US4631041A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Miniature flywheel car for side-wheelie stunts
Assignee: Mattel Inc
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Filing: 1986-01-27
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Granted: 1986-12-23
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Expires: 2006-01-27
Abstract
Abstract A miniature toy car for performing side-wheelie stunts. The toy car has a horizontally mounted flywheel with a vertical spin axis disposed near the bottom of the car. The center of gravity of the flywheel lies substantially in a horizontal plane passing through the rear axle of the car. The inertial motor uses a bevel pinion gear which is attached to the rear axle and engages a change gear. The change gear, in turn, engages a pinion gear attached to the flywheel. The orientation of the flywheel toward the bottom of the car helps to balance the car when it is performing side-wheelie stunts so that the spin axis of the flywheel approaches a horizontal position during such stunts. The sides of the wheels are made of a low friction material which allows the wheels to slide along a supporting surface and make directional changes during side-wheelie stunts as a restoring torque from the inertial motor keeps the car in a balanced position.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard Chang
- 👤 Walter Nakano
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 20:42
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63H; A63H17/00; A63H17/004
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
285 words
A toy car for performing side-wheelie stunts comprising: a bottom chasis having a first aperture and an annular extension; front and rear axles rotatably engaging said bottom chasis; a top chasis attached to said bottom chasis having second and third apertures; front wheels attached to said front axle having sides made out of a low friction material; rear wheels attached to said rear axle having sides made out of a low friction material and a high friction material surrounding the perephery of each of said rear wheels; a bevel pinion gear attached to said rear axle; a change gear having an extension rotatably engaging said second aperture of said top chasis and an annular groove rotatably engaging said annular extension of said bottom chasis, said change gear having a vertical spin axis and engaging said bevel pinion gear; a pin having one end thereof rotatably engaging said third aperture in said top chasis and the other end thereof rotatably engaging said first aperture in said bottom chasis, said pin having a vertical longitudinal axis; a pinion gear attached to said pin, said pinion gear rotating about said vertical longitudinal axis of said pin and engaging said change gear; and a flywheel attached to said pinion gear, said flywheel having a vertical spin axis and a center of gravity substantially located in a horizontal plane passing through the longitudinal axis of said rear axle so that said toy car is capable of balancing on said sides of said front and rear wheels when said toy car is performing side-wheelie stunts on a supporting surface and said longitudinal axis of said rear axle substantially approaches a vertical position when said toy car is performing said side-wheelie stunts.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
285 words
A toy car for performing side-wheelie stunts comprising: a bottom chasis having a first aperture and an annular extension; front and rear axles rotatably engaging said bottom chasis; a top chasis attached to said bottom chasis having second and third apertures; front wheels attached to said front axle having sides made out of a low friction material; rear wheels attached to said rear axle having sides made out of a low friction material and a high friction material surrounding the perephery of each of said rear wheels; a bevel pinion gear attached to said rear axle; a change gear having an extension rotatably engaging said second aperture of said top chasis and an annular groove rotatably engaging said annular extension of said bottom chasis, said change gear having a vertical spin axis and engaging said bevel pinion gear; a pin having one end thereof rotatably engaging said third aperture in said top chasis and the other end thereof rotatably engaging said first aperture in said bottom chasis, said pin having a vertical longitudinal axis; a pinion gear attached to said pin, said pinion gear rotating about said vertical longitudinal axis of said pin and engaging said change gear; and a flywheel attached to said pinion gear, said flywheel having a vertical spin axis and a center of gravity substantially located in a horizontal plane passing through the longitudinal axis of said rear axle so that said toy car is capable of balancing on said sides of said front and rear wheels when said toy car is performing side-wheelie stunts on a supporting surface and said longitudinal axis of said rear axle substantially approaches a vertical position when said toy car is performing said side-wheelie stunts.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
214 words
A toy car comprising: a bottom chasis; front and rear axles rotatably engaging said bottom chasis; a top chasis attached to said bottom chasis; front wheels attached to said front axle having sides made out of a low friction material; rear wheels attached to said rear axle having sides made out of a low friction material, each of said rear wheels having a high friction material surrounding the perephery thereof; gear means mounted inside said top and bottom chasis for engaging said rear axle including a bevel pinion gear attached to said rear axle, a change gear engaging said bevel gear and a pinion gear engaging said change gear, said change gear having an extension rotatably engaging a first aperture in said top chasis and an annular groove rotatably engaging an annular extension in said bottom chasis; and horizontally mounted flywheel means engaging said pinion gear for storing kinetic energy and generating a restoring torque for balancing said toy car on said sides of said front and rear wheels so that the longitudinal axis of said rear axle substantially approaches a vertical position during side-wheelie stunts, said flywheel means having a vertical spin axis and a center of gravity substantially located in a horizontal plane passing through the longitudinal axis of said rear axle.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
214 words
A toy car comprising: a bottom chasis; front and rear axles rotatably engaging said bottom chasis; a top chasis attached to said bottom chasis; front wheels attached to said front axle having sides made out of a low friction material; rear wheels attached to said rear axle having sides made out of a low friction material, each of said rear wheels having a high friction material surrounding the perephery thereof; gear means mounted inside said top and bottom chasis for engaging said rear axle including a bevel pinion gear attached to said rear axle, a change gear engaging said bevel gear and a pinion gear engaging said change gear, said change gear having an extension rotatably engaging a first aperture in said top chasis and an annular groove rotatably engaging an annular extension in said bottom chasis; and horizontally mounted flywheel means engaging said pinion gear for storing kinetic energy and generating a restoring torque for balancing said toy car on said sides of said front and rear wheels so that the longitudinal axis of said rear axle substantially approaches a vertical position during side-wheelie stunts, said flywheel means having a vertical spin axis and a center of gravity substantially located in a horizontal plane passing through the longitudinal axis of said rear axle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
The toy car of claim 2 further comprising a pin attached to said pinion gear having a common spin axis with said pinion gear, one end of said pin rotatably engaging a second aperture in said top chasis and the other end of said pin rotatably engaging an aperture in said bottom chasis.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-12-22 | 1990-06-23 | 1990-12-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-12-22 | 1994-06-23 | 1994-12-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-12-22 | 1998-06-23 | 1998-12-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |