GB2123704A

GB2123704A - Toy motor car having magnetic rear wheels

Info

Publication number: GB2123704A
Application number: GB08221139A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yoshiro Nomura
Original assignee: Nomura Toys Ltd
Current assignee: Nomura Toys Ltd
Priority date: 1982-07-21
Filing date: 1982-07-21
Publication date: 1984-02-08
Also published as: GB2123704B

Abstract

A toy vehicle comprising front wheels 3, and magnetic rear wheels 4 driven by a fly wheel and having rubber tyres 10, also has an idler wheel 7 rearward of the rear wheels 4 which stabilises the car as it traverses corner regions 13 of upright iron surfaces 12, which car would otherwise tend to fall off. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Toy motor car having magnetic rear wheels The present invention relates to a toy motor car having magnetic rear wheels. The invention aims to provide a car which may run on a flat floor and also on an inclined or vertical ferrous surface such as iron plates or iron vessels and also pass over an angular corner region of such a surface without falling off.

Heretofore, there have been provided many motor cars having magnetic rear wheels, which cars are popular toys and may run on an inclined ferrous surface. But they fall off at a corner owing to the unbalance of the contact of the two magnet rear wheels to the surface of the corner range and the decrease of attraction of the magnetic rear wheels thereto.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a motor car which may run on an inclined iron surface and pass over an angular corner range of the iron plate.

According to the present invention, there is provided a toy motor car having a pair of magnet rear wheels associated with a prime mover for driving a rear axle and a small auxiliary idler.

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent and be understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention by way of example and in which: Figure 1 is a right side view of a toy motor car embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a bottom view of the toy motor car of Figure 1: Figure 3 is a rear view of the toy motor car thereof; Figure 4 is a plan view cutting of the upper portion of the toy motor car along line IV--IV in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a plan view showing a construction of a magnetic rear wheel thereof; Figure 6 is a sectional side view along line VI--VI of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the toy motor car passing over the corner range of the vertical surface of an iron vessel.

A toy motor car comprises a body 1, a chassis 2, a pair of front wheels 3, and a pair of magnetic rear wheels 4 and a small auxiliary idler 7 in appearance. The body 1 and chassis 2 are moulded from plastics. The chassis 2 houses a flywheel 5 as a prime mover which is connected with a gear train 6 and has a pair of free rolling front wheels 3, a pair of magnetic rear wheels 4 and a small auxiliary idler 7. Each of the magnetic rear wheels 4 comprises a thick disc shaped magnet 9 encircled with a rubber tyre 10 and two supplementary non-magnetic circular plates 11 between which the magnet disc 9 is sandwiched, the wheels are fixed at the ends of a rear axle 8.

The auxiliary idler 7 isjournaled on a shaft parallel to and located behind the rear axle 8 at the middle of the rear end portion of the chassis 2 so as to contact the "ground" when the car is on the flat.

If the toy is put on a floor after the rear wheels 4 have been rubbed along the floor while pressing it on the floor to endow a high speed rotation to the flywheel 5, the car may be run from the power of the flywheel 5 as in traditional motor car toys.

But, in the present invention, the rear wheels 4 are magnetic and encircled with rubber tyres 10 around the magnet discs 9, so that the toy may run freely on a vertically standing iron plate in vertical or lateral direction without falling down.

The toy may also run longer since there is less friction between the wheels and the plate by reason that its magnetic power is indirect and relieved by the rubber tyre 10 contrary to that in the traditional toy which has a larger friction by direct contact of the magnets to the iron plate.

Furthermore, the toy may pass over a corner range 13 of the prismatic iron surface 12, as shown in Figure 7, without falling down by putting the corner region 1 3 between a pair of the rear wheels 4 and the small idler 7 so as to parallel the rear axle 8 to the corner range 13, such that the two rear wheels 4 touch closely to the iron surface 1 2 and the balance of attraction of the two rear wheels 4 to the iron surface 12 is maintained.

As described above, the toy of the present invention may, of course, run freely on a flat floor and also vertically or laterally or in any direction on ferrous surfaces in spite of their cylindrical or prismatic shape.

Accordingly, the toy motor car of the present invention is both interesting and attractive and entertains and teaches children concerning the property of iron to magnetism and so is valuable as an educational toy.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practised otherwise as specifically described.

