CA1127849A

CA1127849A - Spinning toy

Info

Publication number: CA1127849A
Application number: CA384,286A
Authority: CA
Inventors: James R. Russell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-08-20
Filing date: 1981-08-20
Publication date: 1982-07-20

Abstract

This invention is a toy in which two principal assemblies of parts are made to counter-rotate by a central internal coil spring, previously wound up by hand, whose tension is released when the weight of the toy, when it is placed on a flat surface, disengages a one-way clutch. It is equipped with a means of freeing the inner end of the spring from its arbor when the energy of the spring is spent, so that the parts may continue to counter-rotate by inertia without damage to the spring. It is equipped with a lighting system using flashlight bulbs and batteries to show flashing light through window apertures and circular holes in the rim of the upper part. The batteries are contained in a central tubular shaft, and the flashing effect is produced by a bimetal thermal relay in the circuit, controlled by a switch on the upper part. When in operation the toy rests on a tricycle gear of three hollow spheres on axles radially disposed in the base to allow free rotation of the base. All parts except light bulbs, batteries, wiring, contact parts, switch and relay, and parts necessarily made of metal such as springs, axles, a ring carrying a hook to engage the inner end of the main spring, and bolts for assembly, may be made of impact-resistant synthetic plastic insulating material by injection molding or other appropriate process. External parts are covered with paint to resemble gleaming metal, and window apertures and illumination holes are covered with thin tinted transparent plastic film.

Description

~ ~2~

5P~CIFICATION
This invention relates to a children's toy of spinning type 9 comprising two principal assemblies of components - an upper frustum or convex part and a base part - which are made to revolve in opposite directions by an internally-contained coil spring which is wound up by hand to put tension on the spring~ It is set in motion by being placed on a flat surface, the weight of the toy acting to disengage a one~way clutch theretofore preventing counter-rotation of the two assemblies.
A lighting system supplies flashing lights, and all external parts are covered by metallic pain-t to resemble gleaming metal. ~ost of the principal parts are made of synthetic plastic insulating material by injection molding or other process. Stability and support are provided by a gear comprising three hollow spheres on radial axles~
~ evolving toys are driven in many ways - by an external wound-up spring, by pumping an upper handle to give spinning action through a twisted metal strip operating in a slot, by pulling on a string wound on a drum to drive a propeller-type part, by building up revolutions through a gear train, by hand-cranked gears~ and by the use of miniature gasoline engines.
The toy described herein is operated by a self-contained driving spring to counter-rotate its two main assemblies and a mechanism is incorporated to release the power of the spring when it is placed on a flat surface~ Mean~ is also incorporated to disengage the inner e~d of the driving spring from its arbor, when the energy of the spring is spen~, sô that the spring ~lill not be damaged and inertia continue~ to rotate the principal parts.
The lighting system comprises a plurality of flashlight-type bulbs disposed around the perimeter of the upper conve~ part and one bulb in a transparent cupola surmounting the toy, supplied with energy from flashlight batteries in a central tubular ~haft controlled by an external switch on the upper part. A flashing e~fect is supplied by a bimetal thermal relay in the circuit.
The toy is wound up by hand to put tension on the driving spring by the operator holding it by the base with one hand and turning the convex part against the spring tension with the other , using one of two vertical rods set into the exterior of the convex part near its perimeter RS crankpins.
A one-way clutch contained in the base maintains the spring tension. The toy is held upright in one hand, using the miniature fence around the cupola as a handle, and the lights switched on~

