PROGRAMMABLE TOY VEHICLE

• US 3,780,470 A
• Filed: 04/05/1972
• Issued: 12/25/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert E. Roberts, William D. Zdinak
• Original Assignee: Robert E. Roberts, William D. Zdinak
• Inventors: Roberts, Robert E., Zdinak, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shay, F. Barry
• Application Number:
  US05/241,145
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 46/213,244D 56/DIG.15 180/79.1
• US Class Current: 446/436
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/395 steered by program

Abstract

The toy vehicle disclosed comprises a chassis, a driving motor, directable front wheels and operating mechanism to steer the vehicle, as it travels forward, to the left or the right under the control of a flexible member, such as a cord or cable which is wound on a program drum having a multiplicity of pegs projecting from its surface and arranged equispaced laterally in parallel circumferential rows, said cord being led from a storage spool around the program drum and between the pegs by an eye on a lever connected to operate the steering mechanism of the vehicle when traveling in reverse direction, said spool and lever when the vehicle is operated in a forward direction unwinding said cord from the drum and causing the steering lever to operate the steering mechanism in a sequence of movements opposite to those made in operating the vehicle in reverse direction.

Claims

1. A programmaBle toy vehicle comprising wheels, including propelling wheels and steerable wheels mounted on said vehicle for supporting the vehicle;

steering means mounted on said vehicle including a manually operable lever for positioning said steerable wheels;

power-operated means mounted on said vehicle;

a long flexible cable;

a rewind drum mounted on the vehicle and on which said cable is initially wound;

a program drum mounted on the vehicle and on which said cable is wound when the vehicle is propelled backwardly;

driving means mounted on the vehicle, driven by said power-operated means and including means for driving at least one of said drums and means connecting said drums for simultaneous rotation;

cable-engaging means connected to said steering means to guide the cable to laterally spaced areas on the program drum according to the direction in which the vehicle is steered by said steering means when the vehicle is propelled backwardly, said cable operating said cable-engaging means to operate the steering means when the cable is being drawn from the program drum and wound on the rewind drum as the vehicle is propelled forwardly by said power-operated means; and

means on the program drum for confining the cable against slipping laterally from said laterally spaced areas when being pulled from the program drum by the rewind drum.

2. A toy vehicle as defined in claim 1 in which there are level-wind means mounted on the vehicle and engaging the cable in advance of the rewind drum.

3. A toy vehicle is defined in claim 1 in which said means on the program drum for confining the cable against slipping laterally comprises a plurality of laterally spaced circular rows of arcuately spaced pegs projecting radially from said drum.

4. A toy vehicle as defined in claim 1 in which said steering means includes a steering post and said cable-engaging means includes an arm connected to said steering post to operate and be operated thereby.

5. A toy vehicle as defined in claim 1 in which said rewind drum is located at the front end of the vehicle, said program drum is located at the rear end of the vehicle, and said driving means connecting said rewind drum and said program drum is a belt.

6. A toy vehicle as defined in claim 1 in which said rewind drum, said program drum and said power-operated means are all mounted on the rear end of the vehicle and said driving means comprises gear means for connecting said drums and said power-operated means.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 in which said cable-engaging means comprises a lever having one end connected to said steering means and, at the other end, means engaged by said cable, cable-guiding means carried by said lever adjacent the pivot point thereof, the cable extending forwardly from the rewind drum to said guide means and then rearwardly to said program drum, and level-wind means between said guide means and said rewind drum and being adjacent the latter.

8. A toy vehicle as defined in claim 1 in which there are level-wind means mounted on the vehicle engaging said cable in advance of said rewind drum and there are means connected to the rewind drum for driving said level-wind means.

9. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which said cable-engaging means comprises a lever having one end connected to said steering means and at the other end having a first cable-guide means engaging said cable, and a second cable-guide means located on the axis of movement of the lever to guide the cable over the axis of said lever to said rewind drum.