Wall racer toy vehicles
First Claim
28. A battery powered, remotely-controlled toy vehicle capable of operation on a vertical surface, comprising:
- a chassis having an undersurface;
at least one wheel mounted on said chassis and cooperating therewith so as to support said chassis with respect to a substantially flat surface against which said wheel(s) bear, such that the undersurface of said chassis is maintained at a predetermined distance from said surface,a receiver responsive to a control signal transmitted from a remote transmitter,a battery,a first drive motor being supplied with current from said battery responsive to control signals received by said receiver,at least one of said wheel(s) being controllably driven by said first drive motor,a second fan drive motor, also being supplied with current from a battery, anda fan driven by said second motor, said fan being mounted in a fan duct extending through said chassis and arranged generally orthogonally with respect to said surface, so as to draw a stream of air from between said undersurface of said chassis and said surface,wherein said undersurface of said chassis is shaped so that when said vehicle is placed on a surface with said at least one wheel in contact with said surface, said undersurface and said surface together define an underbody venturi duct extending from an inlet opening at the periphery of said undersurface, the undersurface in cross-section defining a radiused entry section, a transition section, and an elliptical exit section, whereby the cross-sectional area of said underbody venturi duct varies smoothly from an inlet opening to a reduced area transition portion, and thence to an exit portion in communication with said fan duct, whereby differential pressure between said stream of air flowing in at least said transition portion of said underbody venturi duct and the ambient air induces downforce urging said chassis toward said flat surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A motorized toy vehicle or Wall Racer that is capable of operating on vertical and inverted horizontal surfaces such as walls and ceilings, while being manufacturable at reasonable cost and operable on batteries having sufficient lifetime as to be enjoyable. One or more battery-powered fans draw air from around all or defined portions of the periphery of the chassis of the Wall Racer through a carefully-shaped duct, so that the air in the portion of the duct immediately adjacent the surface flows at high velocity and low pressure; the relatively greater pressure of the surrounding air urges the vehicle against the surface, allowing it to operate on vertical surfaces, such as walls, or inverted on horizontal surfaces, such as ceilings.
30 Citations
35 Claims
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28. A battery powered, remotely-controlled toy vehicle capable of operation on a vertical surface, comprising:
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a chassis having an undersurface; at least one wheel mounted on said chassis and cooperating therewith so as to support said chassis with respect to a substantially flat surface against which said wheel(s) bear, such that the undersurface of said chassis is maintained at a predetermined distance from said surface, a receiver responsive to a control signal transmitted from a remote transmitter, a battery, a first drive motor being supplied with current from said battery responsive to control signals received by said receiver, at least one of said wheel(s) being controllably driven by said first drive motor, a second fan drive motor, also being supplied with current from a battery, and a fan driven by said second motor, said fan being mounted in a fan duct extending through said chassis and arranged generally orthogonally with respect to said surface, so as to draw a stream of air from between said undersurface of said chassis and said surface, wherein said undersurface of said chassis is shaped so that when said vehicle is placed on a surface with said at least one wheel in contact with said surface, said undersurface and said surface together define an underbody venturi duct extending from an inlet opening at the periphery of said undersurface, the undersurface in cross-section defining a radiused entry section, a transition section, and an elliptical exit section, whereby the cross-sectional area of said underbody venturi duct varies smoothly from an inlet opening to a reduced area transition portion, and thence to an exit portion in communication with said fan duct, whereby differential pressure between said stream of air flowing in at least said transition portion of said underbody venturi duct and the ambient air induces downforce urging said chassis toward said flat surface. - View Dependent Claims (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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32-1. The vehicle of claim 30, wherein two drive wheels are provided, said drive wheels being disposed on opposite longitudinal sides of said chassis and provided with drive motors individually actuated in response to said control signals.
Specification