Toy vehicle for transporting at least the vehicle operator

• US 3,891,234 A
• Filed: 02/19/1974
• Issued: 06/24/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Smith, Laurie Jay Campbell, Raymond J. Lohr, Robert Thomas Auer
• Original Assignee: James Smith, Laurie Jay Campbell, Raymond J. Lohr, Robert Thomas Auer
• Inventors: Campbell, Laurie Jay, Lohr, Raymond J., Smith, James, Auer, Robert Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rubenstein, Jack D.
• Application Number:
  US05/443,878
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 280/1.1,1.11,211,242,249,250,282,87.4A
• US Class Current: 280/211
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 9/00 Children's cycles toy vehicles A63H17/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 1/14 operated exclusively by hand power

Abstract

A toy vehicle adapted to be occupied at least by the vehicle operator and capable of transporting at least the operator of the vehicle. The vehicle has a chassis in which the operator of the vehicle can be seated. Wheels are operatively connected with the chassis to support the latter for movement, and a pair of wheels at opposite sides of the chassis are coaxial and supported for rotary movement independently of each other. A pair of drives are respectively connected with the coaxial wheels to drive the latter, and these drives are controlled independently of each other by the operator so that in accordance with the manipulation of the controls the wheels can be driven independently of each other to direct the vehicle in a selected direction.

Claims

1. In a toy vehicle a molded chassis for carrying at least an operator of the vehicle the rear end of said chassis forming the back of a seat on which the operator can be seated, the seat extending at a front wall thereof upwardly from a floor portion, said floor portion being formed with a central portion which defines two openings in said floor said central portion providing structural support to said chassis and the openings defined thereby providing sufficient clearance for the hands of an operator seated in the seat of said chassis and wheel means located at opposite sides of said chassis for supporting the latter for traveling movement, said wheel means including a pair of intermediate coaxial wheels respectively located at opposite sides of said chassis means between opposed ends thereof, a single shaft common to said pair of intermediate coaxial wheels and rotatably supporting same for free rotary movement independently of each other, a pair of drive means carried by said chassis and operatively connected to said pair of intermediate coaxial wheels, respectively, for driving said intermediate coaxial wheels independently of each other, and a pair of control means accessible to the operator and respectively connected operatively with said pair of drive means for controlling the latter as selected by the operator to propel the vehicle in a selected direction said wheel means further including at least two pairs of coaxial wheels respectively situated forwardly and rearwardly of said pair of intermediate coaxial wheels, said front and rear wheels respectively having peripheries situated with respect to the periphery of said pair of intermediate coaxial wheels at elevations which provide for said chassis means a rocking movement around the common axis of said intermediate coaxial wheels forwardly onto said front wheels or rearwardly onto said rear wheels said chassis including inner opposed side walls which extend substantially perpendicular to said seat and floor portion at opposite sides thereof, said side walls defining restraining walls for an operator seated therebetween, and also includes two pairs of tubular portions formed with transverse openings therein, the first pair of said tubular portions being rearward of said single shaft and said other pair of tubular portions being forward of said single shaft, and a forward shaft and rearward shaft for respectively supporting said front and rear wheels, said shafts being rotatably supported in said pairs of tubular portions transverse openings, said openings being disposed to provide said rocking movement to said forward and rearward wheels about said intermediate wheels, by being at a higher elevation than said single shaft.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said pair of control means are respectively in the form of a pair of rotary hand cranks, said pair of hand cranks being coaxial but oppositely oriented and respectively having handles directed inwardly toward each other so as to be accessible to the operator to be rotated by the operator, said hand cranks being respectively situated forwardly of and at an elevation higher than said pair of intermediate coaxial wheels, said pair of drive means respectively including one pair of sprockets respectively connected with said hand cranks to be rotated thereby, a second pair of sprockets respectively connected with said pair of intermediate coaxial wheels, and a pair of chains respectively transmitting rotary movement from the sprockets connected to the hand cranks to the sprockets connected to the pair of intermediate coaxial wheels for transmitting rotary movement of said pair of hand cranks to said pair of intermediate coaxial wheels, said wall portions separating said sprockets and chains from the interior of the chassis where the operator is located.