Patent Application
20070066180
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a novelty rocket powered toy vehicle having a removable rocket engine. More particularly, it concerns a relatively inexpensive toy and a replaceable rocket engine which, when mounted, extends from the vehicle to avoid burning the toy, permits easy installation and removal, and provides dual rocket motors with substantially centerline thrust fusably ignitable to provide side-by-side thrusting of the toy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toy vehicles of various types are well known to those skilled in the art which have a variety of propulsion systems. Such propulsion systems include gasoline or electric motors which are relatively expensive and include remote control mechanisms. On the lower end of the cost scale, novelty products have been developed within the fireworks industry which are self-contained, disposable items made of paper or the like and classified as consumer fireworks. Between the controllable gasoline and electric, toy vehicles on the one end, and the small disposable toy vehicles commonly made of paper or the like is a fairly large distinction in technology, reliability and consumer interest. Accordingly, there has developed a need for a simple and economical, yet fairly reliable and entertaining, rocket-powered vehicle, and particularly one which may be powered by consumer class fireworks rocket motors.
This object and others has largely been met by the novelty rocket powered toy vehicle of the present invention. That is to say, the toy vehicle hereof is simple and straightforward in design, while providing an ability to removably receive rocket motors so that spent motors can be discarded and replaced in the vehicle, and not requiring sophisticated ignition systems.
Broadly speaking, the present invention includes a toy vehicle having wheels which are not themselves powered but mounted for rotation relative to a vehicle body, with the body having a cavity configured to removably mount a rocket motor having an ignitable fuse. The cavity is positioned and oriented along the centerline of the vehicle body to provide substantially centerline thrust. The cavity is also configured and positioned to complementally receive the rocket motor only partially therein, such that a portion of the rocket motor extends outside the cavity.
More preferably, the rocket motor may be provided with side-by-side thruster units. The, thruster units may be connected by a coupler to hold them in substantial alignment and facilitate mounting and removal from the toy vehicle, as well as further insulate the heat at the ends of the thruster units from the user. Most advantageously, the coupler includes a pair of openings aligned with the open ends of the thruster units to thereby serve as nozzles to direct the burning gasses rearward, and a center port for permitting the passage of an ignitable fuse therethrough. Moreover, the rocket motor preferably includes a single fuse for ignition but which is oriented to ignitably interconnect the thruster units for ignition in common and, to the extent practical, substantially simultaneous ignition. The fuse is most preferably carried by the coupler and need not extend into the interior of the thruster units, but rather is located sufficiently proximate propellant at the open end of the thruster unit to provide ignition to the propellant.
The novelty vehicle advantageously provides a plurality of coupled, side-by-side thruster units whereby if one thruster unit fails to ignite, ignition of the second thruster unit maintains entertainment value. Moreover, by providing the propellant in separate thruster units, the hazards associated with ignition of a larger common charge are avoided. The cavity of the vehicle body provides sufficient stability to the rocket motor alignment so that the rocket motor does not significantly shift, and the coupler directs the thrust rearwardly away from the vehicle body to avoid damage caused by heat. By using consumer class fireworks rocket motors, the novelty vehicle can be repeatedly used without significant expense or difficulty in operation.
These and other advantages will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the drawings and description which follow.
Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, a novelty rocket powered toy vehicle 10 in accordance with the present invention broadly includes a vehicle body 12, a plurality of road wheels 14 rotatably mounted to the vehicle body for permitting the toy vehicle 10 to roll atop a supporting surface 16, and a rocket motor 18. The rocket motor 18 is configured to be removably mounted to, and extend rearwardly from the vehicle body 12, so that it may propel the toy vehicle along a supporting surface and; upon completed combustion of the solid fuel rocket motor 18, the rocket motor 18 may be replaced by another, substitute rocket motor 18 for rapid reuse without the need for tools.
In greater detail, the vehicle body 12 is preferably molded of plastic material and may be provided in separate component parts, such as an upper shell 20 and a lower chassis 22. The shell 20 may be glued, snap-fitted or attached using screws or other threaded fasteners to assemble the vehicle body. The vehicle body 12 has a forward end 24 and a rearward end 26, and a longitudinal axis A which extends from the forward end 24 to the rearward end 26 along the centerline of the toy vehicle 10, centered between the road wheels 14. The longitudinal axis A substantially defines, or is at least substantially parallel to, the intended direction of travel of the toy vehicle 10. The vehicle body 12 also includes a left side 28 and a right side 30. The vehicle body 12 defines an opening 32 at the rearward end 26 thereof, and further defines a chamber 34 extending forwardly therefrom. The vehicle body 12 surrounds and defines the chamber, which is of a shape complemental to the rocket motor 18 to resist transverse, i.e. side-to-side movement, of the rocket motor 18 when inserted into the chamber 34. A stop member 36, such as a wall, is a part of the vehicle body 12 located forward of the opening 32.
