Wheel with extendable traction spikes and toy including same

• US 4,601,519 A
• Filed: 10/04/1985
• Issued: 07/22/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bruce M D'Andrade
• Original Assignee: Bruce M D'Andrade
• Inventors: D'Andrade, Bruce M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scherbel, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stormer, Russell D.
• Application Number:
  US06/784,252
• Time in Patent Office: 291 Days
• Field of Search: 301/41 R, 301/43, 301/45, 301/47, 301/48, 301/51, 301/46, 446/448, 446/465, 446/457, 226/57, 226/81
• US Class Current: 301/45
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/262 Chassis; Wheel mountings; Wheels; Axles; Suspensions; Fitting body portions to chassis
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 15/12 involving cams or eccentric hoops

Abstract

The present invention wheels have extendable traction spikes (spike pins) which are contained within the wheels and are automatically extended to enhance wheel traction. The automatic extension of the spike pins occurs, in one embodiment, upon achievement of a predetermined torque. In another embodiment, when a predetermined movement, i.e. forward motion of the vehicle, occurs, the spike pins are automatically extended. The invention also includes vehicular toys including such wheels.

Claims

1. A wheel, comprising:

(a) a hollow external wheel member having at least one structural rim wall, having a central hub on said rim wall about a central axis and attachable to an axle, having an outer peripheral travel surface of a predetermined radius from said central hub, and having a plurality of orifices located about said travel surface;

(b) a cam disc of a lesser radius than the predetermined radius of said peripheral travel surface of said external wheel member, said cam disc being movably located about the central hub of said external wheel member and within said peripheral travel surface of said external wheel member, said cam disc having a plurality of arcuated slider slots fanning out from said central hub and toward said peripheral travel surface;

(c) a plurality of spike pins being elongated and having a first end and a second end and having a length which is less than the predetermined radius of said peripheral travel surface of said external wheel member and having a cross section of shape and size small enough to pass through said orifices on said peripheral travel surface, said spike pins having a protrusion at said first end thereon and being slidably located within said arcuated slider slots of said cam disc, and the second end of said spike pins being located at least partially within the orifices of said peripheral travel surface; and

(d) bias means connected to said cam disc and to said external wheel member so as to hold said cam disc in a first position with said plurality of spike pins being entirely located within the radius of said peripheral travel surface by the predetermined positioning of said arcuated slider slots relative to the orifices of said peripheral travel surface and to hold said cam disc in said first position even while said wheel is being moved along a surface up to a predetermined torque, and connected so as to allow said cam disc to rotate about said central hub up to a second position with said spike pins at least partially extending and protruding through said orifices when said predetermined torque is attained, and connected so as to permit the return of said cam disc to said first position when the torque falls below said predetermined position.

2. The wheel of claim 1 wherein said hollow external wheel member has two rim walls with the central hub connecting them to one another and arranged so as to encase said movably located cam disc.

3. The wheel of claim 1 wherein said orifices are located approximately equidistantly apart from one another and said arcuated slider slots are correspondingly located approximately equidistantly apart from one another.

4. The wheel of claim 1 wherein said orifices are randomly located.

5. The wheel of claim 1 wherein said bias means is a torsion spring.

6. The wheel of claim 1 which includes at least two external wheel members having the same central axis and the same predetermined radius for its outer peripheral travel surface and are connected to one another so as to encase at least one of said movably located cam discs.

7. The wheel of claim 6 wherein said orifices are located approximately equidistantly apart from one another and said arcuated slider slots are correspondingly located approximately equidistantly apart from one another.

8. The wheel of claim 6 wherein said orifices are randomly located.

9. A wheel, comprising:

(a) a hollow external wheel member having at least one structural rim wall, having a central hub on said rim wall about a central axis and attachable to an axle, having an outer peripheral travel surface of a predetermined radius from said central hub, and having a plurality of orifices located about said travel surface;

(b) a cam disc of a lesser radius than the predetermined radius of said peripheral travel surface of said external wheel member, said cam disc being movably located about the central hub of said external wheel member and within said peripheral travel surface of said external wheel member, said cam disc having a plurality of arcuated slider slots fanning out from said central hub and toward said peripheral travel surface;

(c) a plurality of spike pins being elongated and having a first end and a second end and having a length which is less than the predetermined radius of said peripheral travel surface of said external wheel member and having a cross section of shape and size small enough to pass through said orifices on said peripheral travel surface, said spike pins having a protrusion at said first end thereon and being slidably located within said arcuated slider slots of said cam disc, and the second end of said spike pins being located at least partially within the orifices of said peripheral travel surface; and

(d) engagement means connected to said cam disc and to said external wheel member so as to rest said cam disc in a first position with said plurality of spike pins being entirely located within the radius of said peripheral travel surface by the predetermined positioning of said arcuated slider slots relative to the orifices of said peripheral travel surface while said wheel is not in forward motion, and connected so as to engage said cam disc to rotate about said central hub up to a second position with said spike pins at least partially extending and protruding through said orifices while said wheel is in forward motion, and connected so as to permit the return of said cam disc to said first position when the forward motion of said wheel is stopped.

10. The wheel of claim 9 wherein said hollow external wheel member has two rim walls with the central hub connecting them to one another and arranged so as to encase said movably located cam disc.

11. The wheel of claim 9 wherein said orifices are located approximately equidistantly apart from one another and said arcuated slider slots are correspondingly located approximately equidistantly apart from one another.

12. The wheel of claim 9 wherein said orifices are randomly located.

13. The wheel of claim 9 includes at least two external wheel members having the same central axis and the same predetermined radius for its outer peripheral travel surface and are connected to one another so as to encase at least one of said movably located cam discs.

14. The wheel of claim 13 wherein said orifices are located approximately equidistantly apart from one another and said arcuated slider slots are correspondingly located approximately equidistantly apart from one another.

15. A vehicular toy, comprising:

(a) a vehicular toy frame;

(b) a vehicular body attached to said frame;

(c) a plurality of wheels connected to said frame and capable of at least forward motion by controlled propulsion, wherein at least one wheel comprises;

(a) a hollow external wheel member having at least one structural rim wall, having a central hub on said rim wall about a central axis and attachable to an axle, having an outer peripheral travel surface of a predetermined radius from said central hub, and having a plurality of orifices located about said travel surface;

(b) a cam disc of a lesser radius than the predetermined radius of said peripheral travel surface of said external wheel member, said cam disc being movably located about the central hub of said external wheel member and within said peripheral travel surface of said external wheel member, said cam disc having a plurality of arcuated slider slots fanning out from said central hub and toward said peripheral travel surface;

(c) a plurality of spike pins being elongated and having a first end and a second end and having a length which is less than the predetermined radius of said peripheral travel surface of said external wheel member and having a cross section of shape and size small enough to pass through said orifices on said peripheral travel surface, said spike pins having a protrusion at said first end thereon and being slidably located within said arcuated slider slots of said cam disc, and the second end of said spike pins being located at least partially within the orifices of said peripheral travel surface; and

(d) means connected to said cam disc and to said external wheel member so as to have said cam disc in a first position with said plurality of spike pins being entirely located within the radius of said peripheral travel surface by the predetermined positioning of said arcuated slider slots relative to the orifices on said travel surface, and, in response to some predetermined criteria, to have said cam disc to rotate about said central hub up to a second position with said spike pins at least partially extending and protruding through said orifices when said predetermined criteria is satisfied, and so as to permit the return of said cam disc to said first position when said predetemined criteria becomes unsatisfied.

16. The toy of claim 15 wherein said means is a bias means is connected to said cam disc and to said external wheel member so as to hold said cam disc in a first position with said plurality of spike pins being entirely located within the radius of said peripheral travel surface by the predetermined positioning of said arcuated slider slots relative to the orifices of said peripheral travel surface and to hold said cam disc in said first position even while said wheel is being moved along the surface up to a predetermined torque, and connected so as to allow said cam disc to rotate about said central hub up to a second position with said spike pins at least partially extending and protruding through said orifices when said predetermined torque is attained, and connected so as to permit the return of said cam disc to said first position when the torque falls below said predetermined position.

17. The toy of claim 16 wherein said bias means is a torsion spring.

18. The toy of claim 15 wherein said means is an engagement means is connected to said cam disc and to said external wheel member so as to rest said cam disc in a first position with said plurality of spike pins being entirely located within the radius of said peripheral travel surface by the predetermined positioning of said arcuated slider slots relative to the orifices of said peripheral travel surface while said wheel is not in forward motion, and connected so as to engage said cam disc to rotate about said central hub up to a second position with said spike pins at least partially extending and protruding through said orifices while said wheel is in forward motion, and connected so as to permit the return of said cam disc to said first position when the forward motion of said wheel is stopped.