US3793765A

US3793765A - Bouncing toy rocket

Info

Publication number: US3793765A
Application number: US00303237A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Schatz
Original assignee: Lee Raymond Organization Inc
Current assignee: Lee Raymond Organization Inc
Priority date: 1972-11-02
Filing date: 1972-11-02
Publication date: 1974-02-26
Anticipated expiration: 1991-02-26

Abstract

A toy in the shape of a space rocket, which is powered by a spring in the tail section which is in contact with a ball which protrudes out of the rear of the tail section. Throwing the rocket, tail-first towards the ground, results in the bouncing of said ball and spring so as to shoot the rocket, nose-first, up into the air. The nose section of the rocket is weighted so as to cause the rocket in flight to level off and then fall nose-first into the ground.

Description

United States Patent [191 Schatz v BOUNCING TOY ROCKET [75] inventor: Martin L. Schatz, Chicago, ill.v

[73] Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization, New York, NY. a part interest 858,986 1/1961 Great Britain 46/74 A [4 1 Feb. 26, 1974 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Robert F. Cutting Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Howard l. Podell 5 7 ABSTRACT A toy in the shape of a space rocket, which is powered by'a spring in the tail section which is in contact with a ball which protrudes out of the rear of the tail section. Throwing the rocket, tail-first towards the ground, results in the bouncing of said ball and spring so as to shoot the rocket, nose-first, up into the air. The nose section of the rocket is weighted so as to causethe rocket in flight to level off and then fall nose-first into the ground. 7 I

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is an educational toy in the shape of a space rocket, and particularly a toy rocket which is energized by bouncing the tail section onto the ground.

The advantage of this toy is that the rocket may be used a countless number of times by young children in a safe and harmless manner, to simulate the flight of a space rocket. y

The rocket is preferably shaped of a plastic material in the form of a space rocket, with a coiled spring mounted in the interior of the tail section and in contact with a-captive ball which partly protrudes past the rear of the rocket tail section. Bouncing the rocket, tail first, into the ground results in the ball and spring bouncing the rocket nose-first into the air. The weighted nose section causes the rocket to level off in flight and then approach the ground, nose-first.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objects and features of the invention may be un-- and.

FIG. 2 is an elevation and partial cross-section view of the toy rocket.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now descriptively to the'drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates a child 11 throwing the toy rocket 10 with his arm 12 against the ground 19 so that the tail section 14 of the rocket strikes the ground 19, and the rocket 10A bounces off as shown in the dotted line, in the direction of the nose 15 of the rocket.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rocket 10 is' shaped to resemble a space vehicle Apollo rocket, with markings 21 on the rocket body similar to these of the actual space vehicle. Tail fins 16 are mounted about the external tail section 14 of the rocket 10, and a weight 20, shown in dotted lines, is mounted in the curved nose section 15 of the rocket.

A coil compression spring 17 is mounted inside the tail 14 of the rocket so as to bear against a curved block 23 which is shaped with a concave surface to fit against a solid or hollow ball 18, such that the ball 18 protrudes past the rear of the tail section 14. The ball 18 which l jectory with the rocket curving over into a horizontal may be of elastic or riged construction be bonded to the curved block 23, with the block 23 permanently fastened to the rear end of the coiled spring 17.

In operation, the rocket is thrown, as shown in FIG. 1, so that the ball 18 strikes the ground 19, tail-first, with the combined reaction bounce of the ball 18 and the coiled spring 17 acting to bounce the rocket nose-first up into the air. The effect of the nose weight in such flight causes the rocket 10 to assume a traposition initially in flight, and then heading nose-first into the ground in a realistic simulation of space rocket travel.

The rocket may be fabricated of an impact-resistant plastic or of other such light weight material, or may be formed of a thin shell of metal.

Since obvious changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described herein, such modifications being within the spirit and scope of the invention claimed, it is indicated that all matter contained herein is intended as illustrative and not as limiting in scope.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A toy in the shape of a rocket, which may be powered in a directed flight pattern simulating that of a rocket by being initially throwntail end against the ground, said rocket formed with a cylindrical body which is shaped at the nose end in a rounded fashion, with a compression spring mounted in the interior of the tail section of the body, and a spherical-shaped ball member which is fastened in the body so as to bear against the rear end of the compression spring, with part of the spherical-shaped ball member protruding past the tail end of the cylindrical body such that the toy will bounce upwards when thrown down against a horizontal surface so that the tail end of the ball member strikes the horizontal surface and temporarily compresses the spring, with a weight located in the interior of the nose section of the body so as to cause the axis of the body of the toy to change from an initial vertical orientation in flight, after the tail of the toy has bounced off a horizontal surface, to a horizontal orientation, with the longitudinal axis continuing to revolve in flight so that the toy heads back to the ground level in a nose-first orientation, with the tail section of the body fitted with protruding fins so as to stabilize the motion of the toy in flight.

Claims

1. A toy in the shape of a rocket, which may be powered in a directed flight pattern simulating that of a rocket by being initially thrown tail end against the ground, said rocket formed with a cylindrical body which is shaped at the nose end in a rounded fashion, with a compression spring mounted in the interior of the tail section of the body, and a spherical-shaped ball member which is fastened in the body so as to bear against the rear end of the compression spring, with part of the sphericalshaped ball member protruding past the tail end of the cylindrical body such that the toy will bounce upwards when thrown down against a horizontal surface so that the tail end of the ball member strikes the horizontal surface and temporarily compresses the spring, with a weight located in the interior of the nose section of the body so as to cause the axis of the body of the toy to change from an initial vertical orientation in flight, after the tail of the toy has bounced off a horizontal surface, to a horizontal orientation, with the longitudinal axis continuing to revolve in flight so that the toy heads back to the ground level in a nose-first orientation, with the tail section of the body fitted with protruding fins so as to stabilize the motion of the toy in flight.