Spherical steering toy

• US 5,692,946 A
• Filed: 01/11/1996
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wang-Mine Ku
• Original Assignee: Wang-Mine Ku
• Inventors: Ku, Wang-Mine
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carlson, Jeffrey D.
• Application Number:
  US08/583,818
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 446/431, 446/441, 446/445, 446/454-456, 446/460-462, 446/437, 273/58 G
• US Class Current: 446/456
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/005 Motorised rolling toys

Abstract

A spherical steering toy including a spherical housing, a mounting plate mounted inside the spherical housing and having wheels maintained perpendicularly in touch with the inside wall of the spherical housing, a servo-motor having an output shaft fastened to the center of the mounting plate by a screw, a driving mechanism coupled to the servo-motor at one side opposite to the crossed frame, which driving mechanism including a reversible motor, a transmission gear train, and a wheel coupled to the reversible motor through the transmission gear train and rotated by it against the inside wall of the spherical housing, and a control circuit controlled by a remote controller to operate the servo-motor and the reversible motor, wherein starting the reversible motor causes the spherical housing to rotate forwards and backwards on a flat surface; starting the servo-motor causes the spherical housing to change the steering direction.

Claims

1. A spherical steering toy comprising:

a spherical housing, said spherical housing comprising two symmetrical semi-spherical shells connected together by a screw joint;

a mounting plate mounted inside said spherical housing, said mounting plate having a plurality of wheels around the border perpendicularly touching the inside wall of said spherical housings;

a crossed frame fixedly secured inside the housing at the centers;

a servo-motor having an output shaft fastened to the center of said crossed frame by a screw;

a driving mechanism coupled to said servo-motor at one side opposite to said crossed frame, said driving mechanism comprising a casing coupled to said servo-motor, a reversible motor mounted inside said casing, a transmission gear train coupled to said reversible motor, and a wheel coupled to said transmission gear train and rotated by it against the inside wall of said spherical housing, said casing of said driving mechanism having a plurality of upright mounting rods mounted with a respective rubber cushion to hold said servo-motor in place;

a control circuit mounted in the casing of said driving mechanism and controlled by a remote controller to operate said servo-motor and said reversible motor; and

a battery power supply mounted in the casing of said driving mechanism to provide the necessary working voltage to said control circuit, said servo-motor, and said reversible motor;

wherein starting said reversible motor causes said spherical housing to rotate forwards and backwards on a flat surface;

starting said servo-motor causes said spherical housing to change the steering direction.

2. The spherical steering toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting plate is made of circular shape to hold the respective wheels by springy wheel axles.

3. The spherical steering toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting plate is made of triangular shape having three wheel holders at each angle to hold a respective wheel by a respective U-shaped wheel axle, each U-shaped wheel axle being supported on the respective wheel holder by spring means.

4. The spherical steering toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting plate is molded from resilient plastics, having two smoothly curved cross bars at two opposite ends to hold a respective pair of wheels, permitting the wheels to be maintained perpendicularly in touch with the inside wall of said spherical housing.

5. The spherical steering toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting plate is molded from resilient plastics, having wheels at two opposite ends and two opposite sides respectively and perpendicularly maintained in touch with the inside wall of said spherical housing.