The shaft B is provided with cranks marked B', one on each end of the shaft. The cranks are placed on each end of the shaft B, in reversed positions to each other, for thc purpose of giving to the legs the proper alternating movements. Bythc arrangement of gear-wheels of different diameter, through` which motion is imparted from the wheel L to thc shaft B, the number of revolutions lare multiplied, causing the shaft B, with itsv cranks B', to make a greater number of revolutions in the same time than is made by the wheel L, this arrangement being Anecessary in order to make the toy operate as long as possible at each winding of the spring.

Similar arrangements of gear-wheels and shafts are employed to operate both the front and. the rear legs; and I have therefore used the same lettersto indicate similar parts in the front and rear apparatus, the description of each being the same.

The bars A, A1, A2, A3, and A4, when joined together by hinge joints, form the frame of -the log. Al represents the foot hinged to the lower extremities of' the bars A3 an-d A". The top end of the short bar A1 is pivotednto the stud S, which represents the shoulder and stifle joints. The bar' A is pivoted or journalled at its top end on the wrist of the crank B', and to the swinging end of the bar A, at a point near two-fifths of its length, measuring from the top; and at its elbow, near its lower end, to the projection on the end ofthe bar A3, at the knee joint on the front leg; and to the bendor elbow of the bar A, at the knee joint in the rear leg; and at its lower extremity., to the top of the bar A4,.in both front and rear legs. The top end of the bar A? is attached to the bar A1 by a hinge joint; and at its lower extremity to the bend or elbow at 'the top of the bar Aa in the front leg; a-nd in the rear leg the lower end of the barA2 is attachcdto the top end of the bar A3 The lower ends of the bars A3 and A4 are pivotcd or hinged to the foot A, which represents the parstern joint. The positions of the front and rear legs are reversed to each other, the top end of the bar A of the front leg being pivoted on the stud on the point of the shoulder in front of Vits crank'B', and the bar Al of the rear leg being pivoted to the'stud S on the stifle in rear of its crank B'. The bars A and A3 of the front and rear legs di'er in form and manner of attachment at the knee joints; the bar A of the front leg is the rear bar of the leg, having its lower end bent forward, and attached at its bend to the end of the projection 'l, on the top of the bar A3; the bend of the bar A3 is attached to the lower en d of the bar A, which arrangement causes the knee to bend forward when the bar A is operated by its' crank B', the rotating of whiclriinpartsto the leg its reciproeating and vibrating motions. The bar A of the rear leg is the front bar of the leg, having its lower end bent backward and attached at its bend' tothe bend'near the ltop of the bar A3; the top orprojecting end of the vbar A3 is attached to the lower end of the bar A2, by which arrangement the-kneejoint of the rear leg is caused to bend backward' when operated by its crank B', the rotating of which imparts to therear leg its reciprocating and vibrating movements. C is a bar, bent`to adapt it to the curve of the neck, which serves ,to' support and operate the head and neck. TheY bar C is pivoted or jointed at a point in front of the wit-hers, marked V, making the joint of the neck. The lower end of the bar C is operated by the cam q en the shaft B, which causes4 the neck and head to vibrate. D is a lever, pivoted on the shaft or pin Y,1having a hole in its outer end to receive the tail, and a slot in its inner end to receive the end of the lever D', by which it is operated. The lever D' is pivoted on the stud J, and is operated by the projections I on the box K, serving to vibrate the tail. I is a fan, operated by the toothed wheel H, operating in the screw H', and serves to regulate the movements of the apparatus. I l

Having thus described the constructionof the apparatus, I will proceed to describe the movements of the same. When the spring is wound up, the 'WheelL rotates, turning backwards; the wheel L, being in gear with `the Wheels L1 on the shafts M, causes the latter to turnforward; the wheels L2, being mounted on the shafts M, rotate with the shafts, also turning forward; the wheels L2, being in gear with the wheels L3 on the shaft-B,

ycause the latter to turn backward; the wheels L3, being mounted Aon the shafts B, cause the shafts to turn lon their journals; the cranks'B', being mounted' on the ends of the shafts B, are rotated bythe shafts, the swinging ends of the cranks, in their overturn, turning toward the rear of the toy, as indicatcdby Iigures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, arranged around the circle of rotation of the wrists of the cranks, the movement commencing at figure 1. l The rotating of the cranks B' serves to :impart the vibrating and reciprocating motions to the leg and foon [will now describe the movements of the front leg and foot,rand afterwards l willdescribe the movements of the rear leg and` foot. The top end of the bar A of the front leg is pivotefl or journalled on `the wrists of the crank B', and-is carried around by the rotating of the crank, which causes the top end ofthc bar to move to and from the pivot S, which latter is the centre of motion for the leg. In fig. 1 the right leg is represented as in the act of stepping forward, the knee being bent, having inishcd'its forward movement, andthe foot elevated to its lhighest point, the top end of the bar A having reached its furthest point from the pivot S, the wrist of the crank having reached figure 5 in its circle, and the knee joints S: and S* having reached their highest andy nearest point to the pivot S; (the crank of the left leg is atiigure 2.) lVhcn the wrist of the crank is moving from 5 to 6, carrying the top of the bar downward and forward toward the pivot S, the bar A being hinged or pivoted. to the swinging end ofthe bar A, the pivot marked Sl swings on the pivot Sl, pushing the swinging end of'thc bar A1, on which is the pivot S1, down from the centre of the shaft B, 'which is the centre` around which the top of the bar Amoves, causing the lower end of the b'ar A to move downward from the pivot S, pushing the swinging end 'of the projection T, and the bar A", and projection from the'foot-pivot marked Ss down with it. The bar Al, being pivoted onthe studs at one end, and to the bar A at the other end, vibrate-i and serves te hold the pivots S and S2 always at the same distance from the pivot S or centre of noi'ion. -Th'e bar A2 being pivotedto vthe bar Al at a point nearer the pivot S, the pivot marked SL does not more so fast or so fares the bar A; the lower end of the, bar A2 being pivoted to the bend or elbow of tle bnr A3, thcpivot marked S4 serves to hold up the bar A3; the pivoter joint S4, not moving' so fast or so far from the pivot S as the pivot S3 on the end of the projection T, causes the bar A3 to swing on the pivot S4; the end of the projection T, being pushed down by the bar A, moves faster and farther from the centre of motion than the bend or pivot S4, causing the lower end of .the bar A3 to move forward, straightening the leg, and causing the foot to descend to the ground. When the top end of the bar A has reached figure 6, the toe of the foot has reached the ground, (and the top of the bar A of the left leg is at figure .3.)` The weight of the fore parts of the -toyV changes' from the left tothe right foot. S1, the lower end swings back, drawing with it the knee joint, the bar A4, which pushes down the end of the projection SS, straightening the leg and levelling the foot, (the top of the bar this position the weight of the fore part of the bodyis on the right foot,

straightening the'joint or pivot S6, pushing down and causes the foot to swing o n its pivot S7, thus A of the left leg having reached figure 4;) in the left having raised from the ground,

with the bar A,-

When the top of the bar Al is moving from G to 1, swinging on its pivot and moving forward. When the top of the bar A of the right ieg is at figure 2, the top of the bar A of the left leg is at figure .5, and the positions et' the legs are reversed, the'right ieg occupying the position ot the left, as represented in fig. l, and the left leg assuming the position of the right leg, as shown in iig. '.When the top of` the bar A of lthe right leg has reached figure 3, and the top of the bar A of the leftvleg having reached figure 6, the step is finished, and thc weight changes to the left foot. v When the top of the bar Aoi the right leg reaches gure 5, the top of the bar A of the left leg having reached figure 2, the legs are in the position represented in the drawings. When theA knee is bending, the ieint Si moves toward the joint Si, drawing up the rod A4, which draws up the end ofthe projection from the foot orjont S", Acausing the foot to swing on its pivot or pastern joint S7, thu's turning the foot back,'and holding it up in the act ot' stepping forward. The movements of the rear ,or hind legs are similar to those of thcfore legs, with this exception: the positions of the legs being reversed, the pivot S ot' the hind leg being situated in the rear ot' its crank'B', the gambrcl or elbow joint bends back instead of forward, in imitation of the hind leg of a horse, while in the fore legthc knee joint bends forward, imitating the fore leg of a horse, the only diierence in the form ot' the bars and manner of putting them together between the front and hind leg being at the ga'mhreLor elbow joint. 'lfheibars A and A3 of the hind leg cross cach other, and are pivoted or jointed' together, forming the gambi-el joint; the bar A, being pivotcd to the top end of the bar A3, or projection T, serves to'hold the projecting end of the har A", serving as a pivot for the same; the bar A, being operated bythe Acrank B', moves faster and further than the bar A2, which serves to bend and straighten the leg, the bar A4 being in the rear of the bar A3, -the saine as in the fore leg, and being attached to the projecting end ot`A the bar A, whicherosscs the bar A, project-ing backward instead of forward, thus dilfering from the fore leg; the lower end of the bar A, being attached to the foot in the same manner as in the fore leg, serves to turn thc foot back, and to hold it up in the act of stepping l forward, operating it in the same manner as the fore foot. By these differences of arrangements in thc fore and.

hind legs of the Loy, it is made to walkl with all four ot' its legs, imitating the movements of the legs of the horse when the bars A are acted upon by thc rotation of the cranks B', as described andshown. The camV projections on the shaft B Aoperating on the end of the bar C causes the neck and head to vibrate up .and down at every step. The projections P on thc-box K operate on the end ofthe lever D', and'serve to vibrate the tail. causing it to move up and down three times in every revolution of the box K. i

In di'erent sizes and kinds of toys, various means will be employed to impart the rotary movements to the cranks B'. In hobby horses of large size, the spring or driving power will bc mounted on the axle of a wagon or cart, and the rotating motions imparted to the cranks B' by means of a chain or beltpassing over a pulley on the wagon, and over a. pulley on the shaft B in the hobby horse. This means of operating the cranks may also be used in small toys, when wagons areatta-ched to them, as it would be cheaper, there being no machinery in the toy but the shafts B, and cranks B', and the pulleys and conncctingehain or rod, by which thc cranks are operated, and the means by 'which-the head and tail are operated, all the` driving apparatus used to impart the rotary motion to the-shafts B and cranks B' being mounted'on the ,iv-agen, thc rotary motion being. communicated tothe pulleys in the toyby means of tchains or belts, as before described.

Having thus described my invention, what-l claim as new, and desire toksccurc-by Letters Patent, is

1. Constructing the legs of toys or hobby horses with barsv or pieces, joining them together, makinghingcd or vibrating joints at the several points ,Where the legs are'required to bend, so that when attached or pivo'ted on the studs S, or their equivalents,von the shoulders and hips, "and acted upon by the rotating ofthe cranks B', the legs are made to move, bending all the joints, raising and turning the foot, stepping, walking, and trotting with both the fore and hind legs and feet, in imitation of the movements of the horse or animal which the toy is made to represent, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

2. The cranks B', or their equivalents, operated in'any manner or by any means whereby they can be made to rotate, the rotating of'which imparts to the legs their vibrating and reciprocating motions, arranged to operate in the manner and fort-he purpose substantially as described.

WM. F. GCODWIN.

Witnesses:

Guantes Hannon, ADDN M. SMITH.

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