The road wheels 14 are located outboard of the longitudinal axis A and preferably proximate the left side and right side of the vehicle body. The road wheels 14 are carried by axles 38, shown in phantom lines in
The rocket motor 18 is provided as a consumer fireworks item, also known as a class C firework in accordance with guidelines established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Each rocket motor 18 includes at least first thruster unit 46 and a second thruster unit 48, which are positioned in side-by-side relationship, and preferably a coupling member 50 for holding the two thruster units together. The thruster units 46 and 48 each include a casing 52 which includes a circumscribing casing wall 54, a normally forwardly oriented closed end 56, and a normally rearwardly oriented discharge outlet 58. Each thruster unit also includes a propellant charge 60 positioned within the casing 52 and extending rearwardly to communicate with the discharge outlet 58 forpermitting ignition of the propellant charge 60 by an external fuse 62. The propellant charge 60 is preferably a conventional black powder, potassium perchlorate, sodium salicylante, sodium benzoate, and combinations thereof, or equivalent rapidly burning or explosive material commonly used in consumer fireworks as noted above, and the propellant charge for each of the thruster units 46 and 48 is 250 grams or less, for a total propellant weight of the rocket motor 18 to 500 grams or less to limit the potential thrust and to ensure that the rocket motor 18 is considered a class C or consumer fireworks item. More preferably, the propellant charge 60 may be about 2 grams or less in weight for each of the thruster units 46 and 48, and most preferably the propellant charge 60 of each of the thruster units is about 1.81 grams, of which 0.01 gram is black powder or its equivalent material for encouraging initial ignition, and 1.8 gram is a whistle effect which in addition to providing an audible whistle when ignited, also provides a propulsive effect as part ofthe propellant. The whistle effect component may be, for example, potassium perchlorate about 70% by weight and potassium benzoate about 30% by weight.
The coupling member 50 is preferably molded of synthetic resin material, is mounted over the discharge outlet 58 of each ofthe thruster units 46 and 48, and extends rearwardly therefrom. The coupling member 50 may be glued using a suitable adhesive to the casing 52 of each thruster unit 46 and 48 so that the rocket motor 18 is a unitary, one-piece member in use. The coupling member 50 may be wrapped in paper which may be printed to provide any information desired to be conveyed to the user, such as, for example, a message in the nature of “insert it into the car” or the like. The coupling member 50 is provided with an open front end 64 into which the thruster units 46 and 48 are inserted, a circumscribing belt-portion 66 which may include an, axially extending ridge 68 extending inwardly into the coupling member for snugly receiving the thruster units, and a back end 70. The back end 70 includes a pair of nozzle openings 72 and 74 which are aligned with the discharge outlets 58 of the thruster units 46 and 48.
As may be seen in
One of the benefits of the toy vehicle 10 of the present invention is, in addition to its relatively inexpensive construction, its ease of use. The rocket motor 18 is inserted into the chamber 34. When fully inserted, the casings 52 of the thruster units pass through the opening 32 and are partially received in the chamber 34, so that the closed end 56 of each of the thruster units 46 and 48 lies in engagement with the stop member 36 of the vehicle body 12. In this fully inserted condition, illustrated in
The toy vehicle is then placed on the supporting surface. The fuse 62 is then lit, and as the burning fuse reaches the discharge outlets 58 of each of the side-by-side thruster units 46 and 48 ignite substantially simultaneously because the fuse 62 enters the passage substantially at the center and then, because the fuse is oriented to one side and then back to the other, the burning of the fuse 62 splits into two directions to reach each of the discharge outlets 58, and thus the propellant charge 60 for each thruster unit 46 and 48, at substantially the same time. This provides for substantially simultaneous side-by-side thrusting of each of the thruster units so that the toy vehicle 10 is thereby propelled in the desired forward direction, rather than experiencing significant thrust moment off the centerline longitudinal axis A of the vehicle. Even if only one of the thruster units 46 and 48 successfully ignites, the toy vehicle is still propelled, and most preferably the inclusion of the whistle effect as part of the propellant charge provides an entertaining audible whistle as the propellant charge burns. The arrangement of the thruster units in side-by-side relationship permits the thrust to remain substantially along the centerline, to provide inexpensive substantially simultaneous ignition of the thruster units, and to minimize the amount of propellant charge in either thruster unit while obtaining sufficient propulsion power to provide amusement. All of these factors contribute to greater enjoyment to the user in an economical toy vehicle. When the guide wheels 40 are provided as shown in the preferred embodiment, the guide wheels 40 help to turn the toy vehicle 10 should it impact an object during its travel, thereby reducing damage. Reuse of the toy vehicle 10 is thereby economically provided by simply pulling the exhausted rocket motor 18 after use, and substituting a new rocket motor 18. This may be readily done because no tools are necessary to pull the exhausted motor from the chamber 34 and insert a new rocket motor in its place, although tongs or the like may be employed to replace hot rocket motors 18 immediately after use. The close, snug fitting of the rocket motor in the chamber 34 further helps to maintain the direction of the thrust, as does the nozzle openings in the coupling member 50. The rocket motor 18 is thus designed to be relatively inexpensive, easy to ignite, and readily replaceable to provide economy of use.
Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, it is to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
The inventor hereby states his intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of his invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.
