Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6354905
-
Patent Number
6,354,905
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, February 8, 200025 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, March 12, 200222 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 446 247
- 446 250
- 446 248
- 446 249
- 446 253
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A yo-yo includes an adjustable clutch mechanism having a pair of arms having flyweights mounted thereto and pivotally mounted within a cavity in one of the yo-yo halves. The arms include gear teeth that mesh with gear teeth on a movable member such that pivoting of the arms causes linear actuation of the movable member. The movable member includes engagement teeth that engage a spool. An adjuster mechanism includes a threaded bolt and a limiter threaded onto the bolt. The limiter is positioned by rotating the bolt. The position of the limiter determines the range of motion of the movable member.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to yo-yos, and more specifically to yo-yos having clutch mechanisms.
BACKGROUND
A yo-yo is said to sleep or dwell when the yo-yo spins at the end of the string, but does not climb up the string. String tricks are performed with yo-yos by first causing the yo-yo to sleep, then performing a maneuver, and then causing the yo-yo to “wake up” and climb back up the string. More intricate string tricks may be performed when the yo-yo sleeps longer, but the player must wake up the yo-yo before the yo-yo's speed drops too low. If the yo-yo's speed drops too low, the yo-yo will not be able to climb back up the string.
It is known to provide a clutch mechanism on a so-called “automatic return” yo-yo that couples and uncouples the yo-yo axle and body halves with a spool on which the string is selectively wound. The automatic return yo-yo ensures that the yo-yo will wake up before the yo-yo's speed drops too low.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,102 discloses a yo-yo having a clutch mechanism including a pair of spring-biased flyweights pivotally mounted to one half of the yo-yo. An axle is fixed to each of the body halves, and rotatably supports a spool having a friction surface engaged by the flyweights. When the yo-yo rotates above a particular speed, referred to herein as the trigger speed, the flyweights pivot against the biasing force of the springs, releasing the spool for free rotation on the axle. When the yo-yo slows down to the trigger speed, the biasing force of the springs overcomes the centrifugal force acting on the flyweights, and the clutch again engages the friction surface of the spool to couple the spool with the axle and body halves, and wake up the yo-yo.
SUMMARY
The present invention provides a yo-yo having an adjustable clutch mechanism. The yo-yo includes first and second body halves, an axle extending between the body halves, a spool rotatably supported by the axle, a string interconnected with the spool, and an adjustable clutch mechanism on the first body half The adjustable clutch mechanism includes a movable body, a biasing member biasing the movable body into engagement with the spool, at least one flyweight interconnected with the movable body to cause said movable body to move out of engagement with said spool in response to the yo-yo rotating faster than the trigger speed, and an adjustment member adjusting the range of motion of the movable body with respect to the spool.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims, and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a yo-yo embodying the invention.
FIG. 2
is an exploded view of the yo-yo of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 3
is an enlarged exploded view of the clutch mechanism of the yo-yo illustrated in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 4
is a side view of the yo-yo of
FIG. 1
in an at-rest condition.
FIG. 5
is a side view of the yo-yo of
FIG. 1
with the clutch in a disengaged position.
FIG. 6
is a side view of the yo-yo of
FIG. 1
with the clutch in a fixed disengaged position.
FIG. 7
is a side view of the yo-yo of
FIG. 1
with the clutch in a fixed engaged position.
Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The use of “consisting of” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter. The use of letters to identify elements of a method or process is simply for identification and is not meant to indicate that the elements should be performed in a particular order.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1
illustrates a yo-yo
10
including first and second body halves
14
,
18
and a string
20
. The first body half
14
includes a cavity
22
housing a clutch mechanism
26
, the details and function of which are discussed in further detail below. The clutch mechanism
26
is partially held in place within the cavity
22
by a cross member
30
fastened within the cavity
22
, and by a lens or cover fixed over the cavity
22
. The cover may be made of clear plastic to permit viewing of the clutch mechanism
26
.
As seen in
FIG. 2
, further components of the yo-yo
10
include an axle
34
having a threaded end, a bearing
38
, a spool
42
to which the string
20
is attached, and a nut
46
threaded onto the threaded end of the axle
34
to rotationally fix the first and second body halves
14
,
18
with respect to each other and with respect to the axle
34
. As used herein, “rotationally fixed” means the parts are substantially prevented from rotating with respect to one another.
Still referring to
FIG. 2
, the bearing
38
and spool
42
are supported by the axle
34
for rotation on the axle
34
. The bearing
38
includes inner and outer races. A first end
48
of the spool
42
abuts the outer race of the bearing
38
and the inner race is press-fit onto the axle
34
. The second end of the spool
42
includes a friction surface
52
. The illustrated friction surface
52
is a resilient o-ring or gasket made of rubber or another resilient material. The second end of the spool
42
extends into a recess
56
in the first body half
14
, and is selectively engaged by engagement teeth
60
of the clutch mechanism
26
as further described below. The first and second body halves
14
,
18
each have a raised star pattern
64
facing into the string gap, which pattern is known in the art to assist in waking up a yo-yo
10
.
Referring now to
FIG. 3
, the clutch mechanism
26
includes a movable body
68
disposed around the recess
56
in the first body half
14
and including the aforementioned engagement teeth
60
. Alternatively, the engagement teeth
60
may be replaced with a high-friction surface. The movable body
68
also includes a housing
72
having first and second split abutment surfaces
76
,
80
defining a chamber
84
therebetween. The housing
72
has gear teeth
88
integrally formed on its outer surface. Alternatively, the gear teeth
88
may be replaced with a high-friction surface material. The movable body
68
is preferably made of plastic, but may be constructed of any suitable material.
The clutch mechanism
26
also includes a pair of arms
92
having flyweights
96
mounted thereto. The arms
92
are also preferably made of plastic, but may be constructed of any suitable material. Each arm
92
is pivotally mounted to the first body half
14
on a stub shaft or post
100
that is mounted to or formed integrally with the first body half
14
. Each arm
92
includes gear teeth
104
that mesh with the movable body gear teeth
88
such that pivotal movement of the arms
92
causes axial movement of the movable body
68
. Alternatively, the gear teeth
104
may be replaced with a high friction material. Guide members
108
formed integrally with or mounted to the first body half
14
further ensure that the movable body
68
slides in a substantially linear fashion. A spring or other biasing member
112
biases the movable member
68
toward a rest position (as seen in
FIG. 4
) in which the engagement teeth
60
engage the friction surface
52
of the spool
42
to rotationally fix the spool
42
with respect to the first body half
14
and the axle
34
.
Still referring to
FIG. 3
, the clutch mechanism
26
includes an adjustment mechanism including a threaded bolt
116
having a head and a distal end, a limiter
120
threaded onto the bolt
116
, and a retainer
124
mounted onto the distal end of the bolt
116
. As is seen in FIGS.
1
and
4
-
7
, the bolt
116
extends through the split first and second abutment surfaces
76
,
80
. The limiter
120
and retainer
124
are preferably made of very rigid plastic or a metal such as steel or aluminum, but may be made of any suitable material. A portion of the bolt's
116
threads may be removed at the distal end such that the retainer
124
is not rotationally fixed with respect to the bolt
116
and is not threadedly engaged by the bolt
116
. Alternatively, as illustrated, the distal end of the bolt
116
may be mushroomed or crimped to prevent the retainer
124
from coming off the distal end of the bolt
116
.
As seen in
FIGS. 4-7
the limiter
120
is disposed within the housing
72
portion of the movable body
68
. The width of the limiter
120
substantially spans the chamber
84
so that the limiter
120
will not rotate significantly within the housing
72
, but may be moved axially along the bolt
116
within the housing
72
in response to rotation of the bolt
116
. The retainer
124
abuts a fixed member
128
that is mounted to or integrally formed with the first body half
14
. The retainer
124
prevents the bolt
116
from being threaded out of the yo-yo
10
so that rotation of the bolt
116
causes axial movement of the limiter
120
without moving the bolt
116
. In other words, the bolt
116
is threaded only into the limiter
120
.
FIGS. 4 and 5
illustrate the yo-yo
10
at rest or spinning at or below the trigger speed, and the yo-yo
10
spinning above the trigger speed, respectively. In
FIG. 4
, the spring
112
provides enough biasing force to push the engagement teeth
60
of the movable body
68
into contact with the friction surface
52
. In
FIG. 5
, when the yo-yo is spinning at a rate greater than the trigger speed, centrifugal force acting on the flyweights
96
causes the arms
92
to pivot out, thereby driving the engagement teeth
60
of the movable body
68
away from the friction surface
52
. When the yo-yo
10
slows down to the trigger speed, the centrifugal force on the weights
96
and arms
92
is overcome by the biasing force of the spring
112
, the arms
92
and movable body
68
return to the rest condition shown in
FIG. 4
, and the engagement teeth
60
engage the friction surface
52
of the spool
42
to couple the spool
42
with the body halves
14
,
18
and axle
34
.
