Turret toy vehicle

• US 4,173,840 A
• Filed: 05/31/1977
• Issued: 11/13/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tonka Corporation (Hasbro Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tonka Corporation (Hasbro Inc.)
• Inventors: Berckhan, Delmar D., Fahrendorf, Curtis H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Louis G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cutting, Robert F.
• Application Number:
  US05/801,750
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 46/202, 46/215
• US Class Current: 446/432
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/08 carrying a mechanically-raised ladder

Abstract

A toy fire engine is disclosed including a body, wheel and axle assembly, aerial ladder, ladder support and loose ladder. The ladder support may include a turret for pivotal support of the ladder about a vertical axis. The fire engine body may include a ladder carrier which limits sideward movement and linear movement of a loose ladder when disposed in the carrier.

Claims

1. A toy fire engine comprising a body, wheel and axle assembly, aerial ladder and turret means, said turret means comprising:

a first turret member including a frustoconical side wall and a substantially flat upper wall, said side wall being intermediate said body and said upper wall, said side wall being integral with both said body and said upper wall, said side wall and said upper wall defining a cavity;

a second member including a frustoconical portion and an integral upwardly extending ladder support, said frustoconical portion being disposed within the cavity defined by said first member for rotational movement therein, said ladder support extending through said opening in said upper wall;

locking means for securing said second member within said first member and for securing said aerial ladder to said ladder support;

whereby said second member may be rotated within said first member thereby pivoting said aerial ladder about a central axis.

2. The toy fire engine of claim 1 wherein said aerial ladder comprises at least a pair of ladder sections and wherein one of said ladder sections includes a toothed side member and the other of said pair carries a wheel and gear assembly for driving engagement with said toothed side member.

3. The fire engine of claim 1 wherein said turret means includes a bearing member disposed between said upper wall and said aerial ladder for sliding engagement with said upper wall.

4. The fire engine of claim 3 wherein said aerial ladder includes means for locking said aerial ladder in various inclined positions.

5. The fire engine of claim 4 wherein said means for locking said aerial ladder comprise friction means.

6. A toy fire engine comprising body means, wheel and axle assembly, aerial ladder and loose ladder, said body means including ladder carrying means comprising lateral guide means for limiting sideward movement of said loose ladder when said loose ladder is disposed in said ladder carrying means, said ladder carrying means further including slot means, said loose ladder including at least one outwardly extending locking flange for engagement in said slot means thereby limiting forward and rearward movement of said ladder when disposed in said carrying means.

7. The toy fire engine of claim 6 wherein said fire engine includes turret means, said turret means comprising:

a first turret member including a frustoconical side wall and a substantially flat upper wall, said side wall being intermediate said body and said upper wall, said side wall being integral with both said body and said upper wall, said side wall and said upper wall defining a cavity;

a second member including a frustoconical portion and an integral upwardly extending ladder support, said frustoconical portion being disposed within the cavity defined by said first member for rotational movement therein, said ladder support extending through said opening in said upper wall;

locking means for securing said second member within said first member and for securing said aerial ladder to said ladder support;

whereby said second member may be rotated within said first member thereby pivoting said aerial ladder about a central axis.

8. A toy vehicle comprising a body, wheel and axle assembly and turret means, said turret means comprising:

a first turret member including a frustoconical side wall means and a substantially flat upper wall means, said side wall means being intermediate said body and said upper wall means, said side wall means being in locked engagement with both said body and said upper wall means, said side wall means and said upper wall means defining a cavity;

a second member including a frustoconical portion and an upwardly extending support means, said frustoconical portion being disposed within the cavity defined by said first member for rotational movement therein, said support means extending through said opening in said upper wall means;

locking means for securing said second member within said first member;

whereby said second member may be rotated within said first member thereby pivoting said support means.

9. The toy vehicle of claim 8 wherein said support means is an aerial ladder support means.

10. The toy vehicle of claim 8 wherein said support means is a boom support means.

11. A toy vehicle including boom means and turret means for rotatably supporting said boom means, said turret means comprising a hub and a swivel member;

said hub including side and top walls defining a cavity, said top wall having an opening therein;

said swivel member having a body portion and an upwardly extending boom support portion, said body portion lying in and effectively filling said cavity for rotation therein; and

means for securing said body portion in said cavity.

12. The toy vehicle of claim 11 wherein said hub is frustoconical in shape.

13. The toy vehicle of claim 11 wherein said boom comprises a toy ladder.

14. The toy vehicle of claim 13 wherein said ladder includes at least two sections and means for driving one section with respect to the other section, said drive means including a rack and pinion drive system, said rack being associated with one of said sections and said pinion being associated with the other of said sections.

15. The toy vehicle of claim 14 wherein said pinion comprises a shaft portion, a manipulatable wheel, a bearing and a gear-like wheel.

16. The toy vehicle of claim 15 wherein said other ladder section includes a thick side member with an opening therein for reception of said pinion, said opening including an enlarged zone and a smaller semi-circular zone, said enlarged zone being of sufficient size to permit movement of said gear-like wheel therethrough and said smaller zone being small enough to snugly support said bearing, said one ladder serving to hold said pinion drive in place in said smaller semi-circular zone.