Rocket Car

This invention relates to toy vehicles, and more particularly to toy vehicles which simulate rocket assisted propulsion.

In vehicles with rocket assisted propulsion, a forward impulse is imparted by the firing of a rocket. This results from the well known law of physics by which each action is accompanied by an equal and opposite reaction. Thus, the reaction to the firing of a rocket is the production of an impulsive forch which is able to propel a vehicle in the opposite direction.

Rocket propulsion can be engaging and of considerable interest to a youngster. It can be educational as well. Unfortunately, actual rockets are much too dangerous, expensive and complex to be suitable as toys.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to achieve the effect of rocket propulsion without attendant chemical and mechanical dangers that accompany actual rocket propulsion.

Still another object of the invention is to achieve the appearance of rocket propulsion not only without using chemical propellants but also without any internally contained source of energy, such as a battery.

A further object of the invention is to achieve the effect of rocket propulsion in a toy vehicle in which the entire motive power is supplied by the user.

In accomplishing the foregoing and related objects, the invention provides a toy vehicle with a timing mechanism that provides simulated rocket propulsion at the end of a prescribed time interval.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the timing mechanism is disengaged from the motive portion of the vehicle during the initial energization period. This is followed by release of the vehicle and engagement of the timing mechanism which then operates for a prescribed interval to bring about the desired simulative effect. In particular, the operating of the timing mechanism brings about the release of a rocket which can be coordinated with a change in the operation of the vehicle, such as a change in speed of the vehicle.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention the power train of the toy vehicle is frictionally energized by reciprocating rotation motion which rotates the drive wheel of the vehicle and stores energy in a flywheel. When sufficient energy has been stored in the flywheel, the car is released, causing a control gear of the timing mechanism to engage a worm gear which is operated by the rear wheels. The control gear is then rotated to a position where a slider is moved into engagement with an auxiliary gear to change the speed condition of the vehicle, i.e., increase it, and simultaneously fire a rocket, giving the impression that the increase in speed is caused by the firing of the rocket.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent after consideration of several illustrative embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1A is a side view of a "Rocket" car in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 1B is an illustration of the operation of the car of FIG. 1A with an accompanying timing diagram;

FIG. 2A is a partial perspective view of a control mechanism on the rear chassis of the car of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2B is a plan view of a power train for the car of FIG. 1A controlled by the mechanism of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a side view, partially in section, of the rocket mechanism for the car of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3B is a partial perspective view showing the operation of the rocket mechanism by the control mechanism of FIG. 2A; and

FIGS. 4A and 4B are alternative control mechanisms for the car of FIG. 1A.

With reference to the drawings, a Rocket car 10 in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 1A grasped in the hand H of a user and being prepared for usage. By grasping the car 10 as shown, the hand H depresses button 21b of a control mechanism 20 to disengage the mechanism as described below. Simultaneously energy is stored in the car, illustratively by frictional "wind-up" action in which the rear wheels of the car are placed in sustained rotation indicated by the arrows A by being rolled against a surface S through reciprocating action of the hand H. It will be appreciated that motive power for the car 10 may come from other sources, such as a battery, but that the frictional energization of the car 10 indicated in FIG. 1A is particularly advantageous in producing a low cost toy that does not require expensive energization techniques.

In addition to frictional energization, the car 10 of FIG. 1A includes a rocket mechanism 30 which is illustratively formed by a rocket barrel 31 and a rocket projectile 32.

Once the car 10 has been sufficiently energized, it is released on the surface S, which may have any desired configuration, including curves, ramps, guides and the like but is shown as a plane for simplicity in FIG. 1A.

Release of the car 10 on the surface S permits the control button 21b to return to its operational position, allowing the control mechanism 20 to be activated as described in detail below. The car 10 then proceeds, as shown in FIG. 1B, from its starting or origination point 0, indicated in the accompanying time scale K at time T.sub.0, along a prescribed course at its initial speed condition V1 until the elapse of a time T.sub.1, at which the rocket projectile 32 is fired from the rocket barrel 31 on top of the car 10.

The firing of the projectile 32 is coupled with a change in the driving mechanism of the car 10 which produces an increase in the speed of the car to V2 giving the impression that this results from the firing of the rocket projectile 32. It will be apparent that the firing of the projectile and the change in speed of the car need not occur simultaneously, for example producing the effect of a delayed or even independenc response.

The control mechanism 20 on the rear of the chassis of car 10 is shown in FIG. 2A. As indicated in FIG. 2B, the rear wheels 11-1 and 11-2 of the car 10 are mounted on an axle 12 which includes a worm gear 13 that is able to act on a control gear 22. The control button 21b is at one end of a control lever 21r that is pivotally mounted at a position 21p on a partition 14a of the chassis 14 for the car 10. The control lever 21r is maintained in its initial position by a spring 21s. By virtue of the pivot mounting, the end 21e of the control lever is able to engage a spindle 23e of a rotor 23. The rotor 23 is pivotally mounted in an extension 14e of the chassis 14 and includes a shaft 23s that extends into a hub 22h of the control gear 22.

