US3772824A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Toy vehicle apparatus
Assignee: Glass Marvin and Associates
•
Filing: 1971-12-30
•
Granted: 1973-11-20
•
Expires: 1991-12-30
Abstract
Abstract A toy vehicle capable of being selectively conditioned to have varying operating characteristics, particularly ''''trick'''' type operations. The vehicle has a pair of front wheels and a pair of back wheels, one of the back wheels being fixed axially of and rotatable with the rear axle and driven by motor means, through the axle. The other rear wheel is freely rotatable relative to and slidably mounted on the rear axle and is of a larger diameter than said one rear wheel. The vehicle may be caused to spin about the larger diameter wheel, or travel in a straight or curved path depending upon the axial disposition of the slidably mounted larger diameter wheel. The vehicle is designed with its center of gravity close to the rear axle, and the motor means is mounted on a framework pivoted about the rear axle, so that the motor means may be shifted fore and aft, changing the center of gravity and causing the vehicle to rock about the rear axle. These various motions are programmed by conditioning the various operative components of the vehicle by means of a power conditioning drive ramp and guide track. Interchangeable plates are provided for mounting on the end of the guide track. The plates have upwardly protruding tabs which are operatively engageable with the operative components of the vehicle to condition the vehicle and thereby program its operating characteristics. The drive ramp also includes an oscillating lever and gear linkage for conditioning a winding power source on the vehicle.
Inventors
- 👤 R Terzian
- 👤 M Glass
- 👤 I Gilford
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 12:39
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63H; A63H29/00; A63H29/02; A63H29/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a pair of transversely spaced wheels mounted for rotation about transversely extending axes, and motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one of said wheels, the improvement comprising: means fixing one of said wheels transversely relative to its axis of rotation, and means slidably mounting the other of said wheels relative to its transverse axis of rotation so that the direction of travel of the vehicle may vary as a function of the transverse position of said other wheel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
90 words
A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a pair of transversely spaced wheels mounted for rotation about transversely extending axes, and motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one of said wheels, the improvement comprising: means fixing one of said wheels transversely relative to its axis of rotation, and means slidably mounting the other of said wheels relative to its transverse axis of rotation so that the direction of travel of the vehicle may vary as a function of the transverse position of said other wheel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein said other wheel has a larger diameter than said one wheel.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein said one wheel is power rotated by said motor means and said other wheel is freely rotatable about its respective axis of rotation independently of the motor means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The toy vehicle of claim 3 wherein said means slidably mounting said other wheel permits said other wheel to be positioned inwardly toward the center of said vehicle sufficiently to effectively cause the vehicle to pivot about said other wheel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The toy vehicle of claim 4 wherein said other wheel has means defining an outer annular surface which is chamfered to present a circular edge to facilitate said pivoting action.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
68 words
The toy vehicle of claim 4 including cam means fixed axially of and for rotation with said shaft and said other wheel being movable axially of and freely rotatable relative to the shaft, and including means defining interengaging surfaces between said other wheel and said cam means to interlock said other wheel for rotation with the shaft when said other wheel is positioned outwardly against the cam means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
The toy vehicle of claim 6 including retaining means to selectively hold said other wheel away from said cam means in said pivoting position.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The toy vehicle of claim 7 including, in combination, means defining a drive ramp for said vehicle, said drive ramp including means to actuate said retaining means as the vehicle travels along the drive ramp.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
113 words
A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a body, a pair of transversely spaced wheels mounted for rotation about a transversely extending axis, and motor means on said body for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one of said wheels, the improvement comprising means on said chassis providing for the shifting of said motor means fore and aft relative to said axis, the weight of said motor means being sufficiently large relative to the remainder of said vehicle to shift the center of gravity of the vehicle sufficiently fore and aft relative to said axis and thereby cause the vehicle body to rock about said axis as the motor is shifted.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
113 words
A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a body, a pair of transversely spaced wheels mounted for rotation about a transversely extending axis, and motor means on said body for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one of said wheels, the improvement comprising means on said chassis providing for the shifting of said motor means fore and aft relative to said axis, the weight of said motor means being sufficiently large relative to the remainder of said vehicle to shift the center of gravity of the vehicle sufficiently fore and aft relative to said axis and thereby cause the vehicle body to rock about said axis as the motor is shifted.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
