Patent Application
20140378026
The present invention relates generally to a shaper and extruder of formable material, and more particularly to a toy vehicle that receives formable material into three dimensional molds in one part of the vehicle and extrudes a molded object out another part of the vehicle. For example, a toy recycling truck receives formable material into three dimensional molds through the dumping area on the top of the truck, and the molds release the shaped object into an extruder that expels the shaped object through an opening in the back of the truck.
Children love playing with toy vehicles, and toy trucks are especially popular. Children often entertain themselves by rolling a toy truck along a playing surface, making noises that emulate a real truck and imagining themselves as part of a real-life situation involving a real truck. A child's play experience is enhanced when the toy truck performs other functions besides rolling or when the toy truck fits a certain theme. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,528 B1, issued to Doan et al., for “Remote-Controlled Toy Trash Truck”, issued Jul. 24, 2001, discloses a remote-controlled toy trash truck with a trash bin mounted on the frame member and a load-lifting arm operably connected to the frame member and capable of lifting items for placement into the trash-holding bin. Additionally, toy truck play may also involve a theme and activities unrelated to the operation of a real truck. U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,227, issued to Duffy, for “Recycling Game”, issued Nov. 22, 1994, discloses a recycling game apparatus including a toy vehicle having a plurality of bins for holding game pieces and having a card caddy thereon. A deck of cards is supported in the toy vehicle card caddy along with a plurality of game pieces with each game piece having a shape emulative of a recycling member and stored in a marked bin. The game pieces can be moved into and out of the bins in playing the game. Each card in the deck of cards has information concerning one recycling item which is emulative of at least one game piece, such as aluminum, newspaper, glass, or plastic. Each toy vehicle plurality of bins may be marked with indicia to indicate aluminum, paper, glass, plastic, or trash. The toy vehicle is used to store the game with cards and pieces as well as used in playing the game.
Another favorite activity of children is playing with modeling compounds, such as clay. Apparatus and methods of various sophistication are known for forming modeling compound materials such as the popular PLAY-DOH™ formable material, colored plastic material, Plasticine™, modeling clay or the like. Such modeling compounds and the like are used by children to form a variety of shapes, articles or artwork. Modeling compounds may be molded with tools, by hand or by molds. Additionally, extrusion and template apparatus may be used. Children typically use such apparatus to fashion modeling compounds into a wide variety of desirable shapes, for example, animals, flowers, artwork or to form fanciful designs and the like.
Certain mechanisms have been employed for shaping, forming, or molding and extruding such modeling compounds and are also known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,815, issued to Rentz et al., for “Method and Device for Simultaneously Propelling and Forming Impressions with a Flowable Material”, issued Feb. 11, 1986, discloses a toy for extruding and molding various predetermined shapes of modeling compound or the like. In the Rentz et al. apparatus, a lever moves a piston to force the modeling compound either through an extrusion mold or into a mold cavity to form the desired shapes. Pushing a modeling compound through an extrusion mold by rotating a screw-like device is also known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,066, issued to Heayes, for “Extruder for Formable Materials”, issued Aug. 5, 2003, discloses a chamber with first and second openings and an extruder received at the second opening with a die coupled to the first opening. The extruder advances longitudinally through the chamber relative to the die. Rotation of the extruder causes the chamber and contained formable compound received therein to rotate relative to the die. Advancement of the extruder forces the rotating formable compound through the die.
Shaping, forming, or molding such modeling compounds or altering the form of other shapeable substances have also been accomplished using rotors or rollers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,373, issued to Caveza et al., for “Toy Food Processor and Simulated Oven”, issued May 24, 1994, discloses a toy food grinder including a pair of parallel rollers and handle crank mechanism. The food grinder receives a brittle food material such as crackers or the like that is converted or crushed to a particulate material as the rollers are rotated and the food article is inserted between the rollers. The crushed particulate food material is accumulated on a tray and manually formed into shaped food articles. U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,192, issued to So, for “Pastry Cutter”, issued Feb. 8, 2005, discloses a rotor having a central axis and a periphery around the axis with a plurality of cutting molds individually connected to the periphery, such that generally flat cup-shaped bodies lie in an annular arrangement around the rotor with cutting rims facing outwards. Each stem has an outer end connected to the corresponding body and an inner end releasably connected to the periphery.
