Steerable toy vehicle
First Claim
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1. A toy vehicle, comprising:
- a chassis, having a forward end and a rearward end;
a pair of rear wheels mounted on said rearward end of said chassis for rotation about an axis transverse to said chassis;
a pair of front wheels mounted on stub axles at said forward end of said chassis;
a pair of kingpins mounted to said chassis for pivoting about substantially parallel kingpin axes at opposed lateral positions on said forward end of said chassis, said parallel kingpin axes being inclined at a caster angle to the vertical, said stub axles being mounted to said kingpins;
a tie rod extending transversely across said chassis and pivotally connected to said kingpins at left and right ends thereof, whereby said kingpins pivot together to steer said front wheels;
a steering mechanism comprising a rotatable steering shaft and means for converting rotational motion of said steering shaft to transverse motion of said tie rod;
a steering column attached to said steering shaft by a flexible joint allowing transmission of torque from said steering column to said steering shaft while permitting substantially free variation of the alignment of said steering column with respect to said steering shaft; and
a steering wheel attached to said steering column.
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Abstract
A toy vehicle comprises a chassis having a pair of rear wheels journaled for rotation about a rigid axle and a pair of front wheels mounted for being steered cooperatively. A steering mechanism is controlled by a steering wheel at the end of a steering column connected to the steering mechanism by a universal joint. A child playing with the vehicle can propel the vehicle forward by pushing on the steering wheel, but can only steer it in a desired direction of travel by turning the steering wheel.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A toy vehicle, comprising:
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a chassis, having a forward end and a rearward end; a pair of rear wheels mounted on said rearward end of said chassis for rotation about an axis transverse to said chassis; a pair of front wheels mounted on stub axles at said forward end of said chassis; a pair of kingpins mounted to said chassis for pivoting about substantially parallel kingpin axes at opposed lateral positions on said forward end of said chassis, said parallel kingpin axes being inclined at a caster angle to the vertical, said stub axles being mounted to said kingpins; a tie rod extending transversely across said chassis and pivotally connected to said kingpins at left and right ends thereof, whereby said kingpins pivot together to steer said front wheels; a steering mechanism comprising a rotatable steering shaft and means for converting rotational motion of said steering shaft to transverse motion of said tie rod; a steering column attached to said steering shaft by a flexible joint allowing transmission of torque from said steering column to said steering shaft while permitting substantially free variation of the alignment of said steering column with respect to said steering shaft; and a steering wheel attached to said steering column. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A toy vehicle, comprising:
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a chassis, comprising a generally planar member having a forward end and a rearward end; a pair of rear wheels mounted on an axle journaled for rotation about a transverse axis at the rearward end of said chassis; a pair of front wheels mounted for rotation on stub axles, said stub axles pivoted for steering movement about kingpin axes at the forward end of said chassis; a tie rod pivotally joining said stub axles for steering said front wheels by collectively pivoting said stub axles about said kingpin axes; a steering shaft mounted for rotation about an axis extending longitudinally with respect to said chassis, and connected to said tie rod by linkage for converting rotation of said steering shaft to transverse motion of said tie rod; and a steering wheel fixed to a first end of a rigid steering column, a second end of said steering column being connected to said steering shaft by a flexible joint permitting transmission of torque and axial force from said steering wheel to said steering shaft while permitting substantially free variation of alignment of said steering column with respect to said steering shaft; whereby an operator may push said vehicle forwardly or pull said vehicle rearwardly by exerting axial force on said steering wheel, and may steer said vehicle along a desired path only by rotating said steering wheel to steer said front wheels thereof. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification