US3546811A - Toy airplane - Google Patents

Description

7 Dec. 15, 1970 L KUPPERMAN ETAL 3,546,811

roar AIRPLANE Filed Jan. 6, 1969 INVENTORS F16 3 DENNIS l. KUPPERMAN 6 SAM KUPPERMAN ATTORNEY United States Patent 9 3,546,811 TOY AIRPLANE Dennis I. Kupperman, Des Plaines, and Sam Kupperman, Chicago, Ill. (both of 4139 Main St., Skokie, Ill. 60076) Filed Jan. 6, 1969, Ser. No. 789,301 Int. Cl. A6311 27/04 US. Cl. 46-243 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hand held toy airplane which includes a handle for holding same while the toy is being operated, a rotatable arm which supports at one end thereof a flying toy, such as a simulated airplane, and supports at its opposite end a power unit comprising a motor, a battery, and a propeller operated by the motor, whereby when the motor is operating the propeller causes the power unit, the arm and the simulated toy airplane to rotate with respect to the handle, and by manually manipulating the handle through various angles the airplane is caused to fly through various flying patterns.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of this invention is to provide a toy airplane which is highly portable and may be readily carried around while it is operating, and which includes a handle by which the toy is held in the hand, and which is manipulated through various angles to cause the toy airplane to fly through various flying patterns.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the toy forming this invention and showing the angle by which the toy is held to cause the toy airplane to fly in a substantially horizontal plane.

FIG. '2 is a top plan view of the toy with a portion shown in section.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the arm and the means for supporting the arm.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the manner in which the airplane is supported by the arm.

The toy device is of very simple structure and includes a handle generally indicated at 10 which is adapted to be held in the hand and which is normally held at an inclined angle, as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of packaging, the handle 10 is made in two rod sections 12 and 14, which sections are held together by a sleeve 15 so that the handle may be disassembled to reduce its overall length.

Secured to the upper end of the upper rod section 14 of the handle is a connector member generally indicated at 16, molded preferably of a plastic material, which includes a sleeve portion generally indicated at 18 and an extension generally indicated at 20. The sleeve is molded to form spaced concave side sections 22 on one side with a split concave opposite side section 24 positioned intermediate the side sections 22 to form the split sleeve 18 which frictionally engages the rod section 14 to detachably secure same to said connector. The sleeve has an end wall 26 against which the rod 14 abuts. The extension is molded integrally with the sleeve 18 and comprises a portion 28 which extends forwardly of the axis of the sleeve and a portion 30 which extends upwardly at an inclined angle of approximately 120 with respect to the axis of the sleeve. This construction is best shown 3,546,811 Patented Dec. 15, 1970 ice in FIG. 3. The angle of the portion 30 relative to the portion 28 allows the airplane to fly its various patterns when the handle 10 is twisted or manipulated by the hand of the operator. Without this angled relationship there would be no varying of the flight pattern to the extent now possible with this construction.

Extending upwardly of the upper portion 30 of the extension 20 is a reduced annular stem 32 providing a shoulder 34. The stem has an annular recess 36. An arm generally designated by the numeral 38 comprising two sections 40 and 42 is rotatably supported on the annular stem 32 of the extension. A washer 44 is positioned to rest on the shoulder 34. The section 40 of the arm has an opening which is received on the annular stem 32. A split washer 46 is snapped into the recess 36 of the stem 32 to secure the arm 38 to the extension 20 but permits rotation of the arm. The inner end of the arm section 40 has a sleeve portion 48 into which the inner end of the arm section 42 is inserted to frictionally secure the arm sections 40 and 42 together to form a single arm, but which may be detached from each other for the purpose of reducing the overall length of the arm for packaging purposes. The arm 38 is adapted to rotate about the stem 32 of the connector, as will be subsequently described.

Aflixed to the outer end of arm section 40 is a power unit generally indicated at 50 which includes a housing 51 formed of plastic which contains and supports therewithin a small dry cell battery 52 and a small battery operated motor 54. The motor shaft 55 has secured to it a propeller 56. The front of the housing has a protective grill 57 to prevent the hand from engaging the spinning propeller. The motor and battery are connected by suitable conductors 58, with a switch 60 for opening and closing the circuit.

