TOY VEHICLE

• US 20120276809A1
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: VERBERA, Steven, DERMAN, Scott Hart, KENNEY, Tyler
• Granted Patent: US 8,764,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/465
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/262 Chassis; Wheel mountings; Wheels; Axles; Suspensions; Fitting body portions to chassis
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/36 Steering-mechanisms for toy vehicles

Abstract

A toy vehicle has a frame pivotally supporting for side to side movement, front and rear carriages each having at least one road wheel to support and steer the vehicle. A steering control member is slidably supported between the carriages and moved sided to side by a steering actuator subassembly to simultaneously pivot facing ends of the carriages in the same lateral direction to steer the vehicle in the opposing lateral direction. The actuator subassembly simultaneously moves the vehicle body and a structure that simulate a pair of eyes in a front windshield area to simulate animated responses of the toy vehicle.

Claims

1. A toy vehicle comprising:

a vehicle frame having opposing front and rear ends and opposing lateral sides extending between the ends;

a front wheel carriage mounted for lateral side to side pivotal movement on the vehicle frame proximal the front end of the vehicle frame;

at least one front road wheel rotatably mounted on the front wheel carriage so as to support the front end of the frame for movement of the toy vehicle;

a rear wheel carriage mounted for lateral side to side pivotal movement on the vehicle frame proximal the rear end of the vehicle frame;

at least one rear road wheel rotatably mounted on the rear wheel carriage so as to support the rear end of the frame for movement;

a steering control member located between and operably connected directly with each of the front and rear wheel carriages so as to simultaneously pivot inner ends of the front and rear wheel carriages each proximal the steering control member in one lateral direction on the frame and thereby pivot the distal outer ends of the front and rear wheel carriages each distal to the steering control member simultaneously in an opposing remaining lateral direction on the frame whereby the vehicle can be steered in the opposing remaining lateral direction;

a steering actuator configured to move the steering control member laterally to steer the toy vehicle in a desired lateral direction; and

a controller operably connected with the steering actuator to activate the steering actuator to move the steering control member and thereby pivot the front and rear wheel carriages to steer the toy vehicle.

2. The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein at least one of the front and rear wheel carriages supports a pair of wheels fixedly coaxial on opposite lateral sides of the at least one wheel carriage.

3. The toy vehicle of claim 2 further comprising a structure movably mounted with respect to the chassis and configured to generate an animated response of the toy vehicle and wherein the steering actuator is configured to simultaneously move the structure with the steering control member to generate the animated response simultaneously with the wheel carriages being pivoted to steer the toy vehicle.

4. A toy vehicle comprising:

a plurality of rotatably mounted road wheels arranged to support the toy vehicle for movement on a support surface;

a structure movably mounted so as to generate an animated response of the toy vehicle;

a steering actuator operatively connected with at least one of the plurality of road wheels to pivot the at least one road wheel with respect to a vertical axis to steer the toy vehicle and to simultaneously move the structure to generate the animated response; and

a controller operably connected with the steering actuator to selectively activate the steering actuator to move the structure and the steering control member to thereby pivot at least the one road wheel to selectively steer the toy vehicle simultaneously while generating the animated response.

5. The toy vehicle of claim 4 further comprising

a vehicle frame;

and

a wheel carriage mounted on the vehicle frame to pivot about a first vertical axis, the at least one of the plurality of road wheels being rotatably mounted to the wheel carriage to rotate about a wheel axis fixed on the wheel carriage;

wherein the steering actuator is operatively connected with the wheel carriage to pivot the carriage with the at least one road wheel about the vertical axis and thereby steer the wheel carriage and the toy vehicle.

6. The toy vehicle of claim 5 wherein the wheel carriage is a first wheel carriage pivotally mounted on a first longitudinal end of the vehicle frame and the toy vehicle further comprising a second wheel carriage mounted on a second longitudinal end of the vehicle frame for pivotal movement about a second vertical axis, at least another of the plurality of road wheels being mounted for rotation on the second carriage, the steering actuator being directly operatively connected with each of the first and second wheel carriages to simultaneously pivot the first and second wheel carriages on the vehicle frame to simultaneously steer opposing ends of the toy vehicle.

7. The toy vehicle of claim 6 further comprising a propulsion motor mounted on the first wheel carriage in driving connection with the at least one road wheel to rotate the at least one road wheel to propel the toy vehicle on the support surface.

8. The toy vehicle of claim 5 wherein the structure simulates a pair of eyes in a front windshield area of the toy vehicle.

9. The toy vehicle of claim 5 wherein the structure is a vehicle body supported on the vehicle frame to pivot about a central longitudinal axis of the toy vehicle and configured to be rocked on the central longitudinal axis by operable connection with the steering control member.

10. The toy vehicle of claim 5 wherein the steering actuator is a subassembly of the toy vehicle and comprises a servo providing a limited rotational output and a pair of opposed cranks coupled with the servo output to be pivoted over a limited angular range by the servo, one crank of the pair being operably connected with at least the wheel carriage and the other crank of the pair being operably connected with the structure to generate the animated response.

11. A toy vehicle having opposing front and rear ends and comprising:

a vehicle frame;

a plurality of road wheels supported from the vehicle frame and supporting the toy vehicle for movement, at least one of the road wheels being mounted to the chassis for pivotal movement about a vertical axis so as to steer the toy vehicle;

a vehicle body mounted on the vehicle frame so as to rock about an other axis extending through the toy vehicle between the front and rear ends; and

an actuator subassembly operatively connected with the at least one road wheel and the vehicle body so as to rock the vehicle body about the other axis while simultaneously pivoting the at least one road wheel to steer the toy vehicle.

12. The toy vehicle of claim 11 further comprising:

a movable structure associated with the vehicle frame and adapted to generate an animated response; and

the actuator subassembly further being operatively connected with the movable structure and further being adapted to activate the movable structure to generate the animated response of the movable structure and simultaneously steer the vehicle and pivot the vehicle body.