Toy vehicle having spring-operated motor

• US 4,493,671 A
• Filed: 05/06/1981
• Issued: 01/15/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Manufacturing, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Buddy L Corporation
• Inventors: Kennedy, Melvin R., Nagel, Dietmar, Arad, Avi
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, M.
• Application Number:
  US06/260,588
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 46/206, 46/207, 46/208, 46/209, 46/201, 46/202, 46/222
• US Class Current: 446/464
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 29/04 Helical-spring driving mechanisms

Abstract

A toy vehicle having a spring-operated clockworks motor which is charged by a pumping action, the vehicle having a chassis on whose front and rear ends are supported front and rear wheel axles, and a body resting on the chassis. The front of the body is hinged to the front end of the chassis, a stop being provided whereby the back of the body is liftable with respect to the rear end of the chassis within fixed limits. The clockworks motor, which includes a spiral spring, is mounted on the chassis and is operatively coupled to the rear wheel axle, the motor having a spring-biased crank arm which engages the underside of the body and acts to normally raise the back thereof to its upper limit. The crank arm is operatively coupled to the spiral spring whereby by repeatedly depressing the back of the pivoted body while holding the vehicle to prevent rotation of the rear wheels, the crank is reciprocated to produce a rotary motion to wind the spring and thereby charge the motor. The charged motor acts to propel the vehicle when it is released.

Claims

1. A toy vehicle whose spring-operated motor requires little strength to fully charge, said vehicle comprising:

A. a chassis supporting front and rear wheels;

B. a car body resting on the chassis, the front of the body being hingedly connected on a pivot axis to the front end of the chassis whereby the rear thereof is raisable with respect to the rear end of the chassis within predetermined upper and lower limits, said body having a stop attached thereto having fingers which engage a ledge projecting from the rear wall of the chassis to define said upper limit;

C. a spring-operated motor seated on the chassis and concealed by the body, said motor having a spiral spring coupled by a transmission to said rear wheels;

D. a pivotally-mounted crank arm operatively coupled to the underside of the roof of the car body at a point intermediate the front and rear wheels and spring-biased to normally hold the arm erect to maintain the body at its upper limit, whereby when the body is repeatedly depressed manually by a hand grasping the body near the rear thereof, the hinged body is caused to swing about its pivot axis and the crank arm undergoes a pumping action; and

E. means coupling said crank arm to the inner end of the spiral spring to effect winding thereof each time the arm is pumped.

2. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said chassis is provided with side walls, and said front wheels are secured to the ends of an axle journaled in said side walls.

3. A vehicle as set forth in claim 2, wherein said body has bracket arms depending therefrom which are pivoted from a shaft extending between the side walls of the chassis to hinge the body from the chassis.

4. A vehicle as set forth in claim 2, wherein said motor is housed in a box-like case secured to the floor of the chassis, said rear wheels being mounted at the ends of an axle journaled in the side walls of the case and extending therefrom through cut-outs in the side walls of the chassis.

5. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the outer edge of the crank arm has a cam surface which is engaged by a drum wheel supported on a bearing fixture secured to the underside of the roof of the car body, whereby when the body is depressed, the drum wheel rides down the cam surface to swing the crank arm.

6. A vehicle as set forth in claim 5, wherein said crank arm is pivoted on a shaft and is spring-biased by a helical spring mounted on said arm shaft and having an extension engaging the arm.

7. A vehicle as set forth in claim 6, wherein said arm is provided at its inner edge with a gear segment which inter meshes with a shaft-mounted pinion, whereby when the arm is pumped, said pinion is alternately turned in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions, and a one-way drive mechanism to couple said pinion to the inner end of the spiral spring to effect winding thereof only when the pinion turns counterclockwise.

8. A vehicle as set forth in claim 7, wherein said one-way drive mechanism is constituted by an annular ratchet having inner and outer teeth, said ratchet being coupled to the inner end of the spiral spring, and a drum mounted on the pinion shaft and having a projecting pin engaging the inner teeth of the ratchet to cause it to rotate in the counterclockwise direction.

9. A vehicle as set forth in claim 8, further including a pawl engaging the outer teeth of the ratchet to prevent it from rotating in the clockwise direction.

10. A vehicle as set forth in claim 4, wherein said box is provided with front and rear projections, the front projection being received under the top ledge of an upright integral with the floor of the chassis, the rear projection being received within a slot in the rear wall of the chassis.