Because of the positioning of the shaft 23s in the hub 22h of the control gear 22, the depression of the control button 21b, for example by the hand H in FIG. 1A causes the rotor 23 to pivot in a clockwise direction indicated by the arrow C-1. This in turn raises the shaft 23s as indicated by the arrow C-2, to raise the control gear 22 and disengage it from the worm gear 13 on the shaft 12. As a result when the user depresses the control button 21b the control gear 22 is disengaged from the worm gear 13 and the frictional wind-up of the rear wheels 11-1 and 11-2 is not affected by the control mechanism, although the wind-up is transmitted to a flywheel (shown in FIG. 2B).

Once the control button 21b is released, the spring 21s draws the end 21e of the lever 21r away from engagement with the spindle 23e, so that the control gear 22 is pivoted, in the direction of the counterclockwise arrow C-2 of the shaft 23s, into engagement with the worm gear 13. As a result the control gear 22 begins to turn in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow C-3 and control the power train 14 of FIG. 3B, as well as the rocket mechanism 30 of FIG. 3.

It is to be noted in connection with the control gear 22 it includes a pin which is initially in contact with an adjustable stop member 22t. When the control gear 22 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow C-3 to a position corresponding to the time T.sub.1 of the timing diagram of FIG. 1B, the indicated control actions are effected: changing the speed of the car 10 from V1 to V2 and firing the rocket 22. It is to be noted that a spring 22s is wrapped around the hub 22h with one end secured to the pin and the other end secured to the frame 14. Consequently, at the completion of the operating cycle, i.e., when the rocket car has come to rest, depression of the control button 21b disengages the control gear 22 from the worm gear 14 and the spring 22s returns the control gear 22 to its starting position shown in FIG. 2A, ready for the next cycle of Rocket car operation.

The power train 15 for the rocket car 10 is shown in FIG. 2B. Initially, a slider gear 15s is in its phantom position 15s' with its hub in engagement with a main gear 15g. If the slider 15s' is out of engagement as a result of prior operation, depression of the control button 21b moves the slider to its phantom position by the arcuate movement of the control pin to its phantom position 22c' on the control gear 22 as that gear is reset to the position shown in FIG. 2A.

With the slider gear in its phantom position 15s', the frictional wind-up of the vehicle by the reciprocating contact of the rear wheels 11-1 and 11-2 with the surface S of FIG. 1A stores energy in the flywheel 15f through the gear train 15a, 15b-1, 15-2, 15c,15d and 15e.

When the car 10 is released on the surface S (FIG. 1B), the car 10 moves at a speed V1 and the control gear 22 is operated by the worm gear 13, moving the control pin 22c in an arcuate path to the left in FIG. 2B until the slider gear 15s is disengaged, so that the operation is in neutral. Continued rotation of the control gear 22 then engages the high speed gear 15b-2, so that the energy stored in the flywheel 15f is able to move the rear wheels 11-1 and 11-2 at a faster rate, i.e. V2, than before.

In the particular tested embodiment of the invention, the slider gear 15s is in engagement with the low speed gear 15g for nine revolutions of the worm gear 13 while the slider travels 0.36 inches and the car moved 3.77 feet. The slider was next in neutral for one revolution of the worm gear 13 while moving 0.05 inches, and the car advanced 5 inches. The slider gear 15s finally moved 0.09 inches into complete engagement with the high speed gear 15b-2 over four additional revolutions. Simultaneously with the engagement of the slider gear 15s with the high speed gear 15b-2 there is firing of the rocket 32 as described below.

A perspective view of the control gear 22 of FIG. 2A from the front is set forth in FIG. 3B. In addition to the control pin 22c that moves the slider 15s into engagement with the auxiliary gear 15b-2, there is a projection 22n with a prong 22g to fire the rocket mechanism.

In particular when the prong 22g moves into contact with an extension 33e of a hingeably mounted lever 33r, subsequent rotation trips the lever and releases the rocket 32.

This is because, as shown in FIG. 3A, the end of the lever 33r opposite the extension 33e has a protuberance 33p which engages a notch 32n in the side of the projectile 32 through an aperture 31a in the barrel 31. The barrel also includes a spring 31s and a piston 31p which is depressed when the rocket 32 is inserted into the barrel. In particular the projectile 32 is pushed into the barrel 31 until the channel 32n is over the lever aperture 31a. At that point the firing lever 33r is able to pivot downwardly because of the torque effect of the extension 33e, causing the protuberance 33p to enter the channel 32n and thus hold the projectile 32 in place.

However, when the control gear 22 rotates to the position shown in FIG. 3B where the prong extension 22g is in contact with the pendant extension 33e of the lever, further rotation causes the lever 33r to pivot and move the lever projection 33p out of the channel 32n, allowing the projectile 32 to be fired by the spring loaded piston 31p.

An alternative arrangement for the control gear 22 is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, with an alternative spring 22s" having one end fixed in the gear 22, then encircling the hub of the gear and having the other end fixed to a frame mounted pin. In addition the gear 22 of FIGS. 4A and 4B is pivoted downwardly, as indicate for disengagement from the worm gear 13.

While various aspects of the invention have been set forth by the drawings and specification, it is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is for illustration only and that various changes in parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent constituents for those shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.