Vehicle with spring motor operable in running and rewind modes

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6196894
  • Patent Number
    6,196,894
  • Date Filed
    Friday, May 14, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 6, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
The disclosure describes a spring motor, in combination with a toy vehicle, that easily can be manufactured and wound up by moving the vehicle in reciprocating forward and backward movements. The motor is operable in rewind and run modes, and includes first and second spring gears; a spring having a first end yieldably engaged to the first spring gear and a second end connected to the second spring gear; a rear wheel axle having first and second drive pinions thereon, wherein the first drive pinion is meshed with the first spring gear; a rewind gear which is meshed with the second drive pinion of the rear wheel axle; a fixed gear that is meshed with the rewind gear; and a floating gear which is meshed with the fixed gear, wherein during the rewind mode the floating gear is meshed with the second spring gear, but during the run mode is disengaged from the second spring gear. A retaining lock is used to maintain the meshing of the second spring gear with the floating gear to prevent unwinding of the spring. Disengagement takes place when the vehicle is pushed in the forward direction thus causing the spring to unwind and drive the vehicle forward.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates generally to spring motors and particularly to spring motors which are adaptable for use in toys such as toy vehicles.




2. Description of the Related Art




U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,329 issued to Kennedy on Jan. 23, 1979 (“the '329 patent”) describes a spring motor that is relatively easily and inexpensively manufactured, and that efficiently delivers a high portion of the energy stored in its spring to the ultimate drive and which is easily and efficiently rewound by a child. The '329 patent eliminated the disadvantageous characteristics of the then prior art motors and comprised a device that has characteristics that various prior art constructions sought to achieve. Essentially the '329 patent disclosed a spring motor for use as an example in a miniature toy vehicle that can be conveniently and reasonably wound up by a reciprocating front and back movement of the vehicle, wherein the backward movement produced substantially more winding up than an unwinding of the spring. The '329 patent disclosed a spring motor that avoided complicated and sophisticated structures in order to produce rewinding of the spring on a backward movement of the car.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,986 issued to Darda et al. on Aug. 4, 1987 (“the '986 patent”) discloses a spring drive mechanism having a spiral spring positioned in a spring encasement as a power source. One end of the spring is connected to a spring encasement gear and the other end to a spring shaft gear. For winding up the spring, the spring encasement gear is in mesh with a first drive pinion and the spring shaft gear is in mesh with a second drive pinion. These drive pinions have a stress-free connection to a wind down/wind up shaft across unidirectional torque transmitters. Each of these unidirectional torque transmitters permits rotation in a direction opposite to the other. A reverse pinion has one pinion sprocket in mesh with the spring shaft gear. The other pinion sprocket is in mesh with the drive pinion in the wind up position. In this position, the spring drive mechanism is blocked in such a way that the tensioned driving spring cannot release. In order to maintain the reverse pinion in this position without any use of external force, an engaging lever is provided and is constructed in such a way that the blocking is released when the wind down/wind up shaft is turned counterclockwise.




The blocking feature of the '986 patent is a desirable feature, but the structure disclosed in said patent to accomplish the feature is relatively complicated and expensive to manufacture. There is a need for an improved spring motor that includes, inter alia, such a blocking feature without the complicated structures of the prior art. There is also a need to accomplish a faster rewind of the spring motor, again, without the complicated structures of the prior art.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention is directed to spring motors, which are adaptable for use in toys such as toy vehicles and which satisfy the identified needs. The spring motor of the present invention is operable in a run mode and a rewind mode, and comprises first and second spring gears, a spring having a first end yieldably engaged to the first spring gear and its opposite end connected to the second spring gear, a rear wheel axle having first and second drive pinions thereon, wherein the first drive pinion is in mesh with the first spring gear, a rewind gear that is in mesh with the second drive pinion of the rear wheel axle, a fixed gear that is in mesh with the rewind gear, and a floating gear that is in mesh with the second spring gear. During the rewind mode of the spring motor the floating gear is in mesh with the fixed gear. However, during the run mode, the floating gear is disengaged from the fixed gear.




