Patent Application
20190262734
The present invention relates generally to toy vehicle accessories, and in particular toy vehicle accessories for launching or propelling a toy vehicle.
Toy vehicles that are able to roll across a floor, track, or other surface have been a constant source of fun and entertainment for children. A child commonly plays with these toy vehicles by moving the vehicle along a surface or propelling the vehicle forward with the momentum generated from pushing and subsequently releasing the vehicle.
Toy vehicle launchers have been created that allow a child to propel or launch a toy vehicle more easily and/or at a greater velocity. Generally, a child loads a toy vehicle in the launcher and then activates the launcher to propel the vehicle. In one example, the child pushes a button on the launcher that allows a spring or biasing member to propel the vehicle. In another example, the child provides a force (such as depressing or smashing a lever) that the launcher translates to a propulsion force that launches the vehicle. Launching multiple toy vehicles with such launchers typically require the repeated action of loading a vehicle into the launcher and then activating the launcher to propel the loaded vehicle. Thus, it is difficult for a child to launch multiple vehicles in rapid succession, for instance when the child desires to have multiple toy vehicles race on the same track.
Therefore, there is a need for a toy vehicle launcher that allows a user to easily load and launch toy vehicles. Furthermore, there is a need for a toy vehicle launcher that can launch multiple toy vehicles in rapid succession. Additionally, it is desirable that the toy vehicle launcher can be continuously loaded with additional toy vehicles while successively launching the vehicles.
The present invention provides a toy vehicle launcher that allows a user to launch multiple vehicles in rapid succession. A crank arm coupled to the toy vehicle launcher is used to spin a rotating member (such as a flywheel) inside the launcher. One or more toy vehicles are then loaded into the launcher via an inlet in the rear of the launcher. As the rotating member is spinning, the rotating member successively engages the upper surfaces of the toy vehicles being loaded into the launcher and continuously propels the toy vehicles through an outlet in the front of the launcher. This vehicle launching feature of the toy vehicle launcher brings additional entertainment and play value to toy vehicles and track sets.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a toy vehicle accessory is provided. The toy vehicle accessory comprises a housing defining multiple inlets and an outlet. The housing further defines a cavity in which a resilient rotating member is located. The resilient member is positioned to engage an upper surface of a toy vehicle passing through the housing. A crank arm is coupled to the housing and movable by a user to rotate the resilient rotating member to propel the toy vehicle.
In one or more embodiments, the multiple inlets are vertically displaced in the housing. In further embodiments, an outlet cover is attached to the housing and positioned over the outlet. Typically, the inlet receives the toy vehicle at a first speed and the resilient rotating member propels the toy vehicle out of the outlet at a second speed that is greater than the first speed. In a preferred embodiment, the resilient rotating member is a flywheel. The crank arm further comprises a lateral extension that provides a grip for pushing or pulling the crank arm.
In another aspect of the present invention, a toy vehicle launcher is provided. The toy vehicle launcher comprises a housing defining a cavity. The housing comprises an inlet, an outlet, and a channel through the housing connecting the inlet to the outlet. The inlet, outlet, and channel are sized to allow a toy vehicle to pass through the housing. Additionally, a flywheel is positioned over the channel inside the cavity. The flywheel is positioned to engage an upper surface of a toy vehicle passing through the housing. A crank arm is operatively connected to the flywheel. Moving the crank arm causes the flywheel to rotate and propel the toy vehicle. Typically, the inlet receives the toy vehicle at a first speed and the flywheel propels the toy vehicle out of the outlet at a second speed that is greater than the first speed.
Typically, the inlet is positioned in the rear of the housing and the outlet is positioned in the front of the housing. In one or more embodiments, the housing comprises a plurality of inlets connected to the outlet. In one instance, the plurality of inlets are vertically displaced on the rear of the housing. In further embodiments, the inlet is positioned in a downward angle to the channel. Additionally, an outlet cover is attached to the front of the housing and positioned over the outlet.
One or more gears operatively connect the crank arm to the flywheel. In one or more embodiments, the crank arm comprises a lateral extension that provides a grip for pushing or pulling the crank arm to rotate the flywheel. In one instance, the crank arm is pushed forward towards the outlet to rotate the flywheel. The flywheel further maintains rotation when the crank arm is pulled back towards the inlet. In another instance, the crank arm is pulled back towards the inlet to rotate the flywheel. The flywheel further maintains rotation when the crank arm is pushed forward towards the outlet. In some embodiments, the crank arm is restricted to a limited range of motion. In further embodiments, an outer circumference of the flywheel comprises a resilient flexible material.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating some embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications within the scope of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes all such modifications.
Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout:
A toy vehicle launcher according to the present invention allows a user to continuously load and launch multiple toy vehicles. Generally, the toy vehicle launcher has a housing defining a cavity. The housing includes at least one inlet, an outlet, and a channel in the housing cavity that connects the inlet to the outlet. The inlet, outlet, and channel are sized to allow toy vehicles to pass through the housing. A rotating member is positioned over the channel inside the housing cavity. Furthermore, a crank arm is operatively connected to the rotating member. Manually moving or pivoting the crank arm causes the rotating member to spin or rotate.
While the rotating member is spinning, a user loads the launcher by inserting a toy vehicle into the inlet. As the inserted toy vehicle passes through the housing, the rotating member engages the upper surface of the toy vehicle. The spinning motion of the rotating member allows the rotating member to propel the toy vehicle out of the housing through the outlet. By continuously inserting toy vehicles into the launcher, the launcher is able to successively launch multiple toy vehicles.
Referring to
Referring back to
A crank arm 118 is located on the side of the launcher 100. The crank arm 118 includes a lateral extension 120 that provides a grip for a user to manually pivot or turn the crank arm 118 using a pushing or pulling motion. The crank arm 118 is operatively connected to a rotating member within the housing 102 (see, e.g. the rotating member 504 in
Embodiments of the invention include the crank arm in various default positions depending on how the crank arm is moved to spin the rotating member. In one instance, as shown in
Referring back to
Referring now to
As shown in
In an example process for launching a toy vehicle, a user first moves the crank arm 408 to cause the rotating member 504 to spin. The user can reciprocate the crank arm 408 back and forth to cause the rotating member 504 to spin or rotate more quickly. While the rotating member 504 is still spinning, the user loads a toy vehicle into the launcher 400 through the inlet 404. The toy vehicle travels along the channel 502 and comes into contact with the spinning rotating member 504 positioned above the channel 502. The frictional contact between the outer surface of the rotating member 504 and the upper surface of the toy vehicle allows the rotating member 504 to propel the toy vehicle out of the launcher 400 through the outlet 406. The rotating member 504 is typically spinning at a high speed and accelerates the toy vehicle when it is launched by the toy vehicle launcher 400 (i.e., the speed of the vehicle leaving the outlet of the launcher is greater than its initial speed entering the inlet of the launcher).
In one or more embodiments, the rotating member 504 is made of a resilient material (such as rubber, elastomer or other elastic polymers) that allows the rotating member to slightly compress/deform and provide sufficient frictional contact with the top surface of the toy vehicle. In other embodiments, the rotating member 504 is made of a firm or hard material (such as thermoplastic polymer, metal or wood) and an outer band or layer forming or covering the circumference of the rotating member is made of a resilient flexible material (such as rubber, elastomer or other elastic polymers).
In one embodiment, the rotating member 504 is a flywheel that has several curved resilient members or vanes that support an outer ring or band. Depending on the orientation of the rotating member 504 relative to the housing, the vanes can be curved forwardly or rearwardly (see
In one instance, as shown in
In one or more embodiments, the crank arm is restricted to a limited range of motion while pulling and/or pushing the crank arm. In other instances, the crank arm is continuously rotated in a clockwise direction to spin the flywheel up to speed. The stored rotational energy allows the flywheel to maintain its rotation even when the user has stopped rotating the crank arm.
Manually moving the crank arm to spin the rotating member eliminates the extra costs associated with using an electric motor and batteries to spin the rotating member. Additionally, the speed that the crank arm is rotated by a user directly affects the speed that the toy vehicle is launched from the launcher. In other words, the faster a user moves the crank arm, the faster the vehicle travels when launched from the toy vehicle launcher. This adjustable variability in launching toy vehicles provides enhanced play value when compared to other vehicle launchers in the art.
As an example, when a toy vehicle having a height greater than the toy vehicle 618 passes through the launcher 600, the taller toy vehicle pushes the flywheel 602 upwards. On the other hand, when a toy vehicle having a height less than the toy vehicle 618 passes through the launcher 600, the flywheel 602 moves downward. In both instances, the flywheel 602 is able to maintain contact with the upper surface of the toy vehicle. This feature allows the flywheel 602 to continuously propel toy vehicles even if the toy vehicles entering the launcher 600 have different heights.
The launcher 600 in
Although the disclosed inventions are illustrated and described herein as embodied in one or more specific examples, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventions and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
Moreover, it is to be understood that terms such as “left,” “right,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “height,” “length,” “width,” “upper,” “lower,” “interior,” “exterior,” “inner,” “outer” and the like as may be used herein, merely describe points or portions of reference and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration. Further, the term “exemplary” may be used herein to describe an example or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as exemplary is not to be construed as a preferred or advantageous embodiment, but rather as one example or illustration of a possible embodiment of the invention.
Finally, various features from one of the embodiments may be incorporated into another of the embodiments. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims.
