Toy flying aircraft

• US 20090305599A1
• Filed: 05/28/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Newton, Jean Marie, Amireh, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 8,348,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/61
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/02 Model aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

A toy flying aircraft has a fuselage defining a central vertical longitudinal plane, with an upper front portion and a lower rear portion. The upper front and lower rear portions are coupled by a vertical support angling forward and upward from a front upper side of the rear portion to a lower rear side of the front portion. The aircraft has an at least generally circular and horizontally planar wing intersecting the front portion of the fuselage. A forward half of the wing defines an upper horizontal plane generally perpendicular to the central vertical longitudinal plane, and a rear half of the wing is downwardly offset from the upper horizontal plane to define a lift surface. A generally V-shaped planar rear stabilizer is bisected and supported by the rear portion of the fuselage so as to be located vertically entirely below the wing.

Claims

1. A toy flying aircraft comprising:

a fuselage having a central vertical longitudinal plane, the fuselage including an upper part forming a front portion thereof and a lower part forming a rear portion thereof, the front portion and rear portion being coupled by a vertical support angling generally forward and upward from a front upper side of the rear portion to a lower rear side of the front portion;

a generally circular wing in the form of an at least generally horizontally planar disk intersecting the front portion of the fuselage, the central vertical longitudinal plane bisecting the wing into two generally equal halves, a geometric center of the wing being generally fixedly connected to and supported by the front portion of the fuselage, one diameter of the wing being defined as extending through the geometric center thereof and generally perpendicularly to the central vertical longitudinal plane, the one diameter bisecting the wing into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the wing being forward of the one diameter and defining an upper horizontal plane generally perpendicular to the central vertical longitudinal plane, the second portion of the wing being rearward of the one diameter and downwardly offset from the upper horizontal plane defining a lift surface; and

a generally V-shaped rear stabilizer bisected and supported by the rear portion of the fuselage so as to locate the rear stabilizer at least substantially behind the wing and vertically entirely below the upper horizontal plane.

2. The toy flying aircraft of claim 1 wherein the fuselage, wing and rear stabilizer are each formed of generally planar sheet stock material.

3. The toy flying aircraft of claim 1 wherein the rear stabilizer includes a pair of generally planar struts intersecting and supported by the rear portion of the fuselage, each strut extends laterally outwardly and upwardly from the fuselage.

4. The toy flying aircraft of claim 3 wherein the pair of struts forms a dihedral angle with top surfaces of the pair of struts being at least 130 degrees apart.

5. The toy flying aircraft of claim 4 further comprising bracing to secure the pair of struts to the fuselage and maintain the dihedral angle of the struts.

6. The toy flying aircraft of claim 3 wherein the rear stabilizer further includes a generally planar nacelle extending longitudinally from an end of each strut.

7. The toy flying aircraft of claim 3 wherein at least a forward end of the rear stabilizer is provided with a negative angle of attack.

8. The toy flying aircraft of claim 3 wherein the rear stabilizer is angled forwardly downwardly so as to promote downward movement of the rear portion of the fuselage during flight.

9. The toy flying aircraft of claim 1 further comprising a stop on each lateral side of the fuselage to maintain the downward offset of the second portion of the wing from the upper horizontal plane.

10. The toy flying aircraft of claim 1 wherein the second portion of the wing defines a plane angled downward about 10 degrees from the upper horizontal plane.

11. The toy flying aircraft of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one electric motor supported from the wing and operatively coupled with at least one propeller so as to rotate the at least one propeller to propel the aircraft in a forward direction.

12. The toy flying aircraft of claim 1 further comprising:

two spaced-apart electric motors supported from the wing on opposite lateral sides of the fuselage;

two propellers, each propeller being operatively coupled with a separate one of the two motors so as to propel the aircraft in a forward direction; and

two slots, each slot being located on an opposite lateral side of the fuselage a predetermined distance inwardly from an outer circumferential edge of the wing and extending through the wing, at least a portion of each propeller extending through one of the slots during operation.

13. The toy flying aircraft of claim 12 wherein the motors are located on the first portion of the wing.

14. The toy flying aircraft of claim 1 wherein the wing extends forwardly of as well as along the length of the front portion of the fuselage.

15. The toy flying aircraft of claim 1 wherein the forward and rearward portions of the fuselage are approximately the same length.

16. The toy flying aircraft of claim 1 having a center of gravity located along the vertical plane proximal to the one diameter.