Tricyle carriage toy with dual drive wheels and characterized cover

Abstract

A mechanized toy includes a carriage supported on three wheels with a decorative cover engaged with, and extensive over, the carriage. The carriage provides a platform integral with an axially directed yolk, the yolk engaging one of the three wheels. A drive motor is secured to the platform and rotates a drive axle engaging the other two of the three wheels which are placed in opposing juxtaposition. A snap engagement feature enables the cover to be attached to the carriage and to be removed from the carriage as desired. When several different heads are used with a single carriage, the heads may be interchanged.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention In such drawing(s):

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the presently described apparatus with a first cover characterization partially covering a rear wheel;

FIG. 2 is a frontal elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of an alternate second cover characterization;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the one embodiment with a third cover characterization and showing that the yolk of the invention extends to either side of the rear wheel; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are vertical longitudinal sections through the cover, but not the carriage and wheels, shown as a side elevational view of the one embodiment and a reverse second embodiment thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above described drawing figures illustrate the described apparatus and its method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, it must be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as a limitation in the scope of the present apparatus and method of use.

Described now in detail, as shown in the attending figures and particularly FIGS. 6 and 7, is a mechanized toy 10 having a carriage 20 supported on three wheels 31, 32, 33 and a decorative cover 40 engaged with, and extensive over, the carriage 20, the cover providing a design or characterization of the toy 10. The carriage 20 is constructed as a horizontal platform 22 integral with an axially directed yolk 24, and the yolk 24 engages a first one 31 of the three wheels at axle 25, i.e., the yolk 24 extends to both sides of the wheel 31 as shown in FIG. 3. Wheel 31 is free to rotate within the yolk 24 and is positioned to support the yolk above a supporting surface 5. A drive motor 50 is secured below the platform 22 preferably by screw fasteners or other common fastening means such as bonding agents (not shown), thereby positioning a drive axle adjacent a supporting surface for enabling wheels 32 and 33 to be small in diameter so as to be visually unobvious. Preferably, the carriage 20 and the cover 40 are plastic injection molded parts, but they may be made of alternative materials such as plaster, wood, and paper, and by other then a molding process, as by pressure forming, sculpting, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the drive motor 50 rotates a drive axle 52 engaging the second 32 and third 33 of the wheels. In the preferred embodiment the two wheels 32 and 33 are place in mutually opposing positions on either side of both the drive motor 50 and the platform 22. Preferably, the drive motor 50 is any one of the common motors used in toys and especially for toy cars. Such motor types include friction motors, spring motors, pull-string motors, and rubber band motors.

A means for engaging the cover 40 with the carriage 20 is preferably one or more snap engagement fasteners 45 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the manner of positioning the fasteners 45 as shown in arbitrary, as such many be positioned as best or necessary for improved support of the cover 40 on the carriage 20. Such snap engagement fasteners 45 each comprise a recess 60 on, for instance, the interior surface 42 of the cover 40 and a correspondingly positioned extension 62 on, and extending upwardly from the carriage 20. Of course, the positions of the recess 60 and the extension 62 may be reversed. Also, plural fasteners 45 may be utilized to better secure the cover 40 with the carriage 20. Because, in this embodiment, the cover 40 is able to be easily removed from the carriage 20, the cover 40, as for instance as shown in FIG. 1, may be replaced with an alternate cover 40, as for instance as shown in FIG. 4 having a different design. Further, the ability to simply remove the cover 40 from the carriage 20 gives children alternative methods of play with the toy 10, such as building an alternate cover on the carriage 20 with modeling clay or other construction materials, and also using the cover 40 with other toys such as toy cars, action figures, and such.

Of course the cover 40 may be permanently engaged with the carriage 20, as for instance by using a bonding agent in the recess 60 prior to engaging the extensions 62 therein. In this case, the toy 10 is manufactured, sold and used as an integral unit and without parts interchangeability.

The present invention may be construed in at least two embodiments; one where the yolk 24 and the one of the three wheels 31 is directed rearwardly relative to the drive motor 50 and the two of the three wheels 32 and 33, as shown in FIG. 6, and the other where the yolk 24 and the wheel 31 is directed forwardly relative to the drive motor 50 and the two of the three wheels 32 and 33, as shown in FIG. 7. In both cases, wheels 32 and 33 drive the toy 10.

