Toy car of a front wheel driving type

• US 4,666,420 A
• Filed: 05/20/1985
• Issued: 05/19/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bandai
• Original Assignee: Shinsei Kogyo Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nagano, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US06/736,089
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 446/437, 446/443, 446/454, 446/455, 446/456, 446/466, 446/460, 180/6.48, 180/6.5, 180/209
• US Class Current: 446/443
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/004 Stunt-cars, e.g. lifting front wheels, roll-over or invertible cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/36 Steering-mechanisms for toy vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/40 Toy vehicles automatically steering or reversing by collision with an obstacle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a front wheel drive toy car having front wheels for driving and changing direction which includes a chassis and a lifting rod connected to the chassis for supporting a rear axle. The car includes a hinge for pivotally securing the lifting rod so as to allow the lifting rod to move away from and toward the chassis, a setting device connected to the lifting rod for setting a pivot position, and a bumper arranged at a front of the chassis for preventing forward tumble of the car over a front axle when forward movement is suddenly changed to backward movement. The swing angle of the lifting rod is set at a position such that the car will tumble forward toward the front axle upon a sudden direction change from forward movement to backward movement.

Claims

1. A front wheel drive toy car having front wheels for driving and changing directions, comprising:

(a) a chassis;

(b) a lifting rod connected to said chassis for supporting a rear axle;

(c) a hinge for swingably securing said lifting rod to said chassis such that said lifting rod can move away from and toward said chassis;

(d) setting means mounted to said chasis and engaged with said lifting rod for setting a swing position of said lifting rod corresponding to an angle with respect to said chassis such that said car will tumble forward toward a front axle when forward movement is suddenly changed to backward movement; and

(e) a bumper comprising a substantially inclined face inclined with respect to a support surface for supporting said toy car, said inclined face being of a sufficient size such that said bumper being connected to a front of said chassis prevents said car from rolling forward over said front axle when said inclined face engages said support surface when forward movement of said car is suddenly changed to backward movement.

4. A front wheel drive toy car adapted to be operated on a running surface, said toy car having a chassis and a rear axle comprising:

(a) at least two front wheels mounted on said chasis for driving and changing direction;

(b) means connected to said chasis for maintaining said chassis in an inclined position with respect to said running surface;

(c) means for operating said car in a forward and backward direction when said chassis is in the inclined position with respect to said running surface; and

(d) a bumper comprising a substantially inclined face inclined with respect to said running support, surface for supporting said toy car, said inclined face being of a sufficient size such that said bumper being connected to a front of said chassis prevents said car from tumbling over forwardly when said inclined face engages said running surface when a forward movement of said car is suddenly changed to a backward movement.

2. The toy car according to claim 4, further comprising a direction changing device comprising a front wheel driving mechanism, which comprises:

(a) two front wheel carrying bodies swingably connected to said chassis such that said two front wheel carrying bodies each are pivotable about a respective pivot point along vertical axes with respect to said chassis which pass through each of said two front wheel carrying bodies;

(b) two front wheels each having an axle supported by said carrying bodies perpendicularly to said vertical axes;

(c) a tie rod swingably connecting said two carrying bodies to each other; and

(d) power transmission means for transmitting driving power from two independently operable motors to said two front wheels.

3. The toy car according to claim 2, wherein the power transmission means comprises:

(a) at least one driving gear of at least one motor;

(b) at least one reduction gear having a driving wheel meshed with said at least one driving gear and a driven wheel meshed with a follower gear which has a transmission shaft aligned with a pivot pin of each of said carrying bodies;

(c) at least one driving bevel gear fixed to one end of the transmission shaft aligned with the pivot pin of each of said two front wheel carrying bodies.

5. A front wheel drive toy car according to claim 4 wherein said means for maintaining comprises:

(a) a lifting rod connected between said chassis and said rear axle;

(b) a hinge for pivotally connecting said lifting rod to said chassis; and

(c) setting means for setting said lifting rod in a predetermined pivot position.

6. A front wheel drive toy car according to claim 4 wherein said means for operating comprises:

(a) at least two front wheel supports connected to said chassis and pivotable about respective pivot points along vertical axes with respect to said chassis, said axes pass through respective said at least two front wheel supports, said at least two front wheels supported by said at least two front wheel supports perpendicular to said vertical axes;

(b) a tie rod for rotatably connecting said at least two front wheel supports to said chassis; and

(c) power transmission means for operatively connecting said at least two front wheels to at least two independently mounted motors.

7. A front wheel drive toy car according to claim 6, wherein said power transmission means comprises a plurality of gears, said plurality of gears comprising:

(a) at least two driving gears mounted to said at least two independently mounted motors;

(b) at least two reduction gears each having a driving wheel meshed with a corresponding driving gear and a driven wheel meshed with a corresponding follower gear, each of said follower gears having at least one transmission shaft aligned with a pivot pin of each of said at least two front wheel supports;

(c) at least two driving bevel gears, each of said at least two driving bevel gears being fixedly attached to one end of one of said transmission shaft; and

(d) at least two driven bevel gears fixedly attached to respective front axles, said at least two driven bevel gears being meshed with said at least two driven bevel gears.