The spring motor is in rewind mode when the rear wheel axle is turning in a clockwise direction. This is accomplished, for example, when a toy vehicle incorporating the spring motor according to the present invention is pushed in the backward direction. During the rewind mode, the spring is tensioned from both of its ends by the two spring gears. This is accomplished by causing the floating gear to engage with the fixed gear thus causing the second spring gear and the inner end of the spring to wind in a clockwise direction. At the same time, the first spring gear causes the outer end of the spring to turn in the opposite or counterclockwise direction. Hence the rewind is accomplished at a faster rate than winding solely the outer end of the spring. The engagement of the floating gear with the fixed gear is maintained by a retainer affixed on the outside of the motor housing, the retainer comprising a detent. The engagement of the floating gear with the fixed gear is maintained by the detent until the rear wheel axle is caused to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, such as when the toy vehicle incorporating the spring motor of the present invention is pushed in the forward direction. The retainer is made of plastic.




Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be best understood by considering the following detailed description of the invention, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:





FIG. 1



a


is a perspective view from one side of a motor in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 1



b


is a perspective view from the opposite side of

FIG. 1



a


of a motor in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 2



a


depicts the spring of an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2



b


shows the inner cylindrical surface of the spring drum of an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2



c


depicts the spring inside the spring drum in an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 3



a


is a side view of the housing of a motor in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 3



b


is a cross sectional view taken along line A—A in

FIG. 3



a;







FIG. 3



c


is a cross sectional view taken along line C—C in

FIG. 3



b;







FIG. 3



d


is a side view of the housing of a motor in accordance with the present invention looking from t he opposite side from

FIG. 3



a;







FIG. 3



e


is a cross sectional view taken along line D—D in

FIG. 3



b;







FIG. 3



f


is a cross sectional view taken along line B—B in

FIG. 3



a


; and





FIG. 3



g


shows a retainer on a housing of a motor in accordance with the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




General Overview




As a reference point, the clockwise direction is indicated by the arrow CW in

FIGS. 1



a


and


1




b


.

FIGS. 1



a


and


1




b


are perspective views of a motor


10


in accordance with the present invention. Motor


10


, also depicted in

FIGS. 3



a


to


3




g


, comprises a motor member


66


, a spring drum


38


, a spring


34


, a floating gear


70


, a fixed gear


72


, a rewind gear


58


, and a ratchet


64


. The spring


34


, as illustrated, is disposed within the spring drum


38


, and comprises a first end and a second end, which is opposite to the first end. The motor member


66


further comprises a main motor shaft


30


to which the first end of the spring


34


is attached. The opposite or second end of the spring


34


is operatively engaged with the inner cylindrical surface of the spring drum


38


. As subsequently described in further detail, the spring


34


preferably is a spiral spring (i.e., generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from said fixed point), in which the first end attached to the motor shaft


30


is the inner end and the opposite end yieldably held in position against the inner surface of the spring drum


38


is the outer end. The rewind gear


58


includes a splined shaft


74


. The ratchet


64


has an opening


75


into which the splined shaft


74


of the rewind gear


58


is press fitted to form a single unit. The ratchet


64


further comprises ratchet fingers


64




a


and


64




b


, which are operatively engaged with ratchet teeth


60


formed in the inner cylindrical surface of the motor member


66


. The fixed gear


72


is in mesh with the rewind gear


58


. The floating gear


70


is in mesh with a second spring gear


76


. The main motor shaft


30


, the second spring gear


76


, the ratchet


64


, and the rewind gear


58


are mounted to rotate freely around a spring axle


24


. A rear wheel axle


50


runs parallel to the spring axle


24


. To this rear wheel axle


50


is fixed a first pinion gear


52


, which is in engagement with a first spring gear


44


. Also fixed to the rear wheel axle


50


is a second pinion gear


54


. The second pinion gear


54


is in mesh with the rewind gear


58


. Rear wheels


20


are affixed to the ends of the rear wheel axle


50


. When the motor


10


is in rewind mode, i.e., when the rear wheels


20


are rotating in a clockwise direction, the floating gear


70


is in mesh with the fixed gear


72


. However, when the rear wheels


20


are rotating in a counterclockwise direction, the floating gear


70


disengages from the fixed gear


72


.




The Rewind Mode




The motor


10


is in rewind mode when the rear wheels


20


are caused to rotate in a clockwise direction. This causes the rear wheel axle


50


also to rotate in a clockwise direction which, in turn, causes the first and second pinion gears


52


,


54


likewise to rotate in a clockwise direction. The first and second pinion gears


52


,


54


are always engaged with the first spring gear


44


and the rewind gear


58


respectively. Therefore when the rear wheels


20


are rotating in the clockwise direction, both the first spring gear


44


and the rewind gear


58


are caused rotate in the counterclockwise direction. Because rewind gear


58


and fixed gear


72


are always engaged with each other, the counterclockwise rotation of rewind gear


58


causes fixed gear


72


to rotate in the clockwise direction.