While there is a great variety of toy trucks and a great variety of molds and extruders for formable compounds, the prior art does not disclose an extruder housed within a toy vehicle whereby a formable compound is inserted into a first opening in the housing of the toy vehicle, and, as the vehicle moves, the formable compound is molded into a three-dimensional shape and extruded or expelled from a second opening. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a toy vehicle with structure modeling compound recycling and recirculating features, for example, a recycling truck with a bin that collects unformed formable material or pre-formed formable material, such as bottles and cans, and reforms and extrudes out the back of the truck newly molded shapes, such as fish bones, mice and insects. Thus, children will have increased enjoyment with the combination of toy vehicles and a molding extruder that is unknown in the prior art. The inventions discussed in connection with the described embodiment address these and other deficiencies of the prior art.
The features and advantages of the present inventions will be explained in or apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment considered together with the accompanying drawings.
The present inventions address the deficiencies of the prior art of toy vehicle play and the prior art of molding and extruding formable compounds such as Play-Doh™ and the like by presenting a toy truck that receives a formable compound into a mold through a first opening of the vehicle, forms a three dimensional figure with the formable compound, and extrudes the figure through a second opening of the vehicle. Thus, the excitement of toy vehicle play and playing with formable compounds will be increased.
More particularly, the present inventions include an apparatus for shaping and extruding formable material. The apparatus uses a first cylindrical roller adjacently aligned to a second cylindrical roller, each roller rotatable toward the other and having symmetrically aligned molds inset into the first cylindrical roller and the second cylindrical roller. The molds are positioned to receive and form a formable material into a three-dimensionally shaped object when rotated and fed the formable material. The molds release the object formed from the formable material in the common direction of the rotatable rollers when the symmetrically aligned molds separate during rotation. A rotatable paddle wheel having one or more paddles is aligned so that as the paddle wheel rotates, the one or more paddles are juxtaposed where the rotatable rollers separate from the symmetrically aligned molds and release the object formed from the formable material. The first cylindrical roller, the second cylindrical roller and the paddle wheel are in mechanical communication with and synchronized by a gear mechanism so that the one or more paddles extrude the object formed from the formable material in the tangential direction of the rotation of the paddle.
Described embodiments of the apparatus for shaping and extruding formable material include a housing surrounding the first cylindrical roller, the second cylindrical roller, the symmetrically aligned molds, the paddle wheel and the gear mechanism, and in some of the described embodiments, the housing is in the shape of a toy truck. The housing may have compartments for holding three-dimensional book molds for shaping the formable material. Described embodiments of the apparatus further have a chassis with one or more wheels in mechanical communication with the gear mechanism such that movement initiated in the one or more wheels causes movement in the gear mechanism, the first cylindrical roller, the second cylindrical roller, the symmetrically aligned molds and the paddle wheel. Thus, in the case of an embodiment of a toy truck, when the truck is rolled, the parts inside the housing will move.
In some described embodiments, the first cylindrical roller, the second cylindrical roller and the symmetrically aligned molds are exposable through a first opening in the top of the housing and the paddle wheel is exposed through a second opening in the back of the housing. A door covering the first opening may be used so that when the first opening is filled with the formable material and the door is closed, the formable material is pushed between the first cylindrical roller and the second cylindrical roller. Thus, when the rollers move, the molds will fill and form three dimensional objects. A bin may be rotatably connected to the housing such that it may be filled with formable material and rotated to drop the formable material into the first opening.
