US4596533A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Toy work vehicle and trailer assembly
Assignee: BUDDY L Inc A CORP OF
•
Filing: 1985-03-06
•
Granted: 1986-06-24
•
Expires: 2005-03-06
Abstract
Abstract A toy vehicle having a rear hitching element engageable by a dynamic coupler at one end of a sled-type trailer which may be more or less loaded by a player. The coupler is attached to a spring-biased piston slidable within a box projecting from the trailer whereby the extent to which the piston is withdrawn from the box when the trailer is hauled by the work vehicle depends on the magnitude of the load placed on the trailer. Operatively coupled to the piston is a load-indicating meter whose reading not only tells the player how great a load has been placed on the trailer, but also indicates the ability of the vehicle to haul this load, for the meter pointer will not move beyond the point at which the vehicle is stalled.
Inventors
- 👤 Melvin R. Kennedy
- 👤 Dietmar Nagel
- 👤 Abraham A. Arad
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 18:59
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63H; A63H17/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A toy work vehicle and trailer assembly comprising: A a toy work vehicle having a rear hitching element; B a load-carrying trailer which may be more or less loaded by a player, the trailer being provided at its front end with a dynamic coupler to engage the hitching element; C means to indicate the magnitude of the load imposed on the trailer, said means including a spring-biased piston attached to said coupler, said piston being slidable within a box projecting from the trailer and integral therewith, said piston being withdrawn from the box to an extent determined by the magnitude of the load when the work vehicle applies a pulling force to the coupler; and D a stop in to prevent sliding movement of the piston.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
A toy work vehicle and trailer assembly comprising: A a toy work vehicle having a rear hitching element; B a load-carrying trailer which may be more or less loaded by a player, the trailer being provided at its front end with a dynamic coupler to engage the hitching element; C means to indicate the magnitude of the load imposed on the trailer, said means including a spring-biased piston attached to said coupler, said piston being slidable within a box projecting from the trailer and integral therewith, said piston being withdrawn from the box to an extent determined by the magnitude of the load when the work vehicle applies a pulling force to the coupler; and D a stop in to prevent sliding movement of the piston.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said vehicle includes a d-c battery operated, bi-directional motor coupled to all four wheels of the vehicle to provide a fourwheel drive.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
An assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said motor is coupled to said battery through a polarity-reversing switch operated by a manually operated shift stick.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said trailer has a flat bed and is provided with sleds.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said trailer is provided with a static coupler at the other end thereof, whereby the trailer may be hitched to vehicles moving in opposite directions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said indicating means includes a meter having a pointer operatively coupled to said piston.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
An assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein said piston is provided with a rack engaged by a pinion mounted on the shaft of the pointer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said hitching element is an L-shaped bracket having a horizontal ledge provided with a hole which receives a prong projecting downwardly from the coupler.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said trailer has a flat bed.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
An assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein said flat bed has indentations to accommodate the four wheels of a vehicle loaded on the bed.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3110176A
Cited
US3667291A
Cited
US4304066A
Cited
US4389810A
Cited
US4540377A
Cited
US4540376A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-06-23 | 1989-12-23 | 1990-06-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-06-23 | 1993-12-23 | 1994-06-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-06-23 | 1997-12-23 | 1998-06-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |