US1828288A - Toy - Google Patents

Description

L. MARX I 1,828,288

Oct. 20, 1931.

TOY

Filed Feb. 4, 1950 INVENTOR Louis M Cl r x ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 20, 1931 PATENT OFFICE L roursmlmx, or NEW YoRx, N.Y.

TOY

Application filed February 4, 1930. Serial No. 425,733.

' This invention relates to toys, and more particularly to toys of the track laying or caterpillar type. i Toys f the track laying or caterpillar 5 type have attained considerable popularity because of their ability to climb over obstacles "set in their path. If the obstacle is quite steep the toy is'apt to'turn over backward, Lthereby terminating its previously impressive '10- performance in an i'gnominious manner.

1 This tendency of the toy to upset is far more marked than might be anticipated from superficial consideration, and this efiect I have found is due to the fact that the reaction of the driving torque of the rear portion of the tread of'the toy is in such a direction as to "tend to turn the toy over backward. In consequence, when the a toy is climbing an obstacle, even if .the obstacle is not sufficiently steep to place'the toy in a position of unstable equilibrium, it may be sufiiciently steep to give the rear portion of the tread considerable local traction, and this not only tends to move the rear ofthevehicle toward the obstacle, thereby increasing the angle of lift of the vehicle, but also causesa torque of reaction which directly tends to and usually succeeds in upsetting the toy.

The primary object of the present invention is to overcome the foregoing difiiculty, and to make toys of the track laying or caterpillar type more stable in operation and more eflicient in negotiating relatively steep obstacles. Another object is to enhance the play valueofthe toy by making possible either stable or unstableoperation at will. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as willhereinafter a-ppear, my invention resides in the method and thetraotor elements and their relation one to j the other, as hereinafter more particularly 8 described and sought to be defined in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show the preferred Y Fig; 1' is an elevation illustrating how a tractor toy of the prior art upsets;

Fig. 2 isan elevation of my improved tractortoy successfully negotiating the same obswam-aria a embodiment'of my invention, and in which:

Fig. 3 is a partially sectioned viewin plan of the rear portion of the tractor toy embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawings, my invention is illustrated as applied to a toy tractor of the track laying or caterpillar type, this tractor comprising a body 2, caterpillar tread 4,

and driving means here exemplified by a spring motor energized by means of a winding key 6, the motorbeing suitably geared to either or both of pairs of driving wheels 8 andlO on which thetreads 4 are mounted. The toy may, if desired, be further provided with projections 12 simulating engine exhaust pipes, and means 14 simulating steering and control mechanism for the toy, as well as an operator 16 apparently handling the controls.

The caterpillar treads 4 maybe made of rubber andpreferably consist of a V-shaped inner portion 18 and a parallel sided outer portion 20, and are further preferably provided with suction cups or indentations 22 on the outer periphery thereof.

The tractor toy as so far described ismore or less conventional. However, in addition to the aforesaid elements I provide means at the rear of the toy to prevent'it from turning over when climbing a relatively steep obstacle. This means is here illustrated simply as' a trail 30 when is preferably reciprocably mounted at the rear of the body of the vehicle, so that it may be adjusted between the positions 30 and 30 shown in Fig. 3.

' When the trail 30 is moved entirely into the body it does not project beyond the periphery of the treads 4, and therefore is of no effect. In the position 30 the trail is inoperative, and hence the toy may be readily caused to upset, whereas in the position 30, V the exact location of Whichis adjustable for best results, the trail is operative, and the toy will not upset. The play value of the toy is greatly enhanced by having optionally available either type of. operation.

The dithculty with prior toys of this nature will'be described with reference to Fig. 1 in whichthe tractor, although fitted with the trail 30, may be considered as not having the same, inasmuch as the trail 30 has been adjusted to its innermost" position. The toy,

tractor may be exp on reaching a suitable obstacle here represented by a stacked pair of books and 42, begins to climb over the same until it reaches a position as shown in solid lines in Fig. 1. If the obstacle is sufiiciently steep to bring the tractor to this position, it is very apt to turn over backwards because of a number of cooperating factors. In the first place, there is considerable traction at the rear portion of the treads 4, and this causes the tractor to ride in against the obstacle to as steep an elevation as is possible, this position being illustrated by the broken line position in Fig. 1. When the rear portion of the tread can no longer ride forward, the reaction of the .movement of the tread against the body of Qthe vehicle begins to be felt. This reaction may best be understood by considering the forces centering .about the rear wheels 10 of the vehicle. These wheels tend to turn forward, and by reaction therefore tend to swing the body of the vehicle backward in the direction of the arrow about the axis of wheels 10 as a pivot. The driving torque of the toy being relatively powerful, the toy is easily turned backward the slight additional amount needed to change its equilibrium and thus to, upset the toy.

, Referring now to Fig. 2, the same toy is illustrated as negotiating the same obstacle,

,thetoy being altered merely by readjusting the position of the trail 30 to project from ,the rear of the body of the vehicle. More we may consider the toy as having broadl been ed by having the body thereof difintently shaped, so that a portion of the body is pro rl positioned to press against the groun w en the vehicle attempts to negotiate a steep obstacle.

Thetheorv of o eration of the improved ained from several viewpoints. In the first place, the trail prevents the vehicle from ever lifting upward to so tion-ofthe tread 4. Thus, in Fig. 2 the w l was explained in stee an angle as to place the toy in unstable fiibrium. In the second place, the trail 'vely lengthens the wheel base of the toy when the toy is climbing an obstacle, so that,

as is clearly evident in Fig. 2, the toy is per- .mitted to surmount the obstacle while inclined at less an angle of elevation than would In the third place, and perhaps most importantly, the trail 30, upon reaching the and, relieves the traction of the rear or- 10 and the tread 4 thereon are lifted entirely clear of the ground. This obviates the tendalloy of the rear portion of the to to climb in as closely as ossible to the obstacle, as ig. 1, and further obviates the force of reaction at the rear portion of ftbetread which tends to rotate the toy backward about the axis of rear wheel 10. In other words, by relieving the traction of the rear portion of the tread, the only traction remaining is that at the forward portion of the tread, and the tractive effort applied at the forward portion of the tread tends to draw the vehicle up over the obstacle and to rotate the vehicle clockwise or downwardly, as is indicated by the arrow.

The trail 30 may, if desired, be fitted with a small wheel or roller so as to remhce the friction or braking action thereof, or it may, as has here been shown, simply consist of a rounded skid. In the present case, the rear end of the trail 30 is suitably formed and bent upward to obtain a hook 32 which may be used for towing ur oses. The trail 30 is reciprocably or s Ida 1y mounted in the body so that it need not be projected, and it pro ected, so that its projection may be adjusted to best suit the steepness of the obstacle to be surmounted. This adjustability should,

of course, be with sufiicient friction to permit of the book 32 taking the tractive pull of the vehicle without being pulled out of the desired position or adjustment.

From the theory of operation of the toy as previously outlined, it will be understood that the toy can not upset even if the obstacle 4 A stra ght incline having a relatively IOlfil surface may be negotiated to even better vantage than the obstacle illustrated in the drawi because of the eater surface upon which t forward POI'tlOIl of the tread may grl will be apparent that while I have. shown and described my invention in the re form, many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. tractor toy compris' a bod a 'r of caterpillar treads, wbee ls on wh idh treads are mounted, driving means in said body for rotatin said wheels and treads, and

iarmd M a trail reciproca ly mounted at the rear oi the body of the toy and adjustable to bear upon the ground as the toy reaches any desired angle when attempting to climb a relatively steep obstacle, so that said trail will prevent the toy from lifting further to amorewl unstable angle, and will prevent the toy fiom turning over backward, said trail also movable to an inoperative position, permitting the toy to turn over backward.

2. A tractor toy comprising a body, a rpairgil of caterpillar treads, wheels on which said treads are mounted, driving means in said body for rotating said wheels and treads, and a trail reciprocably mounted at the rear of the body of the toy and adjustable between an inoperative position permitting the toy to turn over backward when climbing a steep obstacle, and an operative position preventing the toy from turning over backward when 5 climbing a steep obstacle.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 3rd. day of February, A. D, 1930.

LOUIS MARX.

Images