As a safety feature in the described embodiments, the door covering the first opening in the top of the housing is in mechanical communication with the gear mechanism such that when the door is closed and covers the first opening, the first cylindrical roller and the second cylindrical roller rotate in response to movement of the gear mechanism, and when the door is open, the first cylindrical roller and the second cylindrical roller do not rotate. In some of these embodiments, the gear mechanism has a first gear rotatably connected to the first cylindrical roller, a second gear rotatably connected to the second cylindrical roller and engaged with the first gear, a third gear rotatably connected to a wheel and aligned in the same vertical plane as the first gear and the second gear, and a fourth gear engageably situated between the second gear and the third gear. A support is attached to the fourth gear and moveably mounted to either the second cylindrical roller or the housing so that the support may be moved to engage and to disengage the fourth gear from the second gear and the third gear. A lever is pivotably mounted to the housing so that when the door is closed, the lever pivots into the support and engages the fourth gear with the second gear and the third gear, and when the door is open, the lever retreats from the support, moving the support and disengaging the fourth gear from the second gear and the third gear.
The present inventions further include a toy truck that shapes and extrudes formable material having a housing, a first opening in the housing, and a second opening in the housing. The toy truck includes a molding extruder having a molding device and an expeller. The molding device is mounted within the housing and accessible through the first opening. The molding device also has an entry that receives a formable material, a mold in communication with the entry that receives and shapes the formable material into a three-dimensional object and an exit in communication with the mold that releases the three-dimensional object. The expeller, in communication with the exit of the molding device, receives the three-dimensional object and expels it through the second opening. The toy truck may have a bin rotatably connected to the housing such that it may be filled with a formable material and rotated to drop the formable material into the first opening. The housing may have compartments for holding three-dimensional book molds for shaping the formable material.
In embodiments of the toy truck, the molding device in the molding extruder may further have a first cylindrical roller adjacently aligned to a second cylindrical roller, each roller rotatable toward the other and having symmetrically aligned molds inset into the first cylindrical roller and the second cylindrical roller. The molds are positioned to receive and form a formable material into a three-dimensionally shaped object when rotated and fed the formable material. The molds release the object formed from the formable material in the common direction of the rotatable rollers when the symmetrically aligned molds separate during rotation. The expeller in the molding extruder may further have a rotatable paddle wheel having one or more paddles. The paddle wheel is aligned so that as the paddle wheel rotates, the one or more paddles are juxtaposed where the rotatable rollers separate from the symmetrically aligned molds and release the object formed from the formable material. The first cylindrical roller, the second cylindrical roller and the paddle wheel are in mechanical communication with and synchronized by a gear mechanism so that the one or more paddles extrude the object formed from the formable material in the tangential direction of the rotation of the paddle. Embodiments of the toy truck have a chassis having one or more wheels in mechanical communication with the gear mechanism such that movement initiated in the one or more wheels moves the gear mechanism and activates the molding extruder.
In some embodiments of the toy truck, a door covering the first opening may be attached so that the door pushes formable material into the molding device upon closing. The door may also be used as a safety feature. The door covering the first opening may be in mechanical communication with the gear mechanism such that when the door is closed the gear mechanism engages the molding device and allows the molding device to mold the formable material, and, when the door is open, the gear mechanism disengages from the molding device and prevents the molding device from shaping the formable material. In some of these embodiments, the gear mechanism has a first gear rotatably connected to the molding device, a second gear rotatably connected to the molding device and engaged with the first gear, a third gear rotatably connected to a wheel and aligned in the same vertical plane as the first gear and the second gear, and a fourth gear engageably situated between the second gear and the third gear. A support is attached to the fourth gear and moveably mounted to either the molding device or the housing so that the support may be moved to engage and disengage the fourth gear from the second gear and the third gear. A lever is pivotably mounted to the housing so that when the door is closed, the lever pivots into the support and engages the fourth gear with the second gear and the third gear, and when the door is open, the lever retreats from the support and the support moves and disengages the fourth gear from the second gear and the third gear.
