US2688207A - Ridable water toy - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 7, 1954 v. H. HURT RIDABLE WATER TOY Filed Dec. 12, 1950 INVENTOR. 1467a? 64 bW/ff @lwba. 6. MM

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 7, 1954 RIDABLE WATER TOY Victor H. Hurt, Cranston, R. I., assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 12, 1950, Serial No. 200,339

3 Claims.

This invention relates to water toys, and more particularly to a stable, ridable water toy such as an inflated toy having a body, neck and head, and also having a pontoon stabilizer removably and adjustably secured to said body.

Ridable water toys having stabilizing pontoons permanently secured to the sides thereof have been made heretofore. This has been done because it is extremely difficult to ride an inflated water toy having a body, neck and head, unless the toy is provided with some stabilizing means, since it tends to roll in the water and throw the i rider ofi.

The present invention contemplates the combination of a ridable water toy having a rounded body but no stabilizing pontoons permanently secured thereto, and a pontoon stabilizer adapted to be secured to said body and removed therefrom at will. The arrangement is such that the ridable toy may be used either with or Without the pontooon stabilizer being attached thereto, and when the stabilizer is not secured to the toy it may be used independently as so-called water wings. When it is desired to stabilize the ridable toy the pontoon stabilizer is readily secured thereto by inserting the toy through a ringof the stabilizer. To this end the stabilizer has a short strap connection between the bulbous pontoons and a much longer strap also secured therebetweenso that these two straps together form a ring large enough to encircle and snugly embrace the body of the ridable toy.

This ring is preferably relatively wide so that when it encircles the body of the ridably toy it will restrict to some extent the expansion of the portion of the body it surrounds, to thereby form a shallow annular depression about the body so as to form a sunken saddle in the back of the toy where the rider may sit. Furthermore since this ring is retained in place upon the body of the toy solely by its snug engagement therewith, it may be moved lengthwise of the body to bring the pontoons nearer to or further from the neck of the toy, as desired, and the neck is preferably relatively long so that the rider may wrap his arms around the same to help him remain seated on the toy.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the present invention contemplates a ridable water toy, and a pontoon stabilizer which may be used as water wings but is especially constructed so that the pontoon stabilizer may be readily secured to or removed from the ridable toy, whereby the ridable water toy will be relatively stable to ride when the pontoons are secured thereto, and will be very unstable and difficult to ride when the pontoon stabilizer is removed therefrom.

The above and other features of the present invention will be further understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the stable, ridable, Water toy contemplated by the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but on a larger scale and shows a central portion of the ridable toy broken away;

Fig, 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a front View of the pontoon stabilizer removed from the ridable toy.

The ridable water toy and pontoon stabilizer contemplated by the present invention may be formed of various water-tight sheet materials adapted to confine air so that these devices may be inflated. One good practical material used for making such ridable water toy and the pontoon stabilizer is a fabric reinforced rubber but unreinforced rubber or plastic sheet material may also be used to form such inflatable devices.

The ridable-water toy may be given various sizes and shapes and may resemble either a natural or fanciful animal. It is desirable however that it be provided with a round body and have a relatively long upstanding neck and a head, so that a person riding the toy may grab the neck to give him added stability and prevent him from falling off of the toy.

Now referring to the drawing, the ridable Water toy is shown a having a body l0, neck and head it. It also has a protruding tail l3 and an ornamental strip l4 that resembles slightly a horses mane. In order that the ridable toy may be inflated it is provided with the air inflating valve is of usual or any preferred construction.

The ridable water toy is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 as having the pontoon stabilizer secured thereto, but it is to be understood that the ridable water toy may be used when desired without this stabilizer which can be readily applied thereto and removed therefrom due to the construction which will now be described. The toy is shown in Figs, 2 and 3 as riding relatively deep in the water W.

The pontoon stabilizer which is shown in Fig. 4 independently of the ridable water toy resembles fairly closely in appearance the so-called water wings, in that it comprises the bulbous pontoons l6 and I1, which as shown are independently inflated, and therefore each of these pontoons is provided with the inflating valve l8. These pontoons I6 and I! are connected by a relatively short wide strap l9. They are also connected by the much longer strap 20. The arrangement is such that these two straps together form a ring that is large enough to fit around and snugly embrace the inflated body I of the ridable toy. The ring formed-or the straps!!! and His shown as relatively wide so that the portion of'the body l0 which it embraces will be confined against expansion to some extent and thereby form'a slight annular depression about the body of the toy. This serves firmly to secure the pontoon stabilizer in the desired position of adjustment,

lengthwise of the body l0, and also to'formfa' saddle-like depression in the back of the toy where the rider may sit. Since the frictional engagement between the ring I9, ZU'and the body 'In is relied upon to hold the pontoons in the desired position relatively to the ridable toy, these pontoonsmay be adjusted lengthwise of the toy by sliding the band I9, towards or from the forward end of the toy.

The primary purpose in providing a short strap l9 and long strap 20 between the pontoon's'lB and I1 is to cause an end of each pontoon to be held by the short strap l9 against the ridable toy near the lower or under wall of the body as shown,

so as to cause these pontoons to ride low in the water and press against the sides of the body to "give the desired stability to the water toy, and

make it comparatively easy for the rider to remain seated upon the floating toy.

As a result of the present invention,'a ridable water'toy that is normally unstable and therefore difiicult to ride is provided, and a separate pontoon stabilizer is provided which can be readily secured to the toy and removed therefrom to make 'his body. The combination just described and the two devices forming the same are well adapted for many uses other than above mentioned. One

such use is that if a long tubular inflatable body .7

is provided it is possible to provide the same with two of the pontoon stabilizers such as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing so as to provide a stabilizer near each end of the long tube, whereupon several persons may ride on the tube as a stable raft.

Other uses will undoubtedly occur to children and adults using the floatable devices herein described.

The inflated ridabletoy and the pontoon stabilizer may be formed in a well known manner by 4 cutting the sheet material to the desired shape and then securing two such sheets together by means of adhesive seams.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A stable, ridable water toy comprising in combination, an inflated device having a round, ridable b'ody'and having'a pontoon stabilizer removably secured thereto, said stabilizer including two bulbous flexible pontoons connected by a "short strap and also by a much longer strap so that these straps together form a ring large lower portion of said body in position to press against the sides of the body when a person rides the twin water.

2. A stable, ridable "water toy comprising in combination; an inflated toy having a body, neck and head and having a pontoon stabilizer removably secured to the body, said stabilizer including two bulbous pontoons connected by a short strap and a much longer strap so that these straps together form a ring large enough to fit around said body and tightly embrace it, and flexible hinge-like connections between thepontoons and the ring anchoring firmly the pontoons to the lower portion of the body in position to press against the sides of the body whena person rides the toy in water. V k

3. A stable, ridable water toy comprising in combination, an inflated toy having a body, neck and head and having a pontoon stabilizer remov ably secured to the body, said stabilizer including two bulbous pontoons connected by a short strap and a much longer strap so that these straps together form a ring large enough to fit around said body and tightly embrace it, said ring having each pontoon connected thereto by a flexible hinge-like connection to firmly anchor the pontoons to the lower portion of the body when said short strap is positioned under the body with the pontoons disposed substantially symmetrically on either side of the body in position to press against the sides of the body when a person rides the toy in water, and said ring being small enough in diameter to confine the expansion of a portion of the inflated body within the ring sufficiently to form a saddle-like depression around the body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,262,296 Alther Apr. 9, 1918 1,851,768 Hubbell Mar. 29, 1932 2,404,729 Hurt July 23, 1946

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