Wheeled action toy having rocking motion

Feb. 1, 1966

W. P. DOE

3,232,003

WHEELED ACTION TOY HAVING ROCKING MOTION

Filed Feb. 27, 1963

Sheets-Sheet 1

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FIG. 2

INVENTOR.

WALTER R DOE

BY

ATTORNEYS

Feb. 1, 1966 w. _P. _DOE 3,232,003

WHEELED ACTION TOY HAVING ROCKING MOTION Filed Feb. 27, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

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3,232,003

Patented Feb. 1, 1966

United States Patent Office

232 003 WHEELED ACTION TOY HAVING ROCKING MOTION

Walter P. Doe, East Aurora, N.Y., assignor to FisherPrice Toys, Inc., East Aurora, N.Y., a corporation of ⁰New York '

Filed Feb. 27,1963, Ser. No. 261,344

Claims. (Cl. 46—99)

This invention relates to an action toy. More particu- jq larly, the invention relates to an animated trundle toy.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel, attractive, action toy. A related object of the invention is to provide a toy of the character described that is particularly suitable for children in the age group between 15 about 1 year old and about 4 years old.

Another object of the invention is to provide an action toy for young children that is structurally simple and rugged, to withstand rough handling, and that can be manufactured by simple, inexpensive manufacturing 20 processes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an action toy for young children that embodies an unusual combination of animation and sound effects that will attract and hold the attention and interest of young children. 25

Still another object of the invention is to provide an animated action toy of the pull type, that is unusual in appearance and in performance, that will quickly develop and hold the interest of young children, but that is characterized by simplicity of construction and particularly 30 by simple mechanical means for producing the animation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel action toy that is constructed from a small number of parts that can be fabricated and assembled relatively inexpensively, by modern mass production techniques, so 35 that the manufacturing cost can be kept at a low level.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a toy of the character described that has a durable construction and that does not have sharp or other potentially dangerous parts exposed. 40

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims. To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the 45 novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an action toy that is constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation thereof;

FIG. 3 is primarily a section taken on the line 3—3 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, but also showing a fragmentary section along a different, lengthwise-extending plane, to show the manner in which the simulated exhaust pipe structure is arranged;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the toy in one of its extreme positions, and showing in dotted lines the opposite extreme position.

Referring now in detail to the drawings by numerals of reference, the numeral 10 denotes generally an elongate block that is shaped generally to resemble a farm tractor, and that is appropriately painted to the same end. This block is formed with a pair of lengthwise-extending, downwardly depending arms 11, 12, respectively, providing a lengthwise-extending channel 14, therebetween. These arms 11, 12, are formed, adjacent the front end of the block, with opposed openings within which a squaresection shaft 15 is journalled. A pair of small wooden wheels 16, 17, are secured to the opposite ends of this shaft respectively, to support the front end of the block 10 for wheeled movement over a support surface.

A toothed wheel 18 is secured on the shaft 15 in the channel 14, intermediate the arms 11 and 12, for rotation upon rotation of the shaft. The wheel 18 is formed with a pair of radially projecting teeth 19 that are angularly spaced from each other by an angle that is greater than 90° and less than 180°.

The block 10 is formed with an upwardly-extending, generally cylindrical bore 20 (FIG. 3), whose axis is generally upright and in the longitudinal center plane of the block 10. The block 10 is also formed with a lengthwiseextending recess 23 in the upper face of the channel 14. The bore 20 intersects the channel 14 and the recess 23, and it is formed with an extension 21 of reduced diameter, thereby providing a shoulder 22 upon which a stiff, thin, cardboard diaphragm 24 is seated.

A pin or nail 25 is disposed to extend between the arms 11 and 12, across the channel 14, rearwardly of the bore 20. One end 26 of a spring, that is generally indicated by the numeral 27, is secured around the nail 25. The spring 27 is formed with a short, upwardly and rearwardly inclined segment 28. The spring is then reversely bent upon itself and has a forwardly extending part 29 that is engaged in the recess 23, and that is bent downwardly, then upwardly, then downwardly, to provide a sharply curved portion 30 that is resiliently engaged against the lower face of the diaphragm 24. The spring 27 also has a forwardly projecting free end 31 that is disposed to be engaged by the teeth 19 of the wheel 18 successively, upon rotation of the wheel.

At the front end of the block 10, a drawstring 34 is secured to the block by a staple 35, to permit the toy to be pulled along.

The block 10 is also formed with a bore 36 that is directed downwardly from its upper face, slightly offset from the longitudinal center plane of the block. A tubular section of a rod 37 of a flexible plastic material such as, for example, polyvinyl chloride, is disposed with its lower end engaged in the bore 36 and its upper end projecting from the bore, above the block, to simulate the exhaust pipe of a tractor. The plastic rod 37 is secured in place by a nail 40 that is driven through the side of the block 10.