The string
20
will wind on the spool
42
when the yo-yo is spinning at or below the trigger speed due to the clutch mechanism
26
engaging the spool
42
. When the yo-yo
10
is spinning above the trigger speed, the spool
42
is free to rotate on the axle
34
with respect to the yo-yo halves
14
,
18
, and the string will not wind on the spool
42
.
The maximum space between the engagement teeth
60
and the friction surface
52
is determined by the position of the limiter
120
. When the movable body
68
moves far enough such that the first abutment surface
76
abuts the limiter
120
(see FIG.
5
), further travel of the engagement teeth
60
away from the friction surface
52
is prevented. If the limiter
120
is positioned far enough away from the first abutment surface
76
, the arms
92
may contact the walls of the cavity
22
before the limiter
120
stops movement of the movable body
68
.
The closer the limiter
120
is positioned to the first abutment surface
76
, the less the arms
92
are permitted to pivot, and the less the engagement teeth
60
of the movable member
68
are moved away from the friction surface
52
of the spool
42
. Thus, the closer the limiter
120
is to the first abutment surface
76
, the more sensitive the yo-yo
10
will be because the arms
92
and movable body
68
do not have to move very far to reach the rest condition. Very fine adjustments may be made to the clutch sensitivity by positioning the limiter
120
very close to the first abutment surface
76
such that the engagement teeth
60
do not totally disengage the friction surface
52
, but still permit rotation of the spool
42
. In this manner, the degree of friction between the engagement teeth
60
and the friction surface
52
may be finely controlled.
FIGS. 6 and 7
illustrate the clutch in a fixed disengaged and a fixed engaged condition, respectively. In
FIG. 7
, the adjustable clutch mechanism
26
is shown in a fixed engaged position in which the bolt
116
has been rotated to drive the limiter
120
against the first abutment surface
76
such that the arms
92
are not permitted to pivot. In this condition, the arms
92
are not able to move the movable body
68
, and thus the engagement teeth
60
of the movable body
68
cannot disengage the spool
42
. The spool
42
is thereby substantially coupled to the yo-yo halves
14
,
18
and the axle
34
, and the string
20
winds on the spool
42
.
FIG. 6
illustrates the adjustable clutch mechanism
26
in a fixed disengaged position, in which the limiter
120
is driven against the second abutment surface
80
of the housing
72
to hold the engagement teeth
60
of the movable body
68
away from the friction surface
52
against the biasing force of the spring
112
. In this condition, the spool
42
is disengaged and free to rotate on the axle
34
.
Claims
- 1. A yo-yo comprising:first and second body halves; an axle extending between said body halves; a string interconnected with said axle; a clutch mechanism mounted to said first body half and including a movable body, a biasing member biasing said movable body into engagement with said axle, at least one flyweight interconnected with said movable body to cause said movable body to move out of engagement with said axle when said first body half rotates at a trigger rate of rotation, and an adjustment member adjusting the range of motion of said movable body with respect to said axle.
- 2. The yo-yo of claim 1, wherein said adjustment member is a screw.
- 3. The yo-yo of claim 1, wherein said movable body includes a first abutment portion, and wherein said adjustment member includes a second abutment member, whereby said adjustment member positions said second abutment member to abut against said first abutment member to limit movement of said movable body.
- 4. The yo-yo of claim 1, wherein said biasing member is a compression spring.
- 5. The yo-yo of claim 1, wherein said movable body includes a first toothed portion, and wherein said at least one flyweight includes an arm pivotally mounted to said first body half, a mass interconnected with said arm, and a second toothed portion interconnected with said arm and meshing with said first toothed portion, whereby centrifugal force acting on said mass causes said arm to pivot with respect to said first body half against the biasing force of said biasing member and causes said movable body to move due to said meshing engagement between said first and second toothed portions.
- 6. The yo-yo of claim 1, further comprising a resilient ring mounted on said axle, said movable body being biased by said biasing member to engage said resilient ring.
US Referenced Citations (3)