Stunt performing toy vehicle

• US 5,727,985 A
• Filed: 03/08/1996
• Issued: 03/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tonka Corporation (Hasbro Inc.)
• Inventors: Trammell, Michele P., George, Kevin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carlson, Jeffrey D.
• Application Number:
  US08/610,569
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 446/431, 446/437, 446/439, 446/454, 446/456, 446/465, 446/486, 446/433, 446/441, 446/442, 446/470
• US Class Current: 446/437
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/004 Stunt-cars, e.g. lifting front wheels, roll-over or invertible cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

A remote control toy vehicle includes an invertible chassis having vehicle body portions on opposite sides thereof, a plurality of highly resilient balloon tire support wheels, a high torque drive motor assembly for driving at least one of the support wheels and a remote control receiver circuit. The chassis and the support wheels are constructed and positioned so that the support wheels define a three dimensional maximum outer perimeter of the vehicle from which the chassis and the other components of the vehicle are spaced inwardly, and the remote control receiver circuit includes an antenna which is contained within the body of the vehicle. The high torque drive motor assembly, the position of the antenna, and the positions and configurations of the support wheels enable the vehicle to perform a variety of self-inverting, tumbling and deflecting maneuvers.

Claims

1. A four-wheeled toy vehicle, comprising:

a chassis having a first vehicle upper body portion mounted on a first side of said chassis and a second vehicle upper body portion mounted on a second side of said chassis opposite said first side of said chassis, said chassis having a first end, a second end and a maximum height;

four rotatable axle portions mounted relative to said chassis, a first two of said axle portions being aligned with a first rotation axis and a second two of said axle portions being aligned with a second rotation axis,

said axle portions being substantially unsprung relative to said chassis so that physical shocks may be delivered between said axle portions and said chassis;

four wheels rotatably mounted relative to said chassis, each of said wheels being mounted on a respective one of said axle portions,

each of said wheels comprising a central hub and an elastomeric tire having an interior portion filled with air,

each of said tires being resilient so that said tires can be elastically compressed against an obstacle,

each of said tires being of substantially the same diameter, said diameter being greater than said maximum height of said chassis,

said four tires defining a maximum three-dimensional outer perimeter which is spaced outwardly from said chassis such that no portion of said chassis extends outside of said outer perimeter;

a battery power source mounted on said chassis between a first vertical plane encompassing said first rotation axis and a second vertical plane encompassing said second rotation axis;

a first motor mounted on said chassis between said first and second vertical planes, said first motor receiving power from said battery power source and being adapted to drive one of said wheels;

a second motor mounted on said chassis between said first and second vertical planes, said second motor receiving power from said battery power source and being adapted to drive another of said wheels,

said first and second motors being independently and reversibly controllable,

said battery power source and said motors being mounted to said chassis so that the weight of said battery power source and said motors is uniformly distributed on opposite sides of a central plane of said chassis defined by said first and second rotation axes,

said first and second motors having sufficient torque to pivot said first end of said chassis upwardly when two of said tires are in engagement with a vertical abutment surface and when said central plane of said chassis is at an upwardly inclined angle of approximately twenty degrees relative to horizontal in a direction extending from said second end of said chassis toward said first end of said chassis so that said toy vehicle may be automatically changed from a first operating position in which said first vehicle upper body portion faces upward when said toy vehicle is being driven across a horizontal surface and a second operating position in which said second vehicle upper body portion chassis faces upward when said toy vehicle is being driven across said horizontal surface;

a remote control receiver mounted on said chassis for receiving remote radio control signals for controlling said first and second motors; and

an antenna operatively coupled to said remote control receiver, said antenna being located exclusively within said outer perimeter defined by said four tires.

2. A toy vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said first vehicle upper body portion has a different appearance than said second vehicle upper body portion.