Toy tow trailer with self-leveling hitch assembly

• US 5,846,120 A
• Filed: 02/11/1997
• Issued: 12/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rokenbok Toy Company
• Original Assignee: Rokenbok Toy Company
• Inventors: Barton, William M. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOSSUM, LAURA J
• Application Number:
  US08/797,189
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 280/483, 280/484, 280/487, 280/488, 446/424, 446/427, 446/428, 446/434, 446/469
• US Class Current: 446/434
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/262 Chassis; Wheel mountings; Wheels; Axles; Suspensions; Fitting body portions to chassis
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/264 Coupling mechanisms for model railway vehicles A63H19/18

Abstract

A toy trailer for towing or hauling transportable elements including a unique tow hitch assembly and suitable for use with remotely-controllable motorized toy vehicles having a highly-maneuverable skid steering systems driven by single or dual motors, having a separately motorized loading device pivotally secured to the chassis of the vehicle operative to load, push or pull transportable elements or load same on to the trailer, the motorized vehicle having in one embodiment a hopper mounted on the vehicle, and having an automatic tow hitch mechanism with both the hopper and the hitching mechanism coupled to a motorized loading device gear train which mechanism provides for the sequential actuation of, first, the scoop for loading transportable elements into the hopper or on to the trailer and, second, for actuation of both the hopper for dumping and the hitch mechanism for hitching and unhitching of trailer vehicles, and including control means responsive, without wires connected to the vehicle, to operator control inputs at a remote central control station. The mechanisms and gear trains have proper ratios and dimensions preventing interference between the scoop and the hopper during forward and reverse actuation. The remote central control station being capable of controlling a plurality of vehicles with control inputs from a plurality of operators with each of the individual ones of the plurality of vehicles being compatible with the trailer.

Claims

1. A toy trailer having a hitch coupling, comprising:

a trailer frame having a swivel housing formed on the underside of a first end of the frame, the swivel housing having a bottom wall having a swivel opening extending therethrough;

an axle assembly including an axle housing interposed between an axle and said swivel housing and a tongue projecting rigidly forwardly to terminate in a free end, said axle housing being movable relative to said swivel housing for rotation of said tongue from an intermediate hitch position to a raised position or a lowered position;

a leveling stem mounted on said axle housing, said leveling stem having an end projecting upwardly through said swivel opening for pivoting in said opening about its own axis and rotatable on its own axis;

a retainer attached to the end of the leveling stem; and

a spring mounted on the leveling stem, the spring having a first end bearing upon the bottom wall of the swivel housing and a second end bearing upon the retainer, the spring thereby biasing said axle assembly to position said tongue in said intermediate hitch position.

2. A toy trailer as recited in claim 1 wherein:

said axle housing includes a pair of laterally disposed end walls formed with downwardly opening slots receiving said axle.

3. A toy trailer as recited in claim 1 wherein:

said swivel housing is formed with said bottom wall configured with a flat downwardly facing bearing surface;

said axle housing is formed with a top wall configured with a flat upwardly facing bearing pad disposed in a load carrying relationship under said bearing surface;

said stem projecting centrally upwardly from said bearing pad; and

said spring is in the form of a compression spring telescoped over said stem, constrained to the top end of said stem and operative to bias said stem upwardly to draw said bearing pad toward said bearing surface.

4. A toy trailer as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a ramp member adapted at a first edge to releasibly engage a second end of the trailer frame and adapted at a second edge to rest against a surface; and

a second retainer mounted to said second end of said trailer frame adapted to releasably engage said ramp.

5. A toy trailer assembly comprising:

a tow trailer having an axle and wheels disposed on the axle, a receptacle disposed on the underside of the tow trailer and having an opening, a trailer hitch assembly having a first end and a second end and supported on the axle, a pin having a first end disposed on the trailer hitch assembly, and a second end extending through the opening in the receptacle the pin also having first and second opposite sides, the first side facing the first end of the trailer hitch assembly and the second side facing the second end of the trailer hitch assembly, a cap disposed on the pin at the first end of the pin, and

a spring disposed on the pin between the cap and the receptacle and operative, upon receiving unequal forces at the first and second opposite sides of the pin, to rotate the trailer hitch assembly to a position wherein the forces received by the spring at the first and second opposite sides of the pin are equal.

6. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 5 the trailer hitch assembly being supported on the axle at the first end of the trailer hitch assembly, the trailer hitch assembly also having a hitch member mounted at the second end of the trailer hitch assembly.

7. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 5 the receptacle having a shoulder and the opening being in the receptacle shoulder, the receptacle defining a chamber at the position of the receptacle shoulder, the pin extending through the opening into the chamber, and the cap being disposed within the chamber.

8. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 7, the chamber having dimensions to provide for a pivoting of the spring, the pin and the cap within the chamber in accordance with the disposition of the trailer hitch assembly relative to the tow trailer.

9. The toy trailer assembly as recited in claim 8 the trailer hitch assembly being supported on the axle at the first end of the trailer hitch assembly, the trailer hitch assembly also having a hitch mounted at the second end of the trailer hitch assembly.

10. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 5

the trailer hitch assembly including a housing for supporting the axle,

the axle housing and the receptacle being disposed in abutting relationship and co-operating with the axle, such that when the force on the first side is not equal to the force on the second side of the spring, the spring produces a force to rotate the trailer hitch assembly to an upright disposition of the pin.

11. A toy trailer assembly comprising:

a tow trailer having a forward end and rear end, the forward and rear ends oriented in a first plane, an axle at the rear end of the tow trailer, wheels on the axle, a trailer hitch assembly having first and second opposite end portions oriented in a second plane, the first end portion of the trailer hitch mounted on the axle of the tow trailer, the second end portion having a hitch mounted thereto, a receptacle supported by the tow trailer near the rear end of the tow trailer, the receptacle having a portion shaped to define a chamber and having an opening in the portion, a support disposed on the trailer hitch assembly and extending through the opening in the receptacle for pivotable movement in the chamber, and a resiliently constrainable member having first and second opposite sides, the first side facing the first end of the trailer hitch assembly and the second side facing the second end of the trailer hitch assembly, the resiliently constrainable member disposed on the support, the first and second sides of the resiliently constrainable member each providing a force on the trailer hitch assembly such that the force provided by the first side is equal to the force provided by the second side when the first plane and the second plane are in a predetermined relationship.

12. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 11 the constrainable member being disposed at one end against the receptacle in the portion of the receptacle defining the chamber.

13. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein the constrainable member is a helical spring.

14. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 11 portion of the receptacle defining the chamber having a horizontal disposition and the support being pivotable in the chamber such that the force on the first side of the resiliently constrainable member is not equal to the force on the second side of the resiliently constrainable member when the first plane is in a relationship with the second plane different from the predetermined relationship.

15. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 14 the constrainable member being disposed at one end against the receptacle in the portion of the receptacle defining the chamber to become asymmetrically constrained at its opposite sides when the second plane of the trailer hitch assembly is in a relationship with the first plane of the tow trailer different from the predetermined relationship, and the constrainable member is a helical spring.

16. The toy trailer assembly as recited in claim 11

the trailer hitch assembly including an axle support housing,

the receptacle and the axle support housing having abutting surfaces with the trailer hitch assembly and the tow trailer in a predetermined relationship,

the abutment between the receptacle and the axle support housing being displaced relative to the axle when the relationship between the first plane and the second plane are not in a predetermined relationship to produce a force on the tow trailer for returning the tow trailer to the predetermined relationship with the trailer hitch assembly.

17. A toy trailer assembly comprising:

a tow trailer, an axle on the tow trailer at the rear end of the tow trailer, wheels disposed on the axle, a receptacle disposed on the tow trailer at the rear end of the tow trailer and shaped to define a chamber, a trailer hitch assembly mounted on the axle at its front end and having at its front end a support member extending into the chamber for pivotable disposition in the chamber and having a hitch member at its rear end, a resiliently constrainable member disposed in the chamber on the support member in co-operative relationship with the receptacle for receiving asymmetric forces from the receptacle when the trailer hitch assembly is in a relationship other than a predetermined relationship with the tow trailer, to pivot the support member to a position providing a predetermined relationship between the tow trailer and the trailer hitch assembly.

18. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 17 a first end of the resiliently constrainable member being disposed in co-operative relationship with the receptacle, and a cap disposed in the chamber on the support member for confining of the resiliently constrainable member at a second end of the resiliently constrainable member opposite the first end.

19. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 18 the resiliently constrainable member comprising a helical spring and there being an opening into the chamber through the receptacle and the support member extending from the trailer hitch assembly into the chamber through the opening in the receptacle, and the chamber having a volume to provide for a pivotable movement of the support member in the chamber, and the tow trailer and the trailer hitch assembly having flat beds.

20. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 17 the resiliently constrainable member comprising a helical spring, and the chamber having an opening into the chamber through the receptacle and the support member extending from the trailer hitch assembly into the chamber through the opening in the chamber, and the chamber having a volume to provide for a pivotable movement of the support member in the chamber.

21. The toy trailer assembly as set forth in claim 17

the trailer hitch assembly including an axle support housing,

the receptacle and the axle support housing abutting each other over extended surface areas with the trailer hitch assembly and the tow trailer in a predetermined relationship and being disposed in abutment in a line contact at positions relative to the axle for producing forces in cooperation with the axle, with the trailer hitch assembly and the tow trailer to pivot the tow trailer to the predetermined relationship when the trailer hitch assembly and the tow trailer are not in the predetermined relationship.

22. A toy system, comprising:

a tow trailer having

an axle and wheels disposed on the axle,

a receptacle disposed on the underside of the tow trailer and having an opening,

a trailer hitch assembly supported on the axle,

a pin disposed on the trailer hitch assembly, the pin having a first end extending through the opening in the and also having first and second opposite sides,

a cap disposed on the pin at a second end of the pin opposite the first end of the pin, and

a spring disposed on the pin between the cap and the receptacle and operative, upon receiving unequal forces at the first and second opposite sides of the pin, to rotate the trailer hitch assembly to an upright disposition of the pin;

a plurality of vehicles each having an individual address and a hitching member and each constructed to be moved to a position for releasably joining the hitching member of the vehicle to the trailer hitch assembly;

a plurality of pads each manually operable to provide first binary indications for addressing individual ones of the vehicles and second binary indications for providing commands to the individual ones of the vehicles to obtain an operation of such individuals ones of the vehicles in accordance with such commands; and

a central station operatively coupled to the pads in the plurality for sending the first and second binary indications from the pads in the plurality to the vehicles in the plurality to address individual ones of such vehicles in accordance with the first binary indications and to obtain an operation of such individual ones of the vehicles in accordance with the second binary indications.

23. The toy system of claim 22 wherein at least one of the plurality of vehicles comprises:

a movable vehicle having an individual address and constructed to be moved to a position for hitching the vehicle to the trailer hitch assembly;

a plurality of manually held pads each manually operable to provide a first plurality of binary indications for addressing the movable vehicle and a second plurality of binary indications for operating the vehicle; and

a central station for sending the first and second binary indications from individual ones of the pads to address the vehicle in accordance with the first binary indications and to operate the vehicle in accordance with the second binary indications.

24. The toy system set forth in claim 22 wherein the plurality of movable vehicles each having an individual address and each one of the plurality of vehicles is constructed to be moved to a position for releasably joining the hitching member of the vehicle to the trailer hitch assembly, each of the movable vehicles in the plurality including a motor means operatively coupled to such vehicle for providing a controlled movement of such vehicle, a plurality of manually held pads each manually operable to provide first binary indications for addressing an individual one of the vehicles and second binary indications for providing commands for operating the individual one of the vehicles, and a central station responsive to the first and second binary indications from the pads for sending the binary indications on a cyclic basis to the plurality of vehicles to obtain an operation of the vehicles addressed by the first binary indications from the pads in accordance with the second binary indications from such pads.