Remotely controlled toy vehicles with light(s)

• US 20040092208A1
• Filed: 10/30/2003
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Moll, Joseph T., Listenberger, Eric D., Weiss, Stephen N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,234,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/454
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/28 Electric lighting systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

A toy vehicle including at least an on-board power supply, a plurality of wheels supporting the vehicle for itinerant movement, at least one motor operably coupled to at least one of the wheels to provide at least part of an itinerant movement, at least one light and a controller circuit configured to selectively supply power from the power supply to the motor(s) in response to commands from a transmitter remote from the toy vehicle and to selectively supply power to the at least one light in response to a signal indicating the vehicle is performing a particular maneuver, for example, either a special stunt or a transformation or both.

Claims

1. A remotely controlled toy vehicle including at least an on-board power supply, at least a plurality of wheels supporting the vehicle for itinerant movement, at least one motor operably coupled to at least one of the wheels to provide at least part of the itinerant movement of the vehicle, a controller circuit configured to selectively supply power from the power supply to the at least one motor in response to commands from a transmitter remote from the vehicle to move the toy vehicle and at least one light source, characterized by the controller circuit being configured to selectively supply power to illuminate the at least one light in response to a signal indicating the vehicle is performing a particular maneuver.

2. The remotely controlled toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the at least one light is a light emitting diode.

3. The remotely controlled toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein power to the at least one light is modulated as a function of time to vary a level of illumination intensity provided by the at least one light.

4. The remotely controlled toy vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a hinged, three part chassis having a first longitudinal end and a second, opposing longitudinal end and including a central chassis portion having opposing first and second lateral sides, a first lateral chassis portion pivotally coupled with the central chassis portion on the first lateral side of the central chassis portion, and a second lateral chassis portion pivotally coupled to the central chassis portion on a second lateral side of the central chassis portion, wherein the first and second lateral chassis portions are coupled so as to pivot with respect to the central chassis portion in a common plane, and wherein the signal is generated by a switch adapted to detect a position of at least one of the lateral chassis portions relative to the central chassis portion.

5. The remotely controlled toy vehicle of claim 4 further comprising:

a pair of links, each link being pivotally coupled to the central chassis portion and to a separate one of the first and second lateral chassis portions at the first longitudinal end of the vehicle so as to permit the first longitudinal end of each lateral chassis portion to pivot away from and towards the central chassis portion, and

a separate light source in each link.