Toy race car launcher

• US 4,889,513 A
• Filed: 10/11/1988
• Issued: 12/26/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fisher Price Incorporated (Mattel Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: The Quaker Oats Company (PepsiCo Incorporated)
• Inventors: Paddock, Charles W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US07/255,366
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 446/197, 446/180, 446/429, 446/430, 446/63, 446/168, 273/86 C, 273/86 D, 124/61, 124/63, 124/64
• US Class Current: 446/197
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/008 Launching devices for motorless toy vehicles start mechanisms for trackways A63H18/026; for toy aircraft A63H27/14

Abstract

A toy race car launcher is disclosed comprising a launcher body, a car support track on the launcher body, and a car disabling mechanism on the car support track for positioning the car in rest position at a car launching position. A car launching mechanism is provided on the launcher body at the car launching position for launching the car from the car support track.

Claims

1. A toy race car launcher for a car having at least one drive wheel and at least one tooth on the bottom thereof comprising:

a launcher body;

an upwardly inclined car support track on the launcher body having an elongated slot at the car launching station;

a recess in the track for receiving and disengaging the drive wheel from the track and stopping a moving car in a car launching position;

a remotely actuable flexible strip having a toothed rack at one end thereof slidably movable within the slot for movement from the car launching position, and a movable member secured to the opposite end of the flexible strip; and

moving means for moving the movable member, for imparting movement to the toothed rack for engaging the car tooth and causing the strip and tooth rack thereon to move therewith for launching the car from the car support track.

2. A toy race car launcher according to claim 1 wherein the movable member comprises a pivotally mounted segment having a circular surface of a fixed radius over which the flexible strip is trained, wherein the moving means comprises a first flexible bellows having a normal deflated condition and a fixed end, and wherein coupling means are provided for coupling the other end of the first bellows to the segment for moving the segment upon expansion of the bellows from its normal deflated condition.

3. A toy race car launcher according to claim 2 wherein the coupling means comprises a notch in the segment, a lug extending laterally from the notch, and a tab on the other end of the first bellows having an opening for receiving the lug.

4. A toy race car launcher according to claim 3 wherein the moving means further comprises a second flexible bellows pneumatically connected to the first flexible bellows, and manually operated means for compressing the second bellows and simultaneously expanding the first bellows from its normal deflated condition.

5. A toy race car launcher according to claim 4 wherein the manually operated means comprises a depressible handle.

6. A toy race car launcher according to claim 1 wherein the car support track has an entry end and an exit end, and the track is provided with adjustable means at the exit end for varying the path of trajectory of the launched car.

7. A toy race car launcher according to claim 6 wherein the adjustable means comprises a track portion having one end thereof pivotally secured to the exit end of the car support track, at least one depending arm of a substantially constant radius relative to the one end, teeth on one surface of the arm, and a lip on the launcher body selectively engageable with one of the teeth upon pivotal movement of the track portion for releasably holding the track portion in a selected position.