When the spring


34


is completely unwound, at the very instant when the motor


10


enters the rewind mode (i.e., when the rear wheels


20


are caused to rotate in a clockwise direction), the second spring gear


76


is temporarily caused to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, which is the same direction in which the first spring gear


44


is rotating. The reason for this is when the spring


34


is completely unwound, a rotation of the first spring gear


44


in the counterclockwise direction will cause the spring


34


to apply a torque on the main motor shaft


30


(to which the first end of the spring


34


is attached) to rotate in the counterclockwise direction. Thus, the second spring gear


76


likewise is momentarily caused to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, which, in turn, causes the floating gear


70


, which is always in mesh with the second spring gear


76


, to rotate (momentarily) in the clockwise direction. At such an instant, the second spring gear


76


is thus driving the floating gear


70


.




However, when the second spring gear


76


drives the floating gear


70


to turn in the clockwise direction, the floating gear


70


is forced to move toward the fixed gear


72


, and becomes enmeshed with fixed gear


72


. (The operation of the floating gear


70


subsequently is explained more fully in connection with the discussion of

FIGS. 3



a


to


3




g


.) Once the floating gear


70


is in mesh with the fixed gear


72


, the floating gear


70


reverses the direction in which it is turning, and turns in the counterclockwise direction because the fixed gear


72


is turning in the clockwise direction. At the instant when the floating gear


70


is in mesh with the fixed gear


72


, the floating gear


72


drives the second spring gear


76


to rotate in the clockwise direction.




This clockwise rotation of second spring gear


76


causes main motor shaft


30


likewise to rotate in the clockwise direction, thus causing the first (i.e., the inner) end of the spring


34


to wind in the clockwise direction. Concurrently, however, the first pinion gear


52


is rotating in the clockwise direction. Because the first pinion gear


52


is always engaged with the first spring gear


44


, a clockwise rotation in the first pinion gear


52


causes the spring drum


38


to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, thereby causing the opposite (i.e., the outer) end of the spring


34


to wind in the counterclockwise direction. Thus, during the rewind mode the outer end of the spring


34


is caused to wind in the counterclockwise direction, while its inner end is caused to wind in the clockwise direction, thereby causing the spring


34


to rewind at a much faster rate than when the inner end of the spring


34


is stationary and only the outer end of the spring


34


is being wound or when the outer end of the spring


34


is stationary and only the inner end of the spring


34


is being wound.




Preferably, the spring


34


is of the type generally known as a clock spring.

FIG. 2



a


depicts the spring


34


in its unwound state. Protrusion


40


is formed adjacent to the outer end of the spring


34


to allow cooperative engagement with the inner cylindrical surface of the spring drum


38


, on which, as shown in

FIG. 2



b


, depressions


42


are formed. As depicted in

FIG. 2



c


, the protrusion


40


of the spring


34


is normally maintained within one of the depressions


42


. However, if the spring


34


is over-wound the protrusion


40


pops out of the depressions


42


and re-engages in another one of the depressions


42


at some point at which the stress on the spring


34


does not exceed its design criteria. Hence, further attempts to rewind the spring


34


after it is fully wound produces a clicking sound, which is protrusion


40


bouncing out of one depressions


42


and into the next one. Thus the clicking sound signals the completion of the rewind mode.




The operation of floating gear


70


can be better understood with reference to

FIGS. 3



a


to


3




g


. As depicted in these figures, motor


10


is enclosed within a motor housing comprising first and second housing parts


12




a


and


12




b


. The first (i.e., inner) end of the spring


34


(see

FIGS. 1



a


and


3




b


) is attached into slot


32


of main motor shaft


30


. The spring drum


38


is closed off as by snapping into place a retaining cap


46


, which insures the axial retention of the spring


34


within the spring drum


38


. Of course, other ways of closing off the inner surface of the spring drum


38


may be used without departing from the present invention. A central opening


48


is formed within the retaining cap


46


to provide clearance room for the insertion of the main motor shaft


30


therethrough.