A second block 41, that is shaped and painted to resemble the body of a farmer driving the tractor, is secured to the tractor block 10 by a large nail 42 that is passed through a bore 44 in the farmer block. This bore 44 is formed with a diameter larger than the diameter of the 50 shank of the nail 42, to permit the farmer block 41 to undergo pivotal movement about the nail 42, but to prevent separation of the two blocks.

The farmer block 41 is formed,, in its forward face, with a transversely extending channel 45 that is generally ⁵⁵ rectangular in section, and whose mouth confronts the rear face of the tractor block 10. A shaft 46 is mounted in this channel. The shaft 46 is formed at its opposite ends with oppositely directed crank arms 50, 51, respectively. A pair of balloon type wheels 52, 54, are secured ⁶⁰ on the opposite ends of the crank arms 50, 51, respec. tively, to rotate the shaft .46, and to rock back and forth both the shaft 46 and the farmer block 41, upon rotation of the wheels.

The farmer block 41 is also formed in its front face 65 with a generally cylindrical bore 56. A nail 57 is driven into the front block 10 a short distance, so that its head projects into the bore 56. The diameter of the bore 56 is selected to cooperate with the projecting head of the nail 57, to limit the angular movement between, the farmer 70 block 41 and the tractor block 10, so that when the toy is lifted from a support surface, these two parts do not rotate freely relative to one another.

1,233,003

An assembly that is denoted generally by the numeral 58 represents the farmer’s head. This assembly 58 includes a rounded head piece 60 that is mounted for pivotal movement about a nail 61 that projects generally upwardly from the top surface of the block 41. The head piece 60 has a flat lower surface 62 and a flat upper surface 64 that is substantially in parallelism with the lower surface. The head piece 60 is formed with a generally upright bore 65, that has a diameter larger than the diameter of the shank of the nail 61, to permit the head piece to rotate freely about the shank of the nail 61. The head piece is also formed with a counterbore 66, that communicates with the bore 65, and that extends downwardly into the head piece from its upper surface 64. The diameter of the counterbore 66 is slightly greater than the diameter of the head 67 of the nail, to permit freedom of movement of the head of the nail within the counterbore.

A circular piece 68 of stiff cloth is disposed over the upper surface 64 of the head piece, and a generally conical member 79, that is formed and painted to simulate the crown of a hat, is secured to the head piece 60 by a nail 71 that penetrates through the conical hat member 70, the cloth 68, and into the center of the head piece.

The proportions of these parts are arranged so that the head 67 of the nail 61 engages against the lower surface of the cloth 68, which is backed up by the lower surface of the conical hat member 70, to support the weight of the head assembly 58, to hold the lower surface 62 of the head piece to above the upper surface of the farmer block 41.

The wheels 52, 54, are constructed in the same way and are substantially identical with each other in structure, both simulating oversize balloon tires in appearance.

In operation of a pull toy that is constructed in accordance with this invention, the pull string 34 is grasped and a forward force on the string pulls the toy over the floor, causing the front and back wheels to rotate. As the front wheels rotate, the toothed wheel 18 is rotated, so that the teeth 19 successively engage against the end of the spring 27, to cause the sharply curved portion 30 of the spring to make successive impacts against the diaphragm 24. These impacts are irregularly spaced from each other because of the arrangement of the teeth on the wheel. The beat produced by these impacts is amplified by the bore 21 behind the diaphragm, which serves as a resonance chamber. The sound effect produced is that of a roarroar, and may be very similar to the noise of a small tractor motor having a small number of cylinders.

As the back wheels are rotated, the shaft 46 is rocked by the action of the opposed crank arms 50, 51, as shown in FIG. 4, first in one direction transverse to the line of travel of the toy, and then in the other. The rocking action of the shaft causes the block 41, representing the body of the farmer or tractor driver, to rock back and forth, between the two limit positions illustrated in FIG. 4.

As the block 41 rocks back and forth, the eccentric mounting of the head assembly, on the pivot nail 61, causes it to undergo an irregular motion as it swings freely about the nail 61, from side to side, with a somewhat ludicrous effect.

If the toy is lifted from the floor and the block 41 is permitted to swing freely about its pivot nail 42, the projecting head of the nail 57, engaging in the bore 56, limits the angular movement of the block 41.

The blocks that form the engine part of the toy, the driver’s body, and the driver’s head, are preferably constructed from wood, and are finished with rounded corners and edges, to permit the safe use of the toy by a young child. Moreover, all of the mechanisms are concealed for the same reason. The toy is designed to aid the mental and physical development of a preschool child by inducing the child to walk in order to operate the toy, to amuse the child by its action, and to educate the child in elementary motion and mechanical concepts by its construction and operation. At the same time, the toy is one that can be mass produced from readily available materials, using simple mass production processes, and a relatively small number of parts.

While the invention has been described herein by reference to the details of a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that such disclosure is intended in an illustrative rather than in a limiting sense, and it is contemplated that various modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts will readily occur to those skilled in the art, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.