Vibration Powered Toy

• US 20110076914A1
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spin Master Incorporated (Spin Master Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Innovation First Incorporated
• Inventors: Mimlitch, Robert H. III, Galletti, Douglas Michael, Carter, Joel Reagan, Norman, David Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 9,017,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/330
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 11/02 moved by vibrations produced by rotating eccentric weights
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/26 Details; Accessories drive mechanisms A63H29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 29/22 Electric drives power supply through track A63H18/12

Abstract

An apparatus includes a housing, a rotational motor situated within the housing, an eccentric load adapted to be rotated by the rotational motor, and a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base. The legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base and include at least one driving leg constructed from a flexible material and configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a rotational motor situated within the housing;

an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; and

a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, wherein the legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base and include at least one driving leg constructed from a flexible material and configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load, and wherein at least one leg is adapted to drag.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one or more of:

the apparatus includes fewer than twenty legs that contact a support surface as the at least one driving leg causes the apparatus to move;

the apparatus includes fewer than twenty legs that provide support when the apparatus is in an upright position;

the legs are sufficiently stiff that four or fewer legs are capable of supporting the apparatus without substantial deformation when the apparatus is in an upright position;

a coefficient of friction of a portion of legs that contact a support surface is sufficient to substantially eliminate drifting in a lateral direction;

the legs are molded from a elastomer;

the legs are co-molded with at least a portion of the body;

the legs are injection molded;

multiple legs are molded simultaneously;

multiple legs and at least a portion of the body are simultaneously integrally injection molded from an elastomer;

multiple legs are co-molded with a portion of the housing, wherein the portion of the housing includes a nose section;

legs are tapered;

wherein housing includes at least a nose and two lateral sides and each leg is coupled to the housing in a vicinity of one of the lateral sides;

diameter of each driving leg is at least 5% of the length of the leg;

legs are curved;

or

legs are constructed from an elastomeric material.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the flexible material includes rubber.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the flexible material includes an elastomer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one driving leg is configured to cause the apparatus to repeatedly hop as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the at least one driving leg is curved between the leg base and the leg tip.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the eccentric load is configured to be located toward a front end of the apparatus relative to the driving legs, wherein the front end of the apparatus is defined by an end in the direction of movement.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the repeated hopping causes the apparatus to move in the direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the plurality of legs include at least two legs adapted to cause the apparatus to move.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the leg tip of the at least one leg adapted to drag has a lower coefficient of friction than the at least one driving leg.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the at least one leg that is adapted to drag is configured to have a lesser stiffness than the at least one driving leg.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one driving leg includes a durometer in the range of approximately 55-75, based on the Shore A scale.

13. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the eccentric load includes an inertial load adapted, when the eccentric load is rotated by the rotational motor, to cause the at least one driving leg to hop off a flat support surface.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the plurality of legs are adapted to allow the apparatus to turn when the at least one driving leg hops off a flat support surface.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one driving leg is constructed from polystyrene-butadiene-styrene.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one driving leg has a ratio of a leg length to a leg diameter in the range of 2.0 to 10.0.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 where the thickness of the legs is defined by a diameter of approximately 5.25 times less than the length of the leg.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a curvature of the legs is adapted to enhance a tendency of the apparatus to move in the direction generally defined by the offset between the leg base and the leg tip.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the curvature of the legs in combination with a resiliency of the legs are adapted to allow the legs to maintain an approximately neutral position when the rotational motor is not rotating the eccentric load and to bend in a direction of the curvature when a rotational movement of the eccentric load introduces a downward force on the apparatus.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the neutral position is defined by a shape of the legs when not supporting a load.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one driving leg has a ratio of radius of curvature to leg length in a range of 2.5 to 20.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 where the curvature of the legs is approximately consistent from the leg base to the leg tip.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 where the curvature of the legs is defined by a radius of curvature of approximately 3 to 6 times the length of the leg.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a relative stiffness of at least two specific legs of the plurality of legs is configured to alter a tendency of the apparatus to turn.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of legs are arranged in two rows, with each row having at least two legs, the leg base of the legs in each row being aligned along each lateral side of the housing.

26. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of legs are arranged in two rows, with each row having at least four legs, the leg base of the legs in each row being aligned along each lateral side of the housing.

27. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of legs are arranged in two rows, with each row having at least six legs, the leg base of the legs in each row being aligned along each lateral side of the housing.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein at least one of the legs in a first one of the rows is longitudinally offset from a corresponding leg in a second one of the rows to alter a tendency of the apparatus to turn as a result of a rotation of the eccentric load.

29. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a lateral distance between the eccentric load and the leg tip of the at least one driving leg is within a range of 50-150% of a length of the at least one driving leg.

30-37. -37. (canceled)

38. An apparatus comprising:

a body;

a rotational motor coupled to the body;

an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; and

a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, wherein the legs are;

constructed from a flexible material;

integrally coupled to the housing at the leg base;

arranged in two rows, with the leg base of the legs in each row coupled to the body substantially along a lateral edge of the body; and

include at least one driving leg configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the plurality of legs include at least one leg adapted to drag.

40. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the flexible material comprises an elastomer.

41. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the flexible material comprises rubber.

121. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the body includes a housing, the rotational motor is situated within the housing, and the legs are integrally coupled to a portion of the housing at the leg base.

42-79. -79. (canceled)

80. An apparatus comprising:

a body;

a rotational motor coupled to the body;

an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; and

a plurality of molded legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, wherein the legs are coupled to the body at the leg base and include at least one driving leg configured to cause the apparatus to move in a forward direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load, wherein the at least one driving leg is configured to;

tend to bend, in a direction opposite the direction of movement, without substantial slippage on a support surface when a net downward force exists between the at least one driving leg and the support surface; and

tend to return to a neutral position without inducing a sufficient force opposite the direction of movement to overcome a momentum in the forward direction.

122. The apparatus of claim 80 wherein the body includes a housing, the rotational motor and the eccentric load are situated within the housing, and the legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base.

81-114. -114. (canceled)

115. An apparatus comprising:

a body;

a rotational motor coupled to the body;

an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; and

a plurality of curved legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, wherein the curved legs are coupled to the body at the leg base and include at least one driving leg constructed from a flexible material and configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load, wherein the plurality of curved legs are curved in the direction generally defined by the offset between the leg base and the leg tip.

116. The apparatus of claim 123 wherein the housing includes at least a nose and two lateral sides and each leg is coupled to the housing in a vicinity of one of the lateral sides.

117. The apparatus of claim 116 wherein a diameter of each of the plurality of legs is at least five percent of the length of the leg.

123. The apparatus of claim 115 wherein the body includes a housing, the rotational motor and the eccentric load are situated within the housing, and the legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base.

118. (canceled)

119. (canceled)

120. An apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a rotational motor situated within the housing;

an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; and

a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, wherein the legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base and include at least one driving leg constructed from an elastomeric material and configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load.