Smoke generator

Oct. 10, 1961

3,003,279

J. L. BONANNO

SMOKE GENERATOR

Filed May 14, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

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Oct. 10, 1961

3,003,279

J. L. BONANNO

SMOKE GENERATOR

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3,003,279

Patented Oct. 10, 1961

United States Patent Office extending clamping portion 28 having slots 30 and 32 ' through which is positioned bolts 34 and 36 which are secured to a bracket 38 affixed to the locomotive 10.

The smoke generator 26 has an upper shallow depth 5 three-quarter cylindrical chamber 40 above the lower cylindrical chamber 24. The remaining quarter cylindrical portion formed over the cylindrical portion 24 includes an air passage 42 having an opening 44 in communication with the lower cylindrical portion 24. Recip10 rocation of the cup-shaped piston member 22 within the lower cylindrical portion 24 alternately directs air up: wardly into the passage 42 and back downwardly into the lower cylindrical chamber 24.

The passage 42 is in communication with a downwardly 15 extending side passage 46 which is coextensive with the elongation of the entire cylindrical section including the upper cylindrical portions 40 and 42 and the lower cylindrical chamber 24. The passage 46 connects to a similarly elongated laterally adjacent heating passage 48 20 through a small rectangular opening 50 formed in a baffle wall 52.

i&lt; In accordance with the invention a cylindrical electric resistance heating element 54 is positioned within the heating passage 48. The walls of the heating passage 48 25 are covered by a heat reflective metallic member 56 to maintain the heating passage 48 at high temperatures, and to afford better heat transfer to air passing therethrough. The upper portion of the heating passage 48 is in communication with the three-quarter cylindrical chamber ⁴θ· The heating element 54 includes a wick portion 55 at the bottom end made of fibrous material.

A cover member generally designated 58 includes a block-shaped upper housing 60 which fits over the heating passage 48 and is provided with an opening through 35 which a wire connection 62 for the heater 54 extends. An opposite terminal 64 extends below the baffle wall 52 and upwardly through the passage 46 through the cover member 58. The terminal 64 is grounded on the bracket 38 and is continued, along with the wire 62, to 40 metal terminal clips 66 and 68 respectively. The clips 66 and 68 are positioned within a terminal housing 70 located at one end of the smoke generator 26.

The cover member 58 also includes a baffle protuberance 72 positioned above the aperture 44 to direct air 45 pushed upwardly from the cylindrical chamber 24 through the aperture 44 in a direction toward the passage 46. The cover member 58 also includes an elongated cylindrical stack or flue 74, the interior of which is in communication with the three-quarter cylindrical passage 40.

The terminal clips 66 and 68 are connected to the same electrical power source used to drive the locomotive. A drop of liquid 76 of smoke producing material such as oil, is dropped through the flue 74. The liquid will flow along a sloping wall 78 separating the three55 quarter cylindrical chamber 40 from the lower cylindrical chamber 24. Air heated in the heating passage 48 by the heater 54 will be directed back and forth through the passages by reciprocation of the piston member 22 in the lower cylinder 24. The liquid smoke producing 60 substance will flow down the sloping wall 78 and be collected in the heating passage 48 and in a chamber 80 formed between the walls of the lower cylinder 24 and a short metallic wall 82 forming a portion of the metallic member 56. The wick portion 55 of the heating element 65 54 will be saturated with the liquid and vaporization and smoking will occur.

Air flow caused by the movement of the piston 22 upwardly, is indicated by the arrows in the drawings.

Air will flow from the lower cylinder 24 to the opening

44 downwardly through the passage 46 and under the baffle wall 52 and thence upwardly in the heating passage over the wick saturated with the liquid and over the

3,003,279 SMOKE GENERATOR

Joseph L. Bonanno, South Orange, NJ., assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York

Filed May 14,1958, Ser. No. 735,251 4 Claims. (Cl. 46—9)

This invention relates in general to toys and particularly to a new and useful apparatus for effecting the emission of puffs of smoke from such toys.

The present invention is similar to that disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 2,658,303 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The present invention is an improvement thereover, particularly in respect to the air heating chamber construction and improved baffling for effecting heated air flow over a smoke producing droplet saturated wick to effect the emission of puffs of smoke. A feature of the present construction is the formation and location of a vertically elongated heating chamber which permits efficient air heating for smoke generation purposes by a relatively low resistance heating unit and which can be operated from the same electric power which operates the toy.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved smoke generator for toys including a baffled air passage flow and a vertically elongated heating compartment.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved smoke generator for a toy which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification, For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical, longitudinal sectional view through the front portion of a toy locomotive and a smoke generator constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the smoke generator constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3—3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4—4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5—5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6—6 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings in particular the invention as embodied therein includes a locomotive indicated partially in phantom and generally designated 10. The locomotive includes a pair of driving wheels 12, 12 (one of which is shown) rotatably mounted on a shaft 14 which carries a cam 16 affixed thereto and adapted to engage a bent lever 18 pivotally anchored at its one end to the locomotive as indicated at 20.

In accordance with the invention an inverted cup-shaped piston member 22 is positioned over the upper end of the bent lever 18 for reciprocation within a lower cylindrical chamber 24 of a smoke generator generally designated 26. Rotation of the shaft 14 and the cam 16 is effective to shift the bent lever and the piston member 22 from the full line position to the dotted line position indicated in FIG. 1.

The smoke generator 26 is provided with a laterally

3,003,370 sloping wall 78 and up through the flue 74. Once the liquid has vaporized sufficiently due to heat from the heating element 54, the liquid will begin to give off smoke and movement of the air thereover will be in spurts causing puffs of smoke to be emitted from the flue 74.

The invention provides a very efficient and inexpensive apparatus for the generation of smoke puffs for toys. The invention finds particular application for use with a toy locomotive and the heating requirements are such that the low power electrical power system used for the locomotive is satisfactory to generate the smoke. The construction of the heater permits continued operation without contamination or clogging of the parts and the heat transfer is excellent and localized so that it does not cause a heating problem within the locomotive.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.