Preferably, the cover 40 is formed to resemble the head of a warrior, a person, an animal, a fictional character or other imaginative figure, and more particularly may be formed to resemble a famous person or well-known fictional character from books, films or television. In one embodiment the one of the three wheels 31 is preferably positioned within the head formation portion of the cover 40 and preferably adjacent to, i.e., immediately behind a mouth feature of the head formation as shown in FIG. 7. In a further embodiment, the first wheel 31 is positioned as shown in FIG. 6, i.e., rearwardly, and the wheels 32 and 33 are positioned forward and may be either interior, as shown in FIG. 1, or exterior as shown in FIG. 5 to the head formation of cover 40 and such forward pair of wheels may be small as shown or exaggerated in size for effect.

The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the apparatus and its method of use and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element.

The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim.

Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.

The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that each named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.

Claims

1. A mechanized toy comprising: a carriage supported on three wheels; a decorative cover engaged with, and extensive over, the carriage; the carriage providing a platform integral with an axially directed yolk, the yolk engaging a first one of the three wheels; a drive motor secured to the platform, the drive motor having a drive axle engaging the a second and third ones of the three wheels in opposing juxtaposition; and a means for removably engaging the cover with the platform.

2. The toy of claim 1 wherein the drive motor is mounted below the platform and the means for engaging the cover with the platform is at least one snap engagement fastener.

3. The toy of claim 2 wherein the at least one snap engagement fastener includes at least one recess in one of the carriage and the cover, and at least one correspondingly positioned extension in one of the cover and the carriage respectively.

4. The toy of claim 1 wherein the yolk and the first wheel is directed in one of rearwardly and forwardly relative to the drive motor and the second and third wheels.

5. The toy of claim 2 wherein the cover is formed to resemble a head.

6. The toy of claim 5 wherein the first wheel is positioned within the head adjacent a mouth feature of the head.

7. A mechanized toy comprising: a carriage supported on three wheels; a plurality of decorative covers, each alternately engaged with, and extensive over, the carriage; the carriage providing a platform integral with an axially directed yolk, the yolk engaging a first one of the wheels; a drive motor secured to the platform, the drive motor having a drive axle engaging a second and third ones of the wheels in opposing juxtaposition; and a means for removably engaging a selected one of the plurality of covers with the platform.

8. The toy of claim 7 wherein the drive motor is mounted below the platform and the means for engaging the selected one of the covers with the platform is at least one snap engagement fastener.

9. The toy of claim 8 wherein the at least one snap engagement fastener includes at least one recess in one of the carriage and the cover, and at least one correspondingly positioned extension in one of the cover and the carriage respectively, a terminal end of the at least one extension and the at least one recess formed for mutual frictional engagement.

10. The toy of claim 7 wherein the yolk and the first of the wheels is directed in one of rearwardly and forwardly relative to the drive motor and the second and third wheels.

11. The toy of claim 7 wherein the covers are each formed to resemble a head.

12. The toy of claim 11 wherein the first of the wheels is positioned within the head adjacent a mouth feature of the head.

13. The toy of claim 11 wherein the second and third wheels are positioned to opposing sides of the head.

14. A mechanized toy comprising: a carriage supported on three wheels; a decorative cover engaged with, and extensive over, the carriage; the carriage providing a platform integral with an axially directed yolk, the yolk engaging a first one of the three wheels; a drive secured below the platform thereby positioning a drive axle adjacent a supporting surface, the drive axle engaging at least one of the wheels thereby moving the toy in a selected direction on the supporting surface; the cover formed as an enlarged head with face positioned in a direction of travel of the toy; the one of the wheels sized as a dominant element of the toy.

15. The toy of claim 14, wherein the first wheel is positioned distally with respect to the enlarged head.

16. The toy of claim 14 wherein the first wheel is positioned proximally within the enlarged head.

17. The toy of claim 14 wherein the second and third wheels are positioned in opposing positions proximal to the enlarged head.