Vibration Powered Toy
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
66 Citations
139 Claims
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1-29. -29. (canceled)
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30. An apparatus comprising:
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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 coupled to the body at the leg base 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 of the at least one driving leg as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load, and wherein different legs among the plurality of legs include different drag characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An apparatus comprising:
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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 coupled to the body at the leg base 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, wherein a relative length of at least two specific legs of the plurality of legs is configured to alter a tendency of the apparatus to turn. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37)
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38-42. -42. (canceled)
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43. An apparatus comprising:
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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 coupled to the body at the leg base 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, 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. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46)
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47. An apparatus comprising:
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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 coupled to the body at the leg base 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, wherein a relative position of at least two specific legs of the plurality of legs is configured to alter a tendency of the apparatus to turn.
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48-67. -67. (canceled)
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68. An apparatus comprising:
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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 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 forces from rotation of the eccentric load interact with a resilient characteristic of the at least one driving leg to cause the at least one driving leg to leave a support surface as the apparatus translates in the forward direction. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
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84-100. -100. (canceled)
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101. An apparatus comprising:
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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 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 a coefficient of friction of a portion of at least a subset of the plurality of legs that contact a support surface is sufficient to substantially eliminate drifting in a lateral direction. - View Dependent Claims (102, 103, 104, 105)
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106-130. -130. (canceled)
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131. A method comprising:
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supporting a device on a substantially flat surface, wherein the device includes a body and a plurality of molded legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, and the legs are coupled to the body at the leg base and include at least one elastomeric driving leg; and inducing vibration of the device to cause the device to move across the substantially flat surface in a forward direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip of the at least one driving leg as the device vibrates, wherein; vibration of the device causes the at least one driving leg to deflect in a direction opposite the forward direction without substantial slipping of the at least one driving leg on the surface when net forces on the at least one driving leg are downward; and resiliency of the at least one elastomeric driving leg causes the at least one driving leg to deflect in the forward direction when net forces on the at least one driving leg are upward. - View Dependent Claims (132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138)
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139-144. -144. (canceled)
Specification