Dynamo powered toy

• US 8,257,136 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sun Yu
• Original Assignee: Sun Yu
• Inventors: Yu, Sun, Perrin, David
• Primary Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US11/692,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20070173172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,987 Days
• Field of Search: 463/310
• US Class Current: 446/310
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/21 shaped as motorcycles with or without figures
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/395 steered by program
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 29/22 Electric drives power supply through track A63H18/12
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

A toy is provided that has a dynamo for converting manual movement into an electrical charge for the dynamo located within a housing. A miniature vehicle is induced to locomote through receipt of the electrical charge. A dock is provided for selectively creating an electrical coupling of the vehicle to the dynamo to transfer the electrical charge and decoupling to allow the vehicle to locomote. A charge storage device and an electrical motor in the vehicle allow for prolonged vehicle locomotion separate from the charge transfer by the dynamo. A toy is also provided that has a dynamo for converting manual movement into an electrical charge, the dynamo located within a housing. The dynamo transfers an electrical charge to a wheeled miniature vehicle through an electrically conductive circuit about which the vehicle travels. Additional amusement functions of LED light output or speaker auditory output are optionally provided.

Claims

1. A toy comprising:

a housing;

a dynamo within said housing converting manual movement into an electrical charge;

a housing charge storage device located in said housing powered by operation of said dynamo;

a vehicle charge storage device storing the electrical charge generated by said dynamo;

a miniature vehicle having said vehicle charge storage device located therein and induced to locomote through receiving the electrical charge from said vehicle charge storage device;

a dock for selectively creating an electrical coupling of said vehicle to said dynamo to transfer the electrical charge and decoupling to allow said vehicle to locomote; and

a grip that facilitates steadying said housing while imparting manual energy into an armature of said dynamo.

2. The toy of claim 1 wherein said dock comprises a male electrically conductive element extending from one of said housing and said vehicle and a complementary female electrically conductive element extending from the other of said housing and said vehicle.

3. The toy of claim 1 further comprising a handle moving relative to said dynamo.

4. The toy of claim 3 wherein the handle displaces linearly relative to said dynamo.

5. The toy of claim 3 wherein the handle rotates relative to said dynamo.

6. The toy of claim 1 further comprising:

a remote control unit exerting wireless control over at least one locomotive property of said vehicle selected from the group consisting of;

speed and direction; and

a remote control antennae extending from said vehicle and receiving wireless control signals from said remote control unit to control the at least one locomotive property.

7. The toy of claim 6 wherein said remote control unit further comprises a manual control extending from said housing.

8. The toy of claim 7 wherein said manual control is a steering wheel.

9. The toy of claim 8 further comprising a throttle to control motor speed.

10. The toy of claim 1 wherein said vehicle is wheeled and locomotes through wheel revolution on ground.

11. The toy of claim 10 wherein said vehicle is a car.

12. The toy of claim 10 wherein said vehicle is a motorcycle.

13. The toy of claim 10 wherein said vehicle has more than four wheels and is configured to resemble a wheeled transport selected from the group consisting of:

a highway van, a tank, an armored personnel carrier, and an all terrain vehicle.

14. The toy of claim 1 wherein said vehicle has a prop that rotates to induce locomotion in water or through air.

15. The toy of claim 1 wherein said charge storage device is a rechargeable battery.

16. The toy of claim 1 wherein said charge storage device is an ultra-capacitor.

17. A toy comprising:

a housing;

a dynamo having a dynamo armature within said housing converting manual movement into an electrical charge;

a miniature wheeled vehicle induced to travel through receiving the electrical charge;

an electrically conductive circuit transferring the electrical charge to said vehicle via an electrically conductive fixture attached to said vehicle that is complementary to the circuit and configured to engage the circuit about which said vehicle travels; and

a throttle control on said housing controlling speed of the travel of said miniature vehicle to less than that achievable through immediate rotation of said dynamo armature by manual movement.

18. The toy of claim 17 further comprising:

a second housing;

a second dynamo within said second housing converting manual into a second electrical charge;

a second miniature vehicle induced to travel through receiving the second electrical charge, wherein said second vehicle engages a second electrically circuit tracking said electrically conductive circuit.

19. The toy of claim 17 further comprising a handle moving relative to said dynamo.

20. The toy of claim 19 wherein the handle displaces linearly relative to said dynamo.

21. The toy of claim 19 wherein the handle rotates relative to said dynamo.

22. The toy of claim 17 further comprising a grip portion to said housing.

23. The toy of claim 17 wherein said electrically conductive circuit is continuous and said miniature vehicle travels on a track forming a loop or a takeoff-landing ramp discontinuity.