The motor member


66


is mounted for rotation on the spring axle


24


which in turn is positioned with the bearing openings


26


formed in the first and second housing parts


12




a


and


12




b


. The motor member


66


has a bearing opening


28


formed along its central axis, and it is mounted to freely rotate around the spring axle


24


. Ratchet teeth


60


are formed on the inner surface of the motor member


66


. The splined shaft


74


of the rewind gear


58


is press fitted into the opening


75


of the ratchet


64


, forming a single unit. The ratchet fingers


64




a


and


64




b


of the ratchet


64


are operatively engaged with the ratchet teeth


60


formed in the inner cylindrical surface of the motor member


66


. During the rewind mode, the rewind gear


58


and ratchet


64


are rotating in the counterclockwise direction, while at the same time motor member


66


is rotating in the clockwise direction. This results in a lost motion because rewind gear


58


is mounted for rotation about spring axle


24


and ratchet teeth


60


slip in lost motion relative to the ratchet fingers


64




a


and


64




b


of the ratchet


64


.




A first end of the shaft


71


of the floating gear


70


rests in a sleeve


75


(

FIGS. 3



b


and


3




e


). A second end, which is opposite to the first end, of the shaft


71


rests in a slot


82


in the first housing part


12




a


. As shown in

FIG. 3



d


, the second end of the shaft


71


extends through the first housing part


12




a


on which is affixed a retainer


80


. The retainer


80


is made of plastic, and has a detent


84


(

FIG. 3



f


). The sleeve


75


, as shown clearly in

FIG. 3



e


, is tapered, and allows the second end of the shaft


71


, which rests in the slot


82


, at any given time to take one of two positions: a first position wherein the floating gear


70


is in mesh with the fixed gear


72


and a second position wherein the floating gear


70


is disengaged from the fixed gear


72


.




As previously discussed, when the spring


34


is completely unwound, at the very instant when the motor


10


enters the rewind mode, the second spring gear


76


is temporarily caused to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, which, in turn, causes the floating gear


70


to rotate (momentarily) in the clockwise direction. Where the second spring gear


76


is physically in contact or in mesh with the floating gear


70


, when the second spring gear


76


is rotating in the counterclockwise direction, the second spring gear


76


applies a force (“the engaging force”) on the teeth of the floating gear


70


, the engaging force generally being in the direction toward the fixed gear


72


. Because the second end of the shaft


71


of the floating gear


70


is movable with respect to the first end of the shaft


71


, the engaging force in the direction toward the fixed gear


72


causes the floating gear


70


to physically contact and thus become enmeshed with the fixed gear


72


.




Up until this point, the second spring gear


76


may be said to be driving the floating gear


70


. However, once the floating gear


70


becomes enmeshed with the fixed gear


72


, the fixed gear


72


rotating in the clockwise direction during the rewind mode, the floating gear


70


begins to rotate in the counterclockwise direction and thus causes the second spring gear


76


to rotate in the clockwise direction. At such point, the floating gear


70


is driving the second spring gear


76


. The clockwise rotation of the second spring gear


76


, as previously described, causes the inner end of the spring


34


to wind in the clockwise direction.





FIG. 3



d


depicts a retainer


80


, which is provided on the outside surface of first housing part


12




a


. In this embodiment, the retainer


80


, which is also shown in

FIG. 3



g


, is made of plastic and comprises a detent


84


. Of course the retainer


80


may be made of other materials such as elastic metal without departing from the present invention. The detent


84


maintains the second end of the shaft


71


in one of two positions: (1) a first position on one side of the detent


84


in which the floating gear


70


is not in mesh with the fixed gear


72


and (2) a second position on another side of the detent


84


in which the floating gear


70


is in mesh with the fixed gear


72


. At the very beginning of the rewind mode (or during the run mode, which is described below), the second end of the shaft


71


is in the first position. During the rewind mode, however, the engaging force applied by the spring gear


76


on the floating gear


70


overcomes the detent


84


until the second end of the shaft


71


moves to the second position.




In the second position, the tensioned spring


34


inside the spring drum


38


is blocked from unwinding. When the floating gear


70


is held in mesh with the fixed gear


72


by the detent


84


, the rewind gear


58


and thus second pinion gear


54


, which is in mesh with the rewind gear


58


, are prevented from rotating. Accordingly, first pinion gear


52


likewise is prevented from rotating, and, because first pinion gear


52


is in mesh with the first spring gear


44


, the spring


34


is likewise prevented from unwinding.




However, in this second position, as soon as the rear wheel axle


50


is turned in the counterclockwise direction, a sufficient force resulting solely from the rotation of the rear wheel axle


50


overcomes the force being applied against second end of the shaft


71


by the detent


84


, and the second end of the shaft


71


of the floating gear


72


moves to the first position, thereby. causing the floating gear


70


to be disengaged from the fixed gear


72


. Thus with the floating gear


70


and the fixed gear


72


so disengaged, the spring


34


inside the spring drum


38


is permitted to unwind, and the spring motor


10


enters the run mode.




The Run Mode




With the spring


34


wound, the toy car would have to be nudged in the direction of X (

FIGS. 1



a


and


1




b


) to cause the wheels


20


and the rear wheel axle


50


to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, thus disengaging the floating gear


70


from the flexed gear


72


, before the spring motor


10


enters the run mode. In the run mode, the outer end of the spring


34


will cause the spring drum


38


to rotate in a clockwise direction, which, in turn, will cause the first pinion gear


52


to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. This causes the rear wheel axle


50


to similarly rotate in a counterclockwise direction and also causes the rear wheels


20


to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, moving the car forward. As the rear wheels


20


drive the car in the forward direction, the second pinion gear


54


, through the rotational power transmitting loop causes the main motor shaft


30


to rotate in a clockwise direction at a rotational speed slightly less than the unwinding of the spring drum


38


.




Specifically, in the run mode, the second pinion gear


54


rotates in the counterclockwise direction. This, in turn, causes a clockwise rotation in the rewind gear


58


. Because the fixed gear


72


is always in mesh with the rewind gear


58


, the fixed gear


72


rotates in the counterclockwise direction during the run mode. This likewise causes the floating gear


70


to shift away from the motor member


66


. Moreover, a clockwise rotation for the rewind gear


58


also causes the ratchet


64


to rotate in the clockwise direction. As can be seen best in

FIG. 3



c


, because of the arrangement of the ratchet teeth


60


and the ratchet fingers


64




a


and


64




b


, the rotation of the ratchet


64


in the clockwise direction also causes motor member


66


and thus main motor shaft


30


to rotate in the clockwise direction. Thus during the run mode (as in the rewind mode), the clockwise rotation of the main motor shaft


30


causes the inner end of the spring


34


to wind in the clockwise direction.




As illustrated as a preferred example, the first spring gear


44


has 52 teeth (designated by the expression


52


T in

FIG. 1



a


), and the first pinion gear


52


has 16 teeth producing a gear ratio of 3.25:1 (52÷16). The rewind gear


58


has 56 teeth and the second pinion gear


54


has 12 teeth, producing a gear ratio of 4.67:1 (56÷12). Therefore, for each turn of the spring drum


38


the rear wheel axle


50


rotates 3.25 times. However, it requires 4.67 rotations of that same rear wheel axle


50


to drive the rewind gear


58


and, therefore, the main motor shaft


30


through one complete rotation. Thus, as the rear wheel axle


50


rotates 3.25 times, the main motor shaft


30


rotates about 69.6% ((52/16)÷(56/12)) of one revolution thus producing a net unwinding of the spring


34


of about 30.4% of a revolution for every revolution of spring drum


38


or for every 3.25 revolutions of the rear wheel axle


50


. Stating it another way, the rear wheels


20


of the car rotate about 10.7 (3.25÷0.304) times for each full turn of unwinding of the spring


34


. While the stated ratios are presently preferred, it will be apparent that the present invention is not intended to be limited to such gears and gear ratios, and other values may be selected, as will be apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art.




As previously noted, the motor


10


is in rewind mode only when the rear wheels


20


are caused to rotate in the clockwise direction (the backward direction). Hence, if for example a child playing with a toy vehicle incorporating the motor


10


reciprocates the car in both the forward and backward directions as an attempt to rewind the motor, there will be some loss of the winding effort each time the car goes in the forward direction. There is approximately a 10 to 1 ratio between the winding and the unwinding of the motor


10


; hence, each reciprocatory cycle will be approximately 90% efficient in winding up the motor (as compared to only rearward movement). The loss of approximately 10% efficiency is of no practical significance. Of course, as a practical matter, any person using a toy car incorporating the motor


10


will not know these details and will in no way be conscious of the fact that there is any loss whatsoever in a reciprocatory rewinding operation. As a pragmatic fact, when a person playing with a toy incorporating a motor such as that described herein goes through the rewinding operation, that operation is produced very quickly by forward and backward movement of the car and, upon completion, the car is ready for operation again.




CONCLUSION




Thus, while there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements that perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures or elements shown or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.



