WALL RACER TOY VEHICLES

• US 20170274290A1
• Filed: 06/09/2017
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leonard R Clark Jr (Leonard R Clark), Peter H. Greene Jr
• Original Assignee: Leonard R Clark Jr (Leonard R Clark)
• Inventors: Clark, JR., Leonard R., Greene, JR., Peter H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,398,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/26 Details; Accessories drive mechanisms A63H29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/262 Chassis; Wheel mountings; Wheels; Axles; Suspensions; Fitting body portions to chassis
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 37/02 by aerodynamic means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/024 specially adapted for moving on inclined or vertical surfaces endless-track vehicles for ascending or descending stairs B62D55/075; hand-carts with provision for travelling up or down stairs B62B5/02

Abstract

A motorized toy vehicle or Wall Racer that is capable of operating on vertical and inverted horizontal surfaces such as walls and ceilings, while being manufacturable at reasonable cost and operable on batteries having sufficient lifetime as to be enjoyable. One or more battery-powered fans draw air from around all or defined portions of the periphery of the chassis of the Wall Racer through a carefully-shaped duct, so that the air in the portion of the duct immediately adjacent the surface flows at high velocity and low pressure; the relatively greater pressure of the surrounding air urges the vehicle against the surface, allowing it to operate on vertical surfaces, such as walls, or inverted on horizontal surfaces, such as ceilings.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A toy vehicle comprising:

a chassis comprising an undersurface, the chassis configured to be operably coupled to at least one wheel that is configured to move on a surface;

a first power source configured to drive the at least one wheel; and

a second power source configured to drive a fan that is configured to draw air from between the undersurface and the surface, the drawing of the air by the fan inducing a downforce urging the chassis towards the surface.

22. The toy vehicle of claim 21, wherein the chassis further comprises skirts extending from at least two opposite sides of the undersurface.

23. The toy vehicle of claim 21, wherein the chassis is elongated such that a length of the chassis in a longitudinal direction is more than a length of the chassis in a latitudinal direction.

24. The toy vehicle of claim 23, wherein the skirts extend from sides of the chassis such that the skirts provide at least a partial seal between the undersurface and the surface.

25. The toy vehicle of claim 24, wherein the skirts extend from all four sides of the chassis.

26. The toy vehicle of claim 21, wherein the surface is a vertical surface.

27. The toy vehicle of claim 21, further comprising a receiver configured to receive a control signal from a transmitter communicatively coupled to the receiver via a communication network, the first power source being activated when the receiver receives the control signal from the transmitter.

28. The toy vehicle of claim 21, wherein the at least one wheel comprises two wheels disposed on at least two opposite sides of the chassis, wherein a first wheel of the two wheels is displaced longitudinally with respect to a second wheel of the two wheels.

29. A toy vehicle comprising:

a chassis comprising an undersurface, the chassis configured to be operably coupled to two wheels configured to move on a surface, the two wheels located on opposite sides of the chassis;

a first power source configured to drive the at least one wheel; and

a second power source configured to drive a fan that is configured to draw air from between the undersurface and the surface, the drawing of the air by the fan inducing a downforce urging the chassis towards the surface.

30. The toy vehicle of claim 29, wherein:

the first power source comprises two power sources that operate in response to signals from a receiver; and

the two wheels are driven differentially by the two power sources.

31. The toy vehicle of claim 29, wherein a pair of bumps on the undersurface are displaced longitudinally with respect to one another.

32. The toy vehicle of claim 31, wherein the two wheels and only one bump of the pair of bumps contacts a flat surface at any time.

33. The toy vehicle of claim 32, wherein the chassis pivots along a line connecting points where the two wheels contact the surface.

34. The toy vehicle of claim 29, wherein the fan is a radial-flow fan.

35. The toy vehicle of claim 29, wherein the air drawn by the fan from between the undersurface and the surface is free flowing air.

36. The toy vehicle of claim 29, wherein the second power source is operably coupled to a switch, the second power source being activated when the switch is activated.

37. The toy vehicle of claim 29, further comprising a battery configured to provide current as input to the first power source and the second power source.

38. The toy vehicle of claim 29, wherein an area of the undersurface is more than an area of the fan duct.

39. The toy vehicle of claim 29, wherein a pressure difference between a pressure of the air flowing into the fan when the fan is operational and a pressure of ambient air induces a force urging the chassis towards the surface.

40. A toy vehicle comprising:

a chassis comprising an undersurface, the chassis configured to be operably coupled to at least one wheel that is configured to move on a surface; and

at least one power source configured to drive the at least one wheel, the at least one power source further configured to drive a fan that is configured to draw air from a duct between the undersurface and the surface, the drawing of the air by the fan inducing a downforce urging the chassis towards the surface.

41. The toy vehicle of claim 40, wherein the fan is configured to draw the air from the duct into a fan duct.

42. The toy vehicle of claim 41, wherein the duct is structurally smooth from a location of entry of the air into the duct to another location vertically below the fan duct when the toy vehicle is placed on ground.

43. The toy vehicle of claim 41, wherein the fan duct is operably coupled to a location of the duct from where the air in the duct exits the duct.

44. The toy vehicle of claim 41, wherein the duct elongates for at least a length of the undersurface.

45. The toy vehicle of claim 41, wherein the duct is a venturi duct.