1. A toy motor vehicle having a pair of magnetic rear wheels and a small auxiliary idler, the magnetic rear wheels being fixed at the ends of a rear axle which is drivable by a prime mover, and the small auxiliary idler being mounted on a shaft substantially parallel to the rear axle at the middle of the rear end portion of a chassis of the vehicle so as to be in contact with a flat surface when the vehicle is stood thereupon.

2. A toy as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the magnetic rear wheels comprises a thick magnetic disc encircled with a rubber tyre and two supplementary non-magnetic circular plates between which said magnet disc is sandwiched.

3. A toy as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said prime mover is a flywheel which is connected with the rear axle by a gear train.

4. A toy motor vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Toy motor car having magnetic rear wheels The present invention relates to a toy motor car having magnetic rear wheels. The invention aims to provide a car which may run on a flat floor and also on an inclined or vertical ferrous surface such as iron plates or iron vessels and also pass over an angular corner region of such a surface without falling off. Heretofore, there have been provided many motor cars having magnetic rear wheels, which cars are popular toys and may run on an inclined ferrous surface. But they fall off at a corner owing to the unbalance of the contact of the two magnet rear wheels to the surface of the corner range and the decrease of attraction of the magnetic rear wheels thereto. Therefore, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a motor car which may run on an inclined iron surface and pass over an angular corner range of the iron plate. According to the present invention, there is provided a toy motor car having a pair of magnet rear wheels associated with a prime mover for driving a rear axle and a small auxiliary idler. The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent and be understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention by way of example and in which: Figure 1 is a right side view of a toy motor car embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a bottom view of the toy motor car of Figure 1: Figure 3 is a rear view of the toy motor car thereof; Figure 4 is a plan view cutting of the upper portion of the toy motor car along line IV--IV in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a plan view showing a construction of a magnetic rear wheel thereof; Figure 6 is a sectional side view along line VI--VI of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the toy motor car passing over the corner range of the vertical surface of an iron vessel. A toy motor car comprises a body 1, a chassis 2, a pair of front wheels 3, and a pair of magnetic rear wheels 4 and a small auxiliary idler 7 in appearance. The body 1 and chassis 2 are moulded from plastics. The chassis 2 houses a flywheel 5 as a prime mover which is connected with a gear train 6 and has a pair of free rolling front wheels 3, a pair of magnetic rear wheels 4 and a small auxiliary idler 7. Each of the magnetic rear wheels 4 comprises a thick disc shaped magnet 9 encircled with a rubber tyre 10 and two supplementary non-magnetic circular plates 11 between which the magnet disc 9 is sandwiched, the wheels are fixed at the ends of a rear axle 8. The auxiliary idler 7 isjournaled on a shaft parallel to and located behind the rear axle 8 at the middle of the rear end portion of the chassis 2 so as to contact the "ground" when the car is on the flat. If the toy is put on a floor after the rear wheels 4 have been rubbed along the floor while pressing it on the floor to endow a high speed rotation to the flywheel 5, the car may be run from the power of the flywheel 5 as in traditional motor car toys. But, in the present invention, the rear wheels 4 are magnetic and encircled with rubber tyres 10 around the magnet discs 9, so that the toy may run freely on a vertically standing iron plate in vertical or lateral direction without falling down. The toy may also run longer since there is less friction between the wheels and the plate by reason that its magnetic power is indirect and relieved by the rubber tyre 10 contrary to that in the traditional toy which has a larger friction by direct contact of the magnets to the iron plate. Furthermore, the toy may pass over a corner range 13 of the prismatic iron surface 12, as shown in Figure 7, without falling down by putting the corner region 1 3 between a pair of the rear wheels 4 and the small idler 7 so as to parallel the rear axle 8 to the corner range 13, such that the two rear wheels 4 touch closely to the iron surface 1 2 and the balance of attraction of the two rear wheels 4 to the iron surface 12 is maintained. As described above, the toy of the present invention may, of course, run freely on a flat floor and also vertically or laterally or in any direction on ferrous surfaces in spite of their cylindrical or prismatic shape. Accordingly, the toy motor car of the present invention is both interesting and attractive and entertains and teaches children concerning the property of iron to magnetism and so is valuable as an educational toy. While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practised otherwise as specifically described. CLAIMS

5. A toy motor vehicle having a pair of magnetic wheels and means for driving the wheels, wherein surface contacting means are provided rearward of the magnetic wheels, the surface contacting means being adapted to contact a flat surface on which the vehicle is stood, thereby to stabilise the vehicle as it traverses a corner of an upright surface.

6. The features hereinbefore disclosed or their equivalents in any novel combination.