l~Z'7~

When it is placed on a flat surface, the toy's weight causes a sliding sleeve in the base to disengage the one-way clutch, allowing the spring to counter-rota-te the two main assemblies~
The balance of the weight, after the clutch has disengaged, is borne by a tricycle supporting gear comprising three hollow ~pheres on radially-disposed axles in the base~ giving the toy stability and allowing the base to rotate on the flat surface.
In drawings which illu~trate one embodiment of this invention, Fig l is an elevation in section.
Fig 2 is a plan view, and ~ ig 3 i6 an exploded view of the one-way clutch and its disengaging me~hanism~
The toy illustrated has a hollow truncated right circular cone or frustum~ l, of diameter several times its height, having window apertures , 2, of approximately rectangular shape 9 covered by strips of tinted transparent plastic material, 3, cemented to the exterior, and illumination holes, 4~ covered by tinted plastic discs, 5, in the bevel of the cone. The cone i8 centrally axiall~ pierced by an integral tubular shaft, 6. 7 is a transparent removable plastic cupola centrally po&itioned on the nappe, surrounded by a miniature fence of posts and railings, 8, attached 1;o the nappe. 9 is a hollow cylinder loosely revolvable on the tubular shaft, integral with a disc , lO~ having a hollow cylinder on its perimeter~ forming two hollow chambers, ll proximal to the cone and 12 diætal from it.
13 is a coil spring contained in the proximal chamber ll, with its outer end attached by a rivet to the inner circumference of the cham~er. A reinforcing part, l4, containing a slot, 15, is attached to the inner end of the spring, engagable with a hook, 16, protruding from a ring, 17, l~hich is concentric with and attached to the tubular shaft 6 by a set-screw. The inner end of -the spring is bent inward to maintain riding contact with the ring and ensure engagement with the hook. 18 is a disc concentric with and loosely revolvable on, the tubular shaft to retain the spring in the hollow chamber~
Two cylindrical posts~ 199 are bolted through the nappe of the cone near its perimeter from the exterior 9 and are used as crankpins to revolve the cone and put tension on the spring.
Four driving lugs, 20, are equidistantly spaced around the circum~erence of the hollow cylinder 9, engaging longitudinal slotæ, 21~ open at the end proximal to the diæc lo of the inner circumference of a loosely-fitting cylind~ical sleeve, 22, rotating with and axially slidable over, the hollow c~linder 9. This sleeve has a flange, 239 on the end proximal to the cone, and ratchet ~eeth, 24 on its distal edge, matable ~ith ratchet teetht 25, on the proximal end 7~

of a cylindrical bOssq 26~ co~centric with and attached by bolts, 27, to the tubular shaft 6.
28 is ;~ ht &piral spring located between the disc 10 and the flange 23 to maintain the ratchet teeth, 24 and 25, in mating contact.
29 is an overall cylindrical sleeve freely slidable axially over the boss 26 and the slee~e 22, rotatable with the boss 26 and the tubular shaft 6 by the bolts 27 inserted through lollgitudinal slots, 30, in the sides of the overall slee~e~ the slots bsing of suf-icient leng-th to allow the overall sleeve to contact the flange on the sleeve 22 and mo~e it axially along the hollow cylinder 9 and separate the sets of ratchet teeth 24 and 25, disengaging the one-~ay clutch.
31 is a circular plu~ closing the distal end of the overall sleeve, attached to the sleeve by the bolts 32 and having a hemispherical projection, 33, centrally protrudin~ from its distal face, to make contact with a flat surface.
Three hollow spheres~ 34~ ride on axles 35 which are radially disposed in the base and pierce the wall of the distal chamber 12 and internal brackets 36, such brackets integral with the disc 10, to .orrn a supporting base and stabilize the toy while it is operating.
A lightin~ system is provided by a flashlight-type light bulb~ ~7, centrally located in an insulatin~ plug, .58, in the upper end of -the tubular shaft 6, and by a plurality of similar bulbs, ~9, disposed around the perimeter of the cone, carried on brackets 40 integral with the inner face of the cone and shining through the illumination holes 4 and window apertures 2, supplied with energy from flashlight-t~pe batteries contained in the tubular shaft 6, all connected in parallel through a bimetal thérmal relay9 41 and a switch~ 42.
The perimeter bulb~ are held in place by being pressed into metal spring-clips 43 of semicircular shape, set into the brackets 40 Metal strips 44 inserted into slots in the brackets pro~ide electrical contact with the central terminals of the bulbs~
The plug 38 is pro~ided with a metal strip 45 on its lower face making simultaneous contac-t with the centre terminal of the bulb 37 and the central contact point of the uppermost battery in the tubular shaft. One end of the strip is bent to pass through a slot in the plug 38, its outer end being connected by wiring in parallel with the center terminal contact strips of the perimeter bulbs. The central bulb-holder 46 is connected in parallel with -the bulb-holders of the 4 perimeter bulbs~ One side of the switch is connected by a wire to a spring in the tubular sh~t to make contact with the bottom of the bottommost battery.

