FRONTALLY RAISEABLE VEHICLES AMUSEMENT APPARATUS

• US 3,722,884 A
• Filed: 09/29/1971
• Issued: 03/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Richard L. Brown
• Original Assignee: Richard L. Brown
• Inventors: Brown, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro, Paul E.
• Application Number:
  US05/184,813
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 273/1E,1M
• US Class Current: 273/442
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/16 creating illusions of travel
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/058 for teaching control of cycles or motorcycles

Abstract

There is provided amusement apparatus comprising a miniature simulated vehicle positioned within an upright hollow housing, and remotely controllable by a rearwardly externally positioned operator, the apparatus vehicle simulating the front-end raising or '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'wheelie'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' effect of a typical land-vehicle as it might rapidly traverse inclined or uneven terrain whereby pronounced vertical accelerations are subjectable thereto (and especially evident at the land-vehicle'"'"''"'"'s forward-portion). The amusement apparatus also preferably includes a simulated-terrain drum located within the housing frame, means a drive wheel on the the vehicle frictionally engaging the drum for causing relative longitudinal velocity between the simulated-terrain and vehicle, protuberences on the drum extending between the vehicle and the simulated-terrain for vertically upwardly accelerating the vehicle such that the forward-portion thereof pivots upwardly, or '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'wheelies,'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' about its rearward-portion, and operator remote control steering linkage to steer the vehicle around the protuberances or preventing, or at least minimizing, vertical accelerations to the vehicle forward-portion, and a cable for rehabilitating an immobilized upended vehicle.

Claims

1. An amusement apparatus simulating the raising effect upon the forward-portion of a typical forwardly traverseable land-vehicle as a said land-vehicle is thereby subjected to vectorially vertical acceleration forces relative to underlying terrain, said amusement apparatus comprising:

A. An upright hollow housing as a frame for the apparatus and including a rearward part with a light transmissive opening therethrough whereby an operator positioned immediately rearwardly of the housing might have a view forwardly into the housing interior;

B. A simulated-terrain located within said housing and viewable through the said rearward part opening, said simulated-terrain extending in longitudinal direction generally forwardly of the housing open rearward part;

C. A surface vehicle and including along the lengthwise-axis thereof a vehicle forward-portion and an integrally connected rearward-portion that intersects a transversely extending rearaxis, saiD vehicle having relative to the longitudinal direction of the simulated-terrain a relatively stable normalcondition wherein the vehicle lengthwise-axis extends in the simulated-terrain longitudinal direction and wherein the vehicle forward-portion is at a relatively low normal firststation, said vehicle commencing at the said first-station being upwardly and rearwardly pivotable, axially with respect to the vehicle'"'"''"'"'s rear-axis, whereby the vehicle is capable of performing a frontally raiseable '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'wheelie;

'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' D. Means for causing longitudinally extending relative velocity between the vehicle and the underlying simulated-terrain; and

E. Means operatively extending between the vehicle and the simulated-terrain for accelerating the vehicle-forward-portion vertically away from the first-station thereof, said vehicle forward-portion vertical acceleration means being remotely controllable by the apparatus operator from the housing rearward part.

2. The frontally raiseable vehicle amusement apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hollow housing frame includes an upright rear-panel as the rearward part thereof;

wherein the simulated-terrain is an inclined slope extending in longitudinal direction generally upwardly and forwardly with respect to the housing rear-panel;

wherein the vehicle lengthwise-axis at vehicle normal-condition extends generally forwardly and upwardly with respect to the housing upright rear-panel and wherein the vehicle center-of-gravity is located forwardly of the rear-axis thereof;

wherein the vehicle at the transversely extending rear-axis thereof is pivotably associated with respect to the housing; and

wherein the vertical acceleration means operatively extending between the simulated-terrain inclined slope and the vehicle includes slope-to-vehicle vertical acceleration means.

3. The frontally raiseable vehicle amusement apparatus of claim 2 wherein the vehicle-to-slope vertical acceleration means comprises at least one pronounced upward protuberance on the inclined slope, the vehicle forward-portion being of a depending configuration and adapted to abuttably collide with said slope protuberance;

and wherein there are steering control means at the housing rear-panel and operatively extending therefrom to the surface vehicle whereby the operator can transversely steer the vehicle to avoid collision between a said slope protuberance and the vehicle depending forward-portion.

4. The frontally raiseable vehicle amusement apparatus of claim 2 wherein the vehicle comprises at least one rearward drive-wheel that revolvably surrounds said rear-axis and that is firmly abuttable against said inclined slope;

powering means to cause said rearward drive-wheel to rotate about the vehicle rear-axis and within a selectable continuum of angular velocities, higher torques thereby applied to the drive-wheel while rotatably abutting the slope providing a vehicle-to-slope vertical acceleration means sufficient to raise the vehicle forward-portion away from the normal first-station thereof; and

means at the housing rear-panel to permit the operator to selectively continuously vary the angular speed of the drive-wheel through the powering means.