Claims
  • 1. A spring motor operable in a run mode and in a rewind mode, the spring motor comprising:a first spring gear; a second spring gear being on a same axis as the first spring gear; a spring having a first end and a second end, the first end of the spring being yieldably engaged to the first spring gear and the second end of the spring being connected to the second spring gear; a rewind gear being on the same axis as the first spring gear and the second spring gear; a first drive pinion being in mesh with the first spring gear; a second drive pinion being in mesh with the second spring gear; a rear wheel axle parallel to the axis shared by the first spring gear, the second spring gear, and the rewind gear, the rear wheel axle having the first and second drive pinions thereon; a fixed gear that is at all times in mesh with the rewind gear; means responsive to rotation of the second drive pinion when the spring motor is in the run mode for engaging the rewind gear with the second spring gear, the means for engaging comprising ratchet means connected to the rewind gear and operatively engaged with the second spring gear, the ratchet means causing the second spring gear to rotate in a direction opposite to the rotation of the first spring gear during the rewind mode of the spring motor; and means for blocking the unwinding of the spring when the spring motor is in the rewind mode, the means for blocking comprising a floating gear that is at all times in mesh with the second spring gear; wherein the fixed gear is in mesh with the floating gear during the rewind mode, and wherein the fixed gear is not in mesh with the floating gear during the run mode.
  • 2. The spring motor of claim 1, wherein the spring is a spiral spring with the first end being the outer end of the spiral and the second end being the inner end.
  • 3. The spring motor of claim 1 wherein the means for blocking further comprises a retainer having a detent, wherein the detent maintains enmeshment of the floating gear with the fixed gear during the rewind mode of the spring motor, and wherein the detent maintains dis-enmeshment of the floating gear and the fixed gear during the run mode of the spring motor.
  • 4. The spring motor of claim 3 wherein the retainer is made of plastic.
  • 5. The spring motor of claim 3 wherein the retainer is made of elastic metal.
  • 6. A toy vehicle comprising:a chassis; a motor frame mounted in the chassis; a spring motor mounted in the motor frame, the spring motor being operable in a run mode and a rewind mode, the spring motor comprising: a first spring gear; a second spring gear being on a same axis as the first spring gear; a spiral spring having a first end and a second end, the first end of the spring being yieldably engaged to the first spring gear and the second end of the spring being connected to the second spring gear; a rewind gear being on the same axis as the first spring gear and the second spring gear; a first drive pinion being in mesh with the first spring gear; a second drive pinion being in mesh with the second spring gear; a rear wheel axle parallel to the axis shared by the first spring gear, the second spring gear, and the rewind gear, the rear wheel axle having the first and second drive pinions thereon; a fixed gear that is at all times in mesh with the rewind gear; means responsive to rotation of the second drive pinion when the spring motor is in the run mode for engaging the rewind gear with the second spring gear, the means for engaging comprising ratchet means connected to the rewind gear and operatively engaged with the second spring, the ratchet means causing the second spring gear to rotate in a direction opposite to the rotation of the first spring gear during the rewind mode of the spring motor; and means for blocking the unwinding of the spring when the spring motor is in the rewind mode, the means for blocking comprising a floating gear that is at all times in mesh with the second spring gear; wherein the fixed gear is in mesh with the floating gear during the rewind mode, and wherein the fixed gear is not in mesh with the floating gear during the run mode.
  • 7. The toy vehicle of claim 6 wherein the means for blocking further comprises a retainer having a detent, wherein the detent maintains enmeshment of the floating gear with the fixed gear during the rewind mode of the spring motor, and wherein the detent maintains dis-enmeshment of the floating gear and the fixed gear during the run mode of the spring motor.
  • 8. The toy vehicle of claim 7 wherein the retainer is made of plastic.
  • 9. The toy vehicle of claim 7 wherein the retainer is made of elastic metal.
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Number Name Date Kind
3932956 Young Jan 1976
4116084 Masuda Sep 1978
4135329 Kennedy Jan 1979
4332104 Ribas et al. Jun 1982
4478313 Wakase Oct 1984
4563164 Tao Jan 1986
4582171 Jezierski Apr 1986
4648487 Kimura Mar 1987
4683986 Darda et al. Aug 1987
4842567 Hiraide Jun 1989
5103936 Morikawa Apr 1992
5176223 Ito Jan 1993
5188198 Muramatsu et al. Feb 1993
5638922 Morikawa Jun 1997