Steerable toy road scraper

• US 5,584,743 A
• Filed: 11/13/1995
• Issued: 12/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Beaulieu, Gerald
• Original Assignee: Beaulieu, Gerald
• Inventors: Beaulieu, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUIR, DAVID N
• Application Number:
  US08/556,651
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 446/427, 446/428, 446/429, 446/425, 446/426, 446/450, 446/460, 446/465, 446/468, 446/470
• US Class Current: 446/427
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/05 Trucks; Lorries

Abstract

The present invention relates to a toy road scraper having three blade members which are vertically movable between a first and a second limit position. The movement of the blade members is controlled through the instrumentality of cables slidingly engaging flexible sheathings. Each blade member is connected to one such cable, the latter being also connected to a control panel having levers for imparting linear displacements to the cables. The linear displacement of a cable results in a corresponding blade member moving from its first to its second limit position, or vice-versa. Two directional cables are connected to the front pivotable wheels and to directional handles on the control panel for steering the toy road scraper. The control panel is positioned at the rear end of the toy road scraper and at such a height to allow a child using it to stand up, walk and have unlimited access to the controls on the control panel.

Claims

1. A steerable toy vehicle comprising:

a) a rigid elongated frame;

b) a set of front and rear wheels rotatably mounted to said frame for carrying it spacedly over ground;

c) control means installed at the upper end of an upwardly-extending arm member, said arm member being fixedly attached to said frame;

d) a first, a second and a third blade members attached to said frame member and being vertically movable thereon between respective first and second stable limit positions;

e) a number of first flexible cable members linking said control means to said first, second and third blade members for selectively positioning said first, second and third blade members into their respective first or second stable limit positions; and

f) a second flexible cable member linking said control means to said set of front wheels for selectively pivoting said set of front wheels and consequently steering said toy vehicle with said control means.

2. A toy vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein said first cable members further link said control means to said second blade member for selective angular adjustment of said second blade member between a first and a second angular limit positions.

3. A toy vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second cable members each comprise an inner cable enclosed in and slidingly engaging a fixed flexible shearing.

4. A steerable toy vehicle comprising an elongated frame having a front and a rear end, said toy vehicle further comprising front and rear pairs of wheel assemblies supporting said frame over ground with said front wheel assembly being steerable, a loader member mounted to the front end of said vehicle frame for relative movement between a ground engaging limit position and a raised limit position, a grader blade mounted transversely to an intermediate section of said vehicle frame therebeneath for relative movement between a ground engaging limit position and a raised limit position, and a shovel blade mounted to said vehicle frame intermediately between said grader blade and said rear wheel assembly for relative movement between a ground engaging limit position and a raised limit position;

wherein said vehicle further includes a control panel, supported spacedly over the rear end of the vehicle frame by upwardly rearwardly extending support arms integral to the vehicle frame, said control panel adapted to be at a sufficiently raised height to provide arm'"'"'s length access thereto by a person standing up, said control panel operatively carrying;

(a) a steering handle assembly, operatively connected to said steerable front wheels by first cable means for steering same upon lateral tilting of the handle assembly, and destined to be grasped manually by a person and pushed for moving the vehicle forwardly;

(b) a first handle member, operatively connected to said front loader member by first flexible cable means, for displacing said front loader member between its two limit positions;

(c) a second handle member, operatively connected to said intermediate grader blade by second flexible cable means, for displacing said intermediate grader blade between its two limit positions; and

(d) a third handle member, operatively connected to said shovel blade by third flexible cable means, for displacing said shovel blade between its two limit positions.

5. A steerable toy vehicle as in claim 4, further including control means, said transverse grader blade being selectively rotatable around a vertical axis between a first and a second angular limit positions through the instrumentality of said control means.