The arm section 42 supports at its outer end a simulated or toy airplane generally indicated at 62, which may be of any design, preferably simulating a jet airplane. The toy airplane 62 is provided at the top thereof with a pair of spaced ears 63 having openings 64 which receive the opposite ends 65 of a wire spring clip generally indicated at 66. The clip is shaped, as shown in FIG. 4, to provide a raised portion 67 and a further raised central socket portion 68 which receives the outer end of the arm section 42 secured thereto. The top of the airplane is thus positioned below the arm section 42 so as not to interfere with the pivotal movement of the airplane as it pivots relative to the arm section 42. While the clip 66 is held fixed relative to the arm section 42, the pivoting of the airplane will be through the ears 63 and the ends 65 of the clip 66.

The power unit 50 is heavier than the simulated airplane and therefore to counterbalance same the power unit is positioned closer to the axis stem 32 than is the toy airplane 62. By this arrangement the arm is counterbalanced so that even while the toy is not in operation it will be supported in a generally horizontal plane.

The toy can be packaged in a relatively small box by disassembling the two arm sections 40 and 42 so that the overall length of the longest section determines one dimension of the box. The same would be true of the handle rod sections 12 and 14 which are disassembled. Therefore, the unit may be readily packed in a compact manner in a box of a reduced size and may be readily assembled by merely connecting the arm sections 40 and 42, as shown, and by also connecting the rod sections 12 and 14 forming the handle.

The operation of the toy airplane will be understood from the foregoing, but briefly described is as follows. The child will hold the handle 10 and when the switch 60 is closed the motor 54 will rotate the propeller 56 to draw air into the housing of the power unit which is expelled through the rear opening 59 of the housing, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2, which causes the arm 38 to rotate about the stem 32 as the axis, and thereby simultaneously rotate the power unit 50 and the airplane 62 supported on the opposite end of the arm. By twisting and/or positioning the handle to various degrees, the arm 38 may be rotated through difierent planes and angles, with the airplane 62 caused to pivot relative to the arm. This produces various types of flying performances and permits the child to control the angles of flight through various manipulative movements of the handle 10. The angle of the portion 30 relative to the portion 28 of the extension is an important factor in this respect. There is thus provided a toy having great play value for the child as the flight patterns of the airplane can be controlled as it continues to rotate about the stem 32 as the axis.

The toy airplane is so constructed that it can be carried from indoors to the outdoors and has all the advantages of a toy which is hand-held as contrasted to toys which are supported on stationary pylons or the like.

What is claimed is:

1. A hand supported toy comprising a handle adapted to be manually engaged by a persons hand for supporting the toy, an arm secured to said handle for rotation about said handle, said arm supporting a toy figure adjacent one end thereof and supporting adjacent the opposite end thereof a power unit comprising a motor and a battery for operating said motor, a propeller forming part of said unit and connected to and operated by said motor so that rotation of said propeller will cause the arm to rotate about said handle.

2. A toy as defined in claim 1 in which the arm is supported at angle of approximately 120 with respect to the handle.

3. A toy as defined in claim 1 in which the power unit includes a housing for the battery and motor and has a switch for opening and closing the circuit between the battery and the motor.

4. A toy as defined in claim 2 in which the toy figure is a simulated airplane, and in which the arm is supported in off-center position with respect to the handle so that the arm is counterbalanced.

5. A toy as defined in claim 1 in which the toy figure is a simulated airplane and in which the arm is secured 4 to the handle in an off-center position so that the weight on one end of the arm will be balanced relative to the weight at the opposite end of the arm so that the arm is maintained in a substantially balanced state with respect to the handle. I

6. A toy as defined in claim 1 in which the toy figure is a simulated airplane and in which a connector member is secured to the upper end of the handle, said connector member having a sleeve portion at one end which engages the upper end of the handle and having an extension extending upwardly of the sleeve portion which has a portion positioned at an inclined angle relative to the sleeve, with the arm rotatably secured to the extension.

7. A toy as defined in claim 6 in which the extension is at an angle of approximately with respect to the sleeve portion.

8. A toy as defined in claim 6 in which the arm is formed of a pair of sections which are detachably connected and in which the handle is formed of a pair of sections detachably connected.

9. A toy as defined'in claim 1 in which the toy figure is a simulated airplane which is pivotally secured to the arm so that it may pivot relative to said arm.

10. A toy as defined in claim 6 in which the connector member is molded of plastic material and in which the extension of the connector is at an inclined angle of approximately 120 relative to the sleeve, and in which the sleeve is split to permit it to give to provide a frictional fit with the upper end of the handle.

References Cited Hennik 272-3 1X LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner D. L. WEIN HOLD, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 4647, 77; 27'231

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