The toy vehicle of claim 9 including means to hold said motor means in a fixed position relative to said axis to prevent the vehicle from rocking about the axis.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
The toy vehicle of claim 9 including means for automatically shifting said motor means fore and aft relative to said axis as the vehicle is driven.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
The toy vehicle of claim 11 wherein said automatic shifting means is operatively associated with said motor means and includes means to intermittently rock the motor means fore and aft relative to said axis as the motor means drives the vehicle.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
85 words
The toy vehicle of claim 12 wherein said motor means is mounted on a framework which, in turn, is pivotally mounted on said chassis, the moTor means including a rotatable shaft journalled on said framework and spaced from the pivot axis thereof, a cam member fixed to said motor shaft for rotation therewith, and an abutment member on said chassis intermittently engageable by said cam member to effectively cause said framework and the motor means thereon to oscillate fore and aft about said pivot axis.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The toy vehicle of claim 13 including means for selectively moving said abutment member out of the path of said cam member to prevent engagement thereby.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
53 words
The toy vehicle of claim 9 wherein said motor means is mounted on a framework which, in turn, is mounted on said chassis for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said wheels so that the motor means may be shifted fore and aft by pivoting said framework.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The toy vehicle of claim 15 wherein the pivot axis of said framework is concentric with the axis of rotation of said wheels.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
60 words
The toy vehicle of claim 16 wherein said framework and the motor means mounted thereon normally is maintained on one side of said pivot axis under the force of gravity, and said means providing for the shifting of said motor means includes means to hold the framework and the motor means substantially on the opposite side of said pivot axis.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
52 words
The toy vehicle of claim 17 wherein said means to hold the framework on the opposite side of said pivot axis is releasable, and including, in combination, means defining a driver ramp for said vehicle, said drive ramp including means to release said holding means as the vehicle travels along the ramp.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
72 words
A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a pair of transversely spaced wheels mounted for rotation about a transversely extending axis, motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one of said wheels, the improvement comprising means on said chassis providing for the shifting of the center of gravity of the vehicle sufficiently fore and aft relative to said axis to cause the vehicle to rock about the axis.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
72 words
A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a pair of transversely spaced wheels mounted for rotation about a transversely extending axis, motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one of said wheels, the improvement comprising means on said chassis providing for the shifting of the center of gravity of the vehicle sufficiently fore and aft relative to said axis to cause the vehicle to rock about the axis.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
98 words
A toy vehicle, comprising: a chassis having at least one wheel fixed to a drive shaft for rotation therewith, motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating said wheel, said motor means being of the spring motor type wherein the motor is capable of coming to an abrupt stop when the spring runs out, a gear train between said spring motor and said drive shaft, and a slip clutch operatively associated with one of the gears in said train thereof to permit said drive shaft and the wheel fixed thereto to ''''wind down'''' after the spring motor stops.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
98 words
A toy vehicle, comprising: a chassis having at least one wheel fixed to a drive shaft for rotation therewith, motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating said wheel, said motor means being of the spring motor type wherein the motor is capable of coming to an abrupt stop when the spring runs out, a gear train between said spring motor and said drive shaft, and a slip clutch operatively associated with one of the gears in said train thereof to permit said drive shaft and the wheel fixed thereto to ''''wind down'''' after the spring motor stops.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
103 words
The toy vehicle of claim 20 wherein said drive shaft has means defining a pair of spaced, facing abutment surfaces, said one gear in said train thereof is freely rotatably and slidably mounted on said drive shaft between said abutment surfaces, and said slip clutch comprises a coil spring surrounding said drive shaft in the area between said abutment surfaces, one end of the coil spring bearing against one of said abutment surfaces and the other end of the coil spring forcing said one gear into friction driving engagement with the other abutment surface, said friction defining the torque limit of the clutch.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-11-19 | 1977-05-21 | 1977-11-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-11-19 | 1981-05-21 | 1981-11-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-11-19 | 1985-05-21 | 1985-11-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |