Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
  • A63H17/00—Toy vehicles, e.g. with self-drive; ; Cranes, winches or the like; Accessories therefor
  • A63H17/004—Stunt-cars, e.g. lifting front wheels, roll-over or invertible cars
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
  • A63H17/00—Toy vehicles, e.g. with self-drive; ; Cranes, winches or the like; Accessories therefor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
  • A63H11/00—Self-movable toy figures
  • A63H11/10—Figure toys with single- or multiple-axle undercarriages, by which the figures perform a realistic running motion when the toy is moving over the floor
  • A63H11/12—Wheeled toys with figures performing a wriggling motion when moving
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
  • A63H17/00—Toy vehicles, e.g. with self-drive; ; Cranes, winches or the like; Accessories therefor
  • A63H17/26—Details; Accessories

Definitions

• a number of mechanisms have been disclosed for elevating a toy vehicle from an initial or normal configuration supported on all of its road wheels to a wheelie configuration supported on only its rear road wheels.
• US Patent Nos. 3,772,824 and 4,438,589 describe toy vehicles having weights which can be manually repositioned to selectively maintain a toy vehicle in an elevated wheelie orientation or on all of its road wheels.
• US Patent No. 1,682,764 describes a toy vehicle with an internal, motor shifted weight to do the same thing automatically.
• US Patent No. 2,587,052 describes one with a motor driven rotary arm that regularly raises one side of the vehicle to cause the vehicle to turn at regular intervals.
• US Patent No. 3,574,267 describes one with a motor driven rotary crank that regularly raises and lowers a fifth wheel located beneath the bottom center of the vehicle slightly forward of the center of the four road wheels to raise and lower the front end of the vehicle at regular intervals.
• US Patent No. 4,363,187 describes one with an eccentric on a motor driven wheel that through a linkage extends and retracts a centrally located wheelie bar.
• a mechanism (30) is provided to elevate the toy vehicle (10) from an initial orientation supported on all of the plurality of road wheels into a wheelie orientation supported on only the rear road wheels (20b) of the plurality of road wheels and to return the vehicle to the initial orientation supported on all of the road wheels, the mechanism (30) comprising: a crank (37); a spring loaded wheelie bar (42); and a slide plate (50) driven by the crank so as to release the wheelie bar beneath the vehicle to elevate the vehicle from the initial orientation into the wheelie orientation and to thereafter extend a tongue member (56) from a rear end (12a) of the vehicle to return the vehicle back to the initial orientation.
• FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a toy vehicle of the present invention ;
• FIG. 2 is an opposing rear perspective view of the toy vehicle of FIG. 1 ;
• FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the toy vehicle of FIG. 1 ;
• FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the chassis halves of the toy vehicle of FIG. 1
• FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the right chassis half with the wheelie mechanism installed
• FIG. 6 is an view of the right chassis half with the wheelie mechanism separated
• FIGS. 7A-7C are broken away side elevations of the toy vehicle illustrating the steps performed by the toy vehicle in elevating itself into a wheelie orientation and returning to its normal orientation supported on all four road wheels.
• the vehicle 10 is preferably unpowered and is operated by being pushed but the invention could be used on a motor propelled vehicle.
• the vehicle 10 includes a front end 10a and an opposing rear end 10b.
• the vehicle 10 includes a decorative body 14 on a chassis 12.
• the chassis 12 is preferably divided into right and left halves 12a, 12b.
• the vehicle 10 preferably includes four identical road wheels 20.
• a front pair of the road wheels 20a is mounted on a front axle 22 that is itself supported for free rotation in mirror image journal openings 23 in the chassis halves 12a, 12b.
• a rear pair of the road wheels 20b is mounted on a rear axle 24 that is also supported for free rotation in mirror image journal openings 25 in the chassis halves 12a, 12b.
• Fixed to the rear axle 24 to rotate with the rear axle and pair of rear road wheel 20b is a worm 26.
• Wheelie mechanism 30 is preferably a subassembly of the toy vehicle 10.
• Wheelie mechanism 30 includes a main beam 32 which is fixedly positioned in the chassis 12 between the chassis halves 12a, 12b and a linear sliding carriage or "slide plate" 50.
• the main beam 32 supports the slide plate 50 on its upper side for longitudinal sliding movement and further supports for rotation beneath the slide plate 50, a worm gear 34 for engagement with the worm 26.
• a cam 36 preferably arcuate in shape, extends up from the top surface of the worm gear 34 and rotates with the worm gear 34.
• a projection 40 from a bottom side of the main beam 32 supports a wheelie bar 42 on an axle 46.
• the wheelie bar 42 includes an arm 43 pivotally supported by the main beam 32 from projection 40 and the axle 46,
• the wheelie bar 42 further includes a pair of wheels 44 rotatably supported at a distal end of the arm 43.
• a spring 48 (see FIG. 7B), preferably a torsion spring, is located between the arm 43 of wheelie bar 42 and the projection 40 so as to bias to the wheelie bar 42 to its rearward, actuated position shown in the various FIGS. 2-6.
• the slide plate 50 supports near its front end 50a a hook shaped latch member 52 that extend down from the chassis 12 through an opening 33 in the main beam 32 (see FIG. 3).
• the slide plate 50 has an elongated opening 54 with an inner facing cam follower surface 55.
• the rear end 50b of the slide plate 50 is shaped into a tongue member 56, which normally projects from the rear end 10a of the chassis 12 and toy vehicle 10.
• Another spring 58 preferably a compression spring, is located between the slide plate 50 and the main beam 32 so as to bias the slide plate 50 with the latch member 52 and tongue member 56 rearward on the main beam 32.
• the latch member 52 is configured to engage a cross beam 43a of the wheelie arm 43when the wheelie bar 42 is manually pivoted forward from its rearward, actuated position in FIGS. 2-6 to a forward, latched position (seen only in FIG. 7A) and is biased by spring 58 to retain the wheelie bar arm 43 in the latched position.
• the cam 36 extends up through the elongated opening 54 in the slide plate 50.
• the opening 54 is preferably of an elongated race track shape with a narrow slot 54a extending forward from a front left end of the opening 54.
• the slide plate 50 is moved, preferably pushed, forward from its rearward, actuated position indicated in the various FIGS. 2-6 by the cam 36 as the cam 36 is rotated by the worm gear 34.
• a relatively heavy, metal weight 16 (silver cylinder) is fixedly positioned in the vehicle 10, preferably received in cylindrical wells 16a, 16b in the chassis halves 12a, 12b, so as to be fixedly positioned above and slightly to the rear of the rear axle 24 to move the center of gravity of the vehicle 10 to a position above and sufficiently close to the rear axle 24 in a longitudinal direction to more easily raise and lower the vehicle 10 as will be described.
• a roller 18 is preferably provided in the rear center of the chassis 12 and forms a third point of contact with the pair of rear wheels 20b to support the vehicle 10 on the support surface S in the elevated wheelie orientation (FIG. 7C).
• the initial orientation of the toy vehicle 10 is standing on a support surface S on all four road wheels 20 with the wheelie bar 42 pivoted forward into engagement with latch member 52 and with the tongue member 56 projecting out the rear end of the chassis 12.
• the car 10 is manually pushed in a forward direction.
• Rotation of the rear wheels 20b rotates the rear axle 24 with worm 26.
• Worm 26 rotates worm gear 34 and cam 36.
• the leading edge of the cam 36 strikes a transverse forward edge 55a of the cam follower surface 55 of the opening 54 and pushes the slide plate 50 forward sufficiently for the latch member 52 to release the wheelie bar 42.
• the spring biased wheelie bar 42 rotates rearward (clockwise in FIG.
• the invention includes a reset mechanism indicated generally at 60 that permits the crank 37 to be reset to an initial position when the vehicle 10 is raised and the wheelie bar 42 manually reset to the forward, latched position (FIG. 7A).
• a preferably tension type return spring 38 is attached to what is a trailing edge of the cam 36 through metal pin 39 fixed at that trailing edge of the cam 36.
• the spring 38 is located so as to rotate the cam 36 and crank 37 back to an initial or starting position when the worm gear 34 is released from the worm 26.
• the rear axle 24 and worm 26 are supported for up and down movement in chassis opening 25 by a pivot arm 62. Pivot arm 62 is pivotally supported on chassis 12 from another axle 66.
• axle 24 and worm 26 The range of movement of axle 24 and worm 26 is indicated by the length of slot 25 seen in chassis half 12b in FIG. 4.
• another spring 68 (preferably a torsion spring as depicted only in FIGS. 7A-7C) is positioned to bias the axle 24 up in slot 25 and the worm 26 into engagement with the worm gear 34.
• a lever 64 projects forwardly from the pivot arm 62. It is configured and located so as to be struck by a cam 45a on one of the gudgeons 45 on which the wheelie bar arm 43 is pivotally supported. Comparing FIGS. 7A and 7C, it can be seen that when the wheelie bar 42 is released from an initial, forward, latched position (FIG. 7A), it rotates clockwise in FIGS. 7B and 7C to the rearward , released position. The wheelie bar 42 remains there until it is manually returned to the forward, latched position.
• lever 64 has side to side and up-down tapers.
• Lever 64 is thinnest at a sloping bottom edge 64a and thickens as it extends upward to top edge which forms a cam following surface 64c.
• a sloping surface 64b is provided between the bottom edge 64a and cam following surface 64c.
• Cam 43a also tapers up in thickness from a leading edge (rear facing edge in FIG. 7A) to a trailing edge (forward facing edge in FIG. 7A) also providing a laterally sloping surface that faces sloping surface 64b.
• the sloping surfaces slope in the same direction and permit lever 64 to be pushed aside by the cam 43a contacting the lever 64 beginning at the bottom edge 64a when the latch member 52 releases the wheelie bar 42 to rotate and elevate the front end 10a of the vehicle 10.
• the upper, cam following surface 64c of lever 64 is sufficiently wide to be engaged by the thicker edge of gudgeon cam 45a when the wheelie bar 42 is manually rotated and returned to its forward, latched position.
• FIGS. 1-6 there are slight differences in appearance between some of the components shown in FIGS. 1-6 and those in FIGS.7A-7C. However the same functional components are identified by the same reference numerals in both sets of FIGS and operate as previously described.
• the vehicle could be provided with three road wheels, a front and a pair of rear wheels. While the four road wheels are identical the road wheels may differ in size front and rear.
• a pair of body receiving members 82 are provided supported between the chassis halves 12a, 12b to assist in the assembly of the toy vehicle 10 but other means may be used to join the body 14 with the chassis 12. It further will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that still other changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. This invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed.

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• Toys (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Related Child Applications (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=47050543

Family Applications (1)

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Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2011
  • 2011-04-29 CN CN201110110505.XA patent/CN102755747B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2011-12-29 DE DE112011105198.0T patent/DE112011105198T5/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2011-12-29 WO PCT/US2011/067697 patent/WO2012148486A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2011-12-29 GB GB1318208.4A patent/GB2504866A/en not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (4)

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