~27~

The difital end of the tubular shaft 6 is closed with a circular plug9 47, and held in place by the bolts 27u The plug ~8 is equipped ~Jith two lugs 48 protruding from its circu~ferenc~9 fitting i~to L-shaped slots in the upper end of the tubular shaft, and retained in position with a partial turn~

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive privilege or property is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A children's toy comprising two principal assemblies of components having exteriors painted to resemble glittering metal, one axially pos-itioned above the other, the upper having a tubular shaft centrally axially piercing and attached to, a hollow convex part or hollow trun-cated right circular cone of diameter several times its height, sur-mounted by a carrying handle consisting of a miniature fence of posts and railings centrally attached to its outer surface, surrounding a transparent removable cupola, said tubular shaft fitting into a lower assembly having a loosely-fitting hollow cylinder freely revolvable about said shaft, slid cylinder integral with a disc having a rim providing a hollow chamber proximal to the convex part or cone and another distal from it; driving means capable of counter-rotating said assemblies consisting of a coil spring concentric between them, its outer end attached to the inner circumference of the proximal chamber, its inner end terminating in a reinforcing part having a slot engagable with and disengagable from, a hook-like projection from the outer circumference of a ring concentric with and attached to, the tubular shaft by a set-screw, said inner end and reinforcing part being bent inward to maintain riding contact with the ring and ensure engagement of the hook-like projection in the slot; means to put tension on the coil spring consisting of rods projecting from the outer surface of the convex part or cone, usable as crankpins to revolve said part by hand; one-way clutch means to maintain tension on the spring comprising a concentric cylindrical sleeve rotated by, and axially slidable over, the loosely-fitting hollow cylinder through a plurality of driving lugs projecting from the circumference of the hollow cylinder engaging longitudinal slots in the inner circumference of the concentric cylindrical sleeve, open at the end proximal to the coil spring, said sleeve having on its end proximal to the spring a flange, and axially projecting from its distal end, ratchet teeth matable with ratchet teeth projecting from the proximal end of a boss concentrically fitting over and connected to, by a plurality of bolts, the end of the tubular shaft distal from the convex part or cone, said sets of teeth kept in mating contact by a light spiral spring concentric between the disc and the flange; clutch disengaging means consisting of an overall hollow cylinder freely slidable axially over said boss and sleeve, capable of contacting said flange and moving the sleeve axially over the loosely-fitting hollow cylinder sufficiently to separate said sets of ratchet teeth;

supporting and stabilizing base means consisting of a tricycle supporting gear comprising three hollow spheres equilaterally distant from each other on axles radially disposed within the distal hollow chamber; and illuminating means comprising a flashlight-type electrical bulb on a base within the transparent cupola and a plurality of similar bulbs disposed around the rim of the convex part or cone to shine through window apertures and illumination holes in the rim, covered by tinted transparent film, said bulbs connected electrically through a bimetal thermal relay, to provide a flashing effect, and an external switch to flashlight-type batteries contained in the tubular shaft.

2. A toy as defined in Claim 1 in which the overall hollow cylinder has longitudinal slots in its wall through which pass the plurality of bolts attaching the boss to the tubular shaft, allowing free axial movement of the overall cylinder over the boss and sleeve, and has its distal end closed by a circular plug having on its distal face a central hemispherical projection to contact a flat surface on which the toy is placed, acting so that the weight of the toy moves the overall cylinder axially over the boss and sleeve to disengage the teeth of the ratchet clutch and set the toy in motion before the tricycle supporting gear touches the flat surface, the light spiral spring re-engaging the sets of ratchet teeth when the toy is lifted off the flat surface.