5. The amusement apparatus of claim 4 wherein there is within the hollow housing a generally cylindrical drum revolvable about a transversely extending drum-axis, the forward-upper portions of said drum providing the longitudinally extending simulated inclined slope;

wherein the powering means for the rearward drive-wheel comprises an electric motor carried by said surface vehicle; and

wherein the rearward drive-wheel frictionally abuts the revolvable drum whereby said drum and drive-wheel rotate in opposite angular directions to provide the longitudinal relative velocity between the vehicle and the drum type slope.

6. The amusement apparatus of claim 5 wherein the revolvable drum includes at least one pronounced upward protuberance, the vehicle forward-portion being of a depending configuration and being adapted at thE vehicle normal-condition to abuttably collide with a said drum protuberance;

and wherein there are means at the housing rear-panel and manupulatable independently of the drive-wheel controlling velocity means to transversely steer the vehicle away from the said at least one drum protuberance.

7. The amusement apparatus of claim 6 wherein the vehicle is a simulated motorcycle having a depending front-tire as the depending forward-portion thereof and having single rearward drive-wheel revolvably surrounding the vehicle rear-axis;

wherein the means for pivotably associating the vehicle with respect to the housing includes an elongated parallelogram linkage attached to the housing rear-panel and extending forwardly and upwardly therefrom and pivotable connected to the vehicle on opposite transverse sides of the rearward drive-wheel, rearward portions of said parallelogram linkage being connected to the steering control means; and

wherein there are means for automatically extinguishing the relative longitudinal velocity between the vehicle at an upended-condition thereof and the drum type slope and comprising an on-off type switch that is deactuated from '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'on'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' to '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'off'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' as the upwardly-rearwardly pivotal vehicle attains the upended-condition, said on-off switch means being attached to one of the elongate arms of said parallelogram linkage, together with an elongate spring connected to the vehicle rearward-portion and extending rearwardly-downwardly therefrom to the said on-off switch means.

8. The amusement apparatus of claim 2 wherein the said pivotably supported vehicle has at least two stable conditions including, in addition to the said normal-condition, an upended-condition wherein the forward-portion is at a second-station that is rearwardly and upwardly withdrawn from the lower first-station and wherein the vehicle'"'"''"'"'s center-of-gravity is located rearwardly of the vehicle rear-axis;

means for automatically extinguishing the longitudinal relative velocity between the vehicle and the inclined slope as the vehicle has moved from normal-condition to upended-condition; and

wherein there are means at the housing rear-panel to permit the external operator to restore the vehicle from upended-condition to normal-condition and to then reinstate a longitudinal relative velocity between the vehicle and the inclined slope.

9. The amusement apparatus of claim 8 wherein the vehicle rear-axis is of substantially constant elevation;

wherein the hollow housing has therewithin a generally cylindrical drum that is revolvable about a transversely extending drum-axis, upper-rearward portions of said drum providing the longitudinally extending simulated inclined slope whereby said revolvable drum also comprises the longitudinal relative velocity means between the vehicle and the drum type simulated inclined slope; and

wherein the means for automatically extinguishing the longitudinal relative velocity between the vehicle at upended-condition and the drum type inclined slope comprises an on-off type switch being deactuated from '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'on'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' to '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'off'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' as the upwardly-rearwardly pivotable vehicle attains the upended-condition, said on-off switch at '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'off'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' condition ultimately disabling the drum from rotating about the transversely extending drum-axis.

10. The amusement apparatus of claim 9 wherein the vehicle comprises at least one rearward drive-wheel that revolvably surrounds said rear-axis and that is firmly frictionally abuttable against said revolvable drum;

an electric motor carried by said vehicle and actuatably connected to the rearward drive-wheel to cause said drive-wheel to rotate about the vehicle rear-axis thereby providing together with the frictionally engaged drum both the longitudinal relative velocity means between the vehicle and the drum type inclined slope and also a vehicle-to-slope vertical acceleration means at higher drive-wheel torques sufficient to provide a vehicle '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'wheelie.'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'

11. An amusement apparatus simulating the raising efFect upon the forward-portion of a typical forwardly traverseable land-vehicle as a said land-vehicle is thereby subjected to vectorially vertical accelerations relative to the underlying terrain, said amusement apparatus comprising:

A. A frame member including a rearward part thereof;

B. A longitudinally forwardly and upwardly extending simulated-terrain attached to said frame member;

C. A surface vehicle and including along the lengthwise-axis thereof a vehicle forward-portion and an integrally connected rearward-portion that intersects a transversely extending rear-axis, said vehicle having relative to the longitudinally extending direction of the simulated-terrain a normal-condition wherein the vehicle lengthwise-axis extends in the simulated-terrain longitudinal direction and wherein the vehicle forward-portion is at a relatively low normal first-station, said vehicle commencing at the first-station thereof being upwardly and rearwardly pivotable axially with respect to the vehicle'"'"''"'"'s rear-axis whereby the vehicle is capable of performing a frontally raiseable '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'wheelie;

'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' D. Means for causing longitudinally extending relative velocity between the vehicle and the underlying simulated terrain; and

means for automatically extinguishing the said vehicle to terrain relative velocity as said vehicle attains an upended-condition; and

E. Means operatively extending between the vehicle and the underlying simulated-terrain for accelerating the vehicle forward-portion vertically away from the first-station thereof, said forward-portion vertical acceleration means being remotely controllable by an apparatus operator located rearwardly of said frame.