The present inventions also provide for a method of using a toy truck to shape and extrude formable material. The method includes aligning a first cylindrical roller adjacent to a second cylindrical roller, each roller rotatable toward the other, insetting molds into the first cylindrical roller and the second cylindrical roller, symmetrically aligning the molds to receive and form a formable material into a three-dimensionally shaped object, aligning a rotatable paddle wheel having one or more paddles so that as the paddle wheel rotates the one or more paddles are juxtaposed where the rotating rollers separate from the symmetrically aligned molds and release the object formed from the formable material, synchronizing the movement of the first cylindrical roller, the second cylindrical roller and the paddle wheel using a gear mechanism, and encasing the first cylindrical roller, the second cylindrical roller, the molds, the paddle wheel and the gear mechanism in a toy truck shaped housing with a first opening and a second opening so that the first cylindrical roller, the second cylindrical roller and the molds are exposed through the first opening and the paddle wheel is exposed through the second opening, attaching a chassis with wheels to the housing and attaching at least one of the wheels to the gear mechanism such that movement initiated in the one or more wheels causes movement in the gear mechanism, the first cylindrical roller, the second cylindrical roller, the symmetrically aligned molds and the paddle wheel, rotating the first cylindrical roller and the second cylindrical roller by rolling the toy truck, feeding formable material between the rotating rollers and forming the object in the molds, releasing the object formed from the formable material in the common direction of the rotatable rollers when the symmetrically aligned molds separate during rotation, and extruding the object formed from the formable material in the tangential direction of the rotation of the paddle. The method further includes attaching a door to the first opening, opening the door and exposing the molds, disengaging the gear mechanism, feeding formable material into the molds, closing the door, engaging the gear mechanism when the door is closed, rolling the truck, and extruding three-dimensionally shaped objects.
The inventions will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Novel features believed characteristic of the inventions are set forth in the claims. The inventions themselves, as well as the preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, are best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The described embodiment is a toy recycling truck that collects formable material, such as Play-Doh™, in a storage bin on the top of the truck, and, as the truck is rolled on a playing surface, the formable material is molded into three dimensional objects, which are extruded out of the back of the truck by a paddle wheel. The toy recycling truck has one or more compartments for book molds, which may be used to pre-mold the formable material into replicas of recyclable objects, such as bottles and cans. The truck further has a recycle bin that attaches to lift arms. The recycle bin can be filled with the pre-molded or unmolded formable material and lifted on rotating lift arms by pulling on the exhaust pipes. When the recycle bin is lifted high enough, it rotates forward toward the top of the truck and dumps the load into the truck's storage bin. A door hinged to the back of the truck is then closed, which pushes the formable material through a molding extruder. The molding extruder in the described embodiment has adjacent cylindrical rollers with symmetrically placed inset molds that rotate toward each other. As the formable material is pushed through the rotating rollers while the truck is rolling, the formable material, which may have been a bottle or a can, is reshaped into another figure, such as a fishbone, an insect or a mouse. The adjacent cylindrical rollers, the paddle wheel, and a wheel of the toy truck are connected by a gear mechanism that turns the rollers when the wheel turns during truck movement. A safety feature prevents the adjacent cylindrical rollers from turning if the truck is rolled with the door open.
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The above-described embodiment is not meant to limit the scope of the amended claims. In a more general sense regarding other embodiments of toy trucks, the amended claims present embodiments of toy trucks that extrude formable materials and have a housing, a first opening in the housing, a second opening in the housing, and a molding extruder. The molding extruder includes first, a molding device mounted within the housing and accessible through the first opening having an entry that receives a formable material, a mold in communication with the entry that receives and shapes the formable material into a three-dimensional object and an exit in communication with the mold that releases the three-dimensional object, and, second, an expeller in communication with the exit of the molding device that receives the three-dimensional object and expels it through the second opening. Thus, in the above-described embodiment of the recycling truck, the housing was shaped like a recycling truck, the first opening was the door, the second opening was the back end of the truck, and the molding extruder had the two cylindrical rollers with inset molds as the molding device and the paddle wheel as the expeller.
While the present inventions have been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been set forth in considerable detail, it is intended that the scope of the inventions be defined by the appended claims. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications to the foregoing preferred embodiments may be made in various aspects. It is deemed that the spirit and scope of the inventions encompass such variations to be preferred embodiments as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and